Westport’s Board of Selectmen, trying to ease the financial pain of residents caught up in the building permit backlog in the assessor’s office, has approved a plan allowing some homeowners to defer payment of taxes owed to the town.

The plan, approved at a lengthy meeting Wednesday night, would allow property owners with a total incremental tax of $5,000 or more and with a home with an updated gross assessed value not exceeding $750,000 to defer taxes for an additional year beyond April 2005.

Those taxpayers owing less than $5,000 will be granted an additional payment period only upon filing of an affidavit and a showing of unusual financial or other circumstances.

The policy adopted by the board said “every effort will be utilized by the board to preserve the confidentiality within the limits of the law, including referring to filings by property address.”

First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell today announced the resignation of Kevin Murowsky as Westport deputy assessor. 

In a brief statement, Farrell said Assessor William Gaffney will be posting a job opportunity notice for the position in the coming days. 

Farrell put Murowsky on paid administrative leave July 12, four days after she was notified that a Town Hall office was missing $500 in cash and $2,000 worth of electronic equipment. (See WestportNow July 20 ,2004)

While Farrell did not directly link Murowsky to a police investigation of the theft, a Town Hall source has told WestportNow that he was being questioned in the probe.

Police Chief Alfred R. Fiore said today he had “nothing new” on the status of the investigation.

The Representative Town Meeting, after more than an hour of debate, Tuesday night approved spending $673,500 to hire a firm to conduct a full physical revaluation of all of Westport’s real property.

The 32-1 vote (Margaret McHenry opposed) endorsed a bid by Vision Appraisal Technology of Northboro, Mass., the largest New England-based supplier of revaluation services, over a lesser bid of $554,500 by Cole Layer Trumble of Dayton, Ohio, the nation’s oldest and largest mass appraisal firm.

William Gaffney, the town’s assessor who began work June 21 after being hired from Milford, said even though the Vision bid was higher, he favored it because of the combination of its software and services it offered.

Cole Layer Trumble is currently working for the town to clear up a backlog of almost 1,700 building permits, some dating back to 1998, which had not been added to the town’s Grand List by the assessor’s office. (See WestportNow, July 21, 2004)

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period July 26-30, 2004:

John Chu and Tina Eng to Angelo and Heather Toglia, 17 Eno Lane, $1,166,000.

John R. and Janet H. Preston to William Scott and Kathleen M. Bennewitz, 1 Greenbrier Road, $1,220,000.

L. Charles and Jayne E. Meythaler to Andrew and Karin Sawyer, 19 Woody Lane, $3,450,000.

Marion K. Sykes to Glenn L. Bander and Jacqueline Tabucchi, 6 Warnock Drive, $642,000.

Alastair E. and Lynn A. Bruce to David Levinson and Evan Levinson, 15 Jennings Court, $845,000.

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period July 19-23, 2004:

Mark and Valerie Spellman to Nanette J. Buziak, 10 Court of Oaks, $1,460,000.

25 Cross Highway Associates LLC to Steven A. and Alexandra C. Marks, 25 Cross Highway, $1,510,000.
31 Gorham Ave.: sold for $1.6 million. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Michael S. and Allison Dayan Juceam to John R. Coykendall and Gail L. Mordacq, 28 Ostend Ave., $975,000.

Ronald and Amy Goldberger to Jorge M. and Tori S. Soltero II, 27 Blue Ribbon Drive, $871,000.

Theresa L. and Steven Lewis to Patrick H. and Gina O. Beranek (name corrected), 31 Gorham Ave., $1,600,000.

Westport Home and Land LLC to Carole C. Berkowitz, 52 Terra Nova Circle, $1,051,853.

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period July 12-16, 2004:

James M. and Margaret M. Pendry to Peter and Catherine Russell Harbottle, 28 Bulkley Ave. North, $667,500. .

Mary Pisaturo McGlynn to Kim Cavalier Alianiello, 55 Woodside Ave., $800,000.

Estate of Ruth Adams to Bernard X. and Leona O. McGeady, 412 Harvest Commons, $710,000.

John M. and Carolyn Greene Miller to Thomas Y. and Marion S. Howard, 63
Bulkley Ave. North, $805,000.

James S. and Linda C. Keeler to Sara H. and Ranjit Ahluwalia, 3 Squire Lane, $1,000,000.

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period July 6-9, 2004:

Kathleen A. Buckley to Pamela Owens-Kennedy, 8B Cross Highway, $455,000.

Claudio Souza to Kevin J. Gumpper Trust, 11 Fragrant Pines Court, $480,000.

Joy Cooper Yinger to Louis H. and Susan P. Cozzi, 22 St. John Place, $561,000.

Susan I. Rosen to Cendant Mobility Financial Corp., 57 Sylvan Road West, $1,279,000.

Amy Ringer to Peter & Diane Plaut, 216 Bayberry Lane, $2,280,000.

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period June 28-July 2, 2004:

Clifford P. and Jane L. Lamotta to Brian L. and Leslie S. Gold, 26 Rices Lane, $1,849,500.

Laurence H. and Shari A. Midler to Adam T. and Kerrie S. Weisman, 15 North Ridge Road, $1,825,000.

Melinda Mooney to Ron M. and Jane W. Tarsy, 2 Diamond Hill Lane, $1,746,000.

Charles A. and Mary Durakis Sr. to Caroline H. and Michael Gantz, 11 Burnham Hill, $2,425,000.

The backlog of building permits in Westport’s assessor’s office that led to postponement of the town’s real property revaluation update has almost been cleared, according to a report presented Tuesday night to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM).

Helen Garten,  the RTM representative on the town’s Revaluation Working Group, told the meeting that the firm hired to clear the backlog had almost completed a physical inspection of the 1,187 properties involved.

It was discovery of a backlog of about 1,700 building permits in the assessor’s office some going back to 1998 ֖ that led to First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell’s March 4 announcement she would seek to postpone the revaluation.

The state later approved legislation allowing municipalities to postpone revaluations for up to three years.

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period June 21-28, 2004:

George S. and Trish M. Lawrence to Daniel E. and Shirley A. Smith, 8 Arrowhead Road, $2,595,000..

Christian J. Trefz to Phyllis F. Trefz, 18 Playhouse 20 60%, $111,000.

Yi Tsai to J. Richard and Anne W. Chappo, 82 Partrick Road, $1,350,000.
82 Partrick Road sold for $1.35 million. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)  Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Sir Maple LLC to David B. and Lori Beth Sochol, 47 Maple Ave. North. $1,899,999.99.

Owen E. and Virginia B. Landon Jr. to Paul Fonteyne, 4 Deepwood Lane, $1,385,000.

Louis P. and Patricia Ann Cirillo to Shine Group Holdings LLC, 175 Post Road East, $675,000.

Pequot Development LLC to Hilary P. Califano Trust Joseph A. Califano Jr. Trust 42 Morningside Drive South, $3,300,000.