$23.8 Million More from Taxpayers — Proposed by the Democrat-Led BET
"The Democrat-led BET has just proposed the largest tax increase in dollar terms ever advanced in the Town of Greenwich."
The Numbers
For only the second time in a century, Democrats hold the majority on the Board of Estimate and Taxation. They control the Chair. They control the agenda. They control the budget. And under their watch, the BET has just proposed the largest tax increase in dollar terms ever advanced in the Town of Greenwich.
The proposed FY27 budget requires $468 million in property tax collections. That is an annual increase of more than 5.4%, or $23.8 million — the largest dollar increase ever proposed by the BET, and likely the largest percentage increase in many decades.
The mill rate may have come down, but only because the Grand List rose 25.3% in this revaluation year. Residential values climbed even faster. A lot of Greenwich families are about to open a tax bill that is meaningfully higher than last year's.
Why the Mill Rate Is Not the Real Story
Some have celebrated the lower mill rate as proof of fiscal restraint. That should not be the headline. Mill rates describe the mechanism of taxation. They do not describe what residents actually pay.
Greenwich's $46.2 billion Grand List is the largest in Connecticut by a wide margin — roughly 4% to 5% of the entire state's property base. This immense wealth allows the Town to generate substantial revenue even with a relatively low mill rate. That is exactly the point. In a town where property values are extraordinarily high, even a modest rate produces a significant tax burden.
A more meaningful metric is property taxes per capita, which captures the actual economic impact on residents. By that measure, Greenwich stands out clearly — alongside towns such as New Canaan, Darien, Westport, and Weston, but with a larger and more economically diverse population that makes our position in the top set even more concerning.
When Democrats and Town Hall officials point to a falling mill rate as proof of fiscal discipline, they are pointing at the wrong number. Greenwich Republicans will keep pointing at the right one.
What Republicans Fought For
The six Republicans on the BET fought hard through this budget cycle for every measure of taxpayer relief they could deliver. They pushed for operating discipline. They challenged capital cost estimates. They insisted on transparency. They held the line on debt against a Democrat push for 20-year maturities. But math is math. With Democrats in control, a Republican minority can amend around the edges. It cannot rewrite the bottom line.
The Republican caucus pushed hard on four fronts:
Operating Budget Discipline
Republicans pushed for real efficiencies across every department, including the Board of Education. Focus on essential services. Scrutinize staffing. Adopt technology and AI-driven tools that reduce long-term costs. The majority did not go far enough, but Republicans made sure these issues stayed on the table.
Realistic Capital Planning
Over the next decade, Greenwich is projecting roughly $1.1 billion in capital investments: $420 million for Town projects, $367 million for Greenwich Public Schools, and $300 million for Sewers. Republicans fought to keep this figure realistic, pushing back on inflated $1.6 billion estimates that were cited publicly without any project-level substantiation. Every unnecessary dollar on that list is a dollar taxpayers will eventually be asked to fund.
Holding the Line on Debt
Greenwich maintains a AAA credit rating, one of the reasons we borrow at favorable rates. Democrats have moved to allow long-term debt of up to 20 years, breaking with generations of Republican-led fiscal discipline. The Republican caucus is the firewall keeping Greenwich from becoming another Connecticut town that borrows its way into a hole.
Structural Cost Control
More than 95% of the BOE and Town workforce is unionized, with salaries and benefits locked in through multi-year agreements. Republicans pushed for careful management of headcount, smart use of technology and automation, and long-term workforce planning aligned with real service needs. Cost control requires discipline the majority too often lacked.
The Bottom Line
Elections have consequences. Democrats control the BET, and Greenwich taxpayers are paying the price. Our six Republican BET members fought hard through every line item, every capital request, and every debt resolution to make this budget better than it would have been. But they cannot do it alone. If Greenwich wants lower taxes and smarter spending, we need a Republican BET majority. That is the job in front of us.
