Public commentators and board members discussed a local option to expand property-tax relief for veterans during public comment and a later agenda item at the Hebron Board of Selectmen meeting on Oct. 9.

Several residents, including veteran advocate Joseph Feta and veteran Jared Staten, urged the board to adopt a local two-acre exemption that would allow veterans classified as 100% permanently and totally disabled to exempt up to two acres of land in addition to the dwelling exemption the state provides. “We’re only talking 21 people in the town,” resident Joseph Feta said during public comment, arguing the cost would not be prohibitive.

Assessor Suzanne told the board she prepared an impact estimate for officials: she said about 21 veterans currently receive either dwelling exemptions or, if they do not own real estate, a motor-vehicle exemption; three veterans receive a motor-vehicle exemption. Using current assessed values and the current mill rate, the assessor presented the fiscal effect of the two-acre option as an additional cost to the town of roughly $41,000 (her materials also showed the current cost baseline separate from any new exemption). The assessor cautioned that not all veterans own two acres; impacts vary by parcel.

Board members discussed the policy and fiscal implications. Several selectmen expressed support for the proposal on principle while also warning that the state has shifted responsibilities to municipalities and that adding exemptions increases the town’s fiscal burden. One selectman noted the fiscal trade-off: “What we’re talking about is the possibility of that $41,000 cost…incurred to the town,” reflecting staff-provided estimates.

Procedure and next steps: board members agreed the change would take the form of a local ordinance and that the town would need ordinance language and public vetting. The board did not adopt the exemption at the Oct. 9 meeting. Instead, members agreed to add a motion on the 2-acre veteran exemption to the draft agenda for the Oct. 23 meeting, to prepare ordinance language, and to schedule public comment in advance of any final vote.

Why it matters: If adopted, the local option would increase property-tax relief for a small number of 100% permanently and totally disabled veterans in Hebron but would reduce town tax revenue by a figure the assessor estimated around $41,000 under current values and mill rate; the ultimate fiscal effect depends on how many eligible veterans claim the additional exemption.

Relevant procedural note: Assessor Suzanne clarified that the existing state-provided P&T (permanently and totally disabled) exemption applies to the dwelling; if a veteran does not own real estate they may instead claim an exemption on a motor vehicle, and a person does not receive both exemptions simultaneously.