Topic:
LEASES; STATE OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; STATE PROPERTY;
Location:
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, CT DEPT OF; LEASING; PUBLIC EMPLOYEES - STATE;

OLR Research Report


August 30, 2004

  

2004-R-0693

RENT PAID BY GAME WARDENS LIVING ON STATE PROPERTY

By: Paul Frisman, Associate Analyst

You asked if game wardens pay fair market value for the rental of their state-owned homes, and for examples of some specific rents.

SUMMARY

State conservation officers, formerly called game wardens, work for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Under a housing policy DEP adopted this year, DEP employees living in state-owned houses must pay fair market rents. However, DEP may adjust these rents to encourage employees to work in specific locations, or to compensate them for protecting the property from vandalism or performing such light maintenance as mowing and shoveling.

DEP RENTAL POLICY

DEP Commissioner Art Rocque announced the new housing policy on April 26, 2004. Among other things, it recommends that:

• only DEP employees live in DEP-owned houses;

• employees living in DEP-owned housing pay rent based on fair market appraisals, adjusted to encourage employees to work at specific locations or to compensate those who agree to perform various services for the department (e. g. light maintenance and protecting against vandalism); and

• most non-DEP employees vacate DEP housing.

We have attached DEP’s announcement of its new housing policy, which also can be found at DEP housing policy.

FAIR MARKET RENTS IN DEP-OWNED HOUSING

DEP reviewed the status of more than 125 of its houses or buildings before concluding that it would make 44 of these available to its employees. Table I, below, shows these 44 properties, and the fair market rent for each property, based on June 2003 appraisals. However, the table does not indicate any rent adjustments DEP may have made.

Table 1: DEP Housing Planned for Lease to DEP Employees

Town

Facility

Bedrooms

Fair Market Rent

Lot Size

Location

Barkhamsted

Whittemore

2

$ 375

House Only

East River Road

Barkhamsted

Whittemore

3

$ 250

House Only

Within Hatchery Fence

Burlington

Burlington Hatchery

3

$ 1,500

1 acre

Beldon Road

Burlington

Sessions Woods

2

$ 975

2 acres

Park Interior

Chaplin

Mansfield Hollow

2

$ 825

1 acre

Rte. 6

Derby

Osbornedale

3

$ 1,000

1 acre

500 Roosevelt Ave.

East Haddam

Devil's Hopyard

2

$ 1,300

4 acres

Mitchell Road

East Haddam

Devil's Hopyard

3

$ 800

4 acres

Maintenance Facility

East Haddam

Gillette Castle

3

$ 850

2 acres

River Road

East Lyme

Rocky Neck

5

$ 1,325

2 acres

Rte. 156

Eastford

Natchaug State Forest

3

$ 1,125

2 acres

State Forest Rd.

Goshen

Blue Cross Blue Shield property

2

$ 925

5 acres

Goshen Road

Griswold

Hopeville Pond

4

$ 1,275

1 acre

Park HQ

Haddam

Cockaponset

3

$ 1,250

2 acres

Across from Maintenance Facility

Hamden

Sleeping Giant

2

$ 1,300

2 acres

200 Mt. Carmel Ave.

Hampton

Goodwin

3

$ 925

2 acres

At Nature Center

Hebron

Gay City

3

$ 1,000

2 acres

North of Park Entrance

Kensington

Hatchery

2

$ 1,275

2 acres

Hatchery Entrance

Kensington

Hatchery

2

$ 1,000

2 acres

2nd Floor, Hatchery Office

-Continued-

Town

Facility

Bedrooms

Fair Market Rent

Lot Size

Location

Kent

Macedonia Brook

2

$ 1,350

2 acres

2 miles n. of Rte. 341

Killingworth

Forster Pond

2

$ 1,400

2 acres

in state park

Killingworth

Chatfield Hollow

2

$ 1,100

2 acres

Maintenance Facility, Rte. 80

Litchfield

Topsmead

3

$ 1,300

2 acres

Rte. 202 & East Litchfield Rd.

Madison

Hammonasset

3

$ 1,250

2 acres

Near Maintenance Facility

Madison

Hammonasset

3

$ 1,375

1. 57 acres

At Maintenance Facility

Middletown

Wadsworth Falls

3

$ 1,300

1 acre

At Maintenance Facility

New Fairfield

Squantz Pond

4

$ 1,500

2 acres

At Maintenance Facility

Plainfield

Quinebaug Hatchery

3

$ 1,100

2 acres

Adjacent to hatchery

Plainfield

Quinebaug Hatchery

2

$ 1,175

2 acres

Adjacent to hatchery

Portland

Portland Depot

4

$ 1,375

2 acres

Depot entrance

Redding

Putnam Memorial State Park

4

$ 2,150

2 acres

Rtes. 107 & 58, Maintenance Facility

Redding

Putnam Memorial State Park

4

$ 1,900

2 acres

Rtes. 107 & 58, Maintenance Facility

Southbury

Kettletown State Park

2

$ 1,600

2 acres

Park entrance

Sprague

Salt Rock State Park

3

$ 1,550

2 acres

120 Scotland Rd.

Stafford

Shenipsit

2

$ 875

2 acres

Adjacent to Forest HQ

Thompson

Quaddick Pond

4

$ 825

0. 33 acre

S. of Park Entrance

Torrington

Taylor Brook Campground

1

$ 775

0. 5 acre

Inside campground gate

Torrington

Burr Pond

2

$ 1,400

2 acres

Gate before Park Entrance

Voluntown

Pachaug

3

$ 1,175

2 acres

Rte. 49 at Park HQ

Voluntown

Pachaug

4

$ 1,150

2 acres

State Forest Rd.

Waterford

Harkness

5

$ 2,200

2 acres

near Park entrance

Westport

Sherwood Island

2

$ 1,900

2 acres

inside park gate

Westport

Sherwood Island

3

$ 2,275

2 acres

inside park gate

Westport

Sherwood Island

4

$ 2,625

2 acres

inside park gate

Source: DEP Housing Policy and "Complete Residential Market Rental Valuations," June 2003

FURTHER INFORMATION

More information about DEP-owned properties and its housing policy may be found in OLR Report 2004-R-0353 (attached), or on-line at (http: //search. cga. state. ct. us/dl2004/rpt/doc/2004-R-0353. doc

PF: ts