Clancy eyes tax break for vets posts

LYNN – The City Council tonight is slated to discuss a proposed abatement that would increase local property tax relief for nonprofit veteran organizations.Veterans’ Services Director Michael F. Sweeney said the abatement, proposed by Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr., would significantly help the veterans’ community.”I fully support the mayor’s proposal,” he said. “I think the mayor and the City Council deserve a lot of credit for acting so quickly on this and removing any question as to what will happen. The posts deserve that and, in tough times, they need it.”If councilors fail to accept the provisions of the law at tonight’s meeting, VFW Post 507 and the Franco American Post will see significant tax increases – $5,000 for the Franco and $3,000 for VFW 507.”While there are about a half dozen veterans organizations in the city that own their own building, these two (VFW 507, Franco American Post) are the only ones with buildings worth more than the current cap allows,” he said. “So it would only affect them.”Sweeney said the legislature passed the abatement and Gov. Deval Patrick signed it on March 19.”Mayor Clancy has asked the council to accept the provisions of Chapter 61 of the acts of 2008,” he said. “Lynn has always provided veteran posts a property tax exemption, as do most communities in the Commonwealth. Chapter 61 simply increases the amount a building can be worth and still qualify for the exemption.”The current amount is $700,000, and Chapter 61 would increase it to $1.5 million.Currently, Sweeney said posts pay a reduced tax amount based on its rental halls, but that’s it.According to Clancy, the exemption has been on the books for some time, but the current maximum exemption of $700,000 has not kept pace with the rise in real estate prices over the last several years.Clancy said without the change, some veteran posts in the city would see their taxes increase significantly at a time when they are already financially strained.”The men and women who make up Lynn’s veterans organizations are the lifeblood of our community,” he said. “They do the hard work that so many take for granted, keeping our traditions alive and reminding us that we owe our very democracy to those who wear the uniform. I say without the slightest exaggeration that they have more than earned the consideration for which this measure provides.”