Freeport veterans frustrated with village's delay in adopting tax benefit for the disabled – Herald Community Newspapers

Locals have questioned why Freeport has been slow to adopt a property tax exemption for disabled veterans passed by the state earlier this year. Village officials say they the legislation is not clear enough to immediately implement. Local veterans have been critical of Freeport officials since the village announced that it would not immediately adopt a 100 percent property tax exemption for some disabled veterans that state officials approved earlier this year. Village officials say they do not have enough information on how the exemption would be rolled out. Two similar bills, approving the exemption for veterans with disabilities that resulted from their service, were passed by the State Senate and Assembly beginning last year.

The Senate bill was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul last December, and the Assembly bill in February. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs assigns disability ratings based on the severity of a veteran’s “service-connected condition,” which determine how much disability compensation he or she may receive. According to the new law, a veteran with what is deemed a “permanent and total” disability is eligible for the full property tax exemption. The bill further states that any county, city, town, village or school district in the state may adopt the legislation. The exemption began to be implemented in municipalities that opted in on Oct.