Woodstock’s Board of Tax Abatement met late last week to review 12 requests for property tax abatement. Of those, eleven property owners will be getting a break on this year’s tax bill.
We have learned that approximately ten of the property tax abatement requests were filed specifically to help mitigate losses suffered as a result of Tropical Storm Irene. All property owners had to submit detailed reports on their losses and justification for requesting abatement. The entire BTA session was rapidly completed in two hours as a result of substantial preparation assistance and guidance from the Listers Office. In cases where Listers helped prepare an abatement request, they recused themselves from BTA deliberation.
The cost to Woodstock taxpayers will not be particularly sustantial, in the range of $7,000 to $9,000 total. Property owners received varying degrees of abatement depending on their individual situations. Vermont’s governor and the Vermont legislature may take action to help municipalities offset school tax losses to their coffers as a result of flood-related abatements. Despite the abatements to individual owners, municipalities are still required to pay school tax on the original full estimated amount of tax.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 