Chairperson's Report: August 8th Council Meeting Review

Good Afternoon neighbors, and Happy Friday to you! Please see below the chairperson’s report for the August 8th regular meeting held this week.

The Town Council had five new items of business to conduct, starting with a resolution to authorize the Town Manager to apply for a Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant through the state’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM).

The grant application is to convert the former ice skating rink at Heron Cove Park into pickleball courts, which is currently a part of the town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for 2026-2027. The cost of the project is estimated to be $415,000, with $375,000 being requested through the STEAP grant.

After discussing the initial town match of roughly 10% ($40,000), the council unanimously decided to increase the match to 20% ($83,000) from the town’s CNRE (Capital Non-Recurring Expenditure) Fund if the award is granted to increase the town’s odds of receiving the grant per STEAP guidelines.

The second item of business is a resolution approving the Suspense Tax List for June 30,2023. The list includes 125 accounts that owe $52,254.04 that will be removed from the town’s assets, though the list will be turned over to the Rossi Law Firm to continue collection efforts at no cost to the town. The law firm has so far collected $3,500 from last year’s suspense list, which was $500 better than what was budgeted. This item was approved unanimously.

The third item of business is the declaration of Tolland Fire Department’s Truck 240 from 1990 as surplus property. The vehicle will be disposed of through an ‘as is’ sale and has been replaced as a part of the town’s CIP for public safety vehicles. All profits from the sale go back into the Tolland Fire Department’s Ambulance Reserve Fund, which is used to repair and/or replace our two current ambulances. This declaration was approved unanimously by Town Council.

The fourth agenda item was a resolution setting a public hearing for proposed ADA sidewalks on the Tolland Town Green for August 22nd, 2023. The public hearing is to ensure all residents have an opportunity to provide input on this project, which has been a priority of this council and past councils for several years.

The plan currently sits with the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) to provide an opinion on the project. The PZC has also referred the project to the Design Advisory Board for additional review. A formal communication regarding the hearing has been sent out to all abutters and a legal notice will be published in the Journal Inquirer.

The final agenda item is the appointment and reappointment of members to various boards and commissions, which include one new appointment to the Technology Advisory Board and four reappointments to the Commission on People with Disabilities.

The Town Council also received a fiscal report from our Finance Director, Lisa Hancock. While these numbers are preliminary, the town’s revenue collected was significantly higher than projected due to investment returns performing stronger than anticipated, increases in tax collection revenue from motor vehicles, unanticipated state aid, increases in permits/fees and savings found by the Town and Board of Education.

The council shared their concerns and suggestions regarding future capital items and reduce borrowing costs to minimize their impact on future budgets. Additional data and suggestions for use of these funds was request by several council members.

To review the meeting minutes, meeting packet and Town Manager Report, please visit:

August 8th Minutes - https://ecode360.com/TO1208/document/743162566.pdf

August 8th Packet - https://www.tollandct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3921/f/uploads/2023-08-08_regular_meeting_packet.pdf

August Town Manager Report – https://www.tollandct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3921/f/uploads/august_8_2023_town_manager_report_with_attachments.pdf

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