News and Notes from The First Selectman's Office

News and Notes from The First Selectman, February 20, 2024

Hello, Wilton! I hope everyone enjoyed their four-day weekend.

We are in the thick of budget season at Town Hall. The Board of Selectmen meetings have gone late into the night, as we hear from all of the town departments about their material needs and plans for the next year and beyond. Every department head has come to us with an inspired vision for the future of Wilton. The challenge is how to realize these excellent ideas with the urgent needs the town faces, and stay within the confines of our budget. Everyone involved is dedicated to finalizing a plan that makes the most sense for Wilton, and I look forward to presenting the budget at the Annual Town Meeting in May, when you, the voter, decide if you approve of this financial blueprint.

Early Voting
For the first time in our state’s history, early voting is coming to Connecticut for the 2024 Presidential Preference Primary. On Tuesday, March 26, Wednesday, March 27, Thursday, March 28, and Saturday, March 30, eligible Republicans and Democrats can come to the Wilton Town Hall, at 238 Danbury Road, where voting will take place in Conference Room B, from 10am – 6pm. A Connecticut State Government issued ID, or other pre-printed ID that shows your name and address, or name and signature, or name and photograph, is required. Regular Primary Day will be on Tuesday, April 2nd. If you are currently registered as Unaffiliated and wish to vote in the early Primary, you must change your registration to join a party. To do this, you can fill out a new registration card at the Registrar’s office in Town Hall by March 25, or register online using your Connecticut driver’s license at Connecticut Online Voter Registration, by March 15. To vote in the regular Primary on April 2, you must enroll in a party in person at the registrar’s office by noon on April 1. If you have not yet registered as a voter and wish to vote in the primary, you must register and enroll with a party in person at the Registrar’s office by noon the day before you wish to vote, or by March 15 online. For any questions, please contact the Wilton Registrar of Voters at 203-563-0111, or visit the office at Town Hall, 238 Danbury Road.

Aquarion/Eversource Update
On March 1, work will resume on extending the 36 inch water main and the 16 inch gas main westward along New Canaan Road (Route 106) from Old Boston Road to the New Canaan town line. Once this work is completed, water and gas lines will be installed in Silvermine Road (Route 106) between Carter Street to Valley Road, in New Canaan, during the remainder of the 2024 construction season, which ends in November. Incidental work may also be done on Route 106 from Belden Hill and Old Boston Road. Construction will go on from 7am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, at which time these roads will be closed to thru traffic. School buses will also be allowed to pass through and all bus stops will remain the same. Detailed weekly announcements on construction updates, changes in traffic patterns, work schedules, and detours will be available on the Aquarion website.
Here are graphics showing where the work will take place:

How Wilton Works
Because Assessments, Mill Rates and Taxes are such live issues at the moment, we thought this was the perfect time to highlight the Assessor and Tax Collection Office, and introduce Hollie Rapp, who wears two hats as our Manager of Assessing and Tax Collection, if you haven’t met her already. Hollie has worked in a few Assessor’s offices around Fairfield County, and she has come to appreciate Wilton because of the personal service she’s able to provide. The close community here allows her to shepherd cases through the system, and even thwart a fraud attempt, once, by tracking a missing check before it cleared a customer’s bank. Hollie has made creating a paperless operation a top priority for the Assessor’s office, for the greatest safety and efficiency. A modern, updated information system is the best way to prevent disasters like stolen checks or lost records. The days of overstuffed filing cabinets, and vital records stored in boxes off-site, are long gone. Everything is online now and immediately searchable, so that Hollie and her staff never have to say, “Let me call you back,” when a customer needs information. Credit goes to our WHS Town Hall interns who are doing much of the scanning of historical records into our secure server. Their work will prove invaluable.

The number one question Hollie is asked is, “How much are my taxes likely to increase?” This depends on how much your home increased in value (the percentage increase), versus how much all of Wilton’s real estate increased in value. Your personal tax forecast will depend on how close your home is to the average. If your value increase was higher than the average, you’ll likely see an increase in your taxes. If it was close to, or below, the average you won’t see
much change in your tax rate. Here are some causes of a property’s higher than average increase in value:

a) The property was undervalued five years ago, before the pandemic, when the last valuation was done
b) The neighborhood, as a whole, increased in value because of development within the neighborhood, or the surrounding area
c) Home remodeling
d) Amenities the property offers became more attractive. In some cases, this could mean people seek out walking access to stores, restaurants and trains. Conversely, privacy and seclusion become more desirable and the property offers land, surrounded by houses with large plots.

Wilton has always been well suited for both of these kinds of buyers. We have woods and open land, a bustling town center and proximity to Route 7 and New York City. We hit the bullseye for many real estate shoppers, which is one reason for the boom in housing prices we saw during Covid. But Wilton is not alone in this real estate phenomena. Fairfield County, overall, was uniquely affected by the housing rush of the past few years.

Beyond housing, there is the interesting, unexpected phenomena of the vehicle grand list. The grand list, as we’ve explained in previous newsletters, is the grand total value of all property located in Wilton. In Connecticut’s case, this includes cars, which is taxed as personal property, unlike other states. For the past several years, used cars have appreciated in value, which is akin to rain falling upwards in the tax world. Again, we can blame the pandemic. When supply chains were interrupted new cars became unavailable. Used car dealerships suddenly had empty lots, as used cars became desirable and scarce. This is the perfect recipe for every car owner’s vehicle to be worth more than they were five years ago, and thus subject to a higher tax. According to state law, it does not matter what condition the used car is in. Every assessor is required to use the same book that lists cars’ year, make, model, VIN and their assigned value, and tax that car at 70% of its retail value, as of October 1 of each year. This is the first year since the pandemic that Wilton’s Vehicle Grand List has decreased, as circumstances return to pre-Covid conditions. Discussion is underway, however, to move the vehicle valuation process to a straight percentage devaluation, which will change cars’ value and tax rate.

Many people mistakenly assume that the DMV is tracking their vehicle’s history, and the Assessor will have this information and update their tax records accordingly. This is not the case. The onus is on the car owner to provide the correct documentation to the Assessor’s office if there has been a change in your car’s ownership, or you have relocated, to avoid being taxed incorrectly, and/or incurring penalties. There are too many possibilities and processes to list here, so we encourage everyone to visit the Assessor’s page Motor Vehicle | wiltonct on the Wilton website to learn what to do if you donate your car, sell your car, move within the state or out of state, or drop your car off at the junkyard. There are explicit instructions and a document list you’ll need to provide in order to change the record on your car. You can email these documents in assessor@wiltonct.org, or bring them in person to the office.

Also on this page Downloadable Files | wiltonct are tax relief and tax credit forms to fill out for Active Duty Military and Veterans, as well as Elderly and Disabled Homeowners. In fact, there is valuable information here for almost any taxpayer. Benefits and exemptions could apply to you, so we strongly encourage everyone in Wilton to visit the Assessor’s webpage.

The next Assessment will be much more in-depth than the process we’ve just gone through. The latest valuation was a Statistical Evaluation, which involves Data Mailers that are filled out by homeowners about their home’s condition. There is a certain reliance on the honor code with a Data Mailer, although there were some on-site visits by the revaluation company. The next valuation will be what is known as a Full Measure & List Valuation. Assessors will visit each neighborhood, all homes will be photographed, and assessors will request in home visits. Sales data and listing notices will also be analyzed, as will permit records.

The Assessor’s profession is always changing, which is why Hollie’s other top priority, besides keeping pace with electronic upgrades and cyber security, is to create a Policy and Procedures manual for the department. This will be a living document that will put into print today’s best practices for everyone in her office, even as the laws and technology change. Because of the statewide scarcity of Assessors, all employees, especially if they’re just beginning their careers, are encouraged to get their CCMC, the Certified Connecticut Municipal Collector Certification, and/or their CCMA, the Certified Connecticut Municipal Assessor Certification and to keep their certifications current and up to date.

The Grand List will be finalized and signed before the end of February. Applications to appeal assessments will become available online, or in the office, on March 1. They are due back to the office by March 20th. The hearings will begin in April.

There is a lot of good change happening in the Assessor and Tax Collection Office, and everyone behind the desks are there to serve. Thank you to Hollie Rapp and her staff for doing a difficult job with grace and efficiency. Please, everyone in the Assessor and Tax Collection Office, take a bow.

Luminary Walk
Another beloved town tradition is back next month. The Wilton Conservation Commission is inviting everyone to their Luminary Walk and Bonfire on March 2, from 5:30-7:30, at Schenk’s Island in Wilton Town Center. Hot chocolate, s’mores and magical lighted pathways make this a special winter event. As a reminder, dogs are welcome, but they must be on a leash, and children must be accompanied by an adult. The rain date is set for March 3rd, from 5:30-7:30. For more information, contact Zen Herter in the Office of Environmental Affairs, at zen.herter@wiltonct.org.

Wilton Infrastructure
Change is coming fast to Wilton. While the need for more space in our schools has been addressed, and most of you are aware of the $100 million school renovation project, the requirements for more office space in our town buildings have largely been ignored. The town is growing quickly, with many large apartment projects already approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission. A town’s development requires a town government that can support it effectively, or the quality of life, which makes Wilton special, suffers for all. The departments that manage our services must, therefore, expand to meet the higher demands. This means increasing staff hires, and providing them with a clean, safe work environment, with an office and conference rooms. None of this is currently possible because of long-deferred maintenance and repairs on our Town buildings. If you read our previous Newsletter you saw the deplorable condition of our Annex building, for instance. The Annex houses our Planning and Zoning Department, the Building Department, the Health Department, the Department of Public Works, the Office of Environmental Affairs, and Animal Control. The main conference room was long ago chopped up to fit in more cubicles. Can you imagine a Planning and Zoning Department with no room to unfurl a map? The building is an overstuffed elevator running out of oxygen, not to mention the unmentionable bathrooms and rusted doors. Town Hall also lacks a meeting room after it was sacrificed to make room for more desks. The water damaged, stained ceilings, and the faulty staircase are safety hazards. Moreover, as a municipality, we are in a competitive hiring environment. Our neighbors are also looking to attract the best talent to come work for their towns. Right now, I’m afraid, our office space is not a positive for anyone considering a job with Wilton. This is frustrating because Wilton is, in fact, thriving, but our government buildings give the impression of an apartment house where there are twelve people squished into a room built for two. Something must be done to address this long simmering problem. In terms of the development that’s happening in greater Wilton, I understand that too much change, too quickly, is making many uncomfortable. No one, I believe, wants to see all of the construction that’s been planned for Wilton overwhelm our small town, green spaces and open air. On the other hand, controlled growth can be positive and necessary, and may be inevitable. As your First Selectman, I encourage everyone to let their voices be heard by sending letters or emails, speaking up at board meetings, joining a commission, and staying in touch with my office. The future is being shaped today. Too fast, or too slow, too much, or not enough, please join the conversation and let town designers know what you want Wilton to be. Pride in our community is something we all share.

Enjoying the donuts gifted to us from the WHS PTSA fundraiser. Thank you for sweetening our day.

With Warmest Wishes,

Toni Boucher
The First Selectman
Wilton, CT