Throughout the previous decades, Bethel CT Residents and business owners have been victim to purposely excessive and illegal taxation by the Towns Tax Assessor, Ann Marie Heering, and Board of Assessment Appeals Chairman, Alfred J. Bernard. 

From 2012-Present (2015) Their combined illegal and excessive tax assessments and deliberate denied assessment appeals has resulted in over a million dollars in lost tax revenue, legal fees, and costs to Bethel tax payers.

Further, and equally expensive, has been the burden the Tax Assessor and Assessment Appeals Board have placed on our local residents and businesses that have been forced to incur the legal cost, lost time, and aggravation associated with Appealing tax assessments to the CT Superior Court. In most of these cases, the cost to appeal to the Superior court is in excess of $10,000 and takes 1-3 years to be fully adjudicated. 

In the most recent case: Redding BOE V. Town of Bethel, (http://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/CaseDetail/PublicCaseDetail.aspx?DocketNo=HHBCV126024843S) the Tax Assessor wrongfully taxed another communities Board of Education $54,000 for school busses in violation of two CT State Statutes (Sec 12-81(7))& (Sec 12-81(4)) and against all prior legal precedent. This one single lawsuit resulted in Bethel having to repay Redding over $180,000 while simultaneously incurring legal fees in excess of $50,000. (https://www.scribd.com/doc/274319470/Region-9-BOE-V-Town-of-Bethel-Legal-Defense-Receipts-From-Susman-Duffy-Segaloff) That is a $230,000 blunder that we, the Tax Payers of Bethel, had to wrongfully incur. (http://patch.com/connecticut/bethel/bethel-ordered-pay-183k-redding-easton-schools-after-bus-dispute-0?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=schools&utm_campaign=alert) 

In another 2015 assessment and appeal, The Tax Assessor illegally assessed property tax on a Combat Veterans Charity (Operation Vet Fit) that was both, a CT Registered Public Charity and an IRS 501C3 that had no employees and was operated by volunteers. That led to the Charity selling it's assets and they are in the process of relocating to another State. In the appeal hearing, The Assessment Appeal Board attempted to violate the Freedom of Information Act by having the general public leave the hearing room prior to the appeal. Then the Chairman of the Appeal Board, refused to have the legal arguments added as part of the public record and never provided an appropriate reply to the appellant.. https://www.scribd.com/doc/260612387/Bethel-Taxing-All-Volunteer-Veterans-Charity )

In 6 other lawsuits filed against the Town of Bethel specific to excessive assessment and taxation, the Town of Bethel had to reduce EVERY companies assessments which amounted to over $1,000,000.00 in over assessments against these six other companies and individuals that had to expend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and hundreds of lost hours to appeal, appear at hearings, provide depositions, and testify. (https://www.scribd.com/doc/274409789/bethel-tax-asessment-lawsuit-costs-by-docket-sheet1 ) 

https://www.scribd.com/doc/274408000/Reviewed-Martin-Lawlor-2015-Paid-Invoices-Jan-2012-July-2015  

Currently, The Bethel Tax Assessor,  Ann Marie Heering, has no college degree, and was formerly a hairdresser.

The complexity of todays tax code and tax laws in the State of CT require a qualified professional with at least a bachelor's degree to work as a tax assessor. Additionally, coursework in majors such as math, finance, economics, real estate law and English are helpful and may be preferred. 

We are asking that Bethel seek to recruit or promote from within, a competent tax assessor that is business friendly, law abiding, and not so eager to expend Bethel's economic resources hiring Town Attorneys to defend against suits that have all been lost at the Superior Court Level. 

We are also requesting the Bethel Republican Town Committee remove Alfred (AJ) Bernard from running again on the Board of Assessment Appeal ballot line for the upcoming November 2015 municipal election as he too is unqualified to serve in that capacity as demonstrated by the above mentioned errors and associated cost to our tax payers.