Did you know Ansonia has the ninth highest tax rate in the state of Connecticut?
Out of 169 towns and cities across the state, Ansonia weighs in with the ninth highest mill rate. At 39.34 mills, Ansonia’s tax rate is higher than other Valley towns such as Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. It’s even higher than affluent towns like Woodbridge, West Hartford and Fairfield (source: www.ct.gov).
Ansonia’s high mill rate places it in the company of big cities such as Hartford, Waterbury, Bridgeport and New Haven. The puzzling thing is that these high-tax cities all have populations over 100,000. Ansonia only has a population of about 19,000!
Looking at the city’s finances also reveals a surprise: the city budget now totals over $61 million! That is more than the budget of Derby ($37 million), Oxford ($42 million) and Seymour ($52 million). A 7 percent net tax increase was passed by the unelected Board of Taxation this past spring. A 6 percent increase was passed last year. Where is the accountability from our elected officials?
It appears that Ansonia is becoming a small city with big city problems.
Moreover, we have little to show for our high-tax bills. The Ansonia school system is still failing our children, with Ansonia High receiving an “F” rating in 2011 from the Coalition for Achievement Now (www.ConnCAN.org). Mead and Prendergast schools did not fare much better: they received a “C-”
Ansonia does not deserve to be a high-tax town in the same league as New Haven or Waterbury. Nor does it make sense for a city with a $61 million budget and population of only 19,000 to have a failing education system.
I hope that this election cycle will give Ansonia the fresh start that it needs. After 14 years of the same leadership, it is time to try something new.
Ken Plavnicky
Mountain View Road, Ansonia
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