East Windsor offers new property tax relief program for homeowners
Some East Windsor homeowners could soon get a break on their property taxes following a recent change approved by town leaders.
Last week, the Board of Selectmen voted to allow eligible homeowners to exempt 15% of their homes’ assessed value. According to town officials, qualifying residents could eventually save an average of $500 to $1,300 per year.
The program is aimed at helping owner-occupants, as rising home values have shifted more of the local property tax burden onto residential properties.
“Prices are so high right now, groceries and everything … nice to have relief,” resident Jo Ann Manuel said.
East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza said he believes the town is just the second municipality in Connecticut to offer this type of property tax relief.
“This is a novel thing, and we’re excited about doing it. And any way that you can help people try and make ends meet in a way that’s a little bit easier for them, we have an obligation to do that,” Bowsza said.
To qualify, homeowners must live in the property and apply for the exemption.
Bowsza said the measure is intended to help rebalance the tax burden as residential property values have increased sharply in recent years.
“The property tax system is the only system that the state gives us to operate municipal government. All we’re doing here is we’re rebalancing who has to pay that,” he said.
The change will shift a greater share of the tax burden onto other property types, including commercial properties.
During the meeting, one business agreed that homeowners need help. While they weren’t necessarily against this move, they had concerns.
“We have to be very, very careful with sending a signal that East Windsor has a hostile business environment. And we talk about the word balance a lot. As we balance the discussion around revenue, we need to also have a balanced discussion around spending,” said Garrison Hudkins of Southern Auto Auction.
Bowsza said town officials have worked to address concerns raised by businesses and find a middle ground. He also acknowledged that the exemption is only one step toward addressing affordability challenges.
“If we can make things just a little bit easier, that’s something that we want to try and do,” Bowsza said.
Applications for the exemption open next Tuesday and will be accepted through mid-December. Homeowners generally only need to apply once.
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