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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November ~5, ZOO? <br />Action Agenda <br />Item Nor ~ ~- ~ <br />SUBJECT; Approval of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle ~3R} Financial Assistance Program <br />Polio <br />DEPARTMENT: Revenue PUBLIC HEARING: ~~YIN} No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Jo Roberson 24521 Z7 <br />PURPOSE: To approve a revised 3R Waste Reduction, Recycle and Reuse} Assistance <br />Program Policy to align the qualifications requirement with the new State Homestead Exemption <br />income standards. - <br />BACI~CGROUND; In fiscal year ZOO4-ZOOS, the Board of County Commissioners established <br />orange County's 3R Program and accompanying fees. Recognizing that payment of the 3R <br />Fee might be a financial burden for some taxpayers, Commissioners also agreed to establish an <br />assistance program to aid those individuals in paying their 3R fee. Since many of the <br />individuals who might need financial assistance were the same taxpayers who met requirements <br />of Homestead Exem Lion le illation ANC General Statute ~ O5-Zll}, the Board agreed to allow <br />p g <br />the County's Tax Collector to use Chase same guidelines to qualify residents for 3R fee financial <br />assistance. In order to qualify far Homestead Exemption .program in the current year, <br />individuals must ~ } be 65 years of age or be totally and permanently disabled, ~2} have an <br />adjusted gross income has defined by Internal Revenue Service} for preceding calendar Of <br />$20,500 or less, and ~3} be a Noah Carolina resident. <br />Since the inception of the 3R Assistance Program, the number of households taking advantage <br />of this program has grown to over 3?5. The current amount of assistance being provided as of <br />October 3 , 2007 was $Z3,8oO. <br />During the August 3O, ZOO1 budget work session, staff updated the Board on 2001 General <br />Assembly legislative actions. Included in that discussion was an update on the changes made <br />to the Homestead Exemption Statute. Among those changes was an increase in the income <br />level of qualifying taxpayers. Beginning with fiscal Zoos-2OO9, qualification for the Homestead <br />Exemption gill be based on gross taxpayer income instead of adjusted gross income and the <br />