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TRUMBULL -- Making good on his campaign promise, First Selectman Tim Herbst is proposing an expansion of the town's senior tax relief program.

His proposal calls for raising qualifying income levels for seniors 65 years old and older from $61,000 to $70,000. The proposal also doubles the benefit for the lowest income levels, from $1,350 to $2,600.

Herbst said the purpose of the program is to keep seniors in Trumbull.

"You need a proper balance of young families with children and seniors in your community," Herbst said. "You don't want to accelerate your attrition rate."

About 931 seniors benefit from the town's current relief program, which costs $614,940. About 30 more seniors would benefit under the new structure, which overall would an additional $642,940. Herbst's proposal restructures the existing tax relief brackets from seven to four.

Herbst is proposing the new tax relief program take effect in July 2013, so there is enough time to educate the public about the changes.

When campaigning for first selectman in 2011, Herbst also proposed a personal property tax deferral. His opponent, Mary Beth Thornton, as well as state Sen. Anthony Musto said that would be against state statute and would put the town at risk of litigation.

Towns have the right to regulate the "mode of collection" of property taxes, town attorney Dennis Kokenos wrote in a letter to the first selectman. State statutes allow for personal property credits in certain circumstances, such as for local firefighters, but the laws are ambiguous when it comes to seniors or the elderly. Therefore, he could not recommend the tax credit, Kokenos wrote.

A tax deferral could be legal if construed as a mode of collection, but would be open to legal challenges.

"We don't want to enact tax relief that will be challenged in court," Herbst said "We want to pass tax relief that is permanent."

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Trumbull seniors could see more tax relief

DALLAS, March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Ryan, a leading global tax services firm with the largest indirect tax practice in North America, today announced that the Firm ranked 11th in the Large Company category of the 100 Best Places to Work in Texas awards. Ryan was recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Texas for the second consecutive year, moving up three places over last year's ranking. Ryan was selected after a rigorous two-part evaluation of the Firm's workplace policies, practices, and demographics, combined with a comprehensive employee survey measuring the Firm's work environment, culture, and employee pride and satisfaction.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110726/DA41187LOGO)

The 100 Best Companies to Work for in Texas awards are sponsored by Texas Monthly, Texas Association of Business, Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management, and Best Companies Group. This prestigious annual award was established in 2006 to identify, recognize, and honor the top 100 companies that offer the best places of employment in Texas, thereby benefiting the state's economy, workforce, and business environment.

In August 2008, Ryan launched myRyan, an innovative work environment that changed the measurement of work performance from hours worked to results achieved. The Firm rolled out myRyan as a major culture shift designed to reach even higher levels of client service and employee satisfaction. Since its inception, myRyan has delivered tremendous dividends for the Firm, its clients, and its employees. Ryan has dramatically improved employee retention and satisfaction, while demonstrating solid year-over-year revenue growth. Most importantly, Ryan employees have achieved the highest client satisfaction ratings in the history of the Firm, while enjoying the freedom to meet the competing demands of work and life.

"We are honored and thankful that our employees selected Ryan as one of the best places to work in our home state of Texas," said G. Brint Ryan, CEO and Managing Principal of Ryan. "Our Texas employees, as well as Ryan associates worldwide, are leading our industry into a new era of business productivity built on employee flexibility and freedom."

About Ryan Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect tax practice in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance, and strategic planning. Ryan is a two-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multi-disciplinary team of more than 925 professionals and associates serves over 6,500 clients in 40 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at http://www.ryan.com.

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Ryan Ranked 11th Best Company to Work for in Texas.

By Jeff Ayers Associated Press

The Expats

By Chris Pavone

(Crown)

Chris Pavone channels spy-fiction superstars Robert Ludlum and John le Carre in his amazing first novel, The Expats.

Kate Moore leaves her double life as a wife and mother and a covert operative in the CIA when her husband, Dexter, gets a new job in Luxembourg. She tries to be a stay-at-home mom (her husband had no idea of her job working for the CIA), and although her former bosses aren't concerned, she's worried that her past will come back to haunt her.

Soon her new life as an expat begins to unravel.

Kate meets a friendly pair from America, and the two couples start spending time together. Dexter practically lives at the office and becomes increasingly obsessed with work. Bored and a bit concerned Kate's old instincts kick in, and she begins to investigate her husband and their new friends. It doesn't take long for her to discover that Dexter's job isn't what she thought it is, and that he might be responsible for the theft of a huge sum of money. Kate also discovers evidence that the American couple are assassins and that she and Dexter are their next targets.

The Expats is a skillful and atmospheric descent into paranoia. Kate's journey as her life falls apart is compelling, and the novel is impossible to put down. Pavone invokes memories of the great writers of spy fiction of the past, and he has the chops to be mentioned with the best of them.

Online:

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Review: ‘The Expats’ an excellent spy thriller

"The Expats" (Crown), by Chris Pavone: Chris Pavone channels spy-fiction superstars Robert Ludlum and John le Carre in his amazing first novel, "The Expats."

Kate Moore leaves her double life as a wife and mother and a covert operative in the CIA when her husband, Dexter, gets a new job in Luxembourg. She tries to be a stay-at-home mom (her husband had no idea of her job working for the CIA), and though her former bosses aren't concerned, she's worried that her past will come back to haunt her.

Soon her new life as an expat begins to unravel.

Kate meets a friendly pair from America, and the two couples start spending time together. Dexter practically lives at the office and becomes increasingly obsessed with work. Bored and a bit concerned Kate's old instincts kick in, and she begins to investigate her husband and their new friends. It doesn't take long for her to discover that Dexter's job isn't what she thought it is, and that he might be responsible for the theft of a huge sum of money. Kate also discovers evidence that the American couple are assassins and that she and Dexter are their next targets.

"The Expats" is a skilful and atmospheric descent into paranoia. Kate's journey as her life falls apart is compelling, and the novel is impossible to put down. Pavone invokes memories of the great writers of spy fiction of the past, and he has the chops to be mentioned with the best of them.

___

Online:

http://www.chrispavone.com/

Here is the original post:
Review: 'The Expats' by Chris Pavone is skilful and atmospheric descent into paranoia

"The Expats" (Crown), by Chris Pavone: Chris Pavone channels spy-fiction superstars Robert Ludlum and John le Carre in his amazing first novel, "The Expats."

Kate Moore leaves her double life as a wife and mother and a covert operative in the CIA when her husband, Dexter, gets a new job in Luxembourg. She tries to be a stay-at-home mom (her husband had no idea of her job working for the CIA), and though her former bosses aren't concerned, she's worried that her past will come back to haunt her.

Soon her new life as an expat begins to unravel.

Kate meets a friendly pair from America, and the two couples start spending time together. Dexter practically lives at the office and becomes increasingly obsessed with work. Bored and a bit concerned Kate's old instincts kick in, and she begins to investigate her husband and their new friends. It doesn't take long for her to discover that Dexter's job isn't what she thought it is, and that he might be responsible for the theft of a huge sum of money. Kate also discovers evidence that the American couple are assassins and that she and Dexter are their next targets.

"The Expats" is a skillful and atmospheric descent into paranoia. Kate's journey as her life falls apart is compelling, and the novel is impossible to put down. Pavone invokes memories of the great writers of spy fiction of the past, and he has the chops to be mentioned with the best of them.

___

Online:

http://www.chrispavone.com/

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Review: 'The Expats' is excellent spy thriller