Sen. Gordon Stands with Connecticut Farmers Amid Farmland Tax Concerns

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock) stood with Senator Harding, Senator Fazio, Senator Somers, and Connecticut farmers who are facing major tax increases following changes to how farmland is assessed.

State law (Public Act 490) sets the assessment value for farm, forest, and open space property at the actual use value as opposed to the fair market value. Every five years, the values are adjusted by the State of Connecticut. PA-490 is designed to incentivize the use of agricultural lands, and it has been shown over many years to help farmers, who use the land to grow food and raise crops for livestock.

Last month, the state announced considerable increases to the values of most types of PA-490-eligible land, with the most significant increase being the value of swamp land. This valuation for Connecticut swamp land went from $40 an acre to $970 an acre.

“Swamp land cannot be used for any meaningful purpose,” said Sen. Gordon. “Yet, the state hikes up its value by about 2,400%. This is ridiculous!”

Amidst public complaints from farmers and the lawmakers, the state recently revised the valuation schedule, eliminating the increase to swamp land and adjusting several other types of land values. But some land categories still face significant tax spikes.

“This situation is unacceptable!” said Sen. Gordon. “At a time when Connecticut is already facing an affordability crisis, this Public Act 490 mess by the state government will make it even harder for our farmers to stay afloat. Farmers deserve a fair deal. Farmers must have a seat at the table in these discussions. I work regularly with farmers, and they understand these challenges better than anyone. Their experience and insight must be part of the state’s decision-making process. The process used was flawed and did not properly include farmers.”

“To address this potential disaster for farmers and our communities, I worked quickly and collaboratively with the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Police and Management, the Connecticut Farm Bureau, and others to get state government to own up to this big mistake and put in place the recently announced, temporary fix,” said Sen. Gordon, a Co-Chair of the legislature’s Rural Caucus who also is as a member of the Connecticut Farm Bureau. “We must remain vigilant in order to ensure clarity, predictability, and affordability for Connecticut farmers going forward.”

Sen. Gordon and other lawmakers have called for an immediate moratorium on the PA-490 land value hikes before January 31st when towns set their rates (although towns do have flexibility in what valuations they use); create a process via legislation to include farmers upfront in the decision-making process; put limits on how much at any time the PA-490 land values can be increased; and establish better agency oversight protocols. Sen. Gordon has additional ideas he is working on with others for a long-term fix to this problem.

To watch Senator Gordon’s remarks, click here: https://youtu.be/IiM54uamJIo?si=SulWUJMC-ZSrsZIB

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