The West Hartford Budget

Farmington on Memorial Day

Each spring the Town goes through the exercise of budgeting for the coming fiscal year, which begins on July 1st. Here’s the super summarized version of how it works. The Town Manager proposes a budget, there are public comment sessions, and finally the Town Council makes changes before adopting a final version. The mill rate is set, and from there the tax bills are generated. It is the property owners, ultimately, that fund the Town’s

Budget Trends in the City of Hartford

Hartford is in the middle of a budget debate in which City leaders work to close a meaningful gap between revenue and expenses. There are many moving parts to the discussion, and difficult decisions will be made. There is also one real estate related consideration that we want to highlight. Last June the state legislature passed a law that defines how the City of Hartford’s split property tax system will work for the coming five

West Hartford Taxes

It’s budget season in Greater Hartford, which is always a contentious time for property owners since it is often the first sign of rising taxes. West Hartford has a double dose of uncertainty as the Town works to figure out both the size of the budget and the implementation of the recently completed revaluation. I attended the first of two public budget hearings on Tuesday afternoon in the Town’s Legislative Chambers. Since it seemed like

Budgeting for a Kitchen Remodel

This spring we’re embarking on a “fun” project, a kitchen remodel. As I mentioned last month, this is something we’ve been wanting to do for several years. Since it’s been on our radar, we’ve been saving up. As with anything, there are varying cost levels when remodeling a kitchen. You can have a budget of $5,000, $50,000, $150,000 or anywhere in between. Several sources cited that kitchen remodels shouldn’t be more than 15% of the

Property Taxes – Troubling Economics

Property taxes are a sensitive subject in Greater Hartford. Just about every year there is a budget referendum in at least one local town as angry residents fight yet another property tax increase. The debate in some towns is more heated than in others (but we won’t mention any names). You may be happy to know that rising property taxes are a hot topic in other cities and states as well. An editorial in this