Commissioners may add homestead exemptions to senior citizen property taxes

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners is likely to discuss in October how to reduce property taxes paid by senior citizen homeowners and other eligible taxpayers by increasing the homestead exemption. The matter will be discussed further on Oct. 7, and the board has to pass a resolution to make it official. Commissioner David Moore, a Republican, said Friday that 19,550 senior citizens in Lorain County take part in the homestead exemption property tax reduction program, saving them $9.1 million in taxes annually. It allows qualifying homeowners to shield a portion of the market value of their homes from being taxed, according to the Lorain County Auditor's Office. It appears as a credit on tax bills equal to the taxes on $28,000 of the county auditor's market value of a home. "For example, through the homestead exemption, a home with a county auditor's market value of $100,000 would be billed as if it is valued at $72,000," according to the county Auditor's website. Eligible recipients include homeowners over 65 who meet income requirements, the disabled, military veterans with 100 percent disability and spouses of slain first responders. Moore said the recent state budget bill gave county commissioners "the ability and power" to reduce property taxes for those eligible through a so-called "piggy-back" provision. The board will talk more about it next month, he said. In other business, Lorain County Transit is opening the county Transportation and Community Center from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays starting Sept. 22 to comply with a federal agency's demands. The county bought the building, the former New York Central Railroad Station, at 40 East Ave. in 2009 to renovate it into a transportation center. One plan was to bring more Amtrak trains through Elyria on the adjacent Norfolk Southern rail lines. Significant renovations were done with federal funding, and the center has been used as a county office building, meeting and event location since. Deputy County Administrator Karen Perkins said it currently is the hub for Lorain County Transit's fixed shuttle routes, a Greyhound bus stop and home base for the ViaLC microtransit program. The Federal Transportation Administration, however, "questioned our use of the building and also whether we are keeping up our end of the bargain for the funds the federal government gave us to renovate the building," Perkins said. As part of the weekday operations, Lorain County Transit will have part-time office hours there. There will be ticket sales, lobby space and public restrooms that "should resolve our issues" with the FTA, Perkins said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.