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The What

The What: What Goes into Your Tax Bill; Bridgeport’s Budget Vote; Speed Cameras in Greenwich; and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of May 11.

The What: What Goes into Your Tax Bill; Bridgeport’s Budget Vote; Speed Cameras in Greenwich; and more
We made it to the beach for the first time this year, getting ready for summer! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, May 11

Happy Monday and happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I wanted to reshare a piece I wrote last year as I was heading back to work after maternity leave—I still can’t believe my son is 16 months now, but so many of the sentiments are still true. 

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

  • We’ll have more details in the coming weeks on individual communities’ budgets and the corresponding tax effects, but this week we’ve got a look into all the parts that go into your property taxes in Lower Fairfield County.
  • This is a big week for the Bridgeport budget in particular. The City Council is hosting a special meeting on Tuesday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. to vote on the operating budget, which will include an increase in school funding from the city. But the question remains will it—combined with additional state aid—be enough to prevent major cuts in the school district? 
  • Greenwich is hosting a Speed Camera Public Presentation on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. The purpose is to discuss the town’s overall safety plan and program, after First Selectman Fred Camillo paused the program earlier this year due to resident concerns and questions. “Pedestrian safety — especially the safety of children — remains a top priority. Greenwich Police Department data shows the cameras have been effective in reducing speeds in school zones,” he wrote in a statement, stating that the program would be put back into effect soon. 

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

As communities across lower Fairfield County pass their budgets for the upcoming year, we wanted to take a look at all of the parts and pieces that go into figuring out how much you’ll pay in taxes each year. Spoiler: It’s not as simple as a city votes to increase its budget by 5% and that automatically means your taxes will go up 5%. 

Let’s explore some of the key parts that make up how property taxes are calculated and what that means for you, including the Grand List, revaluation, appraised property value, and mill rate.

But how do all these pieces work together? The grand list serves as the foundation for calculating how much tax revenue a town can collect. The communities with wealthier grand lists often have lower mill rates, because they can have higher property values to tax. 

For example, the average home price in Greenwich, which has the lowest mill rate, is $2.27 million. Using the 2025-2026 mill rates, Greenwich had a mill rate of about 12. Meanwhile, in Bridgeport, which has the highest mill rate in the region, the average home price is $355,127. Using the 2025-2026 mill rates, Bridgeport had a mill rate of 43.45.

Here’s a look at what the mill rates were last year across the region. You can see how if a property was valued at $500,000 in each town what the estimated annual tax would be.

For communities, like Greenwich, where a $500,000 home is far below the median home price (and extremely hard to find), the owner would pay significantly less in taxes than a homeowner in Bridgeport.

This means that communities with higher grand lists and lower mill rates can make investments without overtaxing residents. 

Still, Bridgeport residents in particular could see some improvement in the mill rate this year. Mayor Joe Ganim announced that the city’s grand list had grown 62.5% to $13 billion, which would allow the mill rate to be reduced from 43.45 to 27.75, “the lowest level Bridgeport has seen in decades,” according to the mayor’s office.

Dive deeper into the factors behind property taxes and stay tuned here for more details about what each budget means for each community. You can see some of the questions we’ll be exploring.

@coastalconnecticuttimes

This week is a big one for budgets around lower Fairfield County. Here are three questions we’re exploring as communities begin to adopt their budgets. We’ll have more information in our weekly newsletter, which comes out on Mondays. You can sign up for free at the link in our bio. #fairfieldcounty #connecticut #stamford #norwalk #CapCut

♬ original sound - Coastal Connecticut Times

This Week at a Glance

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Featured Meeting: The City Council will host a special meeting on Tuesday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. to vote on the operating budget. 

Stamford

Featured Meeting: The Board of Finance will meet on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. to review and vote on multiple items including additional funding for work at Stamford High School and additional funding for the East Branch Harbor canal wall replacement project.

Norwalk

Featured Meetings: The Board of Education will meet on Thursday, May 14 at 5 p.m. to reconcile its budget now that the city has officially adopted a budget, giving the district a 4.12% increase from last year. The City Council will meet on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. to review and vote on awarding a contract for a new Gregory Boulevard and Fifth Street Roundabout and shared-use path project.

Fairfield

Featured Meeting: The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. and discuss initial amendments to its 2026-2027 budget. 

Greenwich

Featured Meetings: Greenwich is hosting a Speed Camera Public Presentation on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. The purpose is to discuss the town’s overall safety plan and program, after First Selectman Fred Camillo paused the program earlier this year due to resident concerns and questions. In addition, the Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, May 11 at 7 p.m.and vote on the official budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. 

Darien

Featured Meeting: The Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. to vote on the budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

  • Monday, May 11: Representative Town Meeting - Town Budget at 7:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, May 12: Monuments & Ceremonies Commission at 3:30 p.m. | Planning & Zoning Commission at 7 p.m. | Board of Education at 7:30 p.m. 
  • Wednesday, May 13: Beautification Commission at 9 a.m. | Advisory Committee on Sustainability at 12:15 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 14: Five Mile River Commission at 6 p.m. | Great Island Parking Design Committee at 6 p.m. | RTM Planning, Zoning & Housing Committee at 7 p.m.

Westport

Featured Meetings: Both the Board of Finance on Monday, May 11 at 8 p.m. and the Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. will be discussing and potentially voting on a new food and beverage concession stand for Compo Beach, Longshore Golf Course, and the Longshore Pavilion. In addition, residents are invited to attend the Parks Master Plan - Final Public Forum on Monday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. for the last chance to provide input on the draft master plan for the town’s parks. 

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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