Town of Oyster Bay officials were the first on Long Island to announce their commitment to opting in on New York State’s recent initiative to allow furloughed employees a 90-day extension to pay their property taxes. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Councilman Lou Imbroto and Receiver of Taxes James Stefanich pledged their commitment to the new State law, which was recently signed by the Governor.

Councilman Lou Imbroto stated, “We all know how hard it is to afford property taxes on Long Island; now just imagine if you lost your income for 35 days. That’s why this legislation is so important. It allows for the Town to extend the deadline for property taxes to furloughed or non-pay government employees impacted by the shutdown, by providing them an opportunity to get their finances in order.”

Supervisor Saladino said, “With a new federal shutdown looming, we feel it’s very important that we do all we can to help employees impacted. This initiative will help make things just a little bit easier on those who are struggling to get their finances in order following the federal government shutdown. Today’s pledge from the Town of Oyster Bay makes us the first local municipality to support this initiative so that we may move forward in helping our residents.”

Receiver Stefanich stated, “Now that this legislation has been signed by the Governor, the Town Board will vote on a resolution to grant an extension to those impacted by the shutdown. My office will require that proper documentation is shown at the time tax payments are made. All tax payments made by impacted employees will be free from penalties or any interest.”

The regular deadline for the first half of general tax payments is Monday, February 11th. The Town Board is expected to vote on the extension for furloughed employees at its next Town Board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, February 12th. For more information on the proposed tax extension, contact the Receiver of Taxes Office at (516) 624-6400.