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Greene County to seek public hearing on full property-tax exemption for some severely disabled veterans
Summary
County real property tax director asked the board to call a public hearing on a local law that would exempt the primary residence of certain severely disabled veterans under section 458-a; staff estimated a county revenue shift of $63,009 and a countywide transfer of $417,736 if all jurisdictions adopt the exemption.
Greene County’s government operations committee voted to refer a proposed local law to a public hearing that would exempt the primary residence of seriously disabled veterans from property taxes and special district charges under section 458‑a of the Real Property Tax Law.
Director Ward, who presented the fiscal analysis, said the county’s best estimate is that 114 Greene County veterans currently meet the criteria cited in state law. Ward said: “We would be transferring, if all jurisdictions adopted it, $417,736 in tax revenue” and that the county’s portion of that shift would be about $63,009. He told the committee those totals assume county, school and independent special districts also adopt the exemption.
Ward walked the committee through a range of potential homeowner impacts, saying the county’s average single‑family home would face a county tax increase of roughly $0.92 on the total tax bill under the scenario he modeled and that school‑district impacts varied widely (Ward cited an average school‑district shift of about $8.11, with higher and lower values depending on where exempt veterans live). He also noted that several towns and villages currently do not have qualified veterans who would receive the exemption, which affects the apportionment of the revenue shift.
Committee members discussed equity and cost. One member said: “I think it’s the least that we can do considering the sacrifice that these veterans have made,” while others asked staff for backup documentation. Ward said additional backup material is available and offered to circulate spreadsheets and supporting data.
The committee also approved, as part of the same meeting, a separate motion to send the local law (listed on the agenda as local law number 2 of 2026) to a public hearing; no final adoption occurred at the meeting. The record shows the measure advanced to the next procedural step, where the public hearing and further analysis will be scheduled.
Next steps: the committee’s referral moves the measure to a formal public hearing and subsequent committee or board consideration; Ward said staff can provide detailed backup to the members before the hearing.
