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Norwalk tax office reports early billing gains, plans tax sale to collect delinquent zoning fees
Summary
City tax collector reported strong early collections after June mailings and announced a September 'mini tax sale' to pursue delinquent zoning-violation fees now eligible for collection via tax sale under a law effective Oct. 1, 2024.
The Norwalk tax collector told the Finance & Claims Committee on July 10 that early mailing of motor-vehicle and real-estate tax bills reduced taxpayer calls and produced strong receipts in June, and that the city will pursue a new enforcement tool — a tax sale — this September to collect unpaid zoning-violation fees.
Lisa B., Norwalk City tax collector, said motor-vehicle bills were mailed June 11 and that the early mailing extended the practical collection period by roughly two to three weeks. "We collected over $20,000,000 during the month of June," Lisa B. said, and as of July 10 "almost 40% of our motor-vehicle bills are already paid." She also reported that cannabis-related receipts since April 2024 have exceeded $300,000.
The collector told the committee the city will conduct a ‘‘mini tax sale’’ in September to recover delinquent zoning fines after a change in state law that took effect Oct. 1, 2024 authorized municipalities to treat delinquent zoning fees like blight liens for tax-sale collection. The city has identified about a dozen properties tied to that effort; Lisa B. said the total owed on those accounts is approximately $230,000, with individual balances ranging from about $3,000 to more than $40,000.
The collector also said advanced collections for the new fiscal year were reported on separate spreadsheets because the office was closing the FY2025 accounts while taking early payments for FY2026. She described outreach to reduce confusion — including an explanatory insert about a new motor-vehicle assessment method that cut taxpayer inquiries — and noted the office offers multiple payment channels (online, phone, in person, partner banks, and mail).
The committee did not modify the tax-collection plan and the collector said staff will continue regular reporting; the proposed September tax sale is a new enforcement step the city will monitor for results.
Ending: The committee received the report and will forward routine claims and related authorizations to the Common Council for final action on July 22.
