Property owners age 65 and older in Genesee County may be getting a break as county legislators consider raising the income levels for exemptions to account for cost-of-living increases.
Property owners within the county that are 65 years or older can apply to receive an exemption, and the county has discretion about the income limits that are allowable for an individual to qualify for the exemption.
Therefore, legislators may want to consider raising the limit from its current $16,500, with a sliding scale that goes to $24,900, Director of Real Property Tax Services/Deputy Treasurer Kevin Andrews said during Wednesday’s Ways and Means meeting.
“So they could receive a 45 percent and 40 percent, all the way down to 5 percent in that range," Andrews said. "So my intention is to discuss this since we have not adjusted the income levels for that exemption in some time, to see what the legislature feels in terms of whether it makes sense to make an increase at this time for that exemption."
He reviewed adjacent counties’ income levels, and a comparison found that Genesee County was “slightly below average.”
Orleans County’s starting point is $27,400, Livingston is at $32,400, and Wyoming is $24,400, compared to Genesee County’s range of $16,500 to $24,900.
“There’s some merit to doing an increase,” Andrews said.
Editor's Note: After this article was published, Andrews wanted to clarify the income range for these counties:
- Orleans – $19,000 to $27,400
- Wyoming – $24,400 to $32,800
- Livingston – $28,000 to $36,400
Legislator Gary Maha asked him how many people are eligible for the exemption now. There are 482 people currently, for a total of $17 million in exemptions, Andrews said.
He wasn’t certain how many would be affected by a change of income levels, but it would likely rise to $22.7 million and, more realistically, be closer to $40 million, he said.
“That would impact the tax rate by five cents or so,” he said.
County Manager Matt Landers agreed.
“When they made the adjustment 20 years ago, it jumped ahead to one of the higher exemption levels, that’s why we could sustain this for a while, and only until recently did Orleans pass us, and only until recently has this been a sustainable fair level for a number of years,” Landers said.
“I do agree that at this time," he added. "I think an average of the four counties would kind of be fair, what’s the average start, and then that would be just kind of be a fair way to look at it and maybe every five years kind of do the same kind of gut check to see where we stand. But as far as, this won’t affect our budget, or affect the rate of the levy, the levy is going to stay the same, this won’t impact it at all. It’s just going to mean that others are going to take that burden on. It’s probably going to be a four to five cent impact on the tax rate.”
Legislators agreed to take an average of the surrounding Orleans, Livingston and Wyoming County exemption levels, which Andrews calculated to be $23,800.
“We have an aging population, the number of eligible will likely increase, and they also may be talking about this in the county and the town. So this discussion might also open people's eyes, and they think about it and realize that they might be eligible,” Legislator Christian Yunker said. “So the number may be bigger than what we're expecting. It is going to grow with our demographics.”
Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein added that, while it might create a longer list of seniors for the year 2025, “in 2026, we should expect a larger one.”
The Legislature is expected to set a public hearing for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28 on a proposed amendment to the Persons 65 Years of Age or Over tax exemption. The measure is to keep pace with increases in social security income and to assist senior citizens to be able to afford to stay in their homes. The exemption is based on sliding-scale income amounts.
County Attorney Mark Boylan said that the hearing will have to stipulate specifics about the exemption amount. Legislators seemed to draw consensus on the $23,800 figure and will meet to officially set the hearing and details during the Legislature meeting on Feb. 14.
