(Photo via Unsplash).
A town board in Cortland County unanimously agreed Wednesday to commission a draft of a local law to incentivize volunteer first responders.
Town of Cortlandville attorney John DelVecchio will draft a proposal that would provide volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical services technicians with a 10% property tax exemption.
Town supervisor Tom Williams said the town will have to set up a public hearing before voting on the proposal.
The measure mirrors a proposal discussed at Tuesday’s Cortland County Finance and Administration committee meeting, which would provide a 10% county property tax relief off the assessed value of the volunteer’s property.
This exemption applies to members of volunteer ambulance services, volunteer fire companies, and volunteer fire departments who have been registered for at least two years. An application and certification must be filed with the municipal property value assessor every year to qualify for the tax relief.
To be eligible, the volunteer would have to live in the municipality served by their fire department or ambulance service, according to state guidelines. The property also has to be the volunteer’s primary residence.
A volunteer of 20 years can qualify for a lifetime exemption, county legislature Clerk Savannah Hempstead noted in the past.
