Property Tax Relief Can’t Wait: Time to Cap the Tax and End Unfunded Mandates

While knocking on doors across West Haven, Orange, and Milford, one issue comes up more than any other: property taxes. Families, seniors, and working people are fed up. Their tax bills keep rising while their incomes do not. Many seniors worry about being forced out of the homes they’ve lived in for decades. Young families wonder if they can afford to stay in the communities where they grew up. This is the number one concern I hear on the campaign trail.

The root cause is clear — unfunded mandates from Hartford. State politicians impose expensive requirements on our towns and cities but fail to send the money to cover them. Local leaders are left with no choice but to pass the costs on to homeowners through higher property taxes. This has helped make Connecticut one of the highest property tax states in the country.

My opponent, Rep. MJ Shannon, promised property tax relief. Yet under his watch, property taxes have gone up in every community in the 117th District. More mandates have come down from Hartford, and the burden on our residents has only grown worse. Promises have not delivered results.

It is time for real solutions. We must eliminate or fully fund these unfunded mandates so towns are not forced to keep hiking taxes on families. We also need a firm cap on property tax increases — limiting annual hikes to about 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is greater — with any exceptions requiring strong voter approval at referendum. This approach would finally bring relief and predictability to homeowners.

As your next State Representative, I will fight in Hartford to stop the unfunded mandates and pass a property tax cap that protects working families and seniors. No more shifting costs onto local taxpayers. No more broken promises.

I’ve heard loud and clear that enough is enough. Let’s cap the tax, end the mandates, and make Connecticut affordable again for the people who live here.