City Councilman Alfredo Castillo scalped taxpayers about $1,300 this year for naughtily registering motor vehicles at his parents address in Shelton instead of Bridgeport where he votes on the municipal budget and sets the tax rate.
The tax rate on cars in Shelton that features a large grand list of taxable property is 19.18 mills to Bridgeport’s 32.46 which is capped at that number by state law.
This also calls into question how much money Castillo saved on vehicle insurance because insurance rates tend to be higher in larger cities. Shelton has roughly 41,000 residents to Bridgeport’s approximate 150,000.
CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart provides on update following an investigation by the assessor’s office:
On Monday, Bridgeport’s finance department revealed that Castillo on Aug. 9 was billed $3,220.03 for a 2004 Mercedes C240, a 2018 Honda Accord, a 2019 Acura TLX, a 2022 Volkswagon Tiguan and a 2023 Toyota Sienna. He has 30 days to pay or face financial penalties.
As reported earlier this month, those five cars had been registered at his parents’ home on Fern Drive in Shelton, where the tax or mill rate is lower — 19.18 mills compared to Bridgeport’s 32.46. As a result Castillo this summer was charged $1,902.66 worth of car taxes by Shelton, $1,317.37 less than what he now owes Bridgeport.
William Gaffney III, employed as the tax assessor in both municipalities, and his staff following an investigation determined Castillo’s vehicles should instead be registered in Bridgeport at Noble Avenue, where the council member of 11 years claims to live and vote.
Although Gaffney’s review of that situation coincided with public scrutiny of whether Castillo calls Bridgeport or Shelton home, the assessor earlier this month said that was a coincidence. He said one of his employees noticed Castillo’s Shelton tax bill was mailed to his Noble Avenue address and pursued the matter.
Full story here
As long as Brian Lockhart and the TAX Assessor don’t investigate the Tax rate and Assessment on other elected people’s homes this should go away!
Will back taxes from all of the years of Bridgeport tax avoidance by Councilman Castillo be assessed and charged to him (with interest penalties!)?
The Councilman should be very ashamed and should resign from the CC — along with other members that have shown bad faith and bad examples to their constituents with shameful and illegal conduct….
Quit stealing my lines.
I like to butter you up.
I do not present myself as an apologist for the actions pursued by Council person Castillo in this case, but I am curious why this revelation of almost $2,000 of annual tax avoidance draws such dramatic support with all the “thumbs up” recorded (10 at this moment)?
Are there greater outstanding embarrassments existing with other Council persons that call for separation from their elected positions? Are there financial issues, power conlicts of issue and voting, or other likely serious concerns outstanding? What bothers OIB anonymous voters?
Was there a ‘whistleblower’? Is that what is needed in Bridgeport to right “wrongs” when suspected, observed, and reported? Should that be a part of Charter Review and reform upcoming?
Time will tell.