Oyster Bay extends Cold War vets’ tax deal

A partial exemption from real property taxes for Cold War military personnel will be continued for another decade, Oyster Bay Town officials decided Wednesday.

The Town Board voted, 6-0, with one councilman absent, to adopt a local law that amends the town code to renew the exemption through 2021.

Cold War veterans, defined in the code as those who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces between 1945 and 1991 and who were honorably discharged or released, can apply for the exemption through Nassau County, town spokeswoman Marta Kane said.

Kane could not say what percentage of a qualified person’s real property taxation the legislation affects.

James Foote, 63, of Sea Cliff, who served in the Navy from 1968 to 1972, said he will apply for the exemption for the first time. He channeled a son of Oyster Bay — President Theodore Roosevelt — in support of the renewal during Wednesday’s public hearing: “Any man or woman who is willing to shed their blood for this great nation of ours deserves a square deal afterward.”

Foote then added his own touch: “Keep up the square deal. I appreciate it.”