This Friday Gov. M. Jodi Rell will testify in front of the legislature’s Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee regarding her 3 percent local property tax cap proposal.
The property tax cap, which was a late addition to Rell’s budget address in February, was her Hail Mary amidst criticism her education spending plan wasn’t tied directly to property tax relief.
Democrats like Rep. Cameron Staples of New Haven have criticized the property tax cap proposal. He has said current services such as salaries, special education costs, and energy prices are driving the state budget beyond the 3 percent mark. He said Rell’s proposal doesn’t go after those spending drivers which means it “addresses the symptoms, but not the problem.”
Local leaders like New Haven Mayor John DeStefano has said Rell’s proposed 3 percent cap wouldn’t help lower any expenditures in local budgets, he said. Property tax relief “is a little more complicated than a cap.”
But Rell claims there are other local leaders like Torrington’s Mayor Ryan Bingham who support her plan.
“Governor Rell’s proposal, which would cap annual increases at 3 percent, barring a community override vote, is tied to her proposal to increase state spending on our local schools,” he said in a press release. “The idea is to ensure taxpayers get relief on the property tax side while cities like Torrington see their longstanding education needs addressed. To cities like mine, this is a winning combination, and I wholeheartedly support the Governor’s plan.”
As part of her property tax cap campaign Rell has reached out to the public and asked them to email her their statements of support for the plan. She has asked that the email be sent to governor.rell at ct.gov