Cromwell Council approves four PA-490 motions to shield farmers from tax hike
Town Council · Meeting of February 11, 2026
Cromwell Town Council unanimously approved four motions aimed at protecting 47 farms facing higher taxes under disputed Public Act 490 land-use valuations, while also confirming a new police chief. Mayor James Demetriades drove the PA-490 response after Town Assessor Shawna Barron declined to revert to 2020 land-use values, citing Connecticut General Statute 12-60's restrictions on amending a finalized grand list, even as Governor Lamont's January 19 letter directed OPM to reinstate those lower values, a directive Barron said had not reached her as a formal mandate. The four motions direct Town Manager Tony Salvatore to obtain from the assessor a precise description of what documentation she needs, send letters with appeal forms to all 47 affected property owners noting the February 20 hand-delivery deadline, invoke Section 2.08 of the town charter to investigate the assessor's discretionary authority, and authorize a council letter to state legislators calling PA-490 "in need of repeal and replacement." Resident and farmer Wendy Adema Wentz told the council that every neighboring town she contacted had already adopted the 2020 values, saying, "I don't understand why our tax assessor needs something written personally to her." The council separately confirmed Captain Stephen Penn as the town's next chief of police and set budget workshops for March 3, 4, and 5 at 4:30 p.m.
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Source: the Town Council meeting of February 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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