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Norwalk tax collector details refunds, collection rates and July 2026 tax sale
Summary
Tax Collector Lisa Biacharelli told the Finance & Claims Committee that while corrected collection rates were lower midyear, the office collected more dollars than the prior year, listed large refunds requiring committee approval, and outlined a tax sale scheduled for July 2026 to recover delinquent property taxes.
Tax Collector Lisa Biacharelli told the Norwalk City Finance & Claims Committee on Jan. 15 that the city’s tax-collection work includes routine refunds, special refunds that require committee approval when they exceed $10,000, and regular enforcement that culminates in a tax sale every two years.
Biacharelli said the corrected, year-to-date collection percentage reported for December was about 59.97%, down from 62.53% at the same point a year earlier; she attributed the dip largely to later bill mailings this cycle and said the office’s long-run collection target is approximately 98.6% of levied taxes. She noted that, despite the percentage change, the city collected more dollars than the prior year.
On claims, Biacharelli identified examples that come up regularly: refunds to vehicle leasing companies (listed in the meeting packet) and a court-stipulated judgment that requires a check rather than a credit because ownership of the parcel changed. The packet included a Toyota Lease Trust refund (listed at $13,007.65) and a stipulated-judgment refund listed in the packet at approximately $78,006.65; both were presented as special requests requiring committee approval.
Biacharelli explained Norwalk’s tax-sale process, which the tax collector conducts as a nonjudicial enforcement tool to compel payment. She said the office uses two inclusion criteria—how far back the debt is and a dollar threshold—and typically starts with a larger list that is narrowed before the sale. She said preliminary notices have already prompted collections of over $600,000 and the next tax sale is planned for July 2026.
On ancillary revenue streams, Biacharelli reported that the city bills a 3% municipal tax on cannabis gross sales remitted from the state; she said the program yields roughly $30,000 per month and listed a 12-month total (Jan–Dec 2025) in the packet at about $353,000 and $520,000 collected since the program’s inception. Biacharelli said cannabis-tax dollars are targeted for community services in neighborhoods most affected by prior marijuana laws.
Committee members asked procedural questions—how refunds are issued when a property is in foreclosure and how the office identifies accounts for personal-property audits—and Biacharelli and staff said corporation counsel provides guidance on payees for refunds and that audit targets are determined by prior filings, market indicators and consultant recommendations. The committee voted to approve the packet’s special refunds and related claims as presented.
The committee took the tax-collection report and approved the special refunds included in the packet; next procedural steps for delinquent accounts will follow the tax collector’s public notice and tax-sale timeline.
