Granby's Grand List Grows .93%

In a piece of positive economic news for the town, Granby’s taxable property increased from 2010 to 2011 by .93 percent, or about $10 million, according to a town official and data from the assessor’s office.

While the jump isn’t a large one, Town Manager William Smith said that the increase was larger than the modeling done recently that predicted an increase of just .5 percent.

The grand list was recently discussed at the recent Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday.

“We certainly found it to be a little more favorable than what we anticipated at the current mill rate,” Smith said.

The 2011 grand list, which is broken down into real estate, personal property and motor vehicles, is $1.067 billion up from $1.057 billion in 2010.

Smith said that the value of motor vehicles in town accounted for a significant portion of the increase - about $5 million from $81 million in 2010 to $86 million in 2011.

In addition, personal property increased $1 million from $17.5 million to $18.5 million. Real estate saw a slight bump from $958 million to $962 million.

The overall increase is expected to add about $250,000 to the town’s coffers, Smith said.

“We’re pleased with our modeling,” said Smith, who added that the $250,000 coupled with the unanticipated savings from health insurance bodes well for the upcoming budget cycle. “It’s coming together.”

Smith said that the list of the town’s top 10 taxpayers was not yet available.

In addition to discussing the grand list, Smith said that the selectmen accepted the donation of a fully equipped handicapped-accessible van that will be used as transportation for the elderly and physically challenged.

The donation was made by the estate of Al Martyn, Smith said.

The selectmen also formed a building committee to oversee the school athletics fields project, as well as monitor the progress of the other projects that were recently approved at the referendum, Smith said.

The next meeting of the selectmen is scheduled for Feb. 21.