The New Haven Tax Committee voted Nov. 25 to approve forgiveness of back taxes and interest for Radio Ambuana Inc., conditionally, if the city assessor provisionally accepts the nonprofit’s corrected exemption paperwork.

The decision followed testimony from Abraham Hernandez, who said he represents the organization’s property interests, and a board representative who said the radio nonprofit has been a long-standing community resource. "We shared with the city the status, and we've always been a 5 0 1 c 3," the board representative said during testimony.

Committee members and staff described the issue as a paperwork lapse. City staff said Radio Ambuana failed to file a required M3 form in 2021, which removed the property’s city tax-exempt status for the affected years and led to assessed taxes, accumulated interest and a foreclosure action that is currently on hold. "The building is at $16,007.85. The personal property is only $182.12," a staff member said when breaking down line items for the account.

Members debated options including continuing the item to January for a formal review or approving forgiveness now with language making any abatement contingent on provisional assessor approval. Several members urged forgiveness, citing the organization’s long record of community service. One member said the total contested amount was "60 plus thousand," which staff framed as the aggregate consequence of lost exemption status across years.

The motion to approve the item was moved and seconded; the committee voted by voice to approve forgiveness in its entirety contingent on the assessor’s provisional approval and directed staff to notify the chair before the full-board vote. Staff said that if the assessor grants provisional acceptance, the board would be in a position to forgive back taxes because the exemption would be retroactive for the years covered by the M3 filing.

The committee’s action does not itself change tax records; forgiveness will proceed only after the assessor’s determination and a subsequent full-board process. The chair said he will monitor the assessor’s provisional determination and inform committee members before the scheduled vote.

What happens next: staff will notify the chair of the assessor’s provisional determination; if the assessor confirms the exemption, the board will proceed with the forgiveness on the committee’s direction.