It is my pleasure to recognize the well-deserved honor Harrison High School student Zach Evans received from Con Edison. Zach was recently chosen as a Con Edison Scholastic Sports Award winner for not only his achievements on Harrison’s basketball team, but also for his academic standing, leadership, citizenship and character. Congratulations to Zach and his coach, Gary Chiarella, for this notable achievement.
This weekend, the Harrison High School Footlight Players will be presenting the popular American musical “Guys and Dolls.” The cast and crew will perform five shows, the last three on Saturday, March 5 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Harrison High School. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors and can be purchased at myschoolbucks.com or at the door. I encourage all residents to support this very talented group of students as they take the stage.
I would like to bring your attention to an issue that may affect many residents: tax exemption status. It is that time of year again for exemption renewals to be sent out. The assessment office is sending out renewal applications to all enhanced STAR applicants from prior years, as well as applicants of the RPTL 467 senior exemptions. These applications are being sent out with instruction information and all required dates. Deadline applications are due on or before May 1, 2016. Additionally, May 1 is known as the Taxable Status Date, which requires all exemption applications to be submitted and any demolitions of real estate to be completed to valuation changes. The assessment office asks that all renewals are carefully reviewed and that all required documents be submitted in a timely manner to avoid a loss of eligibility.
Exemptions offer modest to significant relief from real estate taxes. Enhanced STAR and Basic STAR offer relief on school taxes, whereas a veterans exemption offers relief from general town and county taxes and, in some cases, school taxes. The Senior 467 exemption is the most comprehensive and can offer a sliding scale reduction based on income of up to 50 percent from all forms of real estate taxes.
As with all applications for exemption from taxes, there are rules. All senior exemptions require proof of age and an income component, with amounts varying based on the application provided. The Enhanced STAR income total is $84,550, based on 2014 Federal Income Tax returns. The Senior 467 exemption is $37,399, based on gross 2015 income data from all sources and not net income, i.e. social security income counts.
The Harrison Assessment Office is available for questions Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached by calling 670-3060. No applications will be accepted unless complete, as audits by the state of New York have become commonplace.
Mark your calendars for Friday, March 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. when the downtown library will begin hosting the nine-week musical instruction program called Singing and Swinging into Spring. Learn the basics of jazz singing and improvisation. Join singer and music educator MJ Territo for this free vocal adventure for active adults ages 55 and up. The eight, two-hour classes build upon one another, culminating in a musical event on Saturday, May 7, open to family, friends and the entire community. Be sure to register with the library as space is limited.
The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on Friday, March 4 and I will be at Asian Fusion, located at 385 Halstead Ave. in downtown Harrison. On March 11, I will be at Uncle Henry’s, located at 309 Halstead Ave. I will be at these locations from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and look forward to meeting with residents and talking about issues facing our community.
