The Carle Place Board of Education passed the veterans exemptions at their Dec. 11 meeting, a move that will allow local vets and Gold Star parents (people who have lost a child in combat) to receive school tax breaks.
The deadline to vote for the exemption is Jan. 2, 2015 and residents had previously expressed frustration over the board’s delay in passing the resolution, which many nearby districts had approved earlier in the year.
“It’s important to the future. We want good people coming back to Carle Place. If you don’t have this in effect, a veteran might not come back to Carle Place and we don’t want that,” said meeting attendee James Dimaio, before the vote.
Trustee Lawrence Zaino Jr., shared how he used to listen to the war stories of his father, a WWII veteran, and his father’s fellow comrades.
“I made up my mind a long time ago. I used to listen to what these guys went through there,” said Zaino. “I respect the veterans and what they’ve done.”
Trustee Joseph LoCurto echoed those sentiments.
“I respect the veterans. The world is a better place because of our veterans and I’m thankful for their service,” said LoCurto.
The board approved the proposal unanimously with Board of Education president Barry Dennis recusing himself from the vote, saying that as a veteran, he wanted to avoid the appearance of impropriety by voting for something that may benefit him.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the law in Dec. 2013 allowing local school districts to extend exemptions to military veterans and some families. The veterans exemptions provides three tiers of tax breaks based on whether or not a resident is a veteran, saw combat or suffered a disability. It also allows exemptions for Gold Star parents, who have lost a child in combat. Any impact to school taxes as a result of the exemption would be picked up by non-veteran taxpayers, causing an increase per household for non-eligible residents. Assistant Superintendent for Business Anthony Cedrone says that each non-eligible household in Carle Place will see an increase of approximately $34 to $61 to their 2015-16 school tax bill because of the exemption.
