Deep River Grand List Up by Nearly Seven Tenths of One Percent

By Charles Stannard

DEEP RIVER— The grand list of taxable property is up by nearly seven-tenths of one percent, one of the larger increases recorded for 2009 in area towns.

Assessor Robin O’Loughlin has filed an October 2009 grand list that totals $518,337,262, an increase of $3.45 million, or .671 percent, from the 2008 total. There were small increases for real estate, motor vehicles, and personal property.

The real estate total of $472,351,790 is up by $2.9 million from the 2008 total. A motor vehicles total of $30,740,770 is up by $90,548. The personal property total of $15,244,702 is up by $463,652 from the previous year.

First Selectman Richard Smith said he is pleased by a grand list increase that was larger than he had expected. “With the economy the way it is now, this is a good increase,” he said.

Smith said the increase reflects the completion of a new and larger Cumberland Farms store on Main Street that opened last year, and conversion of the former Elms rooming house in to a mixed use building. “This shows Deep River has an improving commercial and industrial tax base,” he said.

Smith said the increase would generate about $74,000 in new tax revenue at the current tax rate of 21.73 mills. In comparison, a tiny three-hundredths of a percent grand list jump in Chester is expected to generate only about $33,000 in new tax revenue, while a three-hundredths of a percent drop in the Essex grand list is expected to leave the town with about $59,000 less revenue at the current tax rate.

The town’s top ten taxpayers remained unchanged, with the Connecticut Light and Power Co. remaining the top taxpayer with an assessment of $4,725,571. Second place is Silgan Plastics Corporation with an assessment of $3,447,789. Mislick Family Partnership is the third largest taxpayer with an assessment of $3,230,640.

Others on the top ten with the assessment inclucde BDRM Inc. ($3,147,454), Thomas Boyd & K. Dernocoeur ($2,471,070), 180 Main Street Partners LLC ($2,424,800), and Deep River Associates LLC ($2,313,920).

Also three residential properties, Jerome & Marlene Scharr ($2,023,280), Alberto & Raffaella Cribiore ($1,934,730), and Virginia B. Linburg ($1,934,380).