Chair Report: August 9th Meeting Review

Good Morning, and Happy Friday Tolland! From the Council Chair, providing a review of our regular meeting to be held on August 9th.

First, the Town Council continued a discussion first had on July 26th regarding the Firehouse Improvement Plans. Due to inflation, the general cost of bids, materials and labor, prices have increase dramatically, causing the town to reconsider the scope of the project. Town staff indicated that at this point the best path going forward would be to fully replace station 340 on Gehring Road and receive an engineering estimate to refurbish 440 on Plains Road to best meet the needs of Public Safety while staying within the amount approved at the 2021 Referendum. Following these stations, the town would examine addressing the crumbling foundation situation at 140. Additionally, the council will be seeking to establish a Firehouse Building Subcommittee at our next regular meeting.

For the second item of business, the Town Council unanimously approved several recommendations for use of Tolland’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by our ARPA Subcommittee comprised of council members and town staff. These recommendations included a number of capital improvement projects that will reduce long-term debt, reduce use of our Capital and Non-Recurring Expenditure (CNRE) Fund, and provide consulting services for the Tolland Mental Health Task Force to better carry out their goals and tasks.

The third item for consideration before the Town Council was a unanimous approval to declare Rescue Truck 240 as surplus property within the town. This vehicle is from 2002 and is being replaced by another truck that was ordered last year. The truck will be advertised for sale in “as is” condition. In the past, similar equipment has been sold to smaller communities within the region. Monies earned from the sale may either go into the CNRE fund or the Ambulance Reserve Fund depending on which funding source the 2002 truck was purchased from, however the council has the option to deposit the proceeds elsewhere according to town staff.

The final item for action was several appointments and reappointments to various boards and commissions, which includes four members of the Commission on People with Disabilities and three members of the Agriculture Commission. These were all approved unanimously

To view the Town Council Meeting Minutes and Packet, please visit:

Minutes - https://ecode360.com/documents/TO1208/public/675400050.pdf

Packet - https://www.tollandct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3921/f/uploads/july_26_2022_council_packet_0.pdf

To view the Town Manager’s August Report, please visit: https://www.tollandct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3921/f/uploads/august_9_2022_managers_report.pdf

Thank you for taking time to review the Town Council’s upcoming meeting. To submit any questions or comments to the Tolland Town Council, please email towncouncil@tollandct.gov.