Yorktown board adopts 5% school‑tax exemption for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers

The Yorktown Central School District Board of Education on April 13 adopted a resolution granting a 5% partial school‑tax exemption to qualifying volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers, after a public hearing in which residents and board members expressed support.

At the hearing, Jeff Wilson, president of Yorktown Heights Engine Company No. 1, urged the board to adopt an incentive to help recruit and retain volunteers, saying, “We are 100 volunteer,” and describing the department’s heavy service and community outreach. Superintendent Dr. Hatter told the board his analysis shows 37 parcels in the district would be affected and estimated that a 5% exemption with a two‑year eligibility baseline would reduce district school tax revenue by “just under $20,000 in the aggregate,” which he illustrated as roughly a $2 per year increase on a $10,000 school tax…