As Audit Finds Tax Issue, Town Eyes Making Collector Non-Elected

BRANFORD, CT —In a state audit, investigators found a "significant deficiency" in financial reporting in the tax collector's office.

The audit also found that the town was non-compliant in its 2020-002 Local Capital Improvement - Special Reporting in that it did not submit the required documents withing 90 days of the end of the fiscal year.

The report, conducted by an independent auditor, as required by the state Office of Policy and Management, found that the office of the tax collector had a number of "weaknesses"and issues with operations in the department that need correcting:

• Interest appeared to have been waived by posting tax payments on dates prior to the receipt of the tax payment.
• Some taxpayers paid less in interest in 2020 than they owned in 2019
• A large taxpayer in town that owes approximately $1 million in outstanding personal property and motor vehicle taxes "appears to be making nominal tax payments" by changing taxpayer names to work around the motor vehicle registration rules with the DMV, and continuing to register new motor vehicles, without paying outstanding taxes on older motor vehicles."

The auditor, Clifton, Larson, Allen LLC, noted the net effect of the deficiencies has been that the town "lost out on the collection of principal and interest."

"The controls within the Tax Department were either insufficient, or the controls were circumvented or overridden to allow for the occurrence of the above noted items," it noted in its summary of the 138-page report.

It recommended the town "review the procedures in the tax department, specifically the procedures over the collection of taxes, the reporting of unpaid motor vehicles to DMV and the record retention policy. These processes and procedures should be formally documented and enhanced to ensure compliance with all laws and regulations."

In response, it was the "opinion of the town's leadership that the presence of elected tax collectors is seemingly anachronistic given the complexity of today’s modern tax systems, laws and compliance requirements," and as a result, the town is "contemplating code and or charter revisions to change the position of Tax Collector to a non-elected official," according to the report.

The town leaders referenced are First Selectman James B. Cosgrove and town Finance Director James P. Finch, Jr. the two will "confer with the appropriate individuals to determine if there is support for this legislative remedy."

Though admit that it's an "undeniably complicated since this is a municipal election year."

The town tax collector is Roberta Gill-Brooks, who is running for reelection in the Nov. 2 state municipal election. Her opponent is Robert Imperato.