On Monday, May 30, the town/village of Harrison honored the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the liberties we enjoy today. This year’s Memorial Day parade and ceremony was a wonderful tribute to fallen military who courageously served in the armed forces and lost their lives. Ben DeFonce, U.S.M.C. Ret., Harrison’s Commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs, should be commended for organizing this wonderful event. Our honored guests, from various military branches, gave heartfelt speeches, describing what active service has meant to them. It was a day to remember and honor the fallen heroes as we celebrate our freedom.
Please make note of the following announcement from our Assessors Office: On April 1, 2016, the state of New York enacted new legislation for the enrollment in STAR. Any new applicant/homeowner who applied for the STAR exemption after May 1, 2015 will be required to apply to the state of New York for STAR. STAR will be administered by the state and a check will be issued from the state. STAR will no longer be exemption based on your school bill.
Who should register? You bought your home and applied for STAR after May 1, 2015. You have never applied for the STAR benefit on your primary residence. You received a letter advising you to register for STAR.
Those who applied for STAR prior to May 1, 2015, those who switched from Basic to Enhanced STAR and those who renewed Enhanced STAR do not need to register for STAR. For additional information, visit tax.ny.gov or call 518-457-2036. The Harrison assessor can be reached at 670-3060. Be sure to register by July 1, 2016 to receive a STAR check this fall.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Harrison High School senior Samantha Miles. Samantha recently received the 2016 Outstanding Senior in French Award from the American Association of Teachers of French for her dedicated commitment to learning the French language and culture. Congratulations to Samantha for this wonderful achievement.
In closing, I would like to take this time to remind you that with springtime comes good weather and door-to-door salespeople. If you have not been one of the 1,100 households to sign up for the Do-Not Knock Registry, you can sign up on the town’s website at harrison-ny.gov, or call the town clerk’s office at 670-3030 to request a form.
In addition, Town Clerk Jackie Greer will be more than happy to assist you with any genealogy research you may have. Over the past several years, she has coordinated the indexing of thousands of birth, death and marriage records into a computer database going back to the year 1847.
The next “Lunch with the Mayor” is on June 3 and I will be at Quenas Restaurant, located at 109 Harrison Ave. in downtown Harrison. On Friday, June 10, I will be at Harrison Tavern, located at 7 Purdy St. in Harrison. 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.
