Some neighbors in Enfield aren’t happy with how their properties are being assessed, saying they’d be paying too much in taxes. They’re blaming the tax assessor and are also calling for a new town manager.
Some neighbors in Enfield aren’t happy with how their properties are being assessed, saying they’d be paying too much in taxes. They’re blaming the tax assessor and are also calling for a new town manager.
Along Post Office Road in Enfield, there’s no missing a 1948 Chevy farm truck with a sign, questioning whether it costs about $26,000.
Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HERE“It belongs on a farm and that’s all it is. It’s not a classic. It’s not a show vehicle," said Dave Turner.
Turner, who did not want his face on camera, was frustrated saying his truck was assessed around $1,800, before jumping to more than $17,000 in 2021. Turner says while the truck is drivable, it’s very beat up and couldn’t have had a huge rise in value.
Get top local Connecticut stories delivered to you every morning with the News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP He appealed the assessment and got it knocked down to $800. Last month, he says the truck was assessed to be about $18,000.
“Nobody wants to pay their taxes, but they’re happy to pay their fair share of taxes and that’s what it should be,” he said.
Turner wants the tax assessor fired, saying he and a number of residents felt their property was being over-valued and didn’t feel town manager Ellen Zoppo-Sassu was acting on it. This led to him making “Dump the Town Manager” signs.
Local
Zoppo-Sassu says the truck is a classic vehicle in the J.D. Power book, which has a price range, but stresses there’s an appeals process.
“Is the reality something that matches in terms of what the truck is in terms of a work farm vehicle…probably not,” she said.
She says Turner has not returned her phone calls and says there just needs to be better communication to work through the issue.
“If he did have an issue, he could have called our office like dozens of other residents, and I was happy to sit with him,” she said.
Zoppo-Sassu was unfazed by the signs.
“The town manager position is nonpolitical, and I report to the 11 members of the town council and those are the people I care about and what they think,” she said.
Town councilor John Santanella says the signs don’t reflect the views of many in Enfield and he has confidence in her ability.
“She has done an amazing job during her short time that she has been here,” he said.
Zoppo-Sassu says there is an independent tax assessment review ongoing, looking at how the tax assessor’s office runs, along with other evaluation procedures. The review was approved by the town council last fall.
Turner says he has little confidence in that review and just wants to see town leaders hear their concerns.
“I hope the people in this town take a good look at their tax bills for the last couple years and scrutinize their tax bills and make sure they’re not being overvalued,” he said.
Zoppo-Sassu says the hope is to have a report from the review to come sometime this spring.
