The Mineola Board of Education on Thursday unanimously approved a partial property tax exemption for military veterans living within the school district as well as the parents of service members who died in combat.
The board enacted the exemption along state guidelines offering up to 15 percent off for veterans and an additional 10 percent for those who served in combat, as well as an additional 50 percent for veterans disabled in combat.
The board did not disclose the percentage offered to the parents of deceased service members, known as Gold Star Parents, the total number of veterans and Gold Star Parents eligible for exemptions, or the total tax increase to Mineola residents to account for the exemptions.
“I respect you absolutely. I thank you absolutely,” school board President Artie Barnett said of the veterans following the board’s vote.
The school board had tabled a vote on the exemptions when they were first proposed last year – a decision that had drawn criticism from veterans and state Sen. Jack Martin (R-Mineola).
School trustees said they wanted to wait for the state Legislature to correct a clerical error in the law that did not allow school districts to opt out of the exemption once they gave their approval.
Following a meeting Barnett held with veterans at American Legion Post 144 in Williston Park in August to explain the board’s stance, Martins said the Legislature’s failure to correct the law was not a good reason for school boards not to approve the exemption.
“The Legislature already made it clear it plans on addressing the clerical error on the bill. And I certainly hope that’s not used as a basis for consideration of giving relief to the men and women who served their country,” he said.
Barnett said the board decided during its work session on Thursday to hold the hearing in advance of the Jan. 2 deadline so the exemption could take effect in 2015.
“We had until Jan. 2 to wait this thing out, do it correctly and as promised by the Legislature allow them to fix the law,” Barnett said. “They did not. We are moving forward anyway. We hope they will take care of this. We hope that we don’t need them to, but we hope they’ll take care of it.”
Barnett emphasized that waiting for the Legislature to act has had no impact on the veterans receiving tax exemptions.
“No veteran in the Mineola school district has lost anything, no other school district’s veterans have received the exemption until next year,” he said.
More than 30 residents and veterans appeared before the board Thursday in support of the exemptions.
“Whether it was in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, or even during the Cold War, these veterans know the true meaning of that word: sacrifice,” said Mineola Resident Sal Thomas, who served in Iraq.
In other developments:
• The board is also considering a new athletic turf field at Hampton Street School.
The district currently has $3 million in a capital reserve fund that Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler said could be used for the project, and the board would also seek additional state funds for capital work.
“It’s kind of like working backwards,” Naglar said. “We come up with the ideal project and then work down to see what we can afford.”
Nagler said to acquire state funds the board would also have to take on construction projects to the school building, saying the board would consider the conversion of its cafeteria into classroom space and subsequent construction of a new cafeteria or a renovation of its current cafeteria.
It could take between 14 and 26 weeks to be notified of potential state funds, Nagler said.
“After this evening we are hopeful that the board can give the architect direction to begin his drawings,” Nagler said prior to a presentation given by architect Michael Mark of Mark Design Studios Architecture at the Wednesday night meeting. “After that occurs we’re at the mercy of the state for their approval [on the project].”
The Mineola community would have to approve use of the capital reserve funds during the district’s budget vote in May.
