County Looks To Expand Tax Break Program for Firefighter, Ambulance Volunteers

By Chris English

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — More volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers will be getting breaks on their Schoharie County property taxes if the county Board of Supervisors approves a proposal to be considered during a public hearing at the Feb. 21 BOS meeting.

The board set the public hearing at its Jan. 17 meeting. As explained by county Director of Real Property Lisa Thom at the Jan. 15 county Personnel/Finance Committee meeting, the current law from 2023 allows 10 percent exemptions on the property assessments of volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers if they live in the same town where their volunteer agencies are located.

If the amendment is approved Feb. 21, the exemption would be allowed to any volunteer firefighter or ambulance worker so long as he or she lived in the county. That volunteer would no longer be required to reside in the town where his or her volunteer agency was located.

According to the specific language in the proposed amendment, tax exemption eligibility would apply if the "applicant resides in the County of Schoharie and is a member of an incorporated volunteer fire company or fire department or incorporated volunteer ambulance service which provides service within the city, village, town or school district or who provides service to a neighboring city, village, town, county or school district."

"We currently have two individuals who are members of our volunteer fire department in Richmondville but live in the Town of Seward, and this would make them qualify," said county Supervisor Jeffrey Haslun of Richmondville.

In another action from the Jan. 17 meeting, the BOS approved a resolution that appoints Richard Prokop to a three-year at large term to the county Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors. In addition, Supervisors Harold Vroman and Alicia Terry were appointed to one-year terms, Leonard Prezorski was appointed to a one-year term as a representative from the Farm Bureau, and Claude Coons was appointed to a two-year term as a representative from the Grange.

The resolution fixes compensation for members of the board at "$90 for each calendar day that they are actually engaged in the performance of their duties and mileage to be paid at the current county rate per mile for going and returning from places where they are required to go in performance of their duties."