Siobhan (shiv-ON) Barton is reporting in the Register Star the Ichabod Crane Board of Education Tue., Feb. 3, approved basic level veterans tax exemptions for qualified residents of the school district. The close 5-0-3 vote was met with applause. Some board members said the decision should have been made by district voters not the board. “This has nothing to do with education and should not be on the table, but it is,” said Board President Anthony Welcome. Welcome was one of three board members to abstain from the vote. The impact on non-veteran property owners would roughly equate to a $29 monthly raise in property taxes for a household with a $150,000 assessed home value. The exemption will also allow Gold Star Parents to be defined as qualified owners. Last year, 652 out of 6,500 property tax bills in the district were eligible for exemption. The majority of veterans are located in the town of Kinderhook. Read the full story in the Register Star.