First Selectman Jeff Capeci reported at the November 12 Board of Finance meeting that Capital Tax Recovery (CTR), a company hired by Newtown to find unregistered vehicles and vehicles registered outside the state of Connecticut, has found 71 vehicles for a total of $768,000 in tax assessments.

CTR was hired by Newtown in May 2024, when the town approved $100,000 to cover the cost of CTR’s efforts.

CTR is a company that sends out private investigators with plate readers who check plates around town, on the roads, in driveways, and in parking lots, with a purpose of finding cars garaged in town that are registered out of state. In addition to catching cars registered out of state, they catch unregistered vehicles as well. Brookfield and Danbury currently contract with CTR for its services, and Newtown was attempting to “piggyback” onto Danbury’s contract.

Capeci said that most of the 71 vehicles were from the last three grandlists, meaning they were likely vehicles that were registered in Newtown but allowed the registration to expire. Additionally, this could mean that several years of back taxes may be owed on some of the vehicles.

The town’s contract with CTR will pay CTR a $50 fee per car plus 45% of the first year’s taxes. The $100,000 the town approved will cover the costs of CTR’s contract in advance.

The efforts by CTR are ongoing and additional vehicles will be sought. Notices for payment for the 71 vehicles were sent last week, and are due in 30 days before delinquency fees begin to be added.

The owners of vehicles identified by CTR have been notified and have a chance to appeal with the company. Following that, they will be sent a tax bill, where they have another chance to appeal with the town through the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.