RICHMOND, Va. -- City of Richmond officials hope to again extend the deadline for the tax relief program for the elderly and disabled.
This extension, which was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, would continue through the end of October if approved by city council at their Sept. 28 meeting.
"It was initial set for March 31st by city code and ordinance and it was extended until April 30th," Richmond Director of Finance John Wack said. "So the mayor did introduce and ordinance September 14th and it's on Monday's set agenda... So we're expecting it to be adopted on Monday and that ordinance would allow us to accept applications till Oct. 30th, 2020."
This year's program eligibility was expanded to include property owners with an annual income between $50,000 and $60,000 with an increased maximum net worth of $350,000 But due to the pandemic, the city has seen fewer applicants.
"We have a number of community meetings to assist the seniors with the applications and make sure they have their documentations and we had to cancel those because the pandemic hit in in March," Wack said.
Applicants could see relief between 25 -100 percent of their real estate taxes.
"We're really looking forward to that one additional month to help," Wack explained. "Hopefully we'll help hundreds of our most vulnerable citizens to get a benefit that they have enjoyed in prior years but we're able to get to because of the pandemic."
Participants have to be 65 years or older or permanently disabled.
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UPDATE: Ordinance extending deadline to October 30th, approved by City Council.
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