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Lockport school district to consider tax break for veterans

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal - 2/10/2017

Feb. 10--Wartime veterans in the Lockport City School district may be getting a break on their taxes in the future.

A public hearing on the veterans' tax exemption will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, at the school board's next regular meeting. The board is expected to vote on the exemption that night, after the public hearing.

At Wednesday night's school board work session, the board chose the same exemption level currently offered by the city of Lockport. If the exemption is adopted, veterans who served in a time of war would be eligible for an exemption of 15 percent of the assessed value of their property, up to $9,000. Veterans who served during a time of war in combat zones are eligible for an additional $6,000, for a total of up to a $15,000 reduction in their assessed valuation. Veterans who served in a combat zone in a time or war and sustained service-related injuries would be eligible for an additional exemption equal to half his or her disability ratings, up to $30,000.

The district hosted a non-binding referendum vote on adopting a veterans' tax exemption in May, 2014. Voters backed the exemption by 895 to 611.

However, in February, 2015, the board voted the tax exemption down. It was the same year the city of Lockport raised its tax rate almost 10 percent, and school board members said they were concerned about overburdening taxpayers, since non-veterans will see their tax bill go up if the veterans' exemption is adopted.

If the board adopts the tax exemption on Feb. 15, veterans eligible for a 15 percent tax break would see annual taxes on a home assessed at $100,000 with basic or enhanced STAR, drop by $200.42 per year, according to 2016-2017 assessed valuation rates.

District taxpayers who are not eligible for the exemption would see their taxes rise to compensate, with an increase of $36.09 on a home assessed at $100,000.

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(c)2017 the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal (Lockport, N.Y.)

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