Angry taxpayers will have four more ears to hear their appeals. Two more towers will rise at Bella Vista. And countless ducks will paddle in a cleaner Edgewood Pond.
That’s all thanks to legislative action in City Hall’s Aldermanic Chamber Monday night, where the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to support proposals to make the above happen.
A More Appealing Board
Lawmakers voted to support a plan that will expand the Board of Assessment Appeals from three members to five. It’s the first of a number of proposed appeals board reforms to come to fruition.
The expansion was proposed by Hill Alderwoman Andrea Jackson-Brooks after probing last year by the Board of Aldermen’s Tax Abatement Committee found a number of questionable practices in place at the appeals board. They included possible nepotism and no-show work, as well as a general incompetence and rudeness to taxpayers. Read all about it here.
The committee’s investigation led to resignations and then a complete overhaul of the appeals board.
Adding more people on the board will decrease the possibility of a repeat of some of the appeals board’s previous problems, said Hill Alderman Jorge Perez.
Two More Towers
Aldermen also voted to approve an amendment of zoning regulations that allows the Bella Vista senior housing complex to expand. It’s the culmination of a months-long process that included numerous public hearings on the $150 million plan.
Alderman Perez, head of the Legislation Committee, noted that city officials have heard ample public testimony on the project and that it was all positive.
The project will add 399 new apartments and new amenities for residents, including a computer lab and an aqua-therapy pool.
Gates Opened
Federal recovery money will go towards the design and construction of West River tidal gates, aldermen decided. The project, in cooperation with the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, will lead to a cleaner pond in Edgewood Park.
The gates will facilitate improved “tidal exchange” with will leader to a better habitat, said East Rock Aldermen Justin Elicker, chair of the City Services and Environmental Policy Committee. See background here.