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January 26, 2016Decorated Army Veteran Urges Niskayuna Board of Education to Act on Alternative Veterans Tax Exemption
Tully Rinckey PLLC Founding Partner Mathew Tully stands behind needed tax breaks for veterans
As the Niskayuna Central School District Board of Education debates enacting property tax exemptions for veterans, Tully Rinckey PLLC Founding Partner and decorated Army Veteran Mathew Tully will speak in support of the measure at a public hearing on the matter tonight. With many area veterans expected to be present, Tully notes the exemption is a vital step towards making our communities military and veteran friendly, which is essential to the long term survival of the military’s presence in Schenectady County.
“Currently, 1,036 jobs in Schenectady County with an annual payroll of more than $65 million exist because of the military’s presence here,” Tully said. “Beyond direct payroll and jobs, the military facilities provide another $21.4 million in economic impact for Schenectady County. The Niskayuna Board of Education needs to move forward with the Alternative Veterans Tax Exemption to send a clear message that a warm welcome still exists for the military economic impact in this town.”
Last night, the Niskayuna Central School District Board of Education held a public hearing on the possibility of enacting the Alternative Veterans Tax Exemption within the district. The exemption is a state program providing school districts the option to exempt a portion of the property values of eligible veterans from school taxes.
The state authorized the Alternative Veterans Tax Exemption for counties, cities, towns and villages in 1984 and extended it to school districts in 2013. It gives local governments the option to select an exemption level for eligible veterans, which are generally those who were on active duty during wartime. New exemptions must be filed by March 1 to be effective with school tax bills in the subsequent September. The Board of Education has not decided if it will act on the exemption.
Charles Steiner, President of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, believes the exemption is a necessary token of appreciation from the town to its veterans for their service.
“Our military has a significant investment and economic impact in our region, which is important, but nothing to the degree that our veterans, who have given so much to our country, have personally invested in the security of our nation,” Steiner said.
Anthony Gucciardo, President & CEO of Gucciardo Real Estate Group LLC, one of the Capital Region’s top-selling residential real estate brokerages, says failing to enact the exemption would further depress Niskayuna home values due to a glut of veteran-owned homes coming on the market.
“A phone survey recently conducted by the Military Order of the Purple Heart indicated about 44 percent of veterans eligible for the tax exemption plan to sell their home in the next three years if they don’t receive the exemption,” Gucciardo said. “This could lead to close to 400 properties being listed for sale by veterans that wouldn’t otherwise go on the market. Failing to act on this exemption does not paint a rosy picture for Niskayuna home values.”
Following feedback from residents, the Board of Education will now decide if it will act on the Alternative Veterans Tax Exemption. Other Capital Region school districts that have passed the exemption include the City of Albany, Bethlehem, Guilderland and Mohonasen. All property owners with a primary residence within the Niskayuna Central School District would be eligible.
Mathew Tully served in the U.S. Army for nearly 20 years, retiring from the New York Army National Guard at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. Throughout his military career, he was deployed to Iraq, Egypt and Afghanistan. As a result of his service in the latter, he was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal resulting from injuries sustained in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. Tully is the New York State Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
To speak to Mr. Tully, or for more information, please contact Marcy Velte at (518) 218-7100 or at mvelte@1888law4life.com.
