By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The city has recouped about $140,000 in lost tax revenue from unregistered motor vehicles and out-of-city and out-of-state registered vehicles thanks to a program initiated by Mayor Dorinda Borer.
“I’m delighted we’ve been able to recover $140,000 in tax revenue, but it’s equally important moving forward that every vehicle owned by a West Haven resident carries the right registration,” Borer said. “While we welcome new residents to our city and give some acclimation time to get paperwork and registration in order, if you’re not registered in West Haven within six months, we then send a reminder that to live in our city and use our services, everyone needs to pitch in. It’s about fairness and equalizing the distribution of taxes and city revenue.”
The city has contracted with Capital Tax Recovery of Berlin to scan license plates throughout West Haven to determine if residents have their vehicles registered with the state and have West Haven as their tax city.
Borer said CTR has been working with the assessor’s office for months to establish cases of missing tax revenue from an audit of West Haven’s motor vehicle grand list.
Since January, 1,169 vehicles have been submitted for billing, and all owners have been in contact with CTR to confirm their liability, said Assessor Ann Marie Gradoia, who oversees the program for the city.
Of that number, Gradoia said, 478 vehicles were unregistered, 66 were registered outside of West Haven and 102 were registered outside of Connecticut.
As a result, an assessment of $13 million has been added to the city’s motor vehicle grand list for a billable amount of $376,720 in taxes, Tax Manager Rachel A-Massih said.
According to Gradoia, residents who live in West Haven on or before Oct. 1 of each year must have their vehicles registered in the city. Residents have 90 days to transfer vehicles once establishing residence in Connecticut.
The assessment year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
Residents who have received a notice from Capital Tax Recovery must contact the company directly by calling 860-826-1100 or visiting https://capitaltaxrecovery.com.
Residents with extenuating circumstances as to why their vehicle is not registered in West Haven can contact the assessor’s office.
If police identify an unregistered vehicle or an out-of-state license plate on a public street, they will send the information to the assessor’s office. The office will then send a letter to the owner, and if there is no response within 30 days, police can tow the vehicle.