Board adopts adjusted income sliding scale for senior property tax exemption after public hearing

The Batavia City School District Board of Education on Monday adopted a resolution to revise the district's real property tax exemption for lower-income senior citizens, approving an adjusted annual-income sliding scale designed to maintain eligibility as cost of living rises.

Board members held a public hearing on the measure before voting. According to the memo presented to the board, the sliding scale specifies eligibility and the percentage of exemption tied to a senior household's total annual income. The district noted the county adopted a similar scale earlier in the year and the district's update is intended to keep eligibility consistent under inflationary pressure.

Board members moved and seconded the resolution and then approved it by voice vote. The board also voted to close the public hearing following the action. The resolution and the sliding-scale table were included with the posted memo and the formal resolution packet on the board's agenda materials.

Why it matters: the change adjusts income thresholds and exemption percentages used by the district to determine which senior homeowners can receive partial or full relief from property taxes. Board materials say the update is intended to prevent seniors from losing eligibility solely because of modest increases in cost-of-living or small changes in reported income.

The board did not record an itemized roll-call tally in the public transcript; approval was taken by the board's recorded voice vote during the meeting.