Assessor meets Board to alert residents of STAR mandate
Town Assessor Al Hammond told the Town Board Tuesday afternoon at its work session that New York State was cracking down on people double dipping on a program providing relief from school district taxes.
The so-called “Basic STAR” exemption is available for owner-occupied, primary residences where the owners’ income is less than $500,000, exempting the first $30,000 of the full value of a home from school taxes.
Those who are registered with the program must now re-register to receive benefits in 2014.
Mr. Hammond said the state had found instances where people with dual residences were claiming — either intentionally or through an error — two exemptions. In order to get the situation under control, the state will be sending out letters to homeowners requiring them to re-register for the STAR program.
Mr. Hammond said here have been scam artists contacting homeowners to use their services to handle STAR questions. He urged all qualified residents to only respond to state inquiries.
