Chair Report: March 20th Review and March 28th Preview

Good Morning, and good Friday to you neighbors. From the council chair, providing a review of our March 20th budget meeting and a review of our March 28th Regular meeting. Unfortunately, due to a ‘zoombombing’ hacking incident, the March 23rd Budget Public Hearing had was brought to recess while staff sought a solution to resume the hearing. Ultimately, the Town Council adjourned to reschedule the hearing at a later date in person. Town staff are looking to re-institute hybrid meetings as soon as possible with stronger securities in place, but will be shifting to in-person meetings temporarily to avoid further disruptions to town business.

On March 20th, the Town Council reviewed Planning & Community Development, Board of Education and Solid Waste, with questions to be answered by department heads, the Board of Education Superintendent and the town manager. Public Comment on all Department presentations was opened and several residents spoke up.

On Tuesday, March 28th, the Town Council has three new items of business for discussion and potential action. The Town Council will first meet with Capital Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) president Matt Hart for a presentation on the role CRCOG plays in the region, Tolland’s involvement/benefits and other topics.

The second item of business is a state-level ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) application for an Online Abuse Prevention Grant Program provided by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). If awarded, the town would offer a community program through the Tolland Public Library to train attendees on addressing online abuse and cyber bullying-related issues. Funding would also provide educational materials and books on these topics for the library to provide to residents.

The third item of business before Town Council is a consideration of a resolution ratifying the Teamsters Local 1035 Collective Bargaining Agreement for a three-year contract. Negotiations have been ongoing since April of 2022 and a tentative agreement has been reached by both sides. If approved, the union would receive wages increases of 3% in year one, 2% in year two as well as in year three. Changes to the health insurance plan and language changes have also been made regarding testing, vacation, personal days and sick time and other areas.

Thank you for taking the time to review this report and the attached links above. If you would like to submit any questions or comments to the Town Council regarding the budget and other town-related topics, please email us at towncouncil@tollandct.gov.