How Top Town Officials Fared in Revaluation

To avoid a tax increase in First Selectman Ken Flatto's proposed $264 million town budget for 2011-12, residents had to have their property values decline by at least 14 percent.

That was the case with a sample of top town officials, except for the majority leader on the Representative Town Meeting and the town's tax collector, based on the tax rate needed to finance Flatto's proposed budget and the assessed property values set by Municipal Valuation Services in Fairfield, which are subject to change if homeowners challenge them.

Flatto's tax bill would be $8,504 in the fiscal year that starts July 1 - a decline of $60 from his current tax bill of $8,564. The assessed value on Flatto's Orchard Hill Lane home dropped from $444,430 to $380,310, a decline of 14.4 percent.

Selectman Sherri Steeneck, who replaced Selectman Denise Dougiello on the town's Board of Selectmen after Dougiello died in July 2008, will pay a much lower tax bill in 2011-12 based on Flatto's proposed budget. Her tax bill would be $8,065 - a drop of $1,163 from her current tax bill of $9,228. The assessed value of Steeneck's Rock Ridge Road home fell 24.7 percent, from $478,870 to $360,710.

Selectman James Walsh, who replaced Selectman Ralph Bowley on the Board of Selectmen after Bowley died last April, also sees a tax reduction under Flatto's proposed budget. Walsh now pays $7,411 a year in property taxes and would pay $7,284, a drop of $127. The assessed value on Walsh's Pratt Street home fell 15.3 percent, from $384,580 to $325,780.

On the town's Board of Finance, which is comprised of nine elected volunteers, Chairman Tom Flynn would pay $7,939 in 2011-12, a reduction of $520 compared to his tax bill this year of $8,459. The assessed value of Flynn's Coral Drive home fell 19.1 percent, from $438,970 to $355,040.

RTM Majority Leader James Millington, R-9, wasn't so lucky. Millington faces a tax increase in 2011-12 under Flatto's proposed budget because the assessed value of his condominium on Unquowa Road declined by only 3.8 percent, from $204,400 to $196,700. Millington's tax bill would rise $459, from $3,939 to $4,398.

Millington's counterpart on the RTM, Cristin McCarthy Vahey, D-6, would see a decline in her tax bill under Flatto's proposed budget. Her tax bill in 2011-12 would be $7,161, a reduction of $503 from the current bill of $7,664. The assessed value on McCarthy Vahey's Melville Avenue home fell by 19.5 percent, from $397,740 to $320,250.

On the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, which is comprised of 10 elected volunteers, seven of whom vote on development applications, Chairman Bryan LeClerc, a former RTM member, would see a tax bill of $6,449 in 2011-12, a drop of $201 from this year's bill of $6,650. The assessed value of LeClerc's Henderson Road home fell 16.4 percent, from $345,100 to $288,400.

The two department heads tied most closely to assessments and taxes won't both see a reduction in taxes in the next fiscal year.

Town Assessor Thomas Browne Jr., would see a $620 drop in annual taxes, from $7,419 to $6,799. The assessed value of Browne's Edgewood Road home fell 21 percent, from $385,000 to $304,080.

But Town Tax Collector Stanley Gorzelany Jr., would see a tax increase of $197, from $9,753 to $9,950. That is because the assessed value of Gorzelany's Hunter Lane home fell by 12.1 percent, from $506,100 to $444,990.

According to Flatto, 62 percent of residents would see a tax decrease under his proposed budget in 2011-12 due to revaluation, even though the budget would rise by $12.5 million, from $251.5 million to $264 million.

Browne said several weeks ago that homes near the water tended to maintain their value in the revaluation.

Flatto's proposed budget faces review and votes by the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and RTM. The first budget hearing, which will be before a joint meeting of the selectmen and Board of Finance, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday in the Education Center, 501 Kings Highway East, followed by seven more budget meetings in March - not including a public comment session at 9:30 a.m. March 19 at the Fairfield Senior Center.