Veterans News

[sunflower]

Veterans with military ID eat free at an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 1 to5 p. m. Sunday (Jan. 22nd) in Col. John B. Weber Post 898, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 2909 South Park Ave., Lackawanna. Dinner includes bread, salad, dessert and beverage. For nonveterans, tickets are $8 adults, $5 kids 5 to 10. Kids 4 and under eat free. There also will be a theme basket raffle and split club.

[andreahaxton]

Lackawanna had more enlisted men into WWII than anywhere else in the nation.
Nice! ALL OUR Vets are special people!

[sunflower]

The Erie County Veterans Tax Exemption
If you are a Veteran and own a home in Erie County, you may be eligible for an exemption on your local city, town, or village tax as well as your county tax. Real estate taxes frequently change in our area and we apologize in advance for any inaccuracies contained herein. Every Veteran homeowner is urged to contact their local assessor to determine the exemptions for which they qualify and to insure that they are properly applied to their property's assessment. Both the county and the municipality (city, town, and village) have ceiling caps on which the exemptions are calculated. There is no Veteran's exemption available for our local school tax.

The primary criteria that need to be met are that you were discharged under honorable conditions and that you served on active duty during a wartime period. In addition if you have a disability rating related to your service, 1/2 of that rating may be added to your Veteran's exemption (not to exceed ceiling max of 35%). The eligible wartime periods are the following:

Persian Gulf Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (on or after August 2, 1990 - Current);
Vietnam War (February 28, 1961 - May 7, 1975);
Korean War (June 27, 1950 - January 31, 1955);
Cold War (Served on active duty from the end of WW II to December 26, 1991)
World War II (December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946, inclusive. If the veteran was in service on December 31, 1946, continuous service before July 26, 1947, is considered World War II service.)

[andreahaxton]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2008

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

Departmental Reports:

City Compt. – Statement of Cond. Of Approp. As of 12/31/07.

City Compt. – AP Check Listing #25, 1/17/08.

City Compt. – AP Check Listing #26, 1/24/08

Moved by Jaworski, seconded by Szymanski to receive and file

Yeas: Szymanski, Kulczyk, Schiavi, Jaworski. Carried 4-1

Nays: Haxton

Communications from the Council:

Maximum Exemptions for Veterans
To: City Council
We request Council approval of Local Law increasing the maximum real property tax exemptions allowable for veterans in the City of Lackawanna. This local law allow for the maximum exemptions allowable under Subdivision 2 of Section 458-A of the real property tax law of New York State

CHUCK JAWORSKI, COUNCIL PRESIDENT

GEOFFREY SZYMANSKI, SECOND WARD COUNCIL MEMBER

Moved by Schiavi, seconded by Haxton to receive and file act on local law.

Yeas: Haxton, Szymanski, Kulczyk, Schiavi, Jaworski. Carried 5 - 0


Local Law
A local law sponsored by Council President Jaworski and Council Member Szymanski

Increasing the maximum real property tax exemptions allowable for veterans.

The home value cap for veteran exemptions, as provided in the Real Property Tax Law is hereby increased from $80,000 to $120,000

The maximum exemptions allowable under subdivision 2 of Section 458-A of the Real Property Tax Law for the following classes of veterans is hereby increased as follows:

For war veterans - $18,000

For combat veterans - $12,000

For disabled veterans - $60,000

THIS LOCAL LAW SHALL TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY.

Moved by Jaworski and Szymanski, seconded by Haxton to adopt local law.

Yeas: Haxton, Szymanski, Kulczyk, Schiavi, Jaworski. Carried 5 - 0