Elderly Tax Relief Takes Center Stage

Wiltonians seized an opportunity to petition the Elderly Tax Relief Committee for improvements to the town's current plan, filling the Town Hall parking lot and Meeting Room B for the first of two public forums on Thursday.

More than 30 residents attended the meeting, pushing for an increase in the $750,000 initiative designed to help the town's senior citizens stay in their homes despite steadily rising property taxes.  Judy Zucker, the committee's chairman, presided over the well-attended, hour-long gathering.

"The purpose of today's forum is for [the committee] to listen to this group," Zucker said at the start.  "In brief, benefits should be available to seniors and disabled citizens who are most in need of financial assistance and wish to remain in their Wilton homes.  This meeting is to help determine if any changes are required to make sure the relief is serving the people as necessary."

If the attendees' comments were any indication, there is still much work to be done to ensure the plan's effectiveness.

Under the current iteration, and despite its formal title, the program offers tiered benefits to citizens 65 years and over as of December 31, 2008, permanently disabled residents and certain lower income households, with a few exceptions.  The potential reductions in real estate tax are as follows:

• If your total gross income in 2008 was $0-38,100,  you may be entitled to a $3,700 reduction.
• If your total gross income in 2008 was $38,101-50,800, you may be entitled to a $1,850 reduction.
• If your total gross income in 2008 was $50,801-63,400, you may be entitled to a $1,050 reduction.
• If your total gross income in 2008 exceeded $63,400, no benefits are available.

According to Zucker, 123 households of Wilton's roughly 2000 senior households fall in the first bracket, 63 in the second and 52 in the third, for a total of 236 eligible households (or just over 10 percent of town residents).  Twenty-eight households are eligible for deferral, of which four are deferring.  The estimated credits amount to $596,000 and the deferral total is $155,400, for a total of $751,400 in plan benefits.  The State of Connecticut provides no reimbursement to the town for these reductions.

"Seniors are finding it necessary to move out of the area because of the exceedingly high property taxes in town and older people do not move here," said Michael Graupner of a Signal Hill Road address, one of the day's most vocal participants. "We have young people coming here in droves and every time they do, we have property taxes going up and up. What we need to understand is that we have people who bought their homes in the 1940s, '50s and '60s and in a lot of cases they own their homes outright. But their income is limited to stock, bonds, Social Security... the people who benefit from the high taxes are disproportionately young people."

Applause followed Graupner's appeal and more than half of the audience took turns speaking afterward.  Most said they appreciate Wilton's strong school system (which is one of the biggest benefactors of the high tax rates), but feel frustration at so much of their limited income going toward it while they reap none of the benefits.

One resident pointed out that $750,000 of benefits is a "pittance" when considered in the light of the town's budget and expenditures. She estimated the town's annual budget at $100 million and asserted that .6% of that (the rough calculation of the tax relief plan's portion) "as an attempt to help seniors out is much too little."

"I know personally a number of people who have moved from Wilton because of property tax," said Jay Zitz of Belden Hill Road. "In the Williamsburg, Virginia, area, they pay about half to two-thirds of Wilton's property tax. In the past, Wilton has not made a commitment to keeping seniors in town... but with the housing market the way it is, we can't count on people coming in to replace them."

Among many recommendations and suggested improvements, a few seemed to catch the committee's attention. These included freezing taxes for seniors and disabled residents, removing school taxes for those who qualify after a certain age, offering tax breaks in exchange for community service, changing the designations of what is considered income (for instance, not including qualified distributions of retirement accounts when used for things like home repairs) and increasing the property taxes of families whose children attend the school system, thereby taking some of the burden off the elderly.

Carl Sell, of Mountain Road, made two dollars over the second tier limit last year and presented another potential improvement.

"There should be a different stepladder in the plan for these kinds of situations," Sell said.  "I made $50,802 and for that I lost $800 in benefits."

At the meeting's conclusion, Zucker said the committee appreciated the forum's strong participation. She added that they would take the ideas presented both from the 1:30 p.m. and subsequent 7:30 p.m. meetings into account and do their best to make the necessary changes.

"I've been in Wilton since 1971," said Chauncey Johnstone of Tory Place. "I will be 68 tomorrow, I am one of the founders of the Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and I think we should make sure the people who founded and built this town should be honored and kept here."

In addition to Zucker, other committee members include Chuck Cunningham, Wilton Chief Financial Officer Joe Dolan, Joe Equale, Jerry Holdridge, Social Services Director Cathy Pierce and Toni Wiseman.