Tolland Town Councilors discussed proposed revisions to Ordinance 160, the town’s local tax‑relief program for seniors and permanently disabled residents, and asked staff to return with cost and enrollment scenarios before voting on any changes.

Town staff said the local income limit that determines eligibility will be set by federal/state median‑income guidance this year at $81,050 for a two‑person household; staff proposed raising that threshold by $10,000 to $91,050 to capture applicants who fell narrowly outside the current limit in previous application cycles. Jason Lawrence, who led the staff review, said the proposed $10,000 increase would likely bring in a small number of additional applicants who were "about $10,000" over the limit during the last application round.

Councilors and staff also discussed the program’s benefit structure. The ordinance currently provides a defined, cumulative benefit (an initial $300 credit with $100 added each subsequent year), and the council debated whether to increase the initial amount and how changes would affect existing participants. Staff noted the town’s cap for the program is set at 0.5% of the general fund budget; that cap grows with the budget and has not been exceeded in recent years. Town staff supplied historical participation counts (about 154–184 applicants in recent years) and estimated program cost under several scenarios.

Councilors asked staff to run a set of modeled alternatives and return to the council with results. Requested scenarios include modest eligibility expansion (the $10,000 income increase), a higher initial benefit (examples discussed included $500), and options that would change the program cap to 1% or 1.5% of the general fund for comparison. Councilors emphasized a staged approach — raising eligibility first and evaluating results before increasing benefit levels — and asked staff to provide a simple risk register (cost‑drivers and likelihood estimates) and examples from other towns with longer experience implementing local tax‑relief programs.

No ordinance change was adopted at the meeting. Staff said it would return to the council with scenarios and recommended language for possible vote at a later meeting. Councilors said they favor better outreach and clearer materials about how the program’s cumulative benefit works (the $300 initial credit grows by $100 each year a resident remains eligible).