Chariperson's Report: October 24th Meeting Review

Good afternoon neighbors, and happy final Friday of October! Please see below the chairperson’s report for the October 24th Regular Meeting.

The Town Council first read into the record two proclamations. The first honored Library Director Barbara Pettijohn on their retirement after serving twelve years with the Town of Tolland.

Lynn Bielawiec was also recognized and honored for their retirement from the Town of Tolland after serving 25 years as an executive assistant in the Town Manager’s office.

Several outgoing councilors not seeking re-election were also honored with state citations from Rep. Tim Ackert’s office.

The Town Council continued their public hearing on revisions to Chapter 51 of the Tolland Town Code concerning Adult-Oriented Establishments, which was extended into the November 14th regular meeting to offer the town attorney more time to make recommended revisions.

Five new items of business were also completed, with the first being a unanimous approval of a resolution to enter into a five-year contract with Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

The council then unanimously approved supplemental appropriation of $246 to increase the Human Services budget due to additional state revenue. These funds will be allocated to a program targeting vaping cessation.

The third item of business was a resolution for an appropriation for Pickleball Courts at Heron Cove in the amount of $415,000 and the setting of a public hearing on November 28th, 2023. This was also unanimously approved by the Town Council. The town has received $332,000 Small Town Economic Assistance (STEAP) grant, which will be matched by $83,000 in town funds from our Capital Non-Recurring Expenditure (CNRE) fund.

Approving this resolution will allow the state to process the grant and for Tolland to receive it.

The fourth item of business was a resolution to dissolve the mental health and substance use Task Force. The Task Force was established in October of 2020 and has provided final recommendations to the council through a survey conducted in 2022. This was also unanimously approved and council thanked all the volunteers for their involvement over the last two years.

The fifth and final item of business was the unanimous reappointment of three incumbent members of the Tolland Public Library Foundation to another two-year term.

For the Meeting Minutes and Packet, please visit the following:

Meeting Packet: https://www.tollandct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3921/f/uploads/2023-10-24_regular_meeting_packet.pdf

Meeting Minutes: https://ecode360.com/TO1208/document/752979743.pdf

Thank you for taking the time to review this report. It has been a pleasure serving for the past four years and producing these reports to inform the public of Town Council business. I hope future council leadership follows suit in informing/updating neighbors of town business.

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.