By Daily Press staff
If residents over 65 years old do not apply for the exemption by 5 p.m. on July 31, the flat $225 fee will appear on their October property tax bill.
Voters narrowly approved the new tax on June 3. It will generate an estimated $6.5 million annually for the cash-strapped local school district for the next six years.
Seniors who want to take advantage of the exemption must send copies of their official identification and tax bills to the school district every year for the next six years.
Application forms can be downloaded from the district’s Web site, www.smmusd.org. Click “Senior exemption” on the left-hand column to find the appropriate forms.
They can also be obtained from public libraries in Santa Monica and Malibu. But be sure to bring change, as one resident reported that the libraries did not have a copy for him and instead charged him to make a photocopy.
Anyone with questions should call the district at (310) 450-8338.
But be sure not to contact City Hall — the city clerk’s office, who has nothing to do with the county-imposed tax, has reportedly been inundated with telephone calls from seniors seeking the exemption.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 15, 2003. Read the original PDF.