5/5/2023 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon,
On May 2nd, the town approved the 2023-24 annual budget and the region 9 budget. First, I want to thank everyone who worked at the polls that day. Only 794 people voted, but I want to thank all of those who did. I am not sure what to make of the low turnout, certainly, the weather was miserable for much of the day. Nonetheless, I believe that the town delivered a reasonable budget as did Region 9 and so I am gratified for the approval. I want to thank the board of finance and the boards of education for their hard work in preparing the budgets. We continue to be able to provide great services to the town and to our children in a fiscally responsible manor because we have so many wonderful people working for our town and our schools. The spending increase including board of education for the town is 3.86% and the Easton portion of region 9 board of education is 4.24%. The overall region 9 increase is .23%. After the referendum, the board of finance met and set the mill rate at 28.96 for an increase of 1.85%. The voters also approved a $4.5 million-dollar bond for renovations at the high school athletic complex. Redding has committed $250,000 from their Covid relief money to the project and are expecting Easton to contribute the same amount. The board of selectmen will discuss how to meet that expectation.
At the board of selectman meeting last night, there was a discussion about whether or not the town should continue to have a zoom option for regular meetings of the planning and zoning commission and board of finance. It was decided to continue. There was further discussion about the quality and posting of the recordings. We have spent a lot of time researching this and to truly have a hybrid meeting is difficult. One resident suggested that it would take $50,000 for appropriate technology and that we should do it. Although there may be multiple factors at play, the average zoom attendance at regular planning and zoning meetings is 3 with less for the board of finance.
The board also accepted the resignation of Ray Martin. In his letter, Ray detailed what he thought needed to be accomplished, particularly in terms of finishing business before the committee and ensuring a smooth transition. He gave an end date of July 19 which is after the July meeting.
The board also made some changes to the EMS building committee. The new committee members are; Williams Andrews, Jon Arnold, Wendy Bowditch, John Foley, Michael Gutowski, Robert Klem, Victor Malindretos and James McCarthy. The first charge will be to nominate a chairperson.
Recently, Ed Kovac passed away peacefully at home. He served the town of Easton in numerous roles, including as a member of the board of ethics and as a member of the regional board of education. Ed was a longstanding member of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department. He served as the President and was instrumental in the completion of a new firehouse building in 1989.
The Annual Garden Mart Plant Sale is coming! This is Easton Garden Club’s biggest annual fundraiser. The plant sale is Saturday, May 13th, at the Easton Firehouse Green at 1 Center Road, Easton from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Learn more by visiting Easton Garden Club.
Senior Tax Relief Applications are due Monday, May 15, 2023. Interested senior homeowners not already in the program, that meet the qualifications may contact the Assessor’s Office for an application. Additional information about Elderly Tax Relief Programs is available here: Senior Tax Relief Programs.
On May 16th at 7:00pm at Samuel Staples elementary school, the planning & zoning commission has invited CT169 Strong to participate in a planning meeting to help explain potential impacts of proposed/approved land use legislation in the State of CT. Residents are encouraged to attend and public comment will be welcomed. Please check the town website for updates.
The Sviatohirsk steering committee continues to work on fundraising and events for our Ukraine sister city. I encourage you to read the article in the Easton Courier, Support for Sister City Sviatohirsk, Ukraine - Easton Courier and to join us on Sunday, May 21st at the Easton Public Library from 1:00pm-3:00pm to hear about life in Ukraine from people living on the front lines.
SAVE THE DATE: On May 29th, the town will hold its annual Easton Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony in honor of, and to recognize all the living and deceased veterans. The parade will begin at the Easton Firehouse, 1 Center Road at 9:30am and end with a ceremony at Town Hall. More information to come.
Have a great weekend.
Dave