NASHUA – Elderly and disabled property tax exemptions will now be made uniform after the Board of Aldermen’s passage of an ordinance increasing the amount of the elderly exemptions for those ages 65 to 74.

Alderman Ernest Jette’s said a constituent pointed out to him how confusing the exemptions were.

“I talked to the Assessing Department and they confirm that this was confusing to people,” Jette said during the Tuesday meeting.

This increase is by $2,000, from $192,000 to $194,000, starting in the tax year beginning April, 1. Additionally, the amount of net assets allowed for the exemption for the disabled increases from $125,000 to $150,000 to make it consistent.

Jette believed to make the two the same, while also raising the maximum income for the disabled to $50,000 from all sources of not more than $50,000, and for a couple, a combined net income from all sources of not more than $50,000, which is the same for the elderly.

Jette also noticed that for the disabled, for a single person, it is a maximum income of $36,000. For a married couple, it is $40,000. This amendment aims to equal those figures.

For those ages 65 to 74, the first tier of the elderly exemption currently consists of 248 properties throughout the city. However, increasing the amount of elderly exemptions by $2,000 results in a loss of tax revenue in the amount of nearly $11,000 at the current tax rate.

“For these exemptions, the state has very detailed rules and they are quite lengthy,” Jette said.

Jette said with the help of the Legal Department, officials copied the qualifications as stated in by New Hampshire law and inserted them in the city’s ordinance so that it will be clear to people exactly what the qualifications are.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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