Tax Exemptions; Youth Art Month: Harrison Mayor's Column

From Mayor Ron Belmont and the town board

I would like to bring your attention to an issue that may affect many residents: tax exemption status. It is that time of year again, time for exemption renewals to be sent out. The assessment office has sent out renewal applications to all enhanced STAR applicants from prior years, as well as applicants of the RPTL 467 senior exemptions.

These applications were sent out with instruction information and all required dates. Deadline applications are due on or before May 1, 2019. Additionally, May 1 is what is known as Taxable Status Date, which requires all exemption applications to be submitted as well as any demolitions of real estate to be completed to valuation changes.

The assessment office asks that all renewals are carefully reviewed and that all required documents be submitted in a timely manner to avoid a loss of eligibility. New for 2019: The State of NY now requires the completion of RP-425-IVP. This is State law and must be submitted along with your RP-425-RNW form in order to continue getting enhanced STAR.

Exemptions offer modest to significant relief from real estate taxes. Enhanced STAR and Basic STAR offer relief on school taxes, whereas a Veterans exemption offers relief from General Town and County taxes and in some cases, school taxes. The Senior 467 Exemption is the most comprehensive and can offer a sliding scalereduction based on income of up to 50% from all forms of real estate taxes.

As with all applications for exemption from taxes, there are rules. All Senior exemptions require proof of age, and an income component, with amounts varying based on the application provided. The Enhanced STAR income total is $86,300 based on 2017 Federal Income Tax returns. The Senior 467 exemption is $37,399 based on 2018 income data. This exemption is based on gross income from all sources and not net income, i.e. social security income counts.

New homeowners, or those seeking STAR for the first time, must now apply to the state at www.tax.ny.gov/star or call (518) 457-2036. The Harrison Assessors Office is available for questions, Monday to Friday from 9AM to 5PM. The office can be reached by calling (914) 670-3060. No applications will be accepted unless complete, as audits by the State of New York have become commonplace.

This year’s Youth Art Month kicks off with a reception in Town Hall on Sunday, March 3rd from 1 pm to 3 pm. All residents are invited. This is a wonderful annual event and I encourage all residents to visit our municipal building, throughout the month of March, and view the extraordinary talent from our youngest residents.

In closing, Thursday, February 28th is the opening night for the Harrison High School Footlight Players presentation of Me and My Girl. Performances run through Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Harrison’s Performing Arts Center in the high school. I encourage everyone to attend what I’m sure will be a very exciting show.

The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on Friday, March 8th and I will be at Silver Lake Café, located at 17 Taylor Square in West Harrison. On Friday, March 15th I will be at Harrison Pizza located at 248 Halstead Avenue in Downtown Harrison. I will be at these locations from 12:30 to 1:30 and look forward to meeting with residents and talking about issues facing our community.