County Legislature Approves Increase in Partial Real Property Tax Exemption for Senior Homeowners

Senior citizen homeowners in Chautauqua County will see a $1,000 increase in their partial real property tax exemption in 2027. Last week, county lawmakers approved a resolution to raise that exemption from $32,000 to $33,000. Dunkirk legislator Marcus Buchanan, who introduced that measure, says it will protect seniors from losing their tax exemption simply because their fixed income went up with inflation...

Marcus Buchanan: protecting against inflation

Fredonia's Sandra Lewis proposed an amendment to bump that exemption up to $35,000. However, that was voted down 11-6. Another Fredonia legislator, Bob Scudder, said some work went into deciding on that $1,000 increase, including talks with assessors...

Bob Scudder: more than just picking a number

Westfield legislator Fred Johnson said he was "sorely tempted" to help senior homeowners, but said the $1,000 increase is "just equal" to the last 12 months of inflation.

Image and audio from Chautauqua County Government