Ledyard to send out supplemental tax bill

Ledyard — After much discussion, a supplemental tax bill officially will hit residents’ mailboxes at the start of next month.

Town Council voted 8-0 Wednesday night to issue residents a supplemental tax bill of 1 mill to help close the more than $1.5 million deficit brought on by cuts in state aid. One councilor was out of town and did not vote.

The bill will apply to residential and commercial property and will be due April 1, payable by April 30. It does not apply to motor vehicles.

The supplemental tax is expected to raise more than $1 million for the town.

Residents can figure out the cost of the bill prior to its arrival, if they know the assessed value of their property, which can be found through an online assessment tool.

After seeing a more than $1.5 million cut in state aid, Ledyard has sought to make up the shortfall through a combination of cost reductions and furlough days by both town government and the school district. But even with those cuts, the town only could make up about half of that, leaving it still facing about a $750,000 deficit heading into the new year.

Although town officials have been discussing the possibility of a supplemental tax bill as far back as December, town councilors and the mayor were not enthusiastic about the option, often referring to it as a last resort. And even as it seemed more likely the supplemental bill was inevitable, officials held off on setting a supplemental rate, citing concerns that additional cuts from the state may be forthcoming.