Town considers abatement committee
NEW FAIRFIELD — Town officials are looking into the idea of establishing a committee through which residents with financial struggles can seek to have their taxes abated.
First Selectman Pat Del Monaco presented the idea to the Board of Selectmen during its Thursday evening meeting after she said it was brought to her attention that New Fairfield does not have a standing tax abatement committee.
“If we’re ever going to consider a tax abatement committee, this is probably the time that we might want to do that,” Del Monaco said. “I’m sure there are people in town who are in dire straits.”
Right now, tax delinquent New Fairfield residents face having liens put on their property, and requests for tax
abatement are subject to state approval.
“Basically, if someone were to come to us and ask to have their taxes abated, we at this point would have to send that to OPM (Office of Policy and Management),” Del Monaco said.
If New Fairfield established a tax abatement committee, it wouldn’t be the town’s first, according to Del Monaco, who said she believes there was one when Cheryl Reedy was first selectman.
“As far as I can see, the town has not had a tax abatement committee in a long time,” she said.
Given the financial hardships some people are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Del Monaco said she thinks such a committee “may be something (the town) should establish” at this time.
Selectman Khris Hall agreed and said it’s “an important thing to consider, especially now.”
Although he doesn’t think a tax abatement committee is “a terrible idea,” Selectman Kim Hanson said he’s wary of potential problems that could arise.
“There would have to be very specific rules under which there is an abatement — otherwise we’re going to be looking at a lot of lawsuits,” he said.
Del Monaco said she plans to talk to Reedy about how New Fairfield’s past tax abatement committee worked and also reach out to municipalities that currently have them.
However, Del Monaco noted, committees in other towns may function differently than one would in New Fairfield since it’s a statutory town.
“Charter towns may have this prescribed in their charters and we have to rely on the ordinance,” she said.
The town does currently offer a tax abatement program, but it only applies to emergency service volunteers. According to Sec. 16-91(a) of New Fairfield’s Code of Ordinances, real and motor vehicle tax abatement is available “for any eligible person who volunteers his or her services as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, paramedic or ambulance driver.”