Lopez: “… a win-win for our
community …”
KINGSTON – County Legislator Craig Lopez, chairman of the Ulster
County Public Health and Social Services Committee, has introduced a local
law that would extend a tax credit for small businesses and non-residential
establishments that provide greater Americans with Disabilities Act access
for people with disabilities.
“This local law is a win-win for our community that would provide an incentive for small businesses to make the necessary improvements that would offer greater access to individuals with disabilities by removing architectural barriers,” said Lopez, who is handicapped.
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals
with disabilities and guarantees equal opportunity in public accommodations,
employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications
and has no doubt improved the lives for millions living with disabilities
since its inception in 1990.
Lopez noted that Ulster County offers everything from public transportation to voting machines that comply with ADA requirements. But Ulster County has many private business and nonresidential facilities that pre-date the ADA and remain essentially un-accessible to hundreds of individuals with disabilities due to physical architectural barriers like steps and narrow doorways. Often these buildings are historic, built close to the road or sidewalks or have other unique physical constraints that make a traditional ramp impractical.
Lopez points to other tax incentives available at the Federal and State level and hopes that Ulster County leads the way for similar property tax exemptions by Ulster County municipalities and school districts.
