Committee moves to suspend long-uncollected tax accounts, tax collector says action follows state statute

The New Haven Tax Abatement Committee voted to transfer a large list of long-uncollected tax accounts to the city epartment—alled the suspense tax code during a public meeting. Tamara Kirby, the city's tax collector, told the committee she had discovered prior lists had not been suspended and said she moved to suspend previous accounts so the office could "start from a clean slate this year."

The action matters because suspending accounts moves them out of the active collectible rolls while preserving the city's legal right to pursue payment later. "If we do run across the taxpayers, we do have up to 15 years from the due date to collect," Kirby said. Committee members described the move as a routine annual administrative step and praised Kirby for auditing the prior lists.

Committee members discussed whether the transfer followed state law; the chair noted the move was "in accordance with the state statute." The committee then voted on the item as part of its consent sequence and recorded the ayes.

The transfer does not erase tax debt; it reclassifies accounts the tax office judges currently uncollectible because, the tax collector said, taxpayers are deceased or have moved out of state. Kirby told the committee she will pursue collection if an account later becomes collectible. The committee did not change collection timelines; the tax collector reiterated the statutory 15-year window from each account's due date.

The committee's approval was taken by voice vote. The committee did not enact a new ordinance for the suspension; members characterized the step as standard practice done in prior years. The city will retain the accounts in suspense and may reopen collection if circumstances change.