FAIRFIELD CIVIC ROUNDUP
2026-04-16
RTM Budget Hearings Were Held April 6–8 as $402.9 Million Proposal Moves to Final Stage
Fairfield’s Representative Town Meeting held budget hearings on April 6, 7, and 8, 2026, marking the final major public step before the RTM votes on the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget on May 4, 2026.
The Board of Finance voted on March 31, 2026 to advance a recommended FY2027 budget to the RTM, completing its formal review. RTM review now serves as the final legislative stage before the town sets the mill rate.
First Selectperson Christine Vitale proposed a budget of just under $403 million, a 4.97% increase from the current year. The proposal includes $243.9 million for the Board of Education, $134.4 million for the town, and $24.6 million for shared operating expenses. The proposal represents a 4.28% increase in the gross tax levy after factoring in non-tax revenue, credits, and reserves.
The budget process is shaped in part by the town’s 2025 property revaluation. Vitale said residential property values increased at a higher rate than commercial properties, meaning residential owners will assume a greater share of the tax burden. The grand list also increased significantly following revaluation.
If the proposed budget is approved, the mill rate is anticipated to decrease from approximately 28.39 mills to 19.19 mills. A lower mill rate does not mean all residents will pay lower taxes. Because assessed values rose sharply, individual tax bills will vary based on changes in assessed value.
Vitale’s proposed education allocation of $243.9 million falls below what the Board of Education requested. Superintendent Michael Testani had sought $245.9 million, and his budget already reflected cuts of just under $1 million, on top of $3.2 million reduced from earlier departmental requests.
A complete line-by-line comparison of the Board of Finance–recommended version was not available in public materials at the time of publication. The next decision point is the RTM vote on May 4, 2026.
Sources: Town of Fairfield; local reporting.
Attorney General Files to Reopen Aquarion Water Sale Following Calculation Error Claim
Connecticut’s attorney general and consumer counsel filed a joint petition on April 9, 2026 asking state regulators to reopen their March approval of the $2.4 billion sale of Aquarion Water Company, citing what they describe as a major mathematical error in the regulatory analysis.
Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman asked the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to reconsider its recent decision approving the sale of Aquarion Water Company. They argued the decision failed to account for approximately $474 million in additional projected rate increases through 2066. Tong said PURA based its approval on a spreadsheet that had been compressed in size, and that the fully expanded document projects nearly half a billion dollars in added rate increases over that period.
PURA voted 3–0 on March 25, 2026 to allow Eversource to sell Aquarion to the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, or RWA. The decision reversed PURA’s November 2025 rejection of the same sale after a Superior Court judge ordered regulators to reconsider.
The sale would convert Aquarion into a nonprofit entity called the Aquarion Water Authority. Under the sale terms, PURA’s jurisdiction over the new authority would end when the deal closes, meaning the agency would no longer oversee its rates. Instead, rates would be set by a Representative Policy Board composed of appointed municipal officials with weighted votes.
The petition also raises legal concerns. Tong and Coleman argued that PURA imposed requirements that conflict with state statute and relied on information introduced after the close of the evidentiary record. They are asking PURA to reopen the proceeding, correct the errors, and reconsider whether the transaction meets the public interest standard.
Aquarion, the RWA, and Eversource filed a response arguing that the reconsideration request does not raise bona fide errors or newly discovered evidence and asking PURA to deny it.
First Selectperson Christine Vitale has said she does not support PURA’s approval, calling the decision “not in the public interest.” Fairfield is among four towns that have mounted legal challenges to the sale.
No ruling date on the reconsideration petition had been confirmed in public materials at the time of publication.
Sources: Town of Fairfield; local reporting.
More Than 400 Residents Have Appealed Property Assessments After 65% Valuation Jump
More than 400 Fairfield property owners have formally challenged their 2025 property reassessments, a high number that reflects concern about the financial impact of the town’s mandatory five-year revaluation.
Residential property values in Fairfield increased by about 65% since the last valuation, and hundreds of residents are now formally appealing their assessments, according to Town Tax Assessor Ross Murray. State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, who represents Fairfield and Bridgeport, said the town is seeing more appeals than in decades and that the Board of Assessment Appeals is busier than it has ever been.
Board of Assessment Appeals hearings were held in March 2026, with decisions rendered later that month. Residents who received an unfavorable decision have 60 days from the mailing of a Board of Assessment Appeals Action Notice to appeal to Superior Court.
The revaluation shapes the tax consequences of the proposed FY2027 budget. McCarthy Vahey said increased property values have been driven in part by constrained housing supply and argued that adding housing stock is part of the long-term solution.
Vitale has also noted that only 4.5% of Fairfield’s land is zoned for commercial use and said expanding the commercial grand list remains a town priority as the current revaluation shifts more of the tax burden onto residential property owners.
New tax bills reflecting the revaluation and the FY2027 mill rate will be issued in July 2026. Individual tax bills will vary based on changes in assessed value.
Sources: Town of Fairfield; local reporting.
