Submitted by Karen Fassuliotis
Current Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) Chairman David Weisbrod recently sought to explain why so many Greenwich residents are opening their July property tax bills with a sense of sticker shock. (Your July Tax Bill: Understanding Revaluation and Investing in Our Community July 2, 2026) Weisbrod says the answer lies in the recent property revaluation. His explanation is incomplete. The larger reason is that the BET and Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved a budget that will collect more than $24 million in additional property taxes than it did just one year ago.
No one questions the importance of investing in Greenwich. Strong schools, safe neighborhoods, reliable public safety, and well-maintained public facilities are fundamental to the quality of life our residents value. The issue is not whether these investments matter, but whether they are being pursued with the discipline and restraint taxpayers have every right to expect.
Many homeowners opening this July’s tax bills are experiencing understandable concern. While the town-wide property revaluation redistributed the tax burden based on updated property values, it did not, by itself, increase the amount of revenue the Town collects; any increase in total revenue reflects budget and mill rate decisions made separately by the First Selectman, BET and RTM. In other words, the tax increase many residents are seeing is a result of a deliberate policy decision to adopt a larger Town budget.
In fact, the Town’s adopted FY 2026–27 budget increases expected property tax collections by more than $24 million, from approximately $438.6 million to $462.8 million—an increase of roughly 5.5 percent over the previous year.
The revaluation determined how that tax burden would be allocated among property owners; the budget determined how much additional revenue the Town needs to collect to meet the spending approved in the budget. Those are two distinct decisions, and it is important that residents understand the difference.
Responsible government requires more than identifying worthwhile projects. It requires establishing priorities, making difficult choices, and recognizing that every additional dollar appropriated is a dollar that must first be earned by a Greenwich resident or business. The measure of fiscal stewardship is not whether government can identify worthwhile investments—there will always be worthy projects—but whether elected officials are willing to distinguish between what is desirable and what is truly necessary today.
This is where the Board of Estimate and Taxation has a special responsibility. Its purpose is not simply to ratify spending priorities but to serve as the Town’s fiscal guardian. Although the BET reduced the First Selectman’s proposed budget, it (and later the RTM) ultimately approved a spending plan that will require many residents to pay substantially more in taxes.
The unanimous BET budget vote is particularly noteworthy because it included Republican members, who have traditionally campaigned on fiscal restraint, limited government, and protecting taxpayers. Those principles carry their greatest importance when budgets become more expensive—not when they are easy to defend. Instead of insisting on a more disciplined spending plan or pressing for additional savings, Republican members joined their Democratic colleagues in supporting a budget that continues the pattern of expanding government spending.
Taxpayers should reasonably ask whether their interests were represented with sufficient resolve. Fiscal conservatism is not measured by campaign rhetoric or party affiliation; it is measured by the willingness to challenge spending, establish priorities, and say no when circumstances require it. When those entrusted with safeguarding taxpayer dollars instead embrace increasingly larger budgets, the distinction between competing fiscal philosophies becomes less meaningful.
Greenwich has long benefited from a tradition of strong public services coupled with careful financial management. Preserving that balance requires more than bipartisan agreement. It requires independent judgment, rigorous scrutiny of every expenditure, and the willingness to make difficult decisions in the interest of long-term affordability.
Protecting taxpayers is not an obstacle to progress—it is a fundamental responsibility of good government. Every budget reflects choices, and this year’s budget chose higher spending and higher taxes. Greenwich deserves leaders who are willing to ask the difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and insist that every additional dollar taken from taxpayers is both necessary and justified.
Fiscal discipline is not about saying “no” to investment; it is about ensuring that government lives within the same realities as the residents who fund it. If Greenwich is to remain an exceptional place to live, our Town must also remain a community that families, retirees, and future generations can afford to call home.