Christine Conley

I applaud the House passage of a bill that would end the litigation between the town of Groton and the Odd Fellows Home, a non-profit nursing home and rehabilitation center located in the town for over 120 years.

The bill, Senate Bill 377:

• Specifies that any property tax assessed against the Odd Fellows Home of Connecticut on or after October 1, 2017, shall be calculated only on said home's otherwise taxable property exceeding twenty-five million dollars in assessed value.

The town has been taxing the Odd Fellow's Home based upon their interpretation of a 2012 public act, which they believe removed the Odd Fellow's Home's entire exemption once it had reached an appraised value of over $25 million. The Home has been paying property taxes on its entire assessment in protest despite interpreting the 2012 bill as instead removing the tax exemption for any assessment over $25 million.

The Groton Mayor and Town Council have expressed support for this bill.

The bill passed the House June 2 in a 148-0 vote and passed the Senate on Tuesday, May 24. It will now head to the governor’s office to be signed into law.