As Greenwich Residential Taxes are Set to Soar, Could the Lamont Last-Minute Handout Offer a Lifeline?

The news out of Hartford this weekend has injected a sudden dose of uncertainty—and a glimmer of hope—into the final stages of the Greenwich budget cycle. As the state legislature adopted a $28.1 billion budget this past Saturday, nearly $280 million in supplemental aid is being dangled in front of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities.

For Greenwich, a town currently grappling with a proposed 5.4% property tax hike, this "Lamont Windfall" raises a critical question: Will it actually lower your tax bill?

The Greenwich Impact: By the Numbers

Typically, Greenwich receives the short end of the stick when it comes to state Education Cost Sharing (ECS) and municipal aid. However, the 2026 budget includes a funding "floor" to ensure even high-wealth districts see an increase.

Based on data from the CT Mirror and the Office of Policy and Management:

• Total Supplemental Aid: Greenwich is slated to receive approximately $272,010 in new state funding.

• The State Budget Growth: This year’s $28.1 billion plan represents a 4.5% to 5.1% increase in spending over the previous fiscal year. To fit this under the state's razor-thin spending cap, lawmakers had to employ various accounting maneuvers, including shifting hundreds of millions in hospital payments "off-budget."

  
  

A Lifeline for the Residential Taxpayer?

Governor Lamont has explicitly stated that municipalities can re-open their local budgets to incorporate this state aid. In theory, this provides a direct mechanism to reduce our mill rate.

If the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) chooses to apply this $272,010 windfall toward revenue, it could technically shave a fraction off the projected 5.4% tax increase. This is particularly vital as many Greenwich condo and homeowners could be facing an even higher 8% increase, picking up the tab for lower commercial valuations (see story here). These savings could help ameliorate the pain that will surely be felt by Greenwich taxpayers when they open up their property tax bills this July.

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

While the headlines tout "more money for towns," a closer look at the state's books suggests this largesse isn't exactly free. To fund these town increases and massive childcare investments in an election year, the state scrapped a promised $200-per-person income tax rebate that was supposed to land in your mailbox this October. Furthermore, the state is tapping into "volatility" savings—money originally intended to pay down Connecticut’s staggering pension debt—to make this budget work.

Between the Lines: Let's do the right thing: reopen the Greenwich budget and provide genuine relief to Greenwich taxpayers before July arrives.

Story here