Chair Report: December 13 Regular and Special Meeting Review

Good Afternoon, and a Happy Friday neighbors! From the Council Chair, providing a review of our Tuesday, December 13th special and regular meetings.

The Town Council first met for a special meeting to enter executive session for the purpose of Union Negotiations.

Following this special meeting, three citations honoring former Veterans Recognition Commissioners (VRC) H. Gregory Forbush and Robert D. Lincoln as well as Marianne Tapp, spouse of former VRC chair Richard Tapp, were read into the record and were presented to them at an event held earlier that day.

Following the reading of these citations, a public hearing for a resolution for a supplemental appropriation for three bridge improvement projects to be funded 100% by state and federal funds was unanimously approved by the Town Council. The town will be reimbursed by these funds and projects are expected to be completed in 2024.

The Town Council then had six new business items for discussion and/or action. The first of these was a unanimous approval to declare various Board of Education (BoE) equipment obsolete.

The second item of business was a unanimously approved resolution to process the Assistance Agreement between Tolland and the Department of Economic Community Development (DECD).

The council then approved unanimously the necessary funds to ratify CSEA, SEIU Local 2001 Collective Bargaining Agreement for July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025. The union has agreed to the tentative agreement in November and requires council approval to be finalized. The agreement includes annual wage adjustments, maintaining employee health insurance and deductible contributions, calculation changes for sick leave, probation periods for new and promotional employees, vacation flexibility for new hires based on prior experience and clarification for leave time for mechanics when on summer hours.

The fourth item of business before the Town Council was an amendment to the Firehouse Sub-Committee. This amendment was approved unanimously to add the recently hired Projects and Grants Manager Megan Massa to the Sub-committee.

The fifth item of discussion before the council was a 6-month review of Town Council goals, which were set on December 28th, 2021. Discussions included, but are not limited long-term capital equipment/infrastructure plans, public safety, economic development, recreation, the budget and well water concerns.

The sixth and final new business item is three reappointments and one new appointment. The reappointments include the Permanent Celebration Committee, Ethics Commission and Blight Review Committee and one new appointment to the Tolland Housing Authority. These were approved unanimously by the council.

Thank you for taking the time to review this report, agenda, meeting packet and Town Manager report below:

December 13th special meeting minutes - https://ecode360.com/TO1208/document/698760996.pdf

December 13th meeting minutes - https://ecode360.com/TO1208/document/698761149.pdf

December 13th meeting packet - https://www.tollandct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3921/f/uploads/december_13_2022_town_council_packet.pdf

Tolland Town Manager December Report - https://www.tollandct.gov/site...

If you would like to submit any questions or comments to the Town Council, please email us at towncouncil@tollandct.gov.