Orange Selectmen Vote To Pause Flock Camera Technology Rollout

ORANGE, CT — The Board of Selectmen voted Aug. 12 to pause the town's use of Flock camera technology and authorized First Selectman James Zeoli to consult with town counsel about protecting the town's interests going forward.

Selectmen Mitchell Goldblatt, Judy Smith, John Carangelo and William Kraut voted in favor of pausing the technology, while Selectman PJ Shanley voted against the motion, according to the meeting minutes. The minutes do not record Zeoli's vote on the motion.

The decision followed extensive public participation focused largely on the Flock cameras. Residents Doug Moquet, Gabe Martinez, Liz Nucifora, Paulo Romanci, Randy Swyers, Finn Hamblet, Jude Toohey, Daniel Tarifi, Eric Meeson, Caroline McNabola and Jen Jorge spoke in favor of removing the cameras or against their use.

Frank Esposito told the board he had mixed feelings about the technology and believed it should be used by law enforcement only with a warrant. Michele Tenney said she saw both sides of the issue but believed privacy and safety needed to be balanced.

Kevin McNabola said the cameras could be useful on major roads for solving crimes regionally but said he did not want cameras in neighborhoods.

Weekly food waste collection approved

The board also unanimously approved weekly collection of food waste from the Orange Transfer Station by Enviro Express Inc.

Goldblatt said the proposal calls for food scraps collected at the transfer station to be transported to a food digester in Southington for disposal.

Selectmen unanimously approved a conservation and traffic mitigation district adopted by the Orange Plan and Zoning Commission on July 7.

Zeoli said the Planning and Zoning Commission created the district to comply with Public Act 25-1, which was passed by the Connecticut General Assembly. The board also authorized Zeoli to submit a property description of the district to the secretary of the state Office of Policy and Management, as required by the law.

Two neighborhood block parties approved

Selectmen unanimously approved two upcoming neighborhood block parties.

A block party in the Shagbark Drive and Indian Hill Road neighborhood was approved for Aug. 29. The board also approved a Sept. 13 block party in the Muirfield Road neighborhood.

The board unanimously approved its 2025-26 annual report and an amendment to Section 302-20 of the town code correcting an inconsistency in language concerning license expiration dates.

Selectmen also approved $1,085.47 in tax refunds for August.

Zeoli reports on primary costs, school opening

During announcements, Zeoli reported that 599 votes were cast in the August primary out of 2,810 registered Democrats. The town recorded 184 early votes.

Zeoli said staffing the early voting polls required 64 hours, along with 43 hours of setup. He reported a cost of $9,351.40 to the town, while Orange received a state grant of $8,891.66 covering the August primary and November election.

Zeoli also announced that Aug. 31 would be the first day of school for Amity and Orange elementary schools. Town offices and the transfer station will be closed Sept. 7 for Labor Day.

Goldblatt announced that the next town shredding day is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Zeoli also thanked volunteers who helped with the Orange Volunteer Firemen's Carnival and announced the carnival raffle winners. According to the minutes, Joe Hannon and his wife donated their $10,000 raffle prize back to the Fire Department.

The Aug. 12 meeting began at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Zeoli, Goldblatt, Smith, Shanley, Carangelo and Kraut were present, along with Town Counsel Jeremy Gustafson and board Secretary Ann Denny.

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