Town Council Sets Tax Rate, Fire Department Wants To Replace Five Furnaces

The Town Council met Wednesday and approved the 2012-13 tax rate and, with a zero-increase budget, it didn’t take them long to agree to use the same rate as this year.

The rate is and will be 27.93, which means residents pay $2,793 for every $100,000 of property.

“This is the earliest in my recollection of setting a mill rate,” said councilor Bill Saums.

Town Council Chairman Sean Sullivan said that the mayor and Superintendent of Schools Michael Graner put forward “excellent” budgets that gave the public little reason to complain. Sullivan speculated that low voter turnout meant that residents had few reasons to oppose the budget.

The town’s 2012-13 budget was approved by 90 percent of voters Tuesday.

Mayor John Rodolico said setting the tax rate early will help the tax collector get the bills out on time.

“We are shorthanded in the tax collector’s office,” he said. “This takes a lot of burden off us and actually saves us a little bit of money in terms of manpower.”

The Town Council also voted to use Webster Bank, instead of Bank of America, as a mail-in lockbox for Ledyard taxpayers.

“Ideally you don’t want anyone paying their taxes at the tax collector’s office,” he said. “At that time, you can get lines of people just waiting.”

Rodolico said the tax collector’s office is short-staffed and that ideally, residents will drop off their tax payments at Dime Bank, use the mail-in lockbox or pay online.

In other business, the Town Council scheduled a public hearing on converting and replacing the five out-dated, oil-burning furnaces at the Gales Ferry Volunteer Fire Department. Fire Chief Anthony Saccone said he wants to convert the station to natural gas and he wants to get the project paid for through the Neighborhood Assistance Act.

The act allows private corporations to fund or sponsor projects for municipalities and tax-exempt organizations and receive a tax credit from the state. The public hearing is set for June 13 at 6 p.m.

Saccone said taxpayers will not absorb the cost of the furnaces if the project does not get sponsored.