Normally, taxpayers in Norwich only receive one bill a year for their motor vehicle tax.
But after city officials identified a shortfall because of less funding in the recently approves state budget, they say they need to send out a second one.
"Too many people can’t afford this," said Christina Onorati from Norwich. "I mean the cost of daily living itself is unaffordable."
Onorati is the personal caregiver for wheelchair-bound Donna Wheeler, who depends on a customized van to get around.
"She was exempt in the town of Canterbury for having a handicapped-equipped vehicle," Onorati said.
Now living in Norwich, they say the city won't honor the exemption for Wheeler’s more than $300 car tax bill.
"I’m on a fixed income. I’m past 65 years of age and I just don’t have it, I just don’t have it," Wheeler said.
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With less funding than expected in the state budget, Norwich projects having about a $1.3 million shortfall, city manager John Salamone said.
"That is unfortunate. We billed at 32 mills in October. We waited as long as we could, there wasn’t a budget in place so we had to bill," Salamone said.
The state budget set the car tax cap at 39 mills, so Salamone said the additional bill will make up that 7 mill difference. Depending on a vehicle's value, he said the bill should be between $30 and 50.
"It’s about $300,000 to the city," he said. "It's significant money we should bill."
Onorati told NBC Connecticut the city should consider other options.
"I think there’s other budget cuts that could be made that aren’t necessarily being looked at or overlooked," she said.
As the city sends out the second car tax bill, department heads are already starting to plan for the next budget, Salamone said.
"The budgets are running together this year," he said.
