Packed House at April Board of Aldermen Meeting as Residents Sound Off on Taxes, Short-Term Rentals, and Public Safety

Monday night's Board of Aldermen meeting drew a standing-room crowd of Milford residents to City Hall, with more than a dozen speakers addressing everything from skyrocketing property tax assessments to the future of short-term rentals along the city's coastline. The evening stretched well into the night as aldermen worked through a full agenda that included school construction grants, a contested state-funded road project, and two new board appointments.

Tax Reassessment Backlash

The reassessment dominated public comment. Several residents described receiving property tax bills reflecting increases of 20 to 27 percent, and one speaker said his bill had climbed by 120 percent. Retirees on fixed incomes were a recurring theme, with multiple residents arguing that the current income cap for senior tax relief — set at $65,000 annually — is woefully outdated.

A retired Milford teacher who has owned her home on Mark Street for 40 years put it plainly: at her current monthly costs, there is nowhere in Milford affordable enough to move to if she is eventually priced out. She also raised a concern about misinformation, noting that when she called the city tax office to confirm figures posted online, she was told the published mill rate was incorrect. "That is definitely a disconnect," she told the board.

Mayor Rich Smith addressed the confusion directly, noting that the reval includes a phase-in that limits new assessed value to 20 percent in the first year — a detail he said the press "kind of told half the story" on. He also reminded residents that the mill rate is not finalized until the full budget process is complete, and announced plans for evening office hours in addition to his existing morning coffee sessions to improve communication with constituents.

Short-Term Rentals: A Community Divided

No issue generated more passionate testimony than short-term rentals. Speakers split roughly into two camps: beachside homeowners who say rental income is the only reason they can afford to keep their properties, and full-time neighbors frustrated by noise, parking, and the erosion of community character.

A resident representing the Silver Beach Association cited parking overflow, late-night disturbances, and a general loss of neighborhood stability, calling on the board to require registration and permits, set occupancy limits, mandate a 24/7 local contact, and impose meaningful fines on repeat offenders. He suggested that a strict 30-day minimum stay ordinance would resolve most of the neighborhood's complaints. A separate resident noted that a petition calling for a strong short-term rental ordinance has gathered over 350 signatures since February.

Short-term rental hosts pushed back vigorously. A Naugatuck Avenue homeowner shared that over 90 percent of Milford's 2026 STR hosts own just one property, calling the image of absentee investor-landlords a misconception. Several speakers cited the lack of hotel options in Milford, the revenue guests bring to local restaurants and shops, and what one resident called a "century-old tradition" of seasonal rental in the city's beach neighborhoods.

One East Broadway property owner who submitted a public records request to the Milford Police Department reported finding only four noise complaints related to short-term rentals in the entire summer of 2025 — two on East Broadway, both filed by the same individual — directly challenging claims about widespread disruption.

The first speaker of the evening, a Milford resident who hosts guests with medical needs near Yale, asked the board to coordinate any new ordinance with pending state legislation — House Bill 5536 — and to clearly distinguish between owner-occupied hosts and absentee commercial operators before drafting local rules.

Condo Trash Rebate: An Ongoing Fight

Two condominium association leaders renewed their long-standing argument that Milford's trash rebate system is fundamentally inequitable. The president of one of Milford's larger condo associations said his complex has spent over a million dollars on private refuse collection over 30 years, receiving roughly half that amount back in city rebates. This year, the association budgeted $80,000 for collection and expects to receive about $37,000 in return.

The president of the Milford Coalition of Condominiums noted the current rebate amounts — $3.25 per week for trash and $0.27 for recycling — haven't kept pace with rising costs, and urged the board to increase the rebate as part of the current review cycle. She has a scheduled meeting with Mayor Smith on April 15th to discuss potential reforms.

Public Safety Concerns

A Devon resident who spoke with visible emotion described being involved in a near-fatal pedestrian incident at a poorly-positioned crosswalk near Dockside and Bridge House — a state Route 1 location that has also seen other accidents and at least one fatality. He asked aldermen to use their influence with state legislators to fund relocating the crosswalk to a safer position. Mayor Smith responded that the city already has DOT approval to move forward and that he and Public Works Director Rob Harrigan discussed the matter the previous day.

Two middle school students from Roses Mill Road offered some of the most straightforward testimony of the evening, delivering careful, fact-based arguments for sidewalks on Roses Mill Road, Wildflower Drive, and Peck Lane, citing Connecticut's 2023 pedestrian crash statistics and the daily safety risks faced by children walking to school.

Board Business: Grants, Appointments, and a Debate Over Founders Walk

On the agenda side, the board unanimously approved a series of school construction grants tied to last month's bonding package, covering the Foran High School pool renovation design ($330,000), hazardous material abatement, and HVAC and boiler upgrades at various schools. The board also accepted a $60,000 donation from the Devon Rotary Club toward a golf course pavilion at the Orchards Municipal Golf Course, with the remaining cost covered by golf course-generated funds.

The evening's most contentious vote came on a $600,000 cash advance for the Founders Walk road project — a reimbursable state grant requiring the city to front the funds. The motion passed 8-4 after a spirited debate over whether the city should bear the financial risk. Opponents argued it was imprudent; Mayor Smith countered that nearly all of the city's grants operate on a reimbursement basis and that no such grant has historically gone unrecovered. A community member also raised concerns about construction damage to field irrigation lines and fencing tied to the project, as well as a lack of transparency around the summer construction schedule and its impact on youth leagues.

The board also unanimously confirmed two new appointments: a Greenfield Road resident to the Sewer Commission, and Paul G of Hitching Post Lane to the Fire Commission.

Looking Ahead

Mayor Smith closed with a busy calendar of upcoming community events: Little League opening day on April 11th at Brewster Field, an Earth Day tree giveaway on April 18th honoring the memory of Joan Costello, Earth Day activities on the Green April 25th, and Foodie Fest on May 1st and 2nd. The city's 250th anniversary committee has also scheduled a parade for June 20th to coincide with the city's fireworks celebration, with flags representing the original colonies already flying on the Green.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen is scheduled for Monday, May 5th. Residents wishing to contact their district alderman can do so through the city's website at milfordct.gov.