A pair of Roanoke city councilmen who as recently as September shared a snippy exchange during a public meeting worked together Monday to help extend the city's tax relief for elderly and disabled residents.

Vice Mayor Sherman Lea and Councilman Court Rosen dually proposed to raise the caps on an existing real estate tax abatement program so more people can qualify. Rosen's motion, which passed by a unanimous voice vote, will raise the household gross income cap from $34,000 to $42,000 and the household net worth cap from $125,000 to $160,000.

Those who qualify and apply to the Roanoke Commissioner of the Revenue's office between April 1 and June 30 will have their real estate valuations of qualifying properties frozen so they are not part of the city's annual assessments.

Lea said that with rising costs and a slumping economy, extending the tax abatement program is "the right thing to do."

Rosen echoed that statement, saying he has spoken to a lot of people -- including a member of his extended family -- who have seen their retirement funds and pensions plunge as the stock market has fallen.

Rosen said the change is only the first step toward eventually expanding the city's program to the state-allowed maximum of $50,000 gross household income and $200,000 net worth.

"It's the old saying 'walk downhill,' " Rosen said. "We're going halfway down this year. If this works, we can reevaluate whether we need and should attempt to go the rest of the way in the following year."

It's still unclear how much the change will affect the city's revenue stream. Roanoke Finance Director Ann Shawver said it's difficult to cobble together solid figures, but she estimates it will reduce revenue somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000 annually.

Rosen said that can be made up by delaying a capital project or reducing subsidies elsewhere.

Lea, who at four years has served on the council longer than any other current member, has sometimes clashed with Rosen, who was elected to his first term in May.

During a September debate over the fates of Countryside Golf Club and a proposed amphitheater, Rosen complained at one point that Lea was working "behind closed doors," which led the vice mayor to respond that "I resent a council person who's been here less than 90 days to sit here and tell me what's back door, what's backroom politics .... I resent the attitude and the things that he's said or has implied."

But the two say they have since reconciled in an effort to better work together.

"We agreed that we can do that better," Lea said. "That's not saying we won't disagree on issues, but it tells me we can work together.... He and I see things a lot more alike than we differ. I see us working together on a lot more issues going forward."