Hearing tonight on revisions to ordinances

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BFTownHall2BEACON FALLS —The Board of Selectmen is holding a public hearing on four proposed ordinance revisions tonight.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Among the ordinances under consideration to be revised is the local option tax relief ordinance for elderly and disabled homeowners.

The current ordinance, which was put into practice in 2006, stipulates that the total of all tax credits given out by Beacon Falls shall not exceed .05 percent of the prior year’s total real estate tax assessed in the town. The ordinance sets a maximum credit of $500 per resident.

Last year, when the maximum amount of $500 was given to each senior citizen, the total amounted to approximately $144,000.

According to the assessor’s office, the total amount the town would be able to give out this year, based on the current language in the ordinance, will be $64,149.

Officials are looking at changing the ordinance to allow for eligible homeowners to maintain the full $500 tax credit. Also, potential changes to the income limits of $75,000 for a single person and $150,000 for a couple are under discussion.

A change to the noise ordinance to include recreational vehicles such as ATVs and dirt bikes has also been proposed.

The other proposed revisions to be discussed at the hearing are changing the land use committee to seven members from six — the seventh member will be the land steward — and eliminating the Board of Assessors, which has not been filled in the past few years.