Councilwoman Hase on St. Marys senior citizens' ad valorem tax exemption.

HB1151 Senior Homestead Exemption

Dear Fellow Citizens of St Marys:


Follow up on HB 1151: yesterday Senator Chapman introduced the HB1151 to the legislature for approval, but with changes. As you know he refused to sign the bill as presented by Rep. Hill, which would eliminate the income cap on seniors' incomes for homestead exemption. The good thing about the change is that he raised the assessment deduction to $40,000 (it is currently $25,000); however, the negative is that St Marys' seniors will continue to have a cap on their income ($40,000) to receive this benefit, and the rest of the county will not. I urged Senator Chapman to make it county-wide so that our seniors would not be discrimated against and make it equitable throughout the county; however, that did not happen.

What this means, in brief, is that although St Marys' citizens have the highest property tax assessments in the county, and we pay the most taxes in the county, and the economy is bad for seniors in particular, many of our seniors will not receive the same benefits in homestead exemptions as the seniors in the rest of Camden County. I think that this is unfair and puts all property owners in St Marys at a disadvange, especially those who may want to sell their home in the future. (ie: St Marys property owners will have one less tax exemption for many buyers than those property owners in the rest of Camden). I am, however, going to urge our council to support having this cap removed, and any assistance you might provide by contacting your city council, would be appreciated.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at any time. 673-7048.

Thanks, Deborah Hase, St Marys City Council

See Councilman Howell's counter position in his letter-to-the-editor in today's T&G.

4/15/10: Watch for Councilwoman Hase' response to Howell in tomorrow's T&G!