Candlewood Isle vs New Fairfield on flawed assessment

To all CARE Plaintiffs and CARE Initiative Participants --

The CARE lawsuit against the Town was successfully concluded and ultimately settled last week in discussions with Town officials in Danbury Superior Court. Through an agreed-upon process involving the Town's Assessor and an independent appraiser representing CARE plaintiffs, negotiated fair market values for all properties were established and agreed to by the 38 plaintiffs remaining in the lawsuit. In aggregate, the total reduction in appraised values for these properties resulting from the CARE lawsuit exceeded $1,850,000.

To record the learning experience for those who follow, the CARE Steering Committee and Rucci Burnham Carta, our legal advisors, will be preparing a summary wrap-up over the next several weeks to recap the process, outcome, lessons learned, and what was jointly accomplished for future reference. Our thanks for your enthusiastic support and financial backing throughout this three-year process to achieve fair and equitable valuations; the Isle is a better place as a result of your involvement, commitment and care.

Jim McAlister & John McGurk, Co-Chairs
CARE Steering Committee