Geer Village fights for tax status

NORTH CANAAN — Geer Village is protesting a recent decision by the North Canaan Assessor’s Office to deny it taxexempt statutes as a nonprofit, saying the resulting financial burden would put programs and staff positions at risk.

According to a release from the organization, Geer Village could face a tax increase of more than $500,000 per year. It has been considered tax-exempt as a nonprofit for the last 80 years, according to the group.

“Without warning or reason, the North Canaan Assessor’s Office is refusing to recognize Geer’s lawful tax-exempt status, which the Town appropriately recognized for the past 80 years,” said Geer Village CEO Kevin O’Connell in the release. “This surprise assessment will be devastating to Geer, our 330 employees, the thousands of people we serve and the North Canaan community at large. We have attempted to open a dialogue with the Town with little success. Nothing has changed at Geer to warrant this revised status.”

Tax Assessor Donna Patchen declined to comment on her rationale for the potential change Monday. She said there was a proper process for contesting assessments, and that Geer Village would need to follow it.

In the release, O’Connell said Geer Village is “pursuing all available avenues to challenge the legality of the Assessor’s decision,” and hoped that “cooler heads will prevail when this reaches the Assessment Board of Appeals.”

He asked for community residents to show support for the organization and its mission in the release. According to the Geer Village website, 528 people had signed the group’s petition as of 12:45 p.m. Monday.

Assessment Board of Appeals member Thomas Gales said Monday that the group would likely hear Geer Village’s complaint on Tuesday, as it is scheduled to meet.

The board is tasked with determining whether the assessor, in this case, Patchen, erred in their decisionmaking for an assessment, Gales said.

According to the organization, Geer Village now occupies a 70-acre campus in Canaan, providing a series of services, including “independent living apartments, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, outpatient physical therapy, pharmacy services, adult day care, dial-a-ride, low-income housing and community gathering spaces.”

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com