Torrington board of finance votes to settle Catholic cemetery tax-assessment litigation, sends recommendation to city council

Torrington — The Torrington Board of Finance voted unanimously Jan. 21 to accept corporation counsel’s recommendation to settle pending tax-assessment litigation involving a Catholic cemetery and forwarded the recommendation to the city council for final approval.

The vote followed a closed executive session held under Connecticut General Statute section 200-1 subsection 6 subsection b to discuss the pending tax-assessment litigation. The motion “to accept the recommendation of corporation counsel to settle the Catholic cemetery's tax assessment litigation pending city council approval” was moved by Miss Pesky and seconded by Miss Inocido. Chair called for the vote and recorded six yes votes; no opposition or abstentions were recorded.

Board members did not disclose the settlement amount or other terms during the public meeting. When the chair asked whether the recommendation should be read into the record, a member replied that the record did not contain extensive detail, and the chair read a statement identifying the subject as the Catholic cemetery litigation before calling the motion.

Because the settlement recommendation is conditional on city council approval, the council will receive the board’s recommendation for formal action. The board did not provide a timetable for when the council would consider the matter, and no financial details were released during the meeting.

The board previously convened an executive session to hear from the tax assessor and corporation counsel on the case; the executive-session motion was made under the Connecticut statute cited at the meeting.

Next steps: the city council must consider the board’s recommendation before a settlement can be finalized publicly.