ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) - Former members of the U.S. military living in the town of Caroline, who also served during the Cold War era can now apply for a newly available property tax exemption if they don't already have the Alternative Veterans' exemption. 

According to the county, honorably discharged Veterans who served in the active military between 1945 and 1991, are now eligible to apply for the new tax exemption.

In addition to the Cold War Veteran status exemption, Caroline increased the Alternative Veterans' Exemption from $12,000 for a wartime Veteran to $15,000. 

Caroline becomes the fourth town in Tompkins County to extend this tax benefit to Cold War Veterans, joining Danby, Groton, and Lansing.

J.R. Clairborne, director of the county's Veterans Services Department, remarked, "I'm excited that the leadership of Caroline chose to thank and support their Veterans' community by extending this benefit to Cold War-era Veterans. This should make a key difference for our county's Veterans and their families living in Caroline. I encourage anyone who is eligible to apply for this exemption."

The deadline to apply is March 1st. For more information veterans can contact the Assessment Department at 607-274-5517 or [email protected]