DERBY — Residents can breathe a little easier this week after state lawmakers voted to delay the start of Derby’s revaluation for one year.
What’s A Reval?
Revaluation refers to the process by which a given property’s assessment is determined. Click here for a detailed explanation from the Town of Wolcott.
Property assessments are a key part of the local tax formula. Tax bills are calculated by multiplying the assessed value of a property by the mill rate and then dividing by 1,000. If a revaluation raises a property’s assessment, and a mill rate stays the same or is raised (or isn’t lowered enough to balance the new assessment) — a tax bill goes up.
State law mandates every community in Connecticut to conduct revaluations every five years.
In Derby
Derby Mayor Joseph DiMartino said the state had previously moved Derby up one year — meaning that a revaluation was slated to start this year (October 2024), four years after the last revaluation, not five. It would have been completed by January 2025.
The bill makes the new start date October 2025.
The looming revaluation caused worry in Derby, where Mayor DiMartino supported a budget approved by the city’s tax board with an 11.9 percent mill rate increase.
The DiMartino administration said there was no way around the mill rate increase because of previous bad budget forecasts that depleted the city’s fund balance, or reserve fund. The administration has also been worried about the state taking over city finances due to budgeting mistakes dating back to 2016.
During this year’s budget deliberations, several officials, including tax board member Michael Gray, said that while they understood the need for a tax increase this year in Derby, they worried that a revaluation could be a potential double whammy on residents’ bank accounts.
Why This Matters
The legislature delaying the reval a year gives the city a little more time to grow its grand list, Mayor DiMartino said. He pointed to new housing coming online on Main Street, which is being widened by the state.
“The residents, with the tax increase right now, we thought it would be best to push this off a year and to try to get more development going downtown, to ease the burden right after a big tax hike,” the mayor said.
The mayor thanked state lawmakers for supporting the provision, pointing out it had bipartisan support locally.
Rep. Rochelle Touts Cooperation
State Rep. Kara Rochelle, a Democrat running for re-election to continue representing Ansonia and Derby in the state House of Representatives, announced the delay in a social media post published the morning of May 8.
In the post, she thanked Mayor DiMartino, state Rep. Mary Welander, state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria (a Valley Republican who voted for the bill as a whole), state Sen. Jorge Cabrera, and state House Majority Leader Jason Rojas for what she called a collaborative effort to include the provision in the bill.
“We know Derby needs this breathing room, and I’m happy we could make it happen,” according to the post. “I want to thank Mayor DiMartino and his staff, who have been very easy to work with and have been with us every step of the way collaborating on this effort. Mayor Joe knew the ‘feisty four’ of the Derby delegation (as Gov. Lamont calls us) would get it done for the people of Derby.”
GOP Reaction
Rep. Rochelle is being challenged for her seat in House District 104 by Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti, a Republican. He said delaying a revaluation does not address underlying issues in the state.
“What we really need is a state rep willing to roll up their sleeves and work on solutions that protect residents and taxpayers, not just delay the inevitable,” Cassetti said in an email to The Valley Indy. “There is a reason Ansonia’s proposed mill rate is 26.49 — I simply refuse to throw in the towel on our residents.”
Gino DiGiovanni Jr., the chairman of the Derby Town Republican Committee, raised concerns about the upcoming revaluation just prior to the Derby tax board adopting the budget. In an interview this week he said he didn’t think delaying the revaluation a year would have an impact.
He doubted whether Derby would have the type of grand list growth needed in just a year to ward off another tax increase. He said home values have risen and that a tax increase is inevitable.
“I don’t know all the details because I just learned about it, but it sounds like smoke and mirrors to give false hope to taxpayers,” DiGiovanni said.
The Vote In Hartford
The Derby reval delay was inside a larger, 200-plus page bill that can be read in its entirety here. It was approved by the House 134 — 9 on May 7. Derby representatives Klarides-Ditria, Rochelle and Welander all voted yes. Click here to read the roll call from the House.
The bill was approved by the state Senate on May 8 by a 35 – 1 vote. Click here for the roll call. All Valley lawmakers in the Senate voted yes.
