Ansonia mayor addresses tax issues

By James Della Volpe

ANSONIA - As mayor of this community, I’d like to address our property tax concerns in Ansonia.

Why did my taxes go up this year?

Ansonia taxes increased for many people, including myself, primarily due to revaluation of real property. Also, the state contributed less funding in certain areas, which meant a loss of revenue, while the city increased its local commitment to our schools and police protection. 

What is revaluation?

Connecticut mandates municipal property revaluations every five years to measure and determine changes in property values. By law, municipalities must assess property for 70 percent of its fair market value, which is then taxed. 

How does it work?

Municipalities hire professional property appraisal firms to complete field inspections of all properties. Value is then determined using "generally accepted mass appraisal methods," which for residential properties includes comparing the recent sales of similar properties and determining how much it would cost to replace the home if it was damaged or destroyed. 

When was the last time Ansonia had a revaluation?

Prior to 2012, Ansonia's last property revaluation was performed in 2007 at the height of the real estate growth, which resulted in unusually high property assessments and protests from Ansonia's commercial sector.  

What happened this year?

As required by State mandates, Ansonia hired a professional property appraisal firm to inspect about 5,500 property parcels for the revaluation process. The city's total taxable assessment for real estate decreased by an average of 25 percent. The decrease was fairly uniform across the city, but multi-family houses lost more value than single-family homes. With all that said, the city still needs to raise a fixed amount of money in order to provide services to its citizens.

How do we move forward?

As Mayor of this fine community, I am instituting strong cost cutting measures including an annual municipal energy rate reduction of $380,000; water authority fire service reduction saving over $3 million over the next ten years; a $802,000 reduction, over four years, in cost saving reforms with municipal employee health, life and dental benefits.

I am also working with State and local officials to interconnect Derby’s water treatment plant with Ansonia, providing savings for our ratepayers from the state-mandated sewage treatment facility upgrade. 
Also moving forward, I am aggressively implementing a new economic development program to attract new business growth to Ansonia’s local economy and tax base, which will impact our Grand List, reducing the burden on our residents.

I encourage anyone who has additional questions to contact me directly at 203-736-5900.

This is a guest column.

Ansonia gets $70K for generator at police station

ANSONIA - Mayor James Della Volpe announced today he has received notification of an award to the City of Ansonia for a $70,000 grant from the Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program, through FEMA, for a new generator at the police station.

“During Hurricane Sandy, the current police generator was insufficient in meeting all the needs of the Emergency Operation Center and our disaster communications had been compromised,”

Della Volpe said.

This location had lost power for about 24 hours and the Army, through the Department of Emergency Management Homeland Security, transported a generator unit to temporarily address our needs.”

The mayor also commended the city’s grant writer, Eileen Krugel, for her diligent efforts in securing the grant funds.

The goal of the HMGP is to “reduce the risk of damage for future natural disasters” according to grant documentation.

The federal match for the $70,000 is 75 percent; with the city’s share of 25 percent.

Police Chief Kevin Hale commented that “this is very good news and relieves a huge concern that we have at this building. This generator not only backs up the police department, but also the EOC. This center over the past four storms has served as the nerve center for city services and as such, has to operate fully.”

Della Volpe also noted that the City of Ansonia is disappointed that it did not get funded in the first round of the State of Connecticut’s School Security grants. He is hopeful that the submitted grant application will be funded in subsequent rounds.

This was a collaborative effort between the Board of Education, the Ansonia Police Department and City Hall personnel.

Both the generator and school security funds are included in the November bond referendum. Della Volpe said that in securing these grant funds, it would reduce the amount of money to be expended for the bond if the referendum questions pass on Election Day.

This is a press release from Mayor Della Volpe's office.

Ansonia mayor expresses thanks for Healey property cleanup

Mitchell J. Levine, Esq.
Nair & Levin, P.C.
707 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002

RE: Healey Ford Property
520 Main Street
Ansonia, CT 06401

Dear Attorney Levine,

I am writing to gratefully thank you for your response in cleaning the property under the control of your client, Ford Motor Credit Company, located on Main Street, Ansonia. Despite transpicuous offers of volunteer clean-ups, you are solely responsible for this clean-up effort.

I have enclosed a photo of the site after the recent clean-up (along with a before photo from local media, The Valley Independent Sentinel). Your client’s work will enhance the entry-way into Ansonia’s downtown City Center providing a higher level of esthetics to residents and businesses alike.

I am confident that this property will become a viable business opportunity within the very near future as interested parties have already provided a Letter of Intent to purchase this site. 
The City of Ansonia will gladly assist any way possible with this transition.

Thanking you for your cooperation and assistance in solving our concerns over this matter.

Respectfully yours,

James T. Della Volpe
City of Ansonia

Below are the before and after photos provided by Della Volpe's office today:
 

This is the before photo taken in August, courtesy of Valley Independent Sentinel.
 

This photo shows the site after it was cleaned up.


This is a press release from the mayor's office.

Ansonia, Shelton mayors proclaim 'No Texting While Driving Day'

                               ANSONIA - Mayor James Della Volpe has joined Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti and AT&T today issuing a proclamation designating Sept. 19 as “No Texting While Driving Day” and called for Ansonia residents to take the pledge never to text and drive.

“Text messaging has become the way many people communicate today, which means some people are doing it at the worst possible time – while driving,” Mayor Della Volpe said. 

“We need to help spread the message and educate our community that when it comes to driving, texting can and should wait.”

According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, those who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in some type of safety critical event as compared to those drivers who don't text while they drive.

Texting while driving is involved in over 100,000 motor vehicles crashes each year, often causing injuries and deaths.

          Wireless provider AT&T launched the “It Can Wait” campaign in Connecticut and throughout the United States in 2009 to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving by encouraging consumers to take the personal pledge not to text while driving.

The City of Ansonia, Mayor James Della Volpe and AT&T are calling on all drivers to go to www.itcanwait.com to take the no-texting-and-driving pledge, and then share their promise with others via Twitter (#itcanwait) and Facebook.  

For additional information and resources, visit www.att.com/itcanwait.

Ansonia mayor requests cleanup of former Ford dealership site

Editor's note: Ansonia Mayor James T. Della Volpe wrote the following letter in regard to the blight that exists at the former Healey Ford dealership site at 520 Main St., Ansonia.

Mitchell J. Levine, Esq.

Nair & Levin, P.C.

707 Bloomfield Avenue

Bloomfield, CT 06002

RE: Healey Ford Property

520 Main Street

Ansonia, CT 06401

Dear Attorney Levine,

I am writing to respectfully ask that you undertake to clean up the property conditions under the control of your client, Ford Motor Credit Company, which is located at the above address.

The property has not been maintained for a substantial period of time and now is in serious visible decline. Weeds, graffiti and overgrown plants have become prevalent to passersby and merchants in the lower downtown area who are trying to conduct their local businesses.

I feel confident that Ford Motor Company would want to be a good neighbor in any community throughout the United States where its property is located. To a respected American automaker with customers here, I ask Ford to do its best for Ansonia, Connecticut.

Thanking you in advance for Ford’s anticipated cooperation, I am,

Respectfully yours,

James T. Della Volpe

Mayor

City of Ansonia

Flag Day celebrated in Derby Sunday

Photo submitted by Markanthony Izzo

Paul Finch, 5, from Cheyenne, Wyo. wearing a cap reading “Never Forget” sits with his cousin, Kathleen Moscato of Derby, at the annual Flag Day ceremony Sunday on the Derby Green.


For years, Elk Lodges across the country have sponsored the annual Flag Day event.
Moscato’s son, Elliott, a Boy Scout, was one of the Flag Bearers. Exalted Ruler from Lodge #571 Jerome Coolidge was Master of Ceremonies and Esteemed Leading Knight Yvonne Bonina gave a history of the flag.  

Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri and Ansonia Mayor James Della Volpe addressed the crowd.
Honor guards from Shelton’s American Legion Post and Derby’s Police Department were also on hand. 

Attendees were also invited back to Derby’s Lodge #571 for hot dogs and soda.
 
This post is taken from a press release.

Ansonia students learn importance of good vocabulary

Ansonia resident Terry Murphy, far right, reads her book, 'Word Bird Delivers The Eight Parts of Speech' to fourth graders in teacher Beth Williams' at John G. Prendergast Elementary School in Ansonia. 
Assisting her is Pat Frusciante of Stratford, as Ansonia Mayor James Della Volpe looks on. A character in the book was created in his honor and he was on hand to support the vocabulary project. Patricia Villers/Register


ANSONIA - Terry Murphy has a way with words.
The city resident and grandmother of two is on a mission to help children improve their vocabularies.

To that end, Murphy wrote a book, "Word Bird Delivers The Eight Parts of Speech." It takes place in the Village of Vocabulary.

Murphy recently visited a classroom at Prendergast School to talk to fourth graders about vocabulary. 
She asked them and other students at the school to vote for one of four possible covers for the book, and they selected the one below.

Murphy deserves plaudits for wanting to help children learn how to communicate well, and for having the imagination to make learning about words a fun experience. 

I wish her the best of luck in getting the word out there about the educational book she has written.

Mayor helps Ansonia students learn about parts of speech

Ansonia Mayor James Della Volpe met with fourth graders at John G. Prendergast Elementary School in Ansonia this week. He is holding a page from the book, "Word Bird Delivers The Eight Parts of Speech," penned by Ansonia resident Terry Murphy, far right.
Murphy read the story to students. Her friend, Pat Frusciante of Stratford, center, assisted during the presentation in teacher Beth Williams' classroom.    

Stay tuned for a story in the paper about the presentation.