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Torrington boards authorize mayor to draft new tax‑collector contract after term‑sheet agreement
Summary
A joint meeting of Torrington’s Board of Finance and City Council unanimously authorized the mayor to draft a new tax‑collector services contract with Torrington Tax Collector LLC (TTC), based on a nonbinding term sheet that would extend the contract through May 2031 in exchange for transferring several tax‑sale parcels to the city.
A joint meeting of the Torrington Board of Finance and City Council on Nov. 17 unanimously authorized the mayor to work with corporation counsel and the tax collector’s attorney to draft a replacement contract for tax‑collector services. The nonbinding term sheet presented would consolidate separate amendments to the 2015 agreement and extend the contract term with Torrington Tax Collector LLC (TTC) through May 11, 2031.
The term sheet locks the tax collector’s commission at 0.35% and incorporates prior amendments into a single new agreement. It also contemplates a new lease that raises monthly rent to $1,400 effective June 1, 2027. In part as consideration for the extension, TTC would transfer multiple tax‑sale parcels to the city; staff said eight parcels already transferred in July and five more completed a sale last week and will transfer after statutory redemption periods run.
Corporation counsel said the proposed contract is a draft framework, not binding, and that any final agreement will come back to both boards for approval. Tax collector Lana Gosling told the boards that auction activity and recent seizures have produced some recovered funds — about $70,000 so far — and that equipment from a local factory fire is being prepared for auction with a goal of recouping additional amounts.
Board members pressed for clarity about the parcel transfers and redemption rights. Corporation counsel and staff noted that statutory redemption periods can allow owners to reclaim property by paying taxes during the statutory window; staff said they are confident the most recently transferred parcels are not likely to be redeemed but acknowledged that redemption remains possible under state law.
The boards’ unanimous motion authorizes the mayor to accept the term sheet’s outline and direct staff and counsel to draft a formal contract to be returned for approval at a December meeting. The boards did not approve a final contract or waive any redemption rights; they instructed staff to continue the legal and title work required to transfer property to municipal ownership.
