Property Tax Relief for Longtime, Low-Income Residents of Gentrifying Neighborhoods

"With an eye toward easing the tax burden on New Orleanians who live in neighborhoods where recent renovations have sharply pushed up the value of all homes, the City Council on Thursday called on the state to exempt longtime residents from big property tax hikes," reports Jessica Williams.

The City Council is asking for a constitutional amendment "to exempt low- to moderate-income residents from higher property taxes if their homes' assessed value rises by 100 percent or more in a single year." The property tax break would only be available for residents who meet criteria like a limit on income levels relative to the area median income and a certain amount of time living in a neighborhood.

The idea follows a tax-relief law approved by the state's voters in November 2018. "Under that amendment, if the assessed value of a residence covered by a homestead exemption rises by more than 50 percent, the increase would be phased in over four years," explains Williams.