[Adopted 11-22-1983 by L.L. No. 1-1983]
[Amended 3-13-2001 by L.L. No. 1-2001]
Pursuant to the provisions of § 467 of the Real Property Tax Law, real property owned by one or more persons, each of whom is 65 years of age or over or real property owned by husband and wife, one of whom is 65 years of age or over, shall be exempt from taxation by the Town of Mount Pleasant for Town general taxes, as hereinafter provided. Such exemption shall be computed after all other partial exemptions allowed by law have been subtracted from the total amount assessed.
[Amended 10-14-1986; 12-11-1990; 1-28-1992; 5-11-1999; 5-22-2001 by L.L. No. 3-2001; 3-11-2003; 2-10-2004; 1-9-2007; 11-7-2022 by L.L. No. 8-2022]
A. 
For assessment rolls prepared on the basis of a taxable status date occurring on June 1, of 2023 and every year thereafter, the exemption shall be as follows:
Annual Income
Percentage of Assessed Valuation Exempt From Taxation
More than $0 to but less than $50,000
50%
More than $50,000 but less than $51,000
45%
More than $51,000 but less than $52,000
40%
More than $52,000 but less than $53,000
35%
More than $53,000 but less than $53,900
30%
More than $53,900 but less than $54,800
25%
More than $54,800 but less than $55,700
20%
More than $55,700 but less than $56,600
15%
More than $56,600 but less than $57,500
10%
More than $57,500 but less than $58,400
5%
No exemptions shall be granted hereunder:
A. 
If the income of the owner or the combined income of the owners of the property for the income tax year immediately preceding the date of making application for exemption exceeds the sum of the maximum income exemption eligibility level for the granting of partial exemption from real property taxation as provided herein. "Income tax year" shall mean the twelve-month period for which the owner or owners filed a federal personal income tax return or, if no such return is filed, the calendar year. Where title is vested in either the husband or the wife, their combined income may not exceed such sum.
[Amended 6-11-2024 by L.L. No. 2-2024]
(1) 
Such income shall include the federal adjusted gross income and any social security benefits which are not included in such federal adjusted gross income, as well as distributions received from individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities that were excluded in the applicant's federal adjusted gross income which shall be considered gross income for the purposes of this exemption; any tax exempt interest and dividends that were excluded from the applicant's federal adjusted gross income shall be considered income for the purposes of this exemption; and any losses that were applied to reduce the applicant's federal adjusted gross income shall be subject to the following limitations:
(a) 
The net amount of loss reported on federal schedule c, d, e, or f shall not exceed $3,000 per schedule;
(b) 
The net amount of any other separate category of loss shall not exceed $3,000; and
(c) 
The aggregate amount of all losses shall not exceed $15,000.
(2) 
If no such return was filed for the applicable income tax year, the applicant's income shall be determined based on the amounts that would have so been reported if such a return had been filed.
B. 
Unless the title of the property shall have been vested in the owner or one of the owners of the property for at least 24 consecutive months prior to the date of making application for exemption; provided, however, that in the event of the death of either a husband or wife in whose name title of the property shall have been vested at the time of death and then becomes vested solely in the survivor by virtue of devise or by descent from the deceased husband or wife, the time of ownership of the property by the deceased husband or wife shall be deemed also a time of ownership by the survivor, and such ownership shall be deemed continuous for the purposes of computing such period of 24 consecutive months; provided further that, in the event of a transfer by either a husband or wife to the other spouse of all or part of the title to the property the time of ownership of the property by the transferor spouse shall be deemed also a time of ownership by the transferee spouse, and such ownership shall be deemed continuous for the purposes of computing such period of 24 consecutive months: and provided further that, where property of the owner or owners has been acquired to replace property, formerly owned by such owner or owners and taken by eminent domain or other involuntary proceeding, except a tax sale, the period of ownership of the former property shall be combined with the period of ownership of the property for which application is made for exemption, and such periods of ownership shall be deemed to be consecutive for purposes of this section. Where a residence is sold and replaced with another within one year and is in the same assessing unit or municipality, the period of ownership of the former property shall be combined with the period of ownership of the replacement residence and deemed consecutive for exemption from taxation by each such assessing unit or municipality; provided, however, that where the replacement property is in the same assessing unit but in another school district, the period of ownership of both properties shall also be deemed consecutive for purposes of the exemption from taxation by such school district. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, where a residence is sold and replaced with another within one year and both residences are within the state, the period of ownership of both properties shall be deemed consecutive for purposes of the exemption from taxation by a municipality within the state granting such exemption.
C. 
Unless the property is used exclusively for residential purposes.
D. 
Unless the real property is the legal residence of and is occupied in whole or in part by the owner or by all of the owners of the property.
The real property tax exemption provided for herein on real property owned by husband and wife, one of whom is 65 years of age or over, once granted, shall not be rescinded solely because of the death of the older spouse so long as the surviving spouse is at least 62 years of age.
Application for such exemption must be made by the owner or all of the owners of the property, on forms prescribed by the State Board to be furnished by the Assessor of the Town of Mount Pleasant and shall furnish the information and be executed in the manner required or prescribed in such forms and shall be filed in such Assessor's office on or before the town's taxable status date.
A. 
The Town of Mount Pleasant shall notify, or cause to be notified, each person owning residential real property in the Town of Mount Pleasant of the provisions hereof. Such notice may be met by a notice or legend sent on or with each tax bill to such persons reading substantially as follows: "Tax Exemptions Are available to qualifying taxpayers. Examples include but are not limited to Clergy, Veteran, Disability and Aged (low income). Contact our Assessor's Office for an application and additional information at 914-742-2345. All Applications are due no later than June 1st."
[Amended 3-13-2001 by L.L. No. 1-2001; 11-7-2022 by L.L. No. 8-2022]
B. 
At least 60 days prior to the appropriate taxable status date, the Town Assessor shall mail to each person who was granted a senior citizens exemption on the latest completed assessment roll an application form and a notice that such application must be filed on or before the taxable status date and be approved in order for the exemption to be granted. The Assessor shall, within three days of the completion and filing of the tentative assessment roll, notify by mail any applicant who has included with his application at least one self-addressed, prepaid envelope of the approval or denial of the application; provided. however, that the Town Assessor shall, upon the receipt and filing of the application, send by mail notification of receipt to any applicant who has included two of such envelopes with the application. Where an applicant is entitled to a notice of denial pursuant to this subsection, such notice shall be on a form prescribed by the State Board and shall state the reasons for such denial and shall further state that the applicant may have such determination reviewed in the manner provided by law.
C. 
Failure to notify, or cause to be notified, any person who is in fact eligible to receive the exemption or the failure to mail any such application form or notices or the failure of such person to receive any of the same shall not prevent the levy, collection and enforcement of the payment of the taxes on property owned by such person.
[Amended 3-13-2001 by L.L. No. 1-2001]
The exemption provided herein shall apply to school taxes, provided that the applicable school districts shall have, prior to the taxable status date occurring on or after January 1, 1984, adopted a resolution pursuant to § 467 of the Real Property Tax Law, providing for such exemption. Notwithstanding such resolution, the exemption from taxation for school tax purposes shall not be granted in the case of real property where a child resides if such child attends a public school of elementary or secondary education.
A. 
Any conviction of having made any willful false statement in the application for such exemption shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $100 and shall disqualify, the applicant or applicants from further exemption for a period of five years.
B. 
Notwithstanding any inconsistent provisions hereof, the collection of any amount of tax erroneously exempted due to an incorrect statement in an application for exemption shall be enforceable in the same manner provided for the collection of delinquent taxes pursuant to the provisions of Article 10 of the Real Property Tax Law.
C. 
Any fine levied pursuant to Subsection A of this section shall be paid to the Town of Mount Pleasant.