At its Sept. 15 meeting, the Gallatin Town Board passed two local laws establishing a sliding scale of property tax exemptions for seniors and people with disabilities. It also scheduled public hearings on the 2027 draft budget and a proposed override of the town’s property tax cap.
The two local laws adopt a new schedule of exemptions based on income level that was recently approved by Columbia County and will take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Under the new schedule, seniors and people with disabilities with annual incomes of $45,000 or less will qualify for a 50% property tax exemption, while those with incomes between $52,500 and $53,399.99 will qualify for a 5% exemption.
No members of the public spoke during the public hearings on the local laws, and the board approved both unanimously.
The board also proposed overriding the town’s property tax levy limit for 2027 as it works on next year’s budget.
The state limits how much local governments can increase their property tax levy each year to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. For 2027, the state comptroller’s office calculated inflation at 3.13%.
The board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed override for its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. The measure will require a 60% vote to pass. The meeting will also include a public hearing on the draft 2027 budget, which will be emailed to residents for review ahead of the meeting.
In other business, the board agreed to hire contractor Bob Hollingsworth for several exterior repairs to Town Hall. The work includes $8,750 to add cellulose insulation after asbestos abatement work in August revealed that the building had no insulation. The board also approved $28,300 for exterior painting and $2,200 for repairs to the building’s cap and foundation.
“I feel like he has the best interest of the building at heart,” Supervisor Tara Silberberg said. “He loves his building, he was very enamored with it and really felt that he can contribute meaningfully to the building’s history.”
The board had approved spending up to $5,000 on repairs in August to hire a Red Hook-based company for the project, but Silberberg said the company could not meet the town’s prevailing wage requirement or provide certified payroll documentation. She then solicited bids from other companies.