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Residents urge Danbury to adopt disabled-veterans property tax exemption; council closes hearing
Summary
At an Oct. 30 public hearing, residents and veterans urged the City of Danbury to implement Ordinance Section 40-472, a property tax exemption for disabled veterans; the council closed the hearing after public comment and did not take a final vote on the ordinance that night.
Danbury Council President Peter Bezade opened a public hearing Thursday evening on a proposed local ordinance implementing a property tax exemption for disabled veterans and invited residents to comment.
Edward Carvalho, a Vietnam War veteran from Danbury, told the council the state law creating the exemption has been under discussion since 2023 and was signed by Gov. Ned Lamont in 2024. Carvalho said there are “approximately 200,000 veterans in Connecticut” and “approximately 3,000 veterans in Danbury,” and he estimated only about 112 veterans statewide meet the 100% permanent-and-total disability eligibility — roughly nine in Danbury. “PTSD is real. It doesn't go away,” Carvalho said, urging the city to support broader recognition and services for veterans.
Tom Brown, a Danbury resident and military veteran, thanked state and local lawmakers and staff who worked on the legislation and singled out Danbury tax assessor Donna Murphy for her role in preparing and implementing the exemption. Brown said the assessor’s expertise helped move the local ordinance into effect quickly.
Ken Gucker, a resident who has advocated on veterans issues, said local adoption could be used to persuade Hartford lawmakers to expand eligibility. He said the exemption could help keep veterans in their homes amid affordability pressures and allow them to seek medical care and services they might otherwise forgo.
Council President Bezade reminded speakers that the council would not respond during the hearing, and after hearing no further comments he called for a motion to close the public hearing; members voted in favor and then voted to adjourn the hearing. The council did not take a final vote on the ordinance during the public-comment portion of the meeting.
The hearing focused on Ordinance Section 40-472, the local implementation of a state law creating a property tax exemption for disabled veterans; speakers urged the council to adopt the local measure and suggested that local success could prompt broader state changes.
