445th TC Information Page 8

County OKs tax break for troops
By PAT KINNEY, Assistant City Editor

WATERLOO --- A property tax break of up to $600 for troops serving in the Iraq war and the war on terrorism was approved Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors.

The supervisors approved a recommendation by the county Veteran Affairs Commission that $50,000 in county funds be set aside to allow for the breaks.

Representatives of local veteran groups praised the action, which county officials have been working on for 19 months, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I think it was a good move, because they're going to recognize needy veterans," Anthony Tisdale, state and Northeast Iowa Chapter 861 commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization of combat wounded veterans.

"We've already had situations where veterans have been shown in need," Tisdale said. "It's a gesture on the part of the Board of Supervisors to reach out to these veterans before they are in dire need. It can't help when a veteran leaves his wife here (to serve overseas), and then they're losing an income."

"My son is one of those veterans," said Judy Rinnels of Waverly, whose son, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Corey Holman, is a Washburn homeowner with the Waterloo-based 445th Transportation Co., serving in Iraq. "It's going to help him. My son is definitely saying he wants to stay in Black Hawk County.

"He was home for Thanksgiving. He wanted to go back, because he's worried about his fellow soldiers. He was very edgy, because he's on the go all the time. He's had some real close calls over this past year," she said. His truck was blown up in a convoy attack this past summer. Holman escaped injury, while a comrade lost a foot.

Troops don't need worries back home on their minds when theirs and their comrades' lives are on the line, said Veteran Affairs Commission Chairman and District Court Judge George Stigler, a colonel and judge advocate officer in the Iowa Army National Guard, who recently returned from deployment in Kosovo.

"One of the worst distractions that can befall a soldier of any rank is to have his or her mind distracted being unable to pay bills back home," Stigler said. "There are a good number of soldiers who do fit in that category. One of the more serious concerns is whether their family will have a place to live because of their service on behalf of the nation."

The policy the commission and supervisors approved restricts the grant to military personnel in lower-paid enlisted or officer classifications.

No grants would be awarded until after a Feb. 14 application deadline, to allow time to notify overseas personnel about the program. If a large number of applications are received, the $50,000 would be pro-rated and divided evenly among applicants.

The Board of Supervisors would have to determine whether to set aside more money if a large number of applications come in.

A tax break is available for qualified individuals on active duty or called to active duty in the National Guard or Reserve since Sept. 11, 2001. The money would not go directly to the applicants but would be disbursed by voucher to the County Treasurer's Office, which receives property tax payments.

Pat Kinney can be contacted at (319) 291-1484 or at pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com.

Courtesy of: www.wcfCourier.com