Enfield raises taxes, but the bigger fight is just beginning

 

The budget fight Monday was sharply partisan and along familiar lines: cuts versus spending, and tax rates versus services. But the debate is also being shaped by forces that have little to do with party politics.

The Enfield Town Council adopted a budget that set the mill rate at 33.11, a 1.61 mill increase, or about 5.1%, for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Republicans opposed it and lost every vote to amend the majority proposal. The final vote was 7-4.

The approaches could not have been more different.

Carol Hall, a Republican councilor and state representative, said Republicans were aiming for roughly a quarter-mill increase, which she said would add about $3.85 a month to the tax bill of a $300,000 home.

The adopted budget adds about $338 annually — roughly $28 a month — to the tax bill of a $300,000 home assessed at 70%.

The biggest point of contention was a Republican proposal to reduce the Board of Education increase by about $1.9 million and instead use school reserve funds to offset operating costs.

Republicans framed the proposal not as a cut but as a use of reserve funds the district already holds.

School warning

In a memo sent to the council Monday afternoon, Steven Moccio warned that using reserve money for recurring expenses would create a fiscal cliff. He also warned the reduction would lead to cuts. About 18 staff positions would be eliminated, class sizes would rise above 25 at the elementary level, and course offerings and support services would be reduced. A school official said the cuts would take place in the coming fiscal year.

Hall argued that the upcoming revaluation could shift even more of the tax burden onto homeowners.

“It's like a tidal wave coming next year,” Hall said.

Although assessments will arrive this fall, the updated values will not affect tax bills until the 2028 fiscal year.

Zach Zannoni, a Democrat who sided with Republicans on some efforts to reduce the town side of the budget, opposed the proposed school reduction.

“We cannot sustain this town balancing one time revenues for recurring expenses,” Zannoni said.

Enfield's underlying problem

Beneath the dispute over this year’s budget lies a longer-term problem that is escalating pressure on both parties: Enfield's demographic decline and shifting tax burden to residential properties.

In 2010, Enfield had 44,654 residents. By 2024, that number had fallen to 41,140. The closure of the Enfield Correctional Institution accounts for perhaps 2,300 of that loss — but not all of it.

School enrollment reflects the decline. District enrollment fell from 5,211 students in 2017 to 4,547 in 2026, a loss of 664 students in nine years.

Demographic patterns suggest that families with children are increasingly settling elsewhere. In South Windsor, 23.4% of residents are under 18. In Enfield, the figure is 18.9%.

The strain on the tax base is visible in the grand list. In 2011, the commercial portion of the grand list stood at $379.3 million. By 2024, it had fallen to $366 million.

Enfield does have some major economic development projects in the pipeline, but the tax benefits are years away. They include the redevelopment of Enfield Square into a mixed-use residential and commercial destination, the conversion of the former MassMutual campus into hundreds of apartments, and the new train station. 

When Republicans controlled the council, Democrats often opposed Republican budgets over school funding levels.

Budget maintains services 

Bob Cressotti, a Democrat, said the Republican proposal did not even cover contractual obligations.

“I don't like tax increases,” Cressotti said. “It's our responsibility to maintain services, schools and infrastructure that our community depends on.”

The bigger test may come in November, when voters will be asked to approve a roughly $90 million bond for an elementary school rebuilding project estimated to cost about $500 million, with the state covering most of the cost. The total cost of the project is about $500 million. Most would be paid by the state, with Enfield’s share estimated at about $90 million.

The town's elementary school buildings largely date from the 1960s. For instance, in three consecutive years during the 1960s, Enfield built some of its elementary schools one right after the other: Prudence Crandall in 1966, Eli Whitney in 1967, and Henry Barnard in 1968.

The town has renovated the high school and junior high school. Republicans argued that holding the mill rate down was itself a form of support for the referendum — that voters asked to approve a $90 million bond in November would be more likely to back it.

But Democratic Councilor John Santanella, also a state representative, said the Republican warning was a prelude to their pulling support for the school bond. “They are doing everything that they can to undermine years of work,” he said said, referring to what had largely been bipartisan support for the school project.

Republican Councilor Marie Pyznar shot back: “Where have I ever said I was against the school modernization? John, I have sat here on this dais and I have said I am for it.”