MILFORD — The frustration was palpable as residents stepped to the microphone Wednesday night during the Board of Aldermen's budget hearing, describing property tax increases they called unsustainable, unfair, and for some, the final straw.

The city's recent revaluation increased property values by roughly 40 percent on average. While Mayor Rich Smith has announced a five-year phase-in to soften the impact, residents said the relief isn't enough — and the mill rate reduction of approximately one point doesn't come close to offsetting the assessment spike.

"The property values went up 40 percent, and the mill rate went down one point," one Beach Avenue resident said. "It just doesn't jive."

He calculated that his own taxes would increase by 35 percent under the proposed budget.

"I see a lot of seniors here," he said. "I don't think they're getting that big an increase on their Social Security benefits. So they're going to get squeezed, and they're constantly getting squeezed."

'120 Percent in Six Years'

Another homeowner described downsizing within Milford several years ago, purchasing a modest 1,500-square-foot home with a small yard. His taxes at the time were $4,200. They now exceed $9,000 — and another increase is on the way.

"I hate to say it, but I can afford to pay more. Do I like to? No," he said. "But there's many people in this room and in this community who can't."

He challenged the board to justify the trajectory.

"Has your cost gone up as a city 120 percent? Has our Board of Education increased their budget 120 percent?" he asked. "My trash gets picked up once a week. It's not two times a week now that I'm paying 120 percent more. The policemen don't knock on my front door every night and say, 'Hey, we're checking on you.' We all get the same services, yet we're paying so much more for it. Where does the money go?"

He warned that longtime residents — the people who give Milford its character — are being priced out.

"We're worried about keeping the flavor of our community. Well, the flavor of the community are the people that grew up here, who have been here for a long time," he said. "If you chase them out, you have no flavor."

'Getting Priced Out of the City I Was Born In'

A 60-year Milford resident said her assessment jumped $82,000, translating to an additional $1,800 in annual taxes on a 1,250-square-foot, 74-year-old Cape Cod.

She questioned why surrounding communities — West Haven, Stratford, Shelton — have significantly lowered their mill rates while Milford has not. She pointed to Greenwich, with a population over 63,000, maintaining a mill rate of just 12.4.

"This is literally breaking residents' backs," she said. "Sadly, I'm slowly getting priced out of the beautiful city I was born and raised in."

Another resident, identifying herself as young enough to keep working, said her property taxes will have nearly doubled between 2017 and this year.

"I'll be okay," she said. "But that is not sustainable for all the people sitting in this room."

She urged the board to scrutinize every line of the proposed $278 million budget.

"Write the budget as if you are personally writing the check for it," she said. "Can you afford to dish out several hundred dollars more a month? If we can't afford that individually, we can't afford that as a community."

A Structural Problem

One resident offered a broader diagnosis, pointing to Connecticut's fragmented municipal structure — 169 towns each independently responsible for raising revenue — and the erosion of the industrial tax base.

"The reason the reval went up is because we've lost the industrial tax base," he said. "It's not gone, but it is much less than it used to be. And with Amazon and international companies and other factors, I don't know where it's coming back or when it's coming back."

He expressed sympathy for the board's position but urged them to protect the city's most vulnerable residents.

"Please protect our seniors. Please fund our children," he said.

The budget hearing continues Thursday evening with the Board of Education presentation.