West Deer Supervisors have increased the amount of money that senior citizens can have reduced from their property taxes each year.

The board voted unanimously to amend West Deer’s Senior Citizen Property Tax Relief Program, which provided a $10 reduction from the township’s property tax bill for eligible seniors. The amendment increased the reduction to $35.

The 360 seniors enrolled in the program were to receive a check for $25 — the difference between the original $10 and the updated $35 — for the 2020 property tax year, according to the ordinance.

Township Manager Dan Mator said this week that the $25 rebates had been issued, and all participating seniors should have received a check.

In the future, seniors will see a flat $35 reduction from their West Deer property tax bill, the ordinance said.

Supervisors Chairman Arlind Karpuzi said he and the other supervisors wanted to do something to help seniors who may be dealing with fallout from the coronavirus. Roughly 22% of West Deer residents are 65 and older, according to census figures.

“We understand it’s not a humongous, massive amount of money. But, hey, anything we can do,” Karpuzi said.

The $35 reduction will cost the township about $12,600 in revenue, Mator said. The township’s 2020 budget totals $6.5 million. There was no property tax increase this year.

Karpuzi said he would like to revisit the program again next year to see if a further reduction could be made.

Seniors must be current on their property, earned-income and all other municipal taxes to be eligible.

Supervisors in August discussed an additional cost-savings measure for seniors and low-income residents in the form of a tax deferral program that would add any township property tax increase as a lien on a person’s property.

Solicitor Gavin Robb said he would have a draft ordinance to the supervisors later this month.

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