Twice a decade, Connecticut towns reassess real estate property values. This happened to 33 towns last year, including East Hampton. Many homes are seeing an increase in value, while others have stayed relatively flat, and some have declined in value. This can lead to some confusion when the tax bill arrives – mill rates, assessed value, appraised value – what does it all mean?
First, a quick reminder of how this works.
Every year, East Hampton adds up everything it needs to pay for: schools; road repairs; the police department; the library. The total amount is then divided among every property owner in town based on how much the properties are worth, after accounting for other sources of town revenue, like state and federal funds or grants. The higher a property is valued, the more the property owner pays. That formula is called the mill rate, and it changes every year depending on what the town needs and how much all the properties in town are collectively worth.
Click here to learn more about the mill rate and how it’s calculated.
So what changed this year?
Two big things happened at once.
The first is a revaluation. Connecticut requires every town to reassess the value of each property every five years. East Hampton just completed one, the first since 2020. That means someone assessed each home and piece of land in town and updated its official value to reflect what it is actually worth in today’s market. Those new values will show up on tax bills starting in July 2026.
The revaluation is not intended to raise more money for the town. The total amount the town collects stays about the same. What changes is how that amount gets split up. If a home’s value went up a lot compared to other properties in town, that property owner’s share of the bill goes up. If a home’s value stayed lower than average, that owner’s share could actually decrease.
Home values in East Hampton have risen quite a bit since 2020, but not all homes rose at the same rate. Houses went up more than businesses and commercial properties, so homeowners as a group are now carrying more of the tax load than before. That is why some residents will see their bills increase even if the town is not spending significantly more money.
And then there was the budget fight.
The second thing that happened was a difficult budget season for fiscal year 2026, which covers July last year through June this year. The town and school district proposed spending about 5% more than the prior year. Voters rejected that proposal in a May 2025 referendum. The Board of Finance went back, cut over $800,000 from the school budget, trimmed some town spending, and put a revised budget to voters again. Tax bills went out in June 2025 using a temporary rate while the final vote was still pending.
The school cuts were controversial. The superintendent said it could mean losing up to 15 teachers. Parents and students advocated against the cuts. The final outcome of that vote was not yet certified in all public records at the time this article was written, but the bills residents received reflect that temporary rate of 39.71 mills.
Want to know what your property is assessed at now?
Residents can view any property record by visiting the town’s property record database and searching for an address. This will show your assessed value from the 2025 revaluation. That is the number your future tax bill will be based on.
Property record lookup: https://www.propertyrecordcards.com/SearchMaster.aspx?towncode=42
East Hampton CT FY 2027 Property Tax Estimator: https://www.easthamptonct.gov/1749/Annual-Budget-2026-2027
Still confused? You are not alone. Here is who to call.
For questions about a property’s assessed value, call the Assessor’s Office at (860) 267-2510. For questions about an actual tax bill, contact the Collector of Revenue at (860) 267-2300 or email taxcollector@easthamptonct.gov. Both offices are open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The town also publishes a plain-language guide explaining exactly how the mill rate is calculated and what the revaluation means for your bill. You can read that here.
Kim Tynik is a East Hampton resident and contributor to The Bellringer. All information is drawn from publicly available East Hampton town records and official notices.
Want to provide us with real world examples to highlight the changes, contact us at kim.tynik@thebellringer.org
This story was edited by David DesRoches.