Tracey Maps Out Plan to Stabilize, Reduce Taxes Over Next 4 Years

Submitted by Republican mayoral candidate 'Big' Steve Tracey:

"On Thursday, East Haven Mayoral hopeful "Big" Steve Tracey took a final opportunity to explain to voters his two-part plan, if elected, to keep taxes low and stable.

Tracey explained, "I have knocked on thousands of doors throughout this campaign. While infrastructure, education, and development have been common concerns, the most common concern I hear is that residents are worried about future tax hikes. Nobody wants to replay the 17% tax hike we saw in 2010. Although I have emphasized it countless times throughout my campaign, I want to assure the residents of East Haven that I have a real plan to keep taxes low and stable in future budget years."

Tracey continued, "Over the last four budgets, we have seen our budget grow by an average of about $460,000 dollars each year, due mostly to contractual obligations and insurance. As part one of my tax reduction plan, my team and I will be targeting grand list growth of $14 million per year, mostly from commercial economic development. This level of economic development will generate $317,000 in new tax growth alone, which will help us defray as much as two-thirds of expected increases in the budget."

In discussing his tax plans, Tracey explained that part two of his plan involves taking a hard look at the Town's medical insurance program to identify possible savings.

Tracey added, "At $6.95 million dollars, medical insurance for the Town's 200 covered employees is the single largest line item in our budget. Our board of education recently realized hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings by joining a regional insurance collaborative. If elected, I will task my finance director to revise cost targets for this line item and explore other insurance options. Even a three-percent savings on our insurance would net the Town an extra $208,500 dollars."