News Analysis: What Happens When ICE Comes to Enfield?

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  Freshwater Pond, Enfield CT Concern is high, generally, about what happens when ICE makes a concerted push in our community. Would we see something similar to Minnesota? That operation involved a saturation surge -- of more than 2,000 agents into the Twin Cities -- that overwhelmed local police capability. The question becomes do all communities face a similar risk, especially from agents that don't seem well-trained in de-escalation techniques. Enfield is too small of a town to get a massive ICE response. But it is the practice of ICE to operate independently from local police departments, which creates its own set of risks. Connecticut has a law, the Connecticut Trust Act, that sets some restrictions on what local police can do to help federal immigration enforcement. The Trust Act explicitly forbids local police from assisting federal agents unless specific serious criteria are met. But does the Trust Act protect residents, or does it just keep local police from helping in ce...
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Town Council Begins Revaluation Updates With Sharp Jump in Home Values—and Worries About What Comes Next


The town assessor cited four examples to the Town Council monday of price gains on Enfield homes since the last revaluation. This home showed the most dramatic increase. The jump may be due to strong demand for lower-priced homes, upgrades made between sales, or a combination of both.

The Town Council plans to give regular public updates on the upcoming property revaluation. The first of those updates came last night with a look at how sharply residential property values have increased since the previous revaluation.

Enfield is conducting a property revaluation as required by state law. The process will run through 2026, and residents will receive their new assessments in November of that year. Those assessments will apply to the FY28 budget, which takes effect in July 2027.

Residential values in Enfield have risen significantly since the 2021 revaluation (See examples below). The concern for town officials is a potential tax shift: if commercial property values have not increased at the same rate as residential property values, a greater share of the town’s tax burden will fall on homeowners. A shift in tax burden from commercial to residential can result in higher tax bills even if town spending remains flat.

Assessor Victoria Rose showed several examples of homes that sold in 2021 and then resold in 2025, with value increases ranging from 20% to 78%. But the market could change before the new valuation date, and Rose said “it would be impossible to say with certainty how much assessments will be going up or down” until sales data are thoroughly analyzed.

Council's Goal 

Mayor Gina Cekala said the Democratic-majority council plans to hold regular updates over the next year with the assessor and Vision Government Solutions, the town’s revaluation contractor, “so people really understand what’s happening.”

In a follow-up email, Cekala said the intent it to "push out as much information as possible for our residence on what to expect, when to expect it, what it means, why it’s happening ,and perhaps what the trends are."

"We want to do our part and push out as much information as possible so people are well informed,' she said.

Councilmember Bob Cressotti and Deputy Mayor John Santanella each warned that the most significant risk in this revaluation is not rising home prices but the possibility that commercial and industrial values may not keep up. If that happens, they said, the tax burden will shift further onto residential taxpayers.

Town Manager Matthew Coppler called the possible shift “an unknown,” adding that “there’s really not a lot of data out there to show us what that shift potentially could be.”

Examples of residential property value changes presented to the Town Council. These homes sold in 2021, after the last revaluation, and then resold in 2025, illustrating the range of price increases.








Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

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