Low-income senior homeowners are delighted with a new county property tax relief program, Trustee Bill Hullander told Hamilton County commissioners Wednesday.
When commissioners voted last year to raise property taxes for school construction, they also voted to ease the burden on lower-income seniors and veterans by matching half the tax relief available from an existing state program.
Hullander said 3,347 homeowners were participating in the state program, including 535 veterans. To date, he said, another 371 have applied to join and 217 have been approved.
"It's helped the people who really need help, and they appreciate that," Hullander said, adding that his office is getting a lot of calls thanking commissioners for adopting the relief.
The average homeowners is getting a $186 break from the state and another $93 from the county, he said. His office has given $183,000 in tax relief to date and expects to end at about $500,000, he said. He came to the commission to ask for a budget amendment in that amount.
Commissioner Greg Beck and Chairman Randy Fairbanks said they've also received calls from grateful seniors thanking them for the tax relief.