🔒Cities Project: Examining Hartford’s high and inequitable tax structure

This story package is part of the Cities Project, a newsroom collaboration between the Hartford Business Journal, CT Mirror, Connecticut Public Radio, Hearst Connecticut Media, Republican-American of Waterbury and Purple States. The project will periodically publish collaborators’ articles exploring challenges and solutions related to revitalizing Connecticut’s cities.

HBJ’s four-part contribution to the series will explore Hartford’s high commercial property tax rate, its impact on economic growth and ways to grow the city’s grand list.

Week 1

June 24, 2019

Broken System: Hartford’s exorbitant commercial property tax curbs economic growth

How much Hartford real estate is tax exempt? The percentage is higher than you think

Meet the architect of Hartford’s bifurcated tax system

Week 2

July 8, 2019

Myriad ideas exist to solve Hartford’s high property taxes and unequal tax system

Solution: Alternative revenue sources could bolster city budget, lower mill rate

Solution: Hartford’s largest nonprofits contribute more

Solution: Fully fund the state’s PILOT program

Solution: Sell off state properties in Hartford

Solution: Rebalance the city’s tax burden

What about city spending?

Week 3

July 15, 2019

Downtown Hartford has a glut of parking lots some say could the key to growing the city's grand list

Are parking lots undervalued?

A focus on better managing parking

Week 4

July 22, 2019

Some cities and towns see tax-break deals as key to economic growth

A major tax deal for a prominent Hartford landlord

Week 5

Aug. 15, 2019

A blueprint to lowering Hartford’s property-tax rate

Read more Cities Project stories here