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Connecticut comptroller opens RiverCOG listening session on property‑tax reform
Summary
Comptroller Sean Scanlon told RiverCOG members he plans a fall report on property‑tax reform and sought municipal input, rejecting a simple statewide mill‑rate cap without broader financing changes and suggesting towns be allowed new local revenue options.
Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon opened a listening session at the River Council of Governments meeting, saying he is preparing a longer report on property‑tax reform and wanted municipal leaders’ feedback before proposing changes. "I'll cut right to the chase and just say that, for better or worse, I am really attracted to trying to solve intractable problems," Scanlon said, adding he will put his personal contact in the chat for anyone preferring private comment.
Scanlon told members the property tax is among the state’s largest recurring burdens and that prior reform efforts tend to recycle the same ideas every decade. "Every 10 years or so there's a big effort to do this," he said. He said he does not favor imposing a statewide property‑tax cap unless paired with other financing reforms, calling a cap alone "tying your hands behind your back." He pointed to prior management‑labor roundtables that led to changes in the state’s MERS system as an example of an effort that succeeded with structured negotiation.
Municipal officials pushed back on any approach that would restrict towns’ revenue without offsetting changes. One participant warned that caps can force municipalities to borrow or cut services and said the issue is a broader municipal revenue question rather than only a property‑tax problem. Another raised recent state decisions—citing a veterans' exemption and sick‑leave law—as examples of costs that shift to towns. "It can't be on the backs of the municipalities," a municipal official said during discussion.
Scanlon asked whether towns would want more local revenue options rather than mandates, giving examples such as taxing large local events and short‑term rentals. "I had a guy in Woodstock tell me ... I think we should tax the Woodstock Fair," he said, and suggested allowing towns optional local taxes where appropriate. He also discussed admissions and hospitality taxes as potential tools that may be suitable for some communities.
Officials from several towns suggested revenue diversification, regionalization of some services and collective bargaining changes as possible elements of broader reform. Scanlon said he hopes to use his statewide platform to put forward bold options but repeatedly emphasized that lasting change will require municipal buy‑in and a multi‑step process. He concluded by thanking RiverCOG members and encouraging follow‑up contact.
The session resulted in a listening record, not in policy action; Scanlon said he will compile ideas and proposed solutions as he develops a fuller report in the fall.
