Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I, D-Sag Harbor) today announced that on December 18, 2020, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.83 authorizing governing bodies of local assessing units to adopt a resolution directing the assessor to grant exemptions on the 2021 assessment roll to all property owners who received that exemption on the 2020 assessment roll. This includes Section 467 of the New York State Real Property Tax Law, which provides a property tax exemption, through local governments, for senior citizens and persons with disabilities that meet certain income and other requirements.

Under normal circumstances, qualifying property owners that are eligible for this tax exemption must file a renewal application annually to maintain the exemption. It is not uncommon for those eligible to file renewal applications directly and in-person at their local assessor’s offices. On December 1, Assemblyman Thiele sent a letter to Governor Cuomo in support of a one-year suspension of the renewal requirement for the senior citizen and disability tax exemption, with local option. In his letter, Assemblyman Thiele urged the Governor to act via Executive Order to temporarily rescind this requirement, echoing the sentiments of local elected officials across the state.

Assemblyman Thiele stated, “As we continue to see COVID-19 cases rise on the East End of Long Island and across the state, risk of transmission and infection remain very real threats. It is only logical that the state afford appropriate protections to vulnerable populations, like suspending this renewal requirement while allowing qualifying property owners to continue to receive this beneficial tax exemption that they are entitled to. I am pleased that the Governor has heeded the concerns of myself and local elected officials statewide, and has given local governments this option.”