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Deputy Mayor Paterno proposes $300 flat senior tax credit and expanded sewer discounts
Summary
Deputy Mayor Paterno and Councilor Cordero proposed a town ordinance to create a flat $300 tax credit for eligible seniors and recommend raising income thresholds for the existing sewer-user discount so more residents qualify; the council will refine the proposal and consider it for the 2027–28 fiscal year.
Deputy Mayor Paterno introduced a proposal to create a town-level senior tax credit and to recommend higher income thresholds for the sewer-user discount, saying the program would expand eligibility while keeping the benefit simple.
“We are suggesting that we create an option B, tier 2 … once a person is eligible, they will receive a $300 tax credit,” Deputy Mayor Paterno said, describing a flat $300 abatement for qualifying property owners. He noted one funding scenario would allocate 0.0015% of a roughly $160 million budget—about $240,000 a year—to the program.
The proposal would be an ordinance re-evaluated every five years and administered through the human services department. Town Assessor Mary Huda, who the deputy mayor invited to advise, said the state runs a renter’s rebate program and that human services handles applications: “The state does offer a renter’s rebate program … and it is based on percentage of income versus percentage of rent and utilities,” she said, adding she would check whether a local option exists.
Councilors pressed for design details. One suggested indexing income thresholds and the credit to CPI to prevent erosion from inflation; another asked whether renters or residents in senior housing who do not pay property tax could be included. Mayor Zimmerman said he supported the concept and “I’ll be voting for it however we do it,” but warned the town must identify offsetting budget reductions or revenue sources to cover any new annual cost.
Timing and next steps: the deputy mayor said staff and council members will meet to refine alternatives this summer and bring options back for review in September; if approved, changes would be targeted to take effect in fiscal 2027–28. The council did not adopt an ordinance at the July 20 meeting; the item remains a proposal to be developed.
