I do not know why I bothered. Compared to our other properties, our Saint Louis property taxes are relatively low. But who wants to pay more taxes? Not me. This year, Saint Louis County began offering senior citizens a freeze on their property taxes. Way back when we were young and when we first bought this house, our property value was low. Our property taxes were even lower. Back then, the county valued existing properties much lower than new construction. So much lower that some developers sued and won. Our property taxes started out low but kept rising over the years. This year, our house’s appraisal was slated to jump significantly. At the beginning of the year, I applied to get our tax freeze.

I started the process but did not complete it. This week, we were notified that we had until next week to complete the process. I tried calling but could not get through. Online, I snagged an appointment for today. Not knowing what to expect, except to expect the worse, I headed over to Clayton. Arriving, I got a confirmation text for my appointment and my name soon appeared on the teleprompter’s list of names. Eventually, a clerk called me to her window. Looking over my application, she determined that I needed a copy of our deed, which she could sell me for the princely sum of $4. Easy peasey. Not that this tax freeze is a rock-hard icy January freeze, but more of a mushy-slushy late-March freeze. Our property taxes will go up, just not as fast as before.