Council pauses vote on hiring tax-recovery firm amid privacy and procurement questions

The council heard a proposal Aug. 10 to contract Capital Tax Recovery (a contingency-based vendor) to identify motor vehicles that appear to be garaged in Mansfield but are registered elsewhere, then add those vehicles to the town’s grand list for taxation. Staff said there is no direct fee to the town and the firm would take a portion of collections; the assessor and staff had already checked references and found other Connecticut towns using similar services.

Chandler Rose explained the vendor’s process: automated plate readers and follow-up DMV checks to associate registrations and addresses, followed by staff review before any parcel or vehicle is added to the grand list. He referenced Conn. Gen. Stat. §12-71 as the statutory basis for taxing a vehicle where it is garaged. Several councilors expressed concern about privacy and recent guidance: the governor had asked municipalities to pause new ALPR contracts while state-level assessments occur. The deputy mayor asked for explicit contractual assurances about data use, retention and third-party sharing, and asked staff to confirm the specific ALPR manufacturers and any existing data-sharing agreements.

Councilors also discussed procurement practice — whether the town should solicit bids or rely on the vendor as a professional service selection — and the contingency-calculation method by which the firm would be paid. Council consensus was to defer action and ask staff to return with clearer contract language, references, ALPR make/model details and assurances of compliance with state guidance before any contract is executed.