Some Connecticut farmers complain that they face a major tax hike from the state’s latest tax assessment of farmland.
They want the state to pause the implementation of the new assessments.
Connecticut’s Public Act 490 was enacted to preserve farmland by assessing farm, forest, open space and maritime heritage land based on current use rather than their higher fair market value.
The values are adjusted by the state every five years, and the latest were announced last month.
Those adjustments were unrealistic, said Kim Grijalva, who owns a farm in North Stonington.
“For my farm personally, our taxes would go up $16,000 a year. That’s just on our farmland, that doesn’t include our home,” Grijalva said, during a news briefing at the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Tuesday.
“That’s part of the problem with this methodology and the assessment, and why it's so flawed. That’s why we want a moratorium today. And that’s why we want farmers at the table,” said state Senator Heather Somers (R-North Stonington).
Somers and leaders of the Republican legislative minority want farmers involved in a committee that would provide input on assessment changes.
The state’s Department of Agriculture has acknowledged the need to change how future land values are determined.
Meanwhile, revisions were released early this year due to a flaw identified in the appraisal methodology.
“And these revised values address many of the concerns we have heard from farmers,” said Rebecca Eddy, a spokesperson for the department.
