Connecticut
Opinion: CT has stupid high property taxes; a case for regional government
Each year, towns in Connecticut go through the painful budget process, and my town of South Windsor is no different. What is different is how politically charged this has become.
The basis of the politicalization seems to be rooted in “the tax issue.” This past year South Windsor went through the real estate re-evaluation process required by law every five years. With the rise in real estate values, those evaluations increased dramatically.
The good news; your house is worth more. The bad news; your tax burden is going up.
This did not sit well with many residents. So, in November, the town voted out our super-majority Democrat Party Town Council and voted in a super-majority Republican Party Town Council. The Republicans had campaigned on a platform of cutting taxes, which obviously appealed to many voters.
It waits to be seen whether new town leadership can hold the line on taxes without negatively impacting our schools, town services, head count, and more. This is not a partisan issue. The dread of higher taxes is not a Republican or a Democratic thing. I view it as a practical thing.
Let me explain. I moved to Connecticut in 2002 having lived most of my life in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I learned quickly after moving here that property taxes in Connecticut were not just high, they’re stupid high. And on top of that I had to pay a tax because I own a car. I’ve never paid a personal property tax in my life previously.
Why is this? It’s simple math – towns need revenue to support expenditures. The revenue side is static. Connecticut does not have a prolific tax base. There is no Boston generating billions in tax revenue. Our statewide population is that of a Minneapolis or Tampa. We are not getting a windfall. So practically speaking, the only place to adjust is on the expense side. And here we have a wonderful opportunity.
That opportunity is called, regional government. It is a state-wide solution. This state is a victim of an incredibly inefficient provincial system of government that goes back to colonial days. We have 169 little kingdoms each duplicating the costs of each other. This creates an insane level of cost redundancy. We operate in fiscal silos with few or no economies of scale.
And you know who agrees with this? Forty-eight other states, none of whom do government this way; only Connecticut and Rhode Island operate in this manner. Think about that enormous duplication of costs across; parks and rec, public works, elderly services, tax collection, legal advisers, economic development, health services, IT infrastructure and education, just to name a few budget line items that could be streamlined.
Back in the 60s and 70s there was an attempt to move to regional government but it was so poorly executed that it failed. The infrastructure already exists as we have counties and planning groups called Regional Councils of Government. For this massive change to occur we need the will of leaders. But the grassroots level is where it needs to start as elected officials will not want to cede power.
Voters have to assert their will.
This is not a solution for today. It would take years if not decades to get to regional government. But 48 states have proven it works. If we’re serious about reducing taxes this is one big swing of the bat can get us there. For young families planning a long-term future in Connecticut, this would benefit kitchen table issues. If we start now, maybe your kids won’t have to pay a tax to own a car.
Paul Bernstein is a retired marketing executive who lives in South Windsor.
Connecticut
The Houston Comets are back as the Sun sets on the WNBA’s time in Connecticut, where fans face unfortunate reality
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Houston Comets’ four WNBA championship banners and the jerseys of their icons have a rightful home again. If only it didn’t come at the expense of another.
The news of the Connecticut Sun selling to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and relocating to the Lone Star state as the Comets is a zero-sum game, transporting heartache elsewhere.
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Sure, it’s a long-awaited victory for Houston and its fans, who were many and only grew in number as vintage became trendy. This city deserved the return of a team ripped from its clutches at the start of the Great Recession, and despite decent attendance throughout its success.
Yet, the basketball-crazed state of Connecticut will now feel that same void. It’s hard to overlook that the final report of the sale dropped while 12-time national champion UConn actively extended its winning streak to 53 with a victory in the Sweet 16 here in Fort Worth, Texas. Four hours from Houston.
Hey, the move screamed, look over there instead. The epitome of a Friday night news dump that everyone involved with hoped wouldn’t sting quite so much.
“The people at Mohegan Sun, they stepped up when they were needed and brought a team to Connecticut,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told ESPN. “…We’re a proven [place] where people would support women’s basketball. Now [with them] moving, I think it leaves a void.”
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The Mohegan Sun Tribe entered into the WNBA at a time when the NBA stepped out. It became the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team when it purchased the Orlando Miracle franchise for $5 million in 2003 and brought it to UConn’s backyard to play at their casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The move marked a historic first for the six-year-old league. That previous October, the WNBA’s Board of Governors changed its bylaws so that teams did not have to be located in NBA cities, play in NBA arenas and be owned by the league in conjunction with the NBA. The decision was sparked by declining attendance and falling TV ratings. Teams in Miami and Portland folded that same offseason.
As attendance booms and TV ratings explode nearly 25 years later, the Sun franchise’s sale for a reported $300 million is another screaming example that NBAers want back into the lucrative fold. All three incoming expansion teams that will join the W beginning in 2027 are connected to the NBA. So, too, are the Golden State Valkyries and Toronto Tempo. Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Seattle, Dallas and the incoming Portland Fire, which also took its folded name, are not associated by ownership with NBA teams.
The writing was scribbled on the Mohegan Sun’s yellowed walls long before news became public of a potential sale. Their arena holds 10,000, more than a couple of unfortunate WNBA stragglers, but nowhere close to the 15,000-plus atmosphere for which the league yearns. Though they maintained healthy attendance, the Sun never won a WNBA championship despite a run of success in the early 2010s that was hampered by health.
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That player core departed for greener pastures, trading New England summers for sweltering hot desert heat kept at bay by sparkling, state-of-the-art practice facilities. Transportation was always a headache with the closest airport nearly an hour away. Players voiced displeasure at the overall location, desiring a city instead of an arena dropped inside a casino in the countryside.
The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) passed by both the players union and WNBA Board of Governors this week wrote it all in permanent marker. The Sun can’t meet the new facilities, staff and financial standards set forth in it, a key bargaining chip pushed by the players themselves. The jump in salary cap alone, from $1.5M to $7M, is difficult to meet.
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The unfortunate reality is the league outgrew the market and what it could offer, even if that contribution was a healthy women’s basketball base fed by the Huskies’ success. A team will be ripped from its home again, leaving behind fans who will hand down this hurt for generations. The women’s game is old enough to be shared that way now.
The Comets are finally back. And the Sun will become a vintage symbol of loss.
Connecticut
Are You From a Connecticut Family That Eats Toad in the Hole?
Are you from a Connecticut family that grew up eating Toad in the Hole? If so, you probably know it as a quirky breakfast dish — an egg cooked right in a hole cut out of a slice of bread. Just to be clear, no toads were harmed — I simply couldn’t resist using an actual toad photo. But the story behind the name and the dish is a little stranger than you might think.
The original Toad in the Hole comes from England, where it’s a savory meal of sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. No eggs, no toast, just sausages popping out of golden, fluffy batter — the name supposedly comes from the way the sausages peek out like toads in a pond.
When English families settled in New England, they brought culinary traditions with them, and over time, the dish evolved. In the U.S., particularly in some Connecticut households, Toad in the Hole became the breakfast version we know today: an egg nestled in bread, sometimes cooked in a skillet or baked. It’s a far cry from the original sausages-and-batter dish, but it kept the playful name and sense of whimsy.
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What’s fun is that the U.S. version is sometimes called “egg in a basket” or “egg in a hole” in other parts of the country, but in many Connecticut homes, it proudly keeps the Toad in the Hole moniker. For families with multi-generational ties to the state, this little breakfast dish is a taste of history, a nod to old English roots, and a perfect reminder of just how weird and wonderful Connecticut’s food traditions can be.
Before researching this, I’d never heard of it, but you’d better believe I’m making one of these this weekend — both the UK and U.S. versions.
Sources: Wikipedia & Food Science Institute
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Connecticut
Connecticut Gas Tax Holiday Proposal Stalls – We-Ha | West Hartford News
A spokesperson for the governor said the gas tax holiday remains an option ‘should gas prices continue to climb,’ but Lamont is not actively pursuing it due to lack of support from the legislature.
By Karla Ciaglo, CTNewsJunkie.com
On March 10, Gov. Ned Lamont proposed a temporary gas tax holiday to help Connecticut drivers amid rising fuel costs tied to global conflict, but the plan was met with mixed reviews and now appears to be in limbo.
While top Democrats urged immediate action using emergency authority, other legislative leaders and Republicans expressed concerns over timing, fiscal impact, and whether the savings would actually reach Connecticut residents.
Lamont’s proposal would suspend the state’s 25-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax — and potentially the roughly 49-cent diesel tax — as prices climbed following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the resulting disruption to global oil markets. Despite the urgency, it lost traction among legislators.
Click here to read the rest of the article on CTNewsJunkie.com.
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