Ansonia residents pay less tax per capita than 155 other towns and cities in Connecticut.
This information can be found at www.ct.gov under the Office of Policy and Management (OPM).
The CT municipal fiscal indicators can be found here.
It will show on page 113 or C-16 that Ansonia pays $1,555.00 in taxes per capita.
This is calculated by taking the net taxes to be collected and dividing it by the population.
This amount is much lower than the state average of $2,511.00 per capita and is lower than any other city in the Valley area.
Shelton pays $2,422.00 per capita even with their mill rate at 22.31.You will also see on page 115 the calculation of the equalized mill rate.
This uses the equalized grand list and is the only real way to compare a cities mill rate against another city.
Ansonia ranks number 38 on this list and puts our mill rate below Derby at number and slightly higher than Seymour at number 45.
Ansonia’s average house assessment is $125,000 which puts the average house tax at about $5,000.
That would put the average tax increase at $250, within range of $100 to $400.
The difference in any individual tax bill would be due to revaluation.
What would the outcome have been if the City went through a phased-in revaluation?
In Ansonia, there were 2,500 real estate tax bills that had $0 increase — or a reduction in taxes from last year.
There were 3,000 real estate tax bills that had an increase over last year’s bill.
A phased- in of the assessed values over any time period would have the effect of reducing the increase in taxes for those residents that had a tax increase.
It would have also reduced the amount of any tax savings of those residents that received a bill that was less than last year.
The revaluation showed an approximate 25 percent reduction in assessed real estate values.
Motor vehicle and personal property are always assessed using current market value.
Those residents who had values drop greater than 25 percent, they most likely received a bill equal to or less than last year. Those residents who had property values dropped less than 25 percent most likely saw a tax increase.
So, the decision was made to treat all taxpayers fairly and equally by taxing them on the current value of their property.
Therefore, the point is there are a lot of driving factors to this process.
For one to say Ansonia has high taxes purely because of a high mill rate is false. People can paint a picture to make you see things the way they want you to see it, however the answer is not always that simple.
The writer is a Democrat running for re-election to the Ansonia Board of Aldermen.
Residents know Ansonia has high taxes by virtue of their tax bills alone.
However, I do hope Alderman Adamowski’s stats make voters feel better about having the ninth highest mill rate in Connecticut.
It is actually enlightening to learn that Ansonia Democrats believe taxes in Ansonia are relatively low. That clearly explains their lack of focus on tax relief programs and aversion to the tax phase-in option. Why make lowering taxes a priority if you believe they are already low?
Ansonia Republicans simply have a difference of opinion with their Democrat counterparts. They believe taxes are way too high. They want to make Ansonia more affordable for residents.
Ed – it is not so much the tax increase that aggravates many of us; it is the value of the property we own or mortgage. It is the schools that fall well below the standards most of the other cities in Connecticut get to enjoy. Granted, I am not going to be happy with the $2000 tax bill for my cars, but for the money I pay out, I would love to see some return on investment. What does the town have to offer me? Why do I stay here? What has the city done recently to make this a better place to raise our children or to start a business? These questions are becoming more and more difficult to answer as time goes on. I think the current administration has done enough for me and my property. I am hoping for change…much needed change.