Council Approves

Tax Proposals

Legislative Council has approved a proposal to draft new ordinances providing tax abatement for the surviving spouse of firefighters or police officers killed in the line of duty, and tax relief for the owners of vehicles equipped for the handicapped.

At its meeting on September 5, the council gave the go-ahead to the ordinance committee to draft language for the proposed ordinances. The committee had met earlier in the evening to discuss and vote on the proposals.

The tax abatement ordinance would provide a 50 percent abatement of property taxes for the spouse of a firefighter or police officer. When it was discussed last week, committee members said they knew of only one resident whose spouse, a state police officer, was killed while on duty.

The handicapped vehicle tax relief would provide a total exemption for a vehicle that is substantially modified for persons with handicapping conditions. It would be limited to one car per family and would include such modifications as lifts, ramps, hand controls, and special seating. Four local residents have asked that such a tax abatement be enacted, council chairman Will Rogers said.

The committee also prioritized the remaining ordinances under consideration to determine what might be accomplished before the November 6 election. Those most likely to be completed are ordinances regulating cigarette vending machines and bow hunting.

All proposed ordinances require final approval by the council.