Simsbury Board of Finance Meeting February 17, 2026

Board of Finance Meeting February 17, 2026

The Grand List has only increased .08 percent

Without an increase in the Grand List, the budget should have no increase in spending to make Simsbury Economically competitive.

All increases in the budget affect all the taxpayers with an increase in the cost of living.

Many managers of apartments are incentivizing people with months of free rents, while many apartments remain vacant.

With an increased supply of apartments and a reduced demand, there will be a readjustment in the value of the property, leading to lower assessments.

The Town should not be incentivizing companies with abatements and exemptions when they are very successful businesses.

Ensign Bickford is receiving a tax reduction for 10 years of $45,129.

Solectran is receiving $56,031 tax reduction for 10 years.

Solectran is a 14.4-billion-dollar corporation and Ensign Bickford is an extremely viable business.

The high rollers are incentivized with reduced taxes, while the Simsbury taxpayers continue to have increased taxes.

Horses have been given a municipal exemption, leaving a $20,000 reduction in revenue.

The International Skating Center in Simsbury should be paying $280,000 on the original building and more on the addition.

To date they are paying $90,000 to the Town, with a purchase of an office building and a purchase of land for a hotel, while the Town considers them in need of a reduction in taxes, needing to be incentivized.

The Developer of the Ensign Bickford House renovations was incentivized with an abatement, while they are purchasing additional properties in Town.

The Town is incentivizing the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association (SVAA) with $200,000 while Avon uses AMR with no cost to the taxpayers.

In addition, they are asking for $250,000 to cover a new ambulance that they purchased.

SVAA can capture revenues.

The Town should not be incentivizing a failed business plan.

Lisa Heavner has researched the value of abatements to industry and concluded that abatements are not a necessary tool to retain businesses.

The Town gives the high rollers exemption and abatements while the taxpayers are the fools who pay to cover their greed.

Policy that requires all abatements and exemptions given to businesses, an equal amount should be reduced in the expenditures in the budget.

Town Attorney Bob Decrescenzo receives approximately $10,000 a month for his services.

While he is receiving his payment, he contracts with other businesses that are doing business with the Town.

Silverman Group and Ethel Walker are some of Decrescenzo’s clients.

This creates conflicts causing the Town to pay an outside Attorney at market rates.

At the present time, the taxpayers are required to pay the outside Attorney fees for a conflict with the Silverman Group, while DeCrescenzo gets his full fees

When a business is developing a project that requires outside services, the developer pays the fees.

Why should the taxpayers pay for Town Attorney DeCrescenzo’s conflicts?

Non-Public Schools show an expenditure, Cultural/Recreational Commission 24-25 budget, $257,682

This amount of cutting grass and maintaining the turf at the schools should be placed in the school budget.

New Path designation will be used for all revenues and expenditures on 2 Farms Village Road building and should be reviewed regularly.

As the Gatekeeper of the budgets, increasing taxes is unacceptable.