Common Council - Regular Meeting

buddy.

Okay. Uh it is 6:22. I am going to call this uh public hearing of the common council finance and audit committee to order. The title of this public hearing is a public hearing on it's a public hearing on proposed tax exemptions chapter 30 senior tax exemption and veterans tax which has already passed the state. Um if the council president would like to give me the list of speakers we can get started.

Yes. Anybody else want to sign up? I'll remind everybody that you have three minutes to speak and if you do not finish you can always sub I will remind everybody that you have that you have three minutes to speak and that uh if you do not finish you can submit your written comments to clerk Tinty. Uh, our first speaker this evening is Jean Jacobs.

Good evening. My name is Jean Jacobs and I live in Ward 3. Ladies and gentlemen, these are supposed to be our golden years. I stand before you here this evening as a senior, but I not only speak on my behalf, I speak on all of the people that this reflects. So, I'm here on behalf of the senior exemption, the income exemption, and disabilities because I fall into all those categories. Okay. I bought my home in 1996, but in 1993, I became very ill. Was diagnosed with multiple scerosis in Lehey Clinic. In 1995, I became divorced. Still divorced 30 years. just bought my home in 96. My last two children were ages 10 and 13. I took out re and refinanced my home twice so they could go to college and be exceptional in the real world today, which they are. And here I stand before you where I could have lost my home last year. My mortgage is $860 a month. My income is approximately $1,84 from social security. You do the math. So, I pay over $900 a month for taxes and for homeowners insurance. It's not possible. Okay. So that's why I'm in the current situation that I'm facing as well as many many more within our community. So I appeal to all of you this evening to

take this deeply into consideration that we have paid our dues. I worked 45 years as a healthc care administrator and I gave my all as a community activist and public servant. And now I stand before you hardly surviving on the economy there. Sorry about that. And there are no living wage jobs here to support actually why I'm standing here before you. So I appeal to you and I support this resolution

and therefore I thank you for the opportunity to listen and I hope you take this very seriously. Thank you very much. Uh, our next speaker is John Men.

Hi, this is uh John Malen, Ward 4. I want to applaud uh the property tax breaks in the proposed legislation, but I want to say we need to do more. I am a senior who bought my home on the market, not with any subsidies. I am a veteran, but not with 100% disability, somewhat less. I have been buffeted with expenses for health care, and I have fallen behind in my taxes. I cannot make a payment. I cannot get a payment plan unless I pay this year's taxes in full. That is to get a payment plan, I have to pay my taxes in full. It should not be easier for me to purchase a mattress or a car than it is to pay my taxes. Looking at foreclosure uh downstream was would would be dangerous or would hurt the community stability. It would destroy trust in our government and it would be bad for the image of our city. We need to do more. Thank you. Our next speaker is Leah Wesselman. Hi again everybody. I'm winging this this time. I'm not prepared. Um, basically I support fully the change in the senior tax exemption from $29,000 from 2013 up to $50,000 and the change in disability limits as well. Of course,

according to the affordable housing criteria, to live above poverty level in Kingston, a person's income should be 58,000 to $93,000 a year. The AMI here is 62,000 roughly. And seniors 65 and over, their AMI is about $54,000 a year. So that's $8,000 below the average AMI. 15% of our Kingston population is 65 or greater. Um, my mom's 93. I'm going to be 65 in a couple of decades. Uh, and you know, we're on fixed income now. And, uh, my mother's struggling to survive the the $450 Central Hudson bill every month. Um, never mind the people who are paying rent here. I mean, I don't know how I have so many neighbors who are seniors who are in really bad shape. They're really scared. Um, and I don't know what they're going to do. Uh, I bring some of them food because they're paying their bills and they don't have money for food. rent costs, gas costs, food costs, um fixed income, it's just not adding up. Please, please up these limits for people who are disabled and for the elderly above 65. Thank you.

Uh our last speaker signed up to speak is Rachel Evans. Good evening everybody. I I appreciate the opportunity to say something tonight and um I apologize for not having given this more thought, but I realize as I listen to the other speakers that I feel very fortunate to be I guess I consider myself middle class. And yet the Central Hudson bills are hurting. And yet I know that if we were to sell the house we have and we needed to buy another one, we would not be able to afford one. So after a long career in healthcare and feeling secure and like I I'm fine for the rest of my life, the way things are changing um with expenses and the unknown scenario we're facing internationally. Um it could be really really hard for us. And so I I'm very touched by what other people have shared already and sorry that they're already dealing with hardship and I know it's very close for us too and I'm sure that for many others it's the same story. So I thought it was important to to go on record as supporting this measure. Thank you very much. Uh that is the last of our speakers who have signed up to speak. Do we have anybody on Zoom? We have nobody on Zoom. Uh is there anybody else who did not sign up to speak who would like to speak? Going once. Going twice. Okay. Um can I get a motion to close the

public hearing? Uh second. Second by Terl Mickens. All in favor? All right. Our public hearing is adjourned.