Goffstown selectmen have approved a warrant article that, if passed by voters, would grant limited property tax exemptions for the elderly, though they are still uncertain what effect the break will have on the town’s tax revenue.

The warrant article, based on a proposal by resident John Burpee, will raise income and asset caps for elderly residents who can apply for exemptions.

Most selectmen agreed the present requirements are too tight.

“I think the current income limits are out of whack with reality,” said Selectman John Caprio during the board’s consideration of the matter on Monday, Dec. 11.

The new restrictions, if approved by voters at Town Meeting, would allow individuals or couples to earn more income and still be eligible for an exemption.

The change would raise income levels for a single person from $18,500 to $35,000, for a married couple from $24,000 to $50,000 and asset levels from $35,000 to $150,000.

Residents deemed eligible for the program would then have dollar values subtracted from their property value.

Under a “phased-in” approach advocated by Burpee and approved by selectmen, residents age 65 to 74 would be eligible for an exemption of $50,000, up from the current $25,000; ages 75 to 79 would see exemptions of $90,000, a threefold increase from the present $30,000; and homeowners older than 80 would see their exemptions more than double to $100,000, up from today’s $40,000 exemption.

Selectmen approved the new requirements 4-1, with Chairman Barbara Griffin opposed.

“I’m going to vote against this, I guess anonymously,” Griffin said, referring to a recent board vote in which members opted not to attach names to negative votes in meeting minutes.

Griffin said she voted against the exemption requirements partly because selectmen didn’t know how they would affect tax revenue.

“I think before you know what the full impact would be, you should approach it very carefully,” Griffin said.

As a second reason for her opposition, Griffin said some residents had told her the relief essentially rewards people for not saving earlier in life.

“People have said, ‘Why should I have to pay taxes? I saved for my retirement, and I should have spent all my money,’” Griffin said.

Burpee presented selectmen with a fact sheet that he said showed Goffstown would not suffer a blow to tax revenue due to the new exemption levels.

According to the information he presented, 228 households received exemptions in 1980, for combined tax relief of $120,725.

By contrast, 55 households participated in 2004, with exemptions totaling $45,041.

The drop in participating households showed eligibility requirements did not keep pace with income levels, Burpee said.

Despite four elderly-exemption warrant articles being passed since 1978, Burpee said the income requirements had remained too low over the years.

Burpee said he was happy following the selectmen’s vote, though he felt the changes were long overdue.

“Any changes that have been made since 1978 have really just been keeping a dying patient alive,” he said in an interview following selectmen’s approval.

“Now we have to convince voters to approve (the exemptions), and that’s the real work,” Burpee said.