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Officials say revaluation, auto-assessment change and veterans relief explain tax shifts, not a town 'windfall'
Summary
Canterbury officials told the Board of Finance that a recent grand‑list revaluation, a state change to motor-vehicle assessment and an expanded veterans relief program redistributed tax burden; staff said overall town revenue rose about 1.33% and that there is no hidden windfall.
Canterbury officials and finance staff told the Board of Finance that a combination of factors — a recent property revaluation, a state‑mandated change to motor‑vehicle assessment and an expanded veterans tax-relief program — accounts for why some homeowners saw large increases in their bills.
First Selectman Chris and finance staff presented sample household and commercial profiles and cited a 'break‑even' revaluation threshold of about 37.2 percent. They said overall tax revenue to the town rose roughly 1.33 percent year over year but the revaluation shifted the distribution so lower-value residential properties rose proportionally more than higher-value homes; commercial property assessments rose less in the sample.
Staff also described a statutory change to automobile assessments that moved valuation from market‑value measures to a depreciation/MSRP approach; they estimated that change produced about a 7.5 percent reduction in motor‑vehicle assessments, which offsets some homeowners' increases but can make the residential tax share look larger in isolation.
The board also discussed the recently expanded veterans tax-relief program, adopted at the town level after state authorization. Officials said that expansion reduced bills for eligible, honorably discharged veterans in their examples by roughly $2,500 annually — a benefit that must be absorbed by other taxpayers under a single mill-rate system.
"There is no windfall to the town," a finance presenter told the board, noting that the 1.33 percent revenue increase did not provide a large surplus to fund new programs.
Finance staff encouraged residents who believe their bills are out of line to review assessment details and the tax‑collector's public appraisal database and to use the formal appeals process for revaluation notices. Officials said the town will post supporting charts and data so voters can review the distributional analysis ahead of the town meeting and referendum.
