What Enfield Needs to Hear Before the Next Big Tax Hike

 
Unless we acknowledge the real forces behind rising property taxes in Enfield, we risk blaming the wrong people — and repeating the same mistakes.

The revaluation now underway—the one that affects the 2026 fiscal year—may deliver a tax hike as steep, or worse, than the last one.

Since the 2021 revaluation, property taxes have increased nearly 19%. But much of that wasn’t due to runaway spending—it was a shift in who pays. Homeowners, in particular, took the hit.

Using my own Southwood Acres ranch as an example:

My assessment rose 27% in 2021.

My taxes rose about $800 between 2022 and 2025.

Roughly $355 of that increase—about 45%—was directly tied to revaluation.

That 45% didn’t improve our schools, parks, or roads. It didn’t fund new services. It simply corrected an imbalance in the grand list—and left many residents feeling squeezed.

Why It’s Happening

The short answer: residential values are soaring. Commercial and industrial values are not. That imbalance is shifting a greater portion of the tax burden onto homeowners. This is a problem statewide. And it's going to happen again.

Every five years towns are required to conduct revaluation. This is a revaluation year. Its effects will show up in the 2027 fiscal year budget, which begins July 2026.

Here's the worrisome news: If housing prices have risen 30% to 40% since the last revaluation—as current market data suggests—we could be looking at another 4% to 10% tax increase from revaluation alone, even in the unlikely event town spending stays flat -- which it won't.

Have commercial values risen enough to balance this out? Unlikely. Take the former MassMutual campus: 65 acres, sold this year for $4 million. It originally cost $27 million, plus $38 million in improvements. That kind of fire sale signals low demand for office space—and weak growth in commercial assessments. But a developer has proposed a major housing project for the site, not offices. That market is dead.

The Political Context

It’s common to say both parties share responsibility. But in this case, the facts point clearly to missed warnings during years of Republican control.

Republicans controlled the council from 2005 to 2021. In 2021, they passed a budget with a 5.5% spending increase—the largest in a decade—but avoided a tax hike by riding a strong grand list.

In 2020, commercial property share of the grand list was at 11.91%—its highest point in a decade.

But the Republicans ignored what was happening to adopt a fat election-year budget. Residential values were rising. Commercial values were flat, and the town's economic "check engine" light was flashing.

The Republicans lost the election—perhaps due to national trends—but voters had no idea a tax storm was already brewing.

Democrats Win Election at the Worst Time

Democrats took control in late 2021, just as the consequences of the Republicans' neglect began to take effect.

The Democrats cut spending in the next budget by 0.75%—the only budget cut in 10 years—but taxes still went up 4.5% due to the revaluation. The commercial share of the grand list reset and dropped to 9.84%.

The following year, Democrats increased spending by 5.4%, but revaluation effects pushed many homeowners’ tax bills up nearly 9%. If you strip out the revaluation impact, tax increases from budget changes alone totaled about 2.5% in each of the two years.

In 2023, Republicans regained control, campaigning on the idea that Democrats had gone “hog wild” on spending. In truth, it was the tax shift—not reckless spending—that sank the Democrats.

Republicans Regain Majority

Back in charge, Republicans have passed two budgets. My taxes increased by 0.7% and 3.8%, totaling 4.5% over the two-year period. This year’s budget increased just 2.2%, but the tax hike exceeded that were likely due to changes in revenue and exemptions.

What Comes Next?

The 2026 revaluation could be brutal. Housing prices are way up. Unless we’ve seen unexpected growth in industrial or commercial values and exemption reductions—and there’s not a lot of evidence of that—homeowners will again bear the brunt.

Reasons For Optimism

Amazon’s $20 million land purchase near Shaker Pines (bad for the neighborhood, good for the town's tax base) could eventually generate over $2.6 million in annual tax revenue, assuming a major, $100 million or so buildout. How quickly we see that revenue will depend on how fast Amazon moves and whether it gets tax exemptions.

Dense housing developments (like those proposed at Enfield Square) tend to be tax-positive—meaning they contribute much more in taxes than they cost in services—and may help in the long run. The planned train station is already delivering improvements.

However, the benefits from Enfield Square are years away—thanks to tax exemptions, ongoing lease negotiations, and the work involved in demolition and rebuilding.

Beware of Dismissive Comments

If a Town Council candidate says anything along these lines:

-- "We need to tighten our belts."
-- "We need to live within our means, just like families do."
-- "We need to adopt zero-based budgeting."

I don’t care if they’re a Democrat or a Republican—if a candidate says any of these things, it tells you they don’t understand the problem or don’t care. No amount of belt-tightening will mitigate this problem. If the town could cut its budget dramatically, it would’ve done so by now.

The Republicans will run on a warning that the Democrats will raise taxes more than they will. That's all they have. This will be their campaign slogan: "The Democrats are worse than us."

The Republicans should be asked where the $500,000+ came from for the recently approved pickleball courts at Fermi. Just a coincidence that happened in an election year, I'm sure. 

The Republicans will likely push for outsourcing, namely refuse collection. Let's make that a topic in this election.

The Democrats can set a positive and honest tone, explaining what they can and cannot do. And the Republicans can do this as well and should. We do not need another negative campaign—it's not going to help this town. (And let’s stop using council meetings for political sniping—especially from the mayor’s chair. It’s not helping this town. Enough already.)

Let’s Be Positive in This Campaign

The town I want to live in is a positive place. It thinks highly of itself and acts that way and believes in setting high standards in its zoning, planning, education and operations. It remains optimistic even in the face of unfair adversity. It is honest and forthright and tells residents the truth about the upcoming revaluation. The election is the perfect time to have a frank discussion in our town.

Let's keep perspective. No one will care about Enfield more than the people who live here.

The Problems and Tension

Enfield is losing young families. This is an unrecognized problem in our community, but the census data is clear. And if we continue to underfund schools—by cutting AP classes, sports, and overcrowded classrooms—families will continue to choose other towns. This will harm our community's long-term reputation.

However, the tax rate is becoming increasingly burdensome for individuals with incomes significantly below the median household income.

The tension between a need to improve our schools and the homeowners with limited means is intense. Fortunately, there are so many other towns dealing with the same problem that perhaps—this time—it will force the state to reconsider how it supports our communities.

The Tax Battle? We've Already Lost It

I'm wondering whether we'll have a real election—one where the candidates discuss their ideas for improving Enfield. One that will make me feel optimistic.

We've lost the battle on taxes, and this next revaluation is going to be ugly. That's the truth. Raising money through property taxes is becoming unsustainable in our changing economy. We can talk about how to mitigate the impact—maybe spread it out over a period of years—but we can't avoid it.

This election, we deserve more than slogans. We deserve ideas, honesty, and a real plan. Let’s demand that from every candidate.

We know what we need to do in this election. Let's see who has the best, positive vision for Enfield—and a plan to reach it.

Appendix: Key Figures & Calculations

Property Tax Increase (Southwood Acres Ranch):

$4,250 → $5,050 = $800 increase

Percentage increase: (800 ÷ 4250) × 100 = 18.8% 

Revaluation Portion of Increase:

Estimated $355 of the $800 total = ~45%

Commercial Share of Grand List (2020 vs 2021):

2020: $357.6M / $3.00B = 11.91%

2021: $361.8M / $3.676B = 9.84%

Decline: (11.91 - 9.84) ÷ 11.91 × 100 = 17.4% drop in porportion to the net grand list. 

That shift is a major driver of the tax burden shift onto homeowners. Even if total town spending had stayed flat, this change would have caused many homeowners' tax bills to rise significantly. This is what happened in 2022 and 2023—and what is likely to happen again in 2027.

This tax shift—not runaway spending—explains nearly half of the 19% increase in my taxes since 2021.