40°
It’s great news for Yonkers, but as the city’s economy starts to rev up, we’ve got to remain focused on ensuring that Yonkers remains affordable for our seniors.
Years ago in the State Legislature, I helped create the STAR property tax relief program and Enhanced STAR program for seniors, which saved Yonkers seniors up to $2,200 on last year’s tax bill. As Mayor, I’m proud that we’ve passed three consecutive bi-partisan budgets that kept property taxes under the 2 percent cap. And last year, Yonkers became the first big city in the state to provide veterans with a new exemption on school taxes.
Now Yonkers is poised to become one of the first municipalities in New York to expand important rent benefits that ensure fixed-income seniors can continue to afford to rent and live in our city. Under the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program, passed unanimously by the City Council, which I will sign into law, Yonkers will nearly double the income threshold to $50,000 to qualify for rent benefits. It will keep seniors in their homes and protect them from year-to-year rent increases.
We’re also offering free tax preparation services for low-income seniors. Working with AARP, we’ve set up a team of trained volunteers to help seniors prepare and file their tax returns – for free. The service is available throughApril 13 on Mondays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Chema Center (435 Riverdale Ave.) and Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Will Library (1500 Central Park Ave.).
To learn more, please visit http://goo.gl/pr5NCz or contact the Office for the Aging at (914) 377-6822.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Yonkers and receive free news updates.
