Smoke and Mirrors: How Hamden Engineered a Tax Hike in Plain Sight

Here’s a quick summary — you can dive into the full article with all the details over on our Substack.

Hamden residents were told this year’s massive tax hike was an unfortunate but unavoidable result of a state-mandated revaluation. But the April 19, 2025 Legislative Council meeting revealed a very different story.

Yes, revaluations happen every five years. But towns like Hamden have options. They can delay the revaluation, phase in the impact, or adopt safeguards to protect residents. Hamden did none of that.
Instead, officials used the revaluation as a smokescreen to quietly replenish the town’s depleted fund balance — without public debate, and just in time for election season.

The Real Reasons Behind the Tax Hike:

1. The Fund Balance Is Critically Low
Finance Director Rick Galarza confirmed the fund balance is only $45,000 above the minimum required level. That number isn’t even audited.
2. No Audit Has Been Released
The 2023-2024 audit is months overdue. Without it, the public has no verified numbers on which to base trust.
3. $12.6M in Salaries Were Covered by Federal Funds — Then Hidden
The administration used federal ARPA money to pay salaries, freeing up $12.6M. But instead of reporting it as surplus, they moved it into restricted accounts.
4. $5M in Fake Revenue
The budget included $5 million in projected red light camera revenue last year — even though no cameras exist. That money never came in, but it helped make last year’s budget look balanced.
5. $7.8M "Spent" But Never Touched
Last year, the town claimed it used $7.8 million from savings. But that money was never spent — and they’re still pretending it’s gone. That means taxpayers are now being charged to replace money that was never used.

What It All Adds Up To:

Hamden overcharged residents, quietly stashing the extra money to rebuild its reserves. And they did it without transparency and by manipulating budget figures.

Mayor Garrett even admitted they had been overfunding past budgets to grow the fund balance on the record during the April 19th meeting. Now that they can’t do it again without raising red flags, residents are feeling the pain.

All of this happened while the town delayed its audit, declined to explore more equitable revaluation phase-in options, and continued to blame the state.

Bottom Line:

This wasn’t just mismanagement. It was deliberate. Residents are being double-billed to patch up mistakes they were never shared. That’s not financial stewardship. It’s misdirection.

Read the full breakdown on Substack.

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