The Port Washington North Board of Trustees voted last Wednesday to increase the income limit on the property tax exemption for senior citizens to $34,399.
The maximum amount of income to qualify for the exemption had been $28,899.
The amount of the exemption varies on a sliding scale according to income, including the spouse’s income.
The greatest benefit, a 50 percent reduction on the assessed valuation exempt from taxation, will apply to those with incomes of $26,000 or less.
The reduction will be 5 percent for those with incomes between $33,500 and $34,399.
Last year three people qualified for the exemption, village clerk Palma Torrisi said.
The trustees passed a second law regarding outstanding property taxes and how the village will contact residents in arrears.
Now, the village clerk will draft a notice and send it to owners of the real property where taxes are unpaid. The notice will include the amount owed, interest and other charges. The notice will also state that the real property will be sold at a public auction three weeks after the date on the notice.
The village said the notice “shall not be sent less than three weeks before the first day of such sale to the resident’s last known address.”
A resident with outstanding payments will also be responsible for the cost of mailing the letter.
“These bills were prepared in a public hearing and it’s good we got them passed,” Mayor Robert Weitzner said. “It’s good for the village. I’m happy we got this done.”
The board also resolved that a request for development proposals for two properties on village-owned land be issued immediately. The properties are located at 21 Soundview Drive and 107 Cowneck Road.
“It’s something we’ve been interested in for a while,” Weitzner said. “The market is feasible, so we’re doing it at the right time. It needed to be done.”
Along with the request for the development of the two properties, the village is currently soliciting at least three written price quotes for maintenance of its streetlights.
The village is also exercising its option to extend the contract for snow plowing, sanding and salting of village streets with Dejana Industries Inc. for the period of Oct. 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017.
