CT Farming Community Volunteers and Industry Representatives Work Together to Develop PA490 Recommendations

KILLINGLY- State Representative Anne Dauphinais (R-44) updates area residents on state farmland policy and recommendations regarding (PA 490) Public Act 490. 

PA 490 is Connecticut’s land use law established in 1963 to fairly tax land based on its use and not on marketability to protect farmland, forests, and open space from permanent conversion.

A PA 490 Working Group was formed following an outcry from farmers across Connecticut, who urged Governor Ned Lamont to reinstate the 2020 recommended land-use values under Public Act 490. In response, the Governor issued a moratorium in October 2025, effectively putting on hold an updated valuation that would have significantly increased the assessed value of some farmland for municipal tax purposes beginning in 2026.

While the moratorium provided relief to some farmland owners by preventing those increases from taking effect, the reinstatement of the prior values did not provide similar relief to forestland owners. In fact, the updated values would have reduced the assessed value of forestland, making the moratorium particularly disappointing for those seeking meaningful recognition of the damage caused by insects and disease to Connecticut’s native trees and forest habitats.

The PA 490 Working Group recommends modernizing Connecticut’s farmland valuation system so that assessments better reflect 1) how land is actually being used, while improving the data used to establish those values. The recommendations 2) replace the older soil-based classifications with use-based categories, 3) create annual reporting to provide more reliable rental information, 4) establish safeguards when there is insufficient data, 5) maintain the existing DEEP methodology for forestland, and (6) require an automatic review when land values increase by more than 20%. The overall goal is to make the valuation process more consistent and prevent unusually large assessment increases that could place additional pressure on farmland.

The working group recommendations are now in the hands of Governor Lamont, the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and the CT Department of Agriculture, all who must decide whether to accept or reject them.

While I was involved at the state and local level in understanding and advocating for appropriate action on this system of valuation, I believe the real thanks go to those members and volunteers who graciously gave of their personal time to see this effort through. I offer my deep appreciation to the farmers and foresters who dedicated so many volunteer hours to this endeavor. I know that the recommendations presented in these documents are the culmination of many months of public meetings, and behind-the-scenes commitment and coordination. The work of these volunteers really addresses the core issues that resulted in the underrepresented data and erroneous valuation of some agricultural lands and represents a comprehensive beginning to what should be ongoing discussions.

There’s a lot to talk about, and I applaud the work that went into collaboratively developing these recommendations.

My personal thanks to Jennie Kapszukiewicz from Stone Hill Farm in Plainfield for her thorough and thoughtful presentation. She is not only a constituent, but I consider her a friend and neighbor.

PA490 Working Group Recommendations

For questions regarding the material presented please contact: OPM.PA490@ct.gov