When CCM and local officials won the toughest fight of the 2008 legislative season - by preserving the municipal share of the real estate conveyance tax – every city and town in the state, from smallest to largest, could measure the fruits of victory in dollars.

The legislature's vote in special session -- sealed by the Governor's recent signing of the bill before the new fiscal year commenced -- maintained the municipal conveyance tax rate at its present levels, saving local governments as much as $40 million in revenue per year over the next two years.

CCM President Betsy Paterson, Mayor of Mansfield, thanked local officials for their support of CCM, and said "your continued membership paid off big time."

Just how big is best reflected by the victory's extraordinary rate of return on the dues members pay to support CCM advocacy. The victory on the conveyance tax saved cities and towns revenue worth 10 and 20 times more than their dues. "Now that's return on investment!", said CCM Executive Director and CEO Jim Finley.

As one appreciative leader of a CCM member town said, "even if CCM did nothing else for my municipality, which is the farthest thing from the truth, the results of this effort alone more than pays for the cost of our dues for years and years to come."

If the tax had reverted to its historically lower rate, towns and cities of all sizes would have lost significant amount of local revenue, putting even more pressure on overburdened property taxpayers.

Here are a few examples from smaller towns: Andover's revenue would have fallen by as much as $22,000; Killingworth's by $66,000; and Westbrook's by $99,000.

For mid-sized municipalities, the revenue loss would have climbed well into six figures. Bristol's would have declined about $412,000; Hamden's by $566,000; and New London by $122,000.

The largest cities were saved from the biggest revenue losses. Bridgeport's revenue, for instance, was projected to decline by $944,000; Greenwich's by $4.3 million, and Stamford's by $3 million.

The fight to save the conveyance tax was the most dramatic contest of the 2008 session.

The issue was whether the legislature would vote to renew the tax at current rates or let it fall back to pre-2003 levels, when rates were raised to offset cuts in state aid.

CCM led the defense of this non-property tax revenue against opposition from the CT Association of Realtors which financed an expensive public relations advocacy campaign to cut the tax.

Again and again over the six months from the start of the session to the special session on June 11, CCM rallied mayors and first selectmen from all around the state to remind legislators that the municipal share of the tax cost the state nothing and was a vital source of revenue to towns and cities – one of the few available beyond the property tax.

Legislators, who supported maintaining the tax rate, said CCM President Paterson, "cast a vote for property tax relief, and should be applauded for standing up for property tax payers and standing up against the special interest lobby that sought to eliminate $40 million in municipal revenues."

CCM Executive Director & CEO Jim Finley said municipal officials who "spoke loudly and in unison" in defense of the tax showed they can make a difference at the State Capitol. He also reminded them that the support of member towns gives CCM the resources it needs to successfully promote and defend municipal interests at the state level. CCM is the only association that has a full-time team of lobbyists working on behalf of our towns and cities.

And the conveyance tax was just one of the hundreds of issues CCM worked on during the past session.