Easton seniors may receive a property tax refund in the future.
reason? Hybrid police vehicle.
The Easton City Council introduced a bill at Wednesday’s meeting that would provide an annual property tax refund to eligible residents age 65 and older. The funding will come from the introduction of hybrid police cars, which the city estimates will save the city $3,200 per year per vehicle.
“Easton’s senior citizens, many of whom are on fixed incomes, are exposed to ever-increasing costs of living,” the law states.
Eligible applicants include residents who live in properties they own, are 65 years of age or older, and residents who currently pay all taxes and fees owed to the city.
According to this law, applicants are entitled to one property tax refund per household per year.
The total savings are added to a pool and distributed to eligible seniors. The total savings calculated will be divided by the total number of eligible applicants and applied to each property tax bill, according to the law.
The Easton Police Department will acquire two hybrid vehicles in 2025 and plans to add four more each year until all patrol vehicles are hybrid. The city estimates it would save $200,000 a year if all cars were hybrid.
According to the bill, carbon emissions would be reduced by 1 million pounds once hybrid vehicles were fully introduced.
Once this law comes into effect, applicants will be able to apply from September 1st to October 31st of each year.
Chelsea Kuhn can be reached at ckun@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow @chelsealehighvalley on Instagram
