Committee backs consolidated elderly-and-disabled tax-relief ordinance after trimming residency requirement

A majority of the Danbury City Committee of the Whole on Monday recommended that the full City Council adopt a new consolidated tax-relief ordinance for elderly and totally disabled homeowners (section 44-71), approving a key amendment to shorten residency and tax-payment requirements.

The committee voted to amend subsection b(2) so that an applicant “has principally resided in the city of Danbury for a minimum of one year (at least 183 days) and paid taxes to the city of Danbury for a minimum of one year prior to applying for tax relief,” a change moved by Councilman Salvatore and seconded by Councilwoman Gartner. The Chair reported the roll-call result as 13 ayes and 4 nays; the amendment carried.

Joseph Morcolady of the corporation counsel’s office told the committee the ordinance contained a drafting inconsistency with Connecticut General Statute 12-129n, which the counsel said requires a one-year residency; he advised following the statute so local language would not create a conflict. “The statute by operation of law supersedes any local ordinance,” Morcolady said, and recommended aligning the ordinance language to the statutory requirement.

Opponents raised procedural and policy concerns. Councilman Fox asked whether changing the residency provision was a “substantive” amendment that would require re-noticing and another public hearing; corporation counsel and Morcolady said the committee could treat the change as correcting a statutory inconsistency and proceed without re-committal. Rotella urged caution and proposed a softer approach—keeping the five-year text but adding a qualifier referencing the state statute—to avoid any appearance of substantive change, but he ultimately supported moving the recommendation forward.

Beyond residency, council members pressed the tax assessor on program design. The assessor, identified in the record as Donna, explained that the draft treats Social Security at 50% for eligibility calculations to allow more low-income seniors to qualify and that legacy program beneficiaries would be grandfathered while new applicants would file one consolidated application. “We were trying to find ways to allow more people to qualify for the program,” the assessor said of the 50% Social Security approach.

The committee debated median home-value ceilings intended to limit large freezes for high-value properties and protect the city budget; Ben Chienese and supporters said the ceiling targets assistance to lower-income residents while controlling potential costs. Council members discussed estimated program exposure; proponents cited a starting budget constraint and promised monthly reporting from the assessor’s office so the council could monitor uptake and adjust the program.

On logistics, members noted the ordinance would become effective 30 days after publication and the mayor’s signature (likely in March), with the first-year filing deadline noted in the draft as May 15. The assessor told the committee the office can accept preliminary applications and scale staffing if needed to accommodate applicants.

The committee recommended adoption of section 44-71 as amended to the full City Council for final action at its next meeting; if enacted, staff said they would accept applications ahead of the 30-day effective date so eligible residents could begin the filing process.

Next steps: the recommendation will appear before the full City Council for final consideration; the assessor will prepare to accept applications contingent on council action and publication.