Simsbury Board of Selectmen Meeting July 8, 2024

Board of Selectmen Meeting July 8, 2024

The municipal fiscal year starts at July 1, 2024.

Now is the time to move forward and reevaluate many of the policies and budgets for the next year.

The Board of Selectmen should convene a Charter Revision Commission to review the Charter to reflect a Town Manager’s duties and responsibilities.

All the Boards and Commissions should be judged on past performance, accomplishments, and value to the Town.

Those with poor performance should be eliminated from the Charter.

People appointed to the Charter Revision Commission should have the ability to judge performance, review the organizational chart and make recommendations and changes, if necessary.

Appointed members should have a historical perspective of the Town and an open mind.

There should be a discussion of the First Selectman role and the need for a monetary stipend.

Other surrounding towns do not have a monetary stipend for their mayors.

All expenses can be received by filling out an invoice to be reimbursed by the town.

There should be a well-defined role of a liaison to the Boards and Commissions.

The Economic Development meeting of December 20, 2023 minutes reflect that Deputy Selectman Steven Antonio, a liaison to the Economic Development Commission was participating as an equal member of the Commission by nominating the selection of EDC members to executive positions.

This should be reviewed for compliance in the Charter.

The Simsbury Performing Arts Center will hire a new director as Missy DiNunno has accepted another position.

The new director should be aware of the need of balancing the concerts and other activities that bring many people to the Simsbury Meadows and the need to protect the town businesses from people parking in their designated spaces.

This is a letter reflecting the views of the business community.

“When the town allows events that shut down a business on what should be a busy morning you realize small businesses do not matter. Not a single parking spot in our entire lot front and back, employees arriving 20 minutes late because they must drive trying to find a spot. Signs threatening to tow were ignored. Now I am watching customers leave because they have no place to park. I have not hidden our struggles and the struggle of small business. This does nothing for the town. None of the 200 cars in my lot will come in to shop here or anywhere else in town. None of my regular customers will be able to shop. These events do not help the town. Extra police brought in on their days off to control traffic, lost business, this must stop!”

Signs are not enough to change behavior.

The members of staff and the Board of Selectmen should evaluate all Gathering Permits on traffic impact, designated parking spaces and impact to the business community.

There should be discussion on the expenditures in the budget for the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education.

There should be Zero-Based budgeting with line items evaluated and reduced.

There should be a discussion on a deficit in the Simsbury Farms Revenue Fund of $151,000 last year and a continual deficit yearly.

There should be discussion on out-sourcing the golf course to a management company.

Special Education is a large expenditure escalating in costs yearly.

There should be a discussion on Regionalizing Special Education to lessen the impact on the taxpayers.

Teachers are not equipped to meet the mental, physical and emotional needs of severely impaired students causing injuries to staff as I posted on twitter@joancoe, workplace injuries.

The Board of Education should redistrict the schools and place the 6th grade at the Junior High.

I would like to report that I have a complaint against the Police Department with the Freedom of Information Commission for an unusual delay in fulfilling requests for information, a violation of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Police Department is asking for public input as part of their accreditation process.

There are institutional failures in the Police Department that are not being addressed.

There is a need to fulfill requests of reports in a timely manner.

Deficiencies in management as described in the Certus Solutions report should be addressed and the poor morale in the Police Department leading to a No Confidence vote of Chief Boulter should not be ignored.

The Zoning Commission has approved a site plan for Starbucks and Chipotle restaurants.

The application was submitted on June 2023.

What is the delay?

The increases in taxes that everyone has received will have a devastating effect on economic development.

Rents will be increased for businesses and apartments, making the businesses that are barely surviving go out of business as has been recently reported.