Despite appeals from audience members and the Haines Assisted Living community manager, Haines Borough Assembly members declined to reconsider votes made last week to postpone consideration of a property tax exemption for the Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village.
About a half-dozen residents turned out at Tuesday’s meeting to ask assembly members to reconsider their vote to postpone an ordinance which, if passed, would have granted a “community purpose exemption” for the residential floor of the Veterans Village, relieving the facility of paying property tax.
Manager David Sosa, who last week recommended the assembly postpone the ordinance until the borough establishes a new policy for community purpose exemptions, said the upper floor of the Veterans Village, owned by Haines Assisted Living, doesn’t meet the state’s community purpose exemption standards because HAL’s definition of who qualifies to live in the apartments is too broad.
Any veteran can live in the facility, regardless of medical need, disability or income.
HAL community manager Vince Hansen asked for reconsideration of the decision.
Assembly members Diana Lapham and Joanne Waterman were the only two assembly members who could reconsider the vote, as assembly member Dave Berry was absent the previous week and George Campbell was absent Tuesday.
Outgoing assembly members Debra Schnabel and Jerry Lapp also were replaced Tuesday by newly elected members Mike Case and Ron Jackson, who weren’t eligible to vote to reconsider.
Hansen again urged the assembly to introduce the ordinance and engage in the public hearing process, as postponing the ordinance means HAL won’t get the exemption in time for 2015.
Hansen estimated the annual tax burden would add $468 in rent per apartment, per year. He said the additional cost would be untenable, as even an additional $25 per month would be too expensive for some residents.
Cornerstone Home Health administrator Beverly McLaughlin said her organization works with some veterans who have already moved into the Veterans Village. “To tax an additional cost to what they are already paying would make some of them have to move out. They would not be able to afford it. These people don’t have much money,” McLaughlin said.
Veterans Village resident Jim Moran said “that $25 a month means quite a bit to me. It means the difference between Top Ramen and hamburger.”
HAL president Jim Studley asked the assembly to simply introduce the ordinance and vote on it instead of postponing. “We trust you. If you don’t want veterans to be tax exempt, just say no. Pretty simple. Not complicated,” Studley said.