Simsbury Board of Selectmen Meeting Februrary 24, 2025

Board of Selectmen Meeting February 24, 2025

During the discussion on how to allocate the funding from the ARPA revenues, First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis was adamant about using these funds for a Police Service Dog at a cost of $70,000 that notes that funding is for 2 years.

I received a review of Expenditures and a List of Events for 1 year.

According the information I received on my FOI request from Chief Boulter, the cost of food ( Chewy) for Clifton is $766.19 delivered to Town Hall.

There are costs for Dog Stickers, Window Tinting, Heat Sensor Alarm, Grooming, Veterinarian visits, Holiday Cards, and a Poster Clifton Cares.

The mileage on the Car dedicated to Clifton is 26, 371.

When Officer Ball works over 8 hours he is given Comp Time, another expense.

When Clifton’s Officer is doing fingerprinting etc., Clifton is caged in the Police Department.

It appears that our Comfort Dog spends most of his time being uncomfortable.

Officer Ball and Clifton go on field trips out of town.

It is noted that they went to Mystic Aquarion, Unconn in Storrs twice, Montville High School, Framingham State College, Springfield College, Windsor PD twice, University of Hartford, Groton Public Library, WFSB for a commercial, Tennessee Police Funeral, Indys Party in Naugatuck, Tunxis College, State Capitol, Wahington D.C., Ct Science Center, Camp Courant in Farmington twice, Westfield University, and Ansonia.

This is in addition to the visits to Simsbury schools, businesses, and gas for 26,371 miles.

It appears that First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis chose a wasteful project that has not given the taxpayers a valuable return on their investment.

The taxpayers never envisioned that the Comfort Dog expenditures would escalate over the years.

The cost of taking a Police Officer off line, to handle a Comfort Dog, while the Police Department is short Officers is a management issue of setting priorities that are inconsistent with professional management, creating a morale issue.

The Car that is used for transport of the Comfort Dog should be repurposed for a patrol car that would lower the cost of purchasing an additional car.

The experiment of having a Comfort Dog in the Police Department was full of extravagant expenditures that did not add any value and should be removed from the budget.

This is an example of wasteful spending of tax dollars.

I would suggest that First Selectmen Wendy Mackstutis adopt the dog with the crate since she was Clifton’s advocate and the time-line for the expenditures has expired.

First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis will be making decisions on the spending allocations for the 2025-2026 budget.

Our elected officials should develop a budget and allocate expenditures that are not on whims or feelings but legitimate needs of the taxpayers.

The Town has applied for a Grant for $450,000 to use taxpayer money for Brownfield remediation on private property 1263-1285, the Wagner property.

Usually, the responsible party is noticed by the State to pay for the remediation, not taxpayer money.

According to Town Manager Marc Nelson, this is one of his actions to encourage economic development.

Another tool Town Manager Marc Nelson is going to use is tax abatements.

According to Lisa Heavner’s thorough study on the applications of tax abatements, it was found that tax abatements are not a good tool for encouraging development.

However, in my conversation with Marc Nelson, he stated that the present studies have debunked the theory that abatements have not proven to encourage development.

The taxpayers should not be a party to pay for any commercial development.

If the development has merit it will be built through private resources.

Recently I received from the Board of Education a link from the State of Connecticut on the costs of Special Education in Simsbury over the years.

I posted the link on twitter@joancoe.

According to the website Simsbury spent $10,642,207 in the 2005-06 budget for Special Education.

The budget for 2022-2023 for Special Education was $21,054,775.

The Simsbury Schools have had fewer students over the years but the budget for Special Education has doubled.

It appears like everything in government, find a cause for concern and build an industry around the issue.

Taxpayers can no longer afford to pay increasing costs for Special Education.

The State should be required to provide alternative schools for students with behavioral issues and other alternative needs.

Many of the Charter and Magnet schools could be repurposed for all students that cannot assimilate in the public-school setting.

All support services for Special Education should be reduced in half as a beginning to reduce the budget.

The electric charging station in Town Hall parking lot should be removed.

The taxpayers should not be required to pay for everyone’s electric car.

DEI must be eliminated from Town government.