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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