The Burlington Select Board Monday night expanded a program that allows seniors aged 60 and older to work off a portion of their taxes, raising the total amount able to be worked off from $1,500 to $2,000.
Under the new rules, seniors can work up to 133 hours (raised from 100 under the previous rules) in town jobs that are suitable for their needs and abilities, such as greeting people at the Senior Center, filing paperwork at the police station, or helping out in classrooms or libraries in Burlington schools.
Burlington was able to raise the total amount of property taxes that seniors can work off due to a policy change at the state level.
According to Council on Aging Director Marge Yetman, the program previously served as many as 32 seniors, but lately it’s been more like seven or eight each year. That’s because fewer people are eligible now than in past years, Yetman said: In some cases, seniors put their houses into trusts, which means their property taxes are no longer in their names and they don’t qualify for the program. But additionally, it’s been more than two decades since the town raised the income requirements for the program. Right now, the program is only available for an individual receiving $44,000 a year or a couple receiving $55,000 a year.
The Select Board urged Yetman to look into raising the income thresholds so more seniors would qualify. It is not clear whether that kind of a change would require Select Board or Town Meeting approval.
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