The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Mayor: Funding increase meets Torrington’s growing needs
TORRINGTON — Mayor Elinor Carbone joined other municipal and state leaders Tuesday to show support for more state funding to help Torrington and others continue to grow.
The mayor on Tuesday joined New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, state Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and others to talk about recently approved legislation that would re-tier the historically underfunded Payment in Lieu of Taxes program and provide muchneeded relief for cities and town.
Most municipalities in the state have tax-exempt properties — hospitals, colleges and municipally owned airports, for example. To compensate cities and towns for that lost revenue, the
state reimburses them through the Payment in Lieu of Taxes system.
“If we are going to recover from the pandemic, we need to make sure all our towns and cities can be made whole without pushing a greater tax burden on our residents and businesses,” Carbone said. “This is a critical step forward that recognizes the budget constraints we all face, but still responsibly delivers essential aid to towns and cities.”
A large coalition of mayors and first selectmen, including Carbone, have gotten behind HB 6516 to get it passed. “They believe it’s important to support it and invest in our cities and towns to help them be more successful,” Elicker said.
“The tiered PILOT proposal focuses on equity for towns in need,” said Elicker. “In the past it has not been need-based, but focused on the amount of non-taxable property that a town has. In a time when we’re focused on inequities, I think the committee has taken a historic step to make sure the program is based on need, for towns that are struggling to get funding.”
If the PILOT program is fully funded, Torrington would receive approximately $2.1 million in PILOT funds, according to Carbone.
“For the past several years, we have received $380,000 — less than 20 percent of the total amount due. Under the tiered program, Torrington will receive 50 percent of the amount due, or $1,074,000,” Carbone said. “That would result in an additional $694,000 over the projected 2021-22 appropriation.”
The mayor said that Torrington loses revenue because of its tax-exempt properties, which benefit more than just the city.
“We serve the entire northwest corner as an urban center, and a lot of those social services and not-for-profits do land in Torrington, where there is a significant concentration of the population,” she said.
If Torrington knows how much PILOT money it’s getting each year, it would make it easier for Carbone and the City Council to manage the budget, the mayor said.
“We know that budget stability and predictability is the cornerstone to social and economic growth in the state,” she said. “The PILOT program does provide desperately needed aid that counterbalances the loss of tax revenue.
“Acknowledging the equity for a distressed municipality, or those that are most challenged with their tax base, will make the budgeting process a little more predictable, so we can focus on economic growth and educational advancement, without burdening our taxpayers and our tax base,” Carbone said.