blevine@thestamfordtimes.com

STAMFORD — An ordinance some city representatives hoped would encourage residents to go green, was defeated by the board at its regular monthly meeting last week.

Legislators voted down an ordinance, 26-10, which would have allowed citizens to exempt the first $2,000 in assessed value of hybrid or fuel-efficient cars purchased on or after May 31 of this year.

The ordinance was voted down in large part because many board members felt shifting the tax burden to residents who don't purchase hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicles to be unfair.

"I thought it was a noble idea, but buying a hybrid car is a matter of consumer choice," said City Rep. Scott Mirkin, R-13.

Had the ordinance passed, city residents would have saved about $68 in property taxes, under the current mill rate.

Under Connecticut statute, residents are exempt from the state's 6 percent sales tax on the purchase of hybrid vehicles that get at least 40 miles to the gallon.

At a public hearing held last month, the legislative and rules committee raised the potential exemption to $4,000, however the full board voted against that measure before eventually shooting down the whole proposal.

Mayor Dannel Malloy proposed offering the $2,000 as part of the city's ongoing effort to be more energy and environmentally conscious.

Some board members expressed concerns over the cost of hybrid vehicles, which are more expensive than conventional gas-powered cars, and worried that Stamford's low-income families would not be able to afford the cars.

However, Rep. Eileen Heaphy, D-8, said the perception of hybrids as luxury cars is a myth, pointing to the two-person smart car, which costs abut $11,000.

Heaphy said she was surprised the ordinance failed on May 5, given that it had passed for publication in April.

"We're going to put it back on the pending agenda and look at how to address the concerns so we can move this ordinance forward," Heaphy said.

She said the idea of the ordinance was to inspire people to be environmentally conscious, and not to make it an issue of rich versus poor.

"We're all breathing the same air," she said.

According figures provided by J.D. Power and Associates, sales of hybrid vehicles increased by 40 percent from 2006 to 2007. During the first quarter of this year, 92,000 hybrid vehicles were sold nationwide. However, this figure still only represents 2.6 percent of all automobile sales.