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Portsmouth council raises elderly, disabled tax-exemption income limits and adopts application clarifications
Summary
The Portsmouth City Council on Feb. 3 adopted revised income thresholds for the city—9s elderly and disabled property-tax exemptions, approving the higher option recommended by the assessor and keeping the $500,000 asset limit unchanged. The council also confirmed application rules and outreach plans.
The Portsmouth City Council on Feb. 3 adopted higher income limits for the city's elderly and disabled property-tax exemptions, following a presentation from Chief Assessor Roseanne Lentz and supporting remarks from multiple councilors.
Lede: Acting on a recommendation from Chief Assessor Roseanne Lentz, the council voted to adopt option 2 for the 2025 elderly and disabled exemptions, raising the income thresholds while keeping the asset limit at $500,000 and reaffirming April 1 as the qualification date and April 15 as the application deadline.
Nut graf: The change is intended to allow more residents on fixed incomes to qualify. Lentz told the council the proposal is based on a 10-year rolling CPI average and would modestly increase the single and married income caps to better reflect local cost trends. Councilors emphasized outreach and workshops to ensure eligible residents know to apply.
Body: Lentz detailed eligibility and the recommended changes during a slide presentation. She said the elderly exemption requires applicants to be 65 by April 1 of the claim year and to have been New Hampshire residents for three consecutive years; the disabled exemption requires five years of New Hampshire residency. She explained trust-held property rules and said applicants must file with the assessor's office by April 15.
On the proposed numbers, Lentz presented two options. The assessor recommended option 2 (a 10-year rolling CPI adjustment), which would raise the single income limit to about $55,005 and the married limit to about $72,008 while leaving the $500,000 asset cap unchanged. Lentz said the change is intended "to allow a little more, and a little bit more for individuals to be able to qualify" rather than simply applying the Social Security COLA.
Council discussion flagged program size and cost. Lentz said about 147 taxpayers currently receive the exemptions. She also reported 11 applicants were denied last year, mostly because of income; the highest asset level among denied applicants was roughly $502,000. Asked about the budget impact, Lentz said the change equated to roughly "6¢ on the tax rate," which assistant mayor Kelly and others noted would equal about $60 on a $10,000 tax bill.
Councilors pressed staff on outreach and process details. Lentz and staff said they already hold workshops (at the senior center last year), will continue using the city website and tax-bill messaging, and can run additional sessions at libraries or senior luncheons. The council clarified the qualification date is April 1 (income/assets as of April 1) and applications must be filed by April 15.
Action and vote: A motion to adopt the elderly-exemption resolution as presented (option 2) was moved and seconded and approved by the council. The council subsequently conducted the required separate public hearing and moved to adopt the disabled-exemption resolution (option 2) as well. Both measures were approved (council vote recorded as all in favor).
Ending: Councilors urged continued outreach so residents who may qualify know to apply and noted staff will post information on the city website and repeat senior-center workshops to increase awareness.
