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Public speaker urges board to curb business tax abatements, questions town attorney relationships and ambulance funding
Summary
During public audience, a resident criticized long-term tax abatements for major businesses, questioned a longstanding town attorney’s outside contracting, and objected to town incentives and support for the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association (SVAA).
A member of the public identified as Joan used the board’s public audience to challenge current town incentives and financial decisions.
Joan criticized long-term abatements for local businesses and said the town should "not be incentivizing companies with abatements and exemptions when they are very successful businesses." She named examples in the record (Sandvikford, Solovetran/Solutran, Ensign Bickford) and said such incentives shift the tax burden to other local taxpayers. She also raised the point that the International Skating Center in Simsbury appeared to be paying a lower tax amount on its buildings than Joan believed appropriate.
Joan questioned whether the town should provide a $200,000 incentive to the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association and noted the group was requesting $250,000 to cover an ambulance the association already purchased, asking why that purchase would be subsidized. Joan characterized some incentive decisions as supporting "a failed business plan" and urged the board to reconsider incentive levels.
She also raised conflict-of-interest concerns about the town attorney, named in the record as Bob DeCrescenzo, saying he receives compensation while contracting with private clients doing business with the town; Joan asked why taxpayers should pay outside attorney fees while the town attorney receives full fees for unrelated private contracting.
No immediate responses or motions addressing Joan’s requests were recorded in the transcript; the board proceeded to take the scheduled presentations and budget items noted on the agenda.
