Riverhead School District

Riverhead BOE sets April 22 hearing on vets tax exemption

Local veterans attended last month's Riverhead school board meeting to hear a presentation about a new tax exemption program for veterans. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson, file)
Local veterans attended last month’s Riverhead school board meeting to hear a presentation about a new tax exemption program for veterans. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson, file)

The Riverhead school board has set an April 22 public hearing to discuss a new property tax exemption for local veterans.

A vote on the exemption may take place following the meeting, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

School officials have estimated that if the school board approved the “basic maximum” exemption, then the school portion of property taxes for homeowners across the district would increase between $19.50 and $25 annually.

Southold and Shoreham-Wading River are the only North Fork school districts which adopted the exemption before March 1, in time for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

If Riverhead decides to approve it before next year’s deadline, the exemption will go into effect for the 2015-16 school year.

The school board is also expected to discuss adopting an exemption for Gold Star parents living within the district. The designation is given when a child dies in the line of duty while serving in the Armed Forces during a period of war, according to online state documents.

For more on this story, check our previous coverage of the veterans tax exemption.