Connecticut Towns Fight Taxes Amid Budget Clashes

0:00It's April 27. You're listening to Hartford News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Corey with the story. Connecticut towns are clashing over budgets this spring, with voters and grand b straight up rejecting a modest 2.4% tax height proposal. On Monday, places like Newington face the wild 22.4% jump at first, while Bloomfield eyed 6.8% alongside service cuts. Across the state, officials say no matter how deep they trim, taxes are rising due to inflation in fixed costs. Adding fuel to the fire, skyrocketing health insurance, special education bills, and lagging state school aid are squeezing finances hard. Inflations hitting everything from equipment prices, doubling, to wages climbing, and re-evaluations are slamming homeowners as home value soared. Post-pandemic, while commercial properties lagged, towns like Avon need over 3% just for medical claims. Residents are fired up, pushing back against hikes and cuts to pools, trash pickup, libraries,

1:03and senior centers in Bloomfield, where folks won. Services restored, without double-digit taxes. In Newington, council slashed $8.4 million after outcry over phasing and re-eval pain, landing at a 14.3% increase. Hamden warns of staffing losses without a 4.9% bump. Members of scrambling with tweaks, East Haven trim from 8.4% to 7%, Cheshires at 8.9% for new schools and debt, and Gramby's prepping a sub-2% redo for May 4th. Starrington proposes 6.1% amid bridge fixes and police growth, while Windsor might dip into reserves to East 6.08%. These battles highlight Connecticut's high-property taxes, third nationally, and low-state A compared to Pierce folks from 169 towns are. Starring referendums and meetings closely, as deadlines hit in May.