8/6/2021 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good afternoon,
There have been unprecedented crowds at the carnival so I hope you have been enjoying yourselves. Great job by our volunteer fire department and all the volunteers working this great event.
Yesterday, the Governor signed an executive order allowing me to mandate masks in all buildings in Easton. Although I am going to hold off mandating masks, I am concerned and highly recommend it. I will continue to monitor the situation closely. The number of cases in Easton are rising and we have 12 new cases per week for the two weeks ending July 31. This is one of the worst numbers in the state (see ct.gov/coronoavirus https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/COVID-19-Data-Tracker) which shows Easton as one of the few red towns on the state map. While our vaccination rates are very good, they are the least good of Easton, Weston and Westport, and we have higher rates than they do. For now, I will say that I would encourage people to consider wearing masks indoors. It is clear that vaccinated people can get and spread the virus, and we have seen some unvaccinated people get very ill. Also, if you have not been vaccinated please do. We have always come together as a town so rather than a mandate, I trust people to be careful and do the right thing. Together with the health district we will monitor the situation carefully. With the opening of schools coming up and with our strong record of keeping our Senior Center open and available to our seniors the town will adjust policy as needed.
We are completing the data verification stage of the revaluation of property values. For those homes which did not return the request for verification which was sent to every residence the revaluation company will continue to visit residences. The town and police department are aware of their presence. They carry identification, their cars have signs, and they have with them a letter from the Easton Assessor's office. While it angers some residents that these people show up at their houses, verification for reevaluation of property values is a necessary step for us to calculate assessments. If the data is inaccurate and residents do not allow the town to confirm the data, your tax bill will be inaccurate. Inaccurate tax bills create added expense for the town and may increase the tax burden on those residents who follow the correct procedures. Again, no house that correctly returned the card that was sent to them is being visited. Please cooperate with these folks who are just trying to do their jobs.
I continue to receive a multitude of complaints about Optimum, but I believe that this is still only a few of all the complaints that I am told are out there on social media. Please forward ALL complaints to my office so I can continue to pressure the company to service us better. Also, I am working to set up a public hearing for the executives of the company to hear our complaints directly at a public forum in Easton. This should occur in September.
On Monday we will welcome Mark DeLieto as our new Zoning Enforcement Officer. Mark has an extensive law enforcement background and is working with both Planning and Zoning and Conservation to get up to speed on Easton's regulations. Hopefully, you will all get to meet him.
Enjoy the rest of the carnival.
Dave