Assessor outlines state budget changes: higher senior/disabled exemption and local option for disabled-veteran exemption

Mark (speaker 6) briefed supervisors on two provisions in the recently signed state budget that will affect the 2028 assessment roll: an increase in the senior/low-income disabled exemption cap and new rules returning the 100-percent disabled-veteran exemption to local option.

"They're increasing the maximum from $58.04 to 75,000," Mark said while explaining the adjustment that will take effect 07/01/2027 for the 2028 assessment roll. (Transcript wording appears to record an abbreviated figure for the prior cap; Mark's point was that the state raised the maximum allowable exemption.) He added the 100% disabled-veteran exemption is now a local option with changed eligibility criteria and that staff will review whether the new rules expand local eligibility. Mark said the assessors cannot compute new-eligibility impacts for potential new recipients because some income data are no longer routed through the assessor; staff will therefore analyze the fiscal effect using the cohort of current exemption recipients and present both people-impacted and dollar estimates to the board in July.

The board requested that Mark include in the July presentation: (1) a count of residents who would receive a larger exemption under the new maximum, (2) estimated county and municipal revenue impact in dollars, and (3) any administrative steps municipalities or the county must take to adopt the 100% disabled-veteran exemption as a local option. No final local law was adopted at the meeting; staff said they will return with a recommended local law if the board wishes to act.