A decade after Tennessee voters first authorized local governments to freeze property taxes for low- and moderate-income seniors, the city of Chattanooga may soon adopt such a freeze to help elderly homeowners on fixed incomes cope with rising property values and taxes.

Chattanooga City Councilman Ken Smith said the city needs to freeze its property taxes for senior citizens living on modest incomes to help them stay in their homes as costs rise and their incomes are often fixed.

"We just went through the latest round of reappraisals, and I think a lot of people had their assessments increase more than they expected, so that has really brought this issue to the forefront," Smith said Wednesday during a roundtable discussion with seniors about the city implementing a tax freeze for many senior homeowners. "I'm willing to introduce such a freeze, and I hope a majority of the council will support it."