275 have submitted applications in last week

By Sheila Harris [email protected]

Barry County residents of all ages have been receiving a document from the collector’s office in the mail, titled “Barry County Senior Tax Credit.” 

However, it’s not because Collector Skylar Bowman believes that every homeowner is old enough to qualify for the credit.

“We don’t have a way in our tax system to distinguish the ages of residents,” Bowman said. “So, we had to mail the form to everyone.”

The form applies to Barry County property-owners who were 62 years old as of Jan. 1, 2024. Those who fall into that category are eligible for a property tax freeze, retroactive to 2024. Depending on when applicants turned 62, the year upon which their freeze will be based will be 2024, 2025 or 2026. Property owners who turn 62 by Jan. 1, 2027, will be eligible to apply in 2027, with 2027 set as their base year.

The collector’s office will be accepting applications from qualified residents through June 30, 2026. As of Monday morning, 275 applications had been received, up 225 from the previous Tuesday.

The Barry County Senior Tax Credit (freeze) comes as a result of the passage of Missouri Senate Bill (SB) 190 in the April 8, 2025, General Municipal Election.

In order to be eligible for the tax relief, applications must be filled out and returned to the Collector’s office by June 30, 2026, accompanied by the forms of identification designated on the application.

The application has been a bit confusing to some. Although it states that one form of ID will be required, the county is asking for both a Missouri driver’s license and a voter ID card: the first to prove age, and the second to prove Barry County residency.

A passport or birth certificate can also be used to verify age.

If desired, residents can register to vote at the county clerk’s office the same day.

The Barry County assessor’s office will verify property ownership, without the need for a person to bring in proof of ownership themselves, Bowman said.

Mark Ingram, of Purdy, took his application to the collector’s office the day after he received it in the mail, and was surprised to discover that, although the form is supposed to be signed in front of a notary public, there was no notary available to witness his signature.

“They were sending people across the street to an attorney’s office or to their bank to get their signatures notarized,” he said.

Bowman says the application process currently involves three steps.

“Residents should first bring their applications and proper forms of ID to the old courtroom in the historic courthouse, where an employee from the collector’s office is verifying applications,” Bowman said. “After verification is made, they will need to take the document to a notary of their choice, for verification of their signature, then return the notarized form to the collector’s office.”

Bowman asks that residents be patient with her office, as this process is new for her and her employees. She said those who receive the tax credit will need to apply annually, but the process will be simplified after the first year.

This will be the only year that separate applications for the tax freeze will be mailed, she said. In following years, Bowman’s office will make the application available online for people to download and print. Hard copies will also be available at her office.

The tax credit will not be issued as a check to taxpayers, Bowman said in a 2025 interview with the Cassville Democrat, but, rather, will appear as a credit on taxpayers’ statements, as well as on their property tax payment receipts.

For more information about the process, people may call Bowman’s office at 417-847-2113 or email [email protected].