5/04/2020 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass...

Good afternoon,

I hope you all enjoyed the lovely weekend. From personal experience, I saw many enjoying a nice walk outside, while also practicing good social distancing. Use of our wonderful open space was good and handled responsibly. Other towns have begun opening their outdoor spaces and beaches as well, and we will monitor the situation. All town leaders in the county will be reviewing data on COVID-19 cases to assess the effects of these gradual openings. I continue to believe that the people of Easton will be responsible and do the right thing. Just to keep our perspective, on Friday there were 523 new cases reported in Connecticut, and yesterday 59 deaths in the state related to the virus.  It would be foolish to think that this is nearing an end, or that the numbers cannot rise again. 

With much work, we had secured permission to hold a modified referendum on the budget and vote on joining the Westport Weston Health District.  With push back from other towns that had already decided not to have Town Meetings or “in person” voting, all budget referendums in the state were banned by Executive Order 7HH.  Therefore, the Board of Selectmen shall authorize the Board of Finance to formulate a budget and set an appropriate mill rate. The Board of Finance will meet this week, and next to call back various departments.  Public input from the website will be considered but the Board of Finance’s decision will be the final budget. The decision on joining the Westport Weston Health District will be postponed until the Easton residents can safely vote.  

After consultation with the Easton Exchange Club and the American Legion Post 160 and in agreement with every town around, us we have cancelled the Memorial Day parade for safety reasons. We are looking at some alternatives. A rescheduled parade may be related to or coincide with a celebration of the 175th Anniversary of the Town of Easton, while not losing sight of the primary purpose of Memorial Day. 

The Board of Selectmen will consider a resolution to ban 5G networks from Easton temporarily until more information can be gathered about the potential side effects of the transmissions. 

Lastly, we are having discussions about reopening some of the town’s facilities and programs. More to come as the week progresses.

Be safe and be well!

Dave Bindelglass