STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Two new laws sponsored by one of Staten Island’s city legislators will provide tax relief to thousands of veterans and improve the transparency of local advisory committees.
Councilmember David Carr announced on Wednesday the passage of Introduction 740-2025, which provides a property tax exemption to Cold War veterans, and Introduction 1250-2025, which requires borough boards, community boards and advisory bodies to publish their bylaws in a way that’s easily accessible to the public.
The first bill, originally introduced by former Councilmember Joe Borelli in 2018, will establish a real property tax exemption for those who served on active duty in the United States armed forces between Sept. 2, 1945 and Dec. 26, 1991, but were not eligible for existing exemptions.
This includes those who served between World War II and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, but were not in already eligible conflicts like Korea, Vietnam and Lebanon.
The bill will provide an exemption for 15% of the assessed value of the veteran’s primary residence, up to $48,000 or $48,000 multiplied by the latest class ratio, whichever is less.
Veterans who were disabled as a result of their service would be eligible for an additional exemption, up to $160,000 or $160,000 multiplied by the latest class ratio, whichever is less.
“We owe our veterans an unpayable debt and making it more affordable for more vets and their surviving spouses to stay in their homes is the least we can do. As the only locality that did not offer this tax exemption, New York City will finally join the rest of the state in honoring the service of these veterans to our nation,” said Carr, a Republican who represents Mid-Island.
The second bill will make it easier for residents to understand the inner workings of their local community boards, borough boards and other advisory bodies.
The legislation will require all such bodies to publish their bylaws on their own or other city websites and update those published bylaws within two weeks of making any changes to them.
“The public and new members of our boards are often not as familiar with the machinery of institutions that are supposed to be closest to them,” said Carr. “This bill will ensure that they can navigate the local process without being kept in the dark and ensure continuity of knowledge in advance of longtime community representatives being term-limited in 2027 and 2028.”
Both bills were cosponsored and supported by Staten Island’s other City Council representatives, Councilmember Kamillah Hanks and Councilmember Frank Morano.
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