TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL WORK SESSION
COUNCIL CHAMBERS JANUARY 7, 2008
SOUTH WINDSOR TOWN HALL TIME: 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Streeter called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor Matthew Streeter
Deputy Mayor Cary placeCityPrague
Councillor Kathryn Hale
Councillor Edward Havens
Councillor Lisa Maneeley
Councillor Kevin McCann
Councillor John Pelkey
Councillor Keith Yagaloff
Also Present: Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager
3. Public Participation:
Mrs. Nicole Dibenedetto from addressStreet85 Orchard Hill Drive came before the Town Council to voice her concerns and aggravations regarding the walking issue for school children at placePlaceNameOrchard PlaceTypeHill PlaceTypeElementary School. Nothing has been done about this issue and no one has addressed any questions that have been asked. Additional safety concerns that Mrs. Dibenedetto stated is that the cross walks are not assessable because of the snow banks; and there have been arrests in the neighborhood, but still nothing has been done. This issue has outstanding for the last five months and she stated she finds this appalling that no one has addressed the safety of our children. The Board of Education has the ability to change this issue, and they have done nothing.
Mrs. Kim Silverman, addressStreet200 Orchard Hill Drive also came forward to voice her concerns and aggravation over the walking issue at PlaceNameplaceOrchard PlaceTypeHill PlaceTypeSchool.
4. Communications
None
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Work Session – Town Council
Page 2
January 7, 2008
ITEM:
5. Town Manager’s Report
Town Manager to discuss his report at the Regular Meeting
6. Items for Discussion
A. Review of the Revaluation Process
Mr. Charlie Danna, Town Assessor came before the Town Council to review the revaluation process, (Exhibit A).
Answering questions from the Town Council, Mr. Danna explained that some of the tax burden this year will shift away from the cars towards real estate because the real estate portion of the grand list will be larger in proportion to the motor vehicle portion due to the revaluation. He further explained that if you take each assessment for the real estate, the commercial, and the industrial to see how much each has increased, it was found that they are actually quite balanced compared to residential.
Mayor Streeter recessed the Work Session at 7:30 p.m. in order to hold two public hearings and then reconvened the Work Session at 8:09 p.m.
Answering further questions from the Town Council, Mr. Danna explained to the Town Council and public the process that would happen if a resident has a question/concern regarding their assessment. He then went on to explain the process used to calculate the assessment on properties. The assessments between revaluations are based upon the values that are established at the prior revaluation. If there is a discovery that there is a change in conditions, it could be measured as a reason for having a review and possibly a change.
Council Members then discussed how the revaluation should affect the mill rate at the time of the budget process. They also discussed how an individual could calculate their taxes to see if an increase was due to the revaluation process versus the budget process.
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Work Session – Town Council
Page 3
January 7, 2008
ITEM:
6. Items for Discussion (continued
A. Review of the Revaluation Process (continued)
Councillor Bazzano stated that he has received a few calls regarding the revaluation and there seems to be a misunderstanding out there that the mill rate is going to stay the same. The mill rate should substantially drop based on the budget because the mill rate is based on the budget, the budget is not based on the mill rate. Mr. Danna responded that the mill rate should be going down. How far it goes down depends on the increase attributed to the revaluation.
7. Executive Session
None
8. Adjournment
Councillor McCann moved to adjourn the Work Session at 8:32 p.m. The motion was seconded by Councillor Bazzano and Approved, unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah W. Reid
Clerk of the Council
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