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County to amend volunteer firefighter/EMS tax-exemption law to include neighboring service; veterans office reports holiday aid distribution
Summary
Committee members agreed to prepare an amended local law to allow volunteer firefighters and ambulance members who live in one municipality but serve in a neighboring one to qualify for a real property tax exemption; veterans staff reported holiday food and donation distributions and a driver recruitment note.
Columbia County staff told the committee they will prepare an amendment to the county’s local law on property tax exemptions for volunteer fire and ambulance workers to explicitly allow volunteers who live in one municipality but serve in a neighboring one to qualify for the exemption.
Trish, a planning/legislative staff speaker, explained the change responds to a gap created by a late-year state change to the Real Property Tax Law that added a section (referred to in the meeting record as a new subsection) allowing municipalities and school districts to adopt local rules permitting volunteers to serve in neighboring jurisdictions and still qualify. The proposed county amendment would read, in part, that an applicant “resides in the County Of Columbia and is a member of an incorporated volunteer fire company, fire department, incorporated volunteer ambulance service, which provides service to a neighboring city, village, town, or county.”
Trish said Greene County had already adopted a similar amendment and she planned to piggyback on that language while the county attorney reviews the wording. The committee discussed timing; staff suggested sending materials to towns and town clerks after the committee meeting and setting a public hearing next month with final adoption timed to take effect for the coming assessment cycle if towns and school districts also adopt matching language.
Veterans office update: Rachel, representing the veterans program, reported on holiday outreach and volunteer coordination. She said the widows-and-volunteers program distributed 25 donated cooked Thanksgiving meals, 28 complete turkey dinners for veterans, 188 grab bags for veterans distributed to 12 nursing homes in Columbia and Greene counties, 45 extra bags for a Christmas party, and 20 donated hams given out at Christmas. The office also held a bereavement class for surviving spouses and a Christmas luncheon where volunteers and Santa participated.
On staffing, the veterans office noted a driver position can be advertised; a candidate had shown interest but wanted to volunteer rather than be paid, and staff reminded the committee that the position must be advertised and cannot be volunteer due to liability and union/HR rules.
Ending: Staff will prepare and circulate the draft amended local law to towns and the county attorney ahead of a public hearing; veterans staff will proceed with advertising the driver position in coordination with Human Resources.
