By William J. Kemble
Daily Freeman
TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. — Officials have expanded a year-old property tax exemption for firefighters and ambulance workers to allow volunteers with squads and companies outside of the town to receive a 10% property assessment reduction.
Supervisor James Quigley said during a telephone interview on Monday, Feb. 17, that the amendment was adopted during the Thursday, Feb. 6, meeting to provide enough time to have the assessment roll updated.
“The original law was … adopted so that only those first responders who lived in the district in which they served received the exemption,” he said. “This law … expands it to those applicants which live in a district other than the district in which they serve.”
The update includes assessment reductions for the town of Ulster residents serving in other counties.
“We have the power to exempt the real property in our town, but if they live in another county and are serving here our assessor does not have the power to grant them the assessment break in the town in which they live,” Quigley said.
Officials moved to amend the law after the state updated its regulations to address concerns that volunteers previously had to have residential property in the same district served by their fire companies or rescue squads.
“We jumped on it as soon as the governor signed and placed the law into effect,” Quigley said. “We are one of the few towns that have attempted to implement it prior to March 1, 2025, so that it is applicable for the 2026 tax roll.”
The amended law states the real property tax exemption can be granted to “any volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance worker who provides such volunteer services to a neighboring city, village, town, county, or school district and who resides in the Town of Ulster.”
Under the proposed exemption, at least two years of service in a fire company or ambulance squad are required to be eligible for the exemption. Exemptions would only apply to property that is used for the volunteer’s primary residence and is used “exclusively for residential purposes.” However, officials wrote that “any portion … (that) is not used exclusively for the applicant’s residence but is used for other purposes … shall be subject to taxation and the remaining portion only shall be entitled to the exemption.”
The exemption would also require volunteers to be an “enrolled member in good standing” with a company that covers property in the town.
“Each incorporated volunteer fire company, fire department, or voluntary ambulance service shall …submit to the town of Ulster assessor on an annual basis the current adopted by-laws … along with a list of active members in good standing,” officials wrote.
Officials will leave it up to the fire companies to determine whether a member qualifies for the exemption.
Exemptions would be passed onto spouses of deceased firefighters who either died in the line of duty after at least five years of service or died after 20 years of service. Exemptions would not continue for those spouses who remarry.
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