STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Steve Stafstrom
Serving the 129th Assembly District
Legislative Office Building, Room 4000
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
Capitol: 800-842-8267
Steve.Stafstrom@cga.ct.gov
Dear Neighbor,
I want to thank you for your support and for the honor to represent you in the General Assembly. Since my election in February, I have worked hard to make progress on the issues that matter most to the people of Bridgeport: Property tax reform, job creation, access to education and our quality of life.
I am pleased to report that we passed a state budget that makes transformative changes to our regressive property tax structure. As a result of a statewide mill rate cap on automobiles, Bridgeport taxpayers will see a 30% reduction in their car tax by 2017. This same law also pledges .5% of the annual state sales tax to our cities and towns, resulting in Bridgeport not losing any revenue due to the car tax reduction and, in fact, receiving roughly $14 million dollars in increased state funding to offset the burden of residential property taxes.
In addition to providing property tax relief for Bridgeport’s hard working families, this budget funds those vital services our community relies on everyday, including social services, education, libraries, before- and after-school programs, mental health services, developmental services and job training. All the while, state income taxes remain steady for those families making less than $500,000 per year.
Importantly, the budget is balanced, constrains spending and invests in Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure, which is critical to our job and economic growth. By investing in transportation projects, such as widening highways, improving our rails, dredging our harbors and making our secondary roads more bike and pedestrian friendly, we are encouraging smart growth, addressing traffic congestion, and bringing sustainable jobs home to Connecticut.
I hope you find the information in this newsletter helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments.
Sincerely
Steven Stafstrom