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• <br /> <br />Friendswood's property tax rate is 60.4 cents per $100 valuation, Cox said. <br />"We have a growing senior population and (the freeze is) something that will help <br />defray their increase in cost of living over the years to come," Cox said. "Ultimately, the <br />council felt it was the best thing for our community at this point." <br />All Friendswood residents who own homes already receive an annual homestead <br />exemption of 20 percent, city spokesman Nick Haby said. <br />Haby said 9 percent of the city's population -or approximately 3,000 residents -are <br />seniors who are eligible for the freeze. He said the city does not know how many <br />disabled residents are eligible for it. <br />Had the freeze been in effect the last five years, Haby said, the city would have lost an <br />average of $107,000 annually in revenue. <br />"It will have an impact," Cox said. 'Any time you vote to reduce your revenues, it has an <br />impact. The services are still provided to our seniors regardless, but the overall <br />financial impact at this point is not significant. It'll certainly grow in the future. We'll <br />just have to account for that as time goes on." <br />Councilman Tracy Goza said the freeze is an "excellent idea." <br />"We're taxing the older folks out of their homes,"Goza said. "I'm for less taxes and if <br />we've got to start with the seniors and disabled for tax cuts then maybe we can give a <br />tax cut everywhere else, too." <br />He said he is not worried about the impact the freeze could have on the city's revenues. <br />"We've got the ability to get more money if we needed it,"Goza said. <br />