Town Council - Regular Meeting

between fiscal discipline and service delivery. Where did the budget dollars go? This slide is and it excuse me illustrates how FY2027 budget dollars are allocated across three key areas. Funding supports town departments, programs, and essential services, as well as the Board of Education. A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to fixed costs, [clears throat]

insurance including insurance, pensions, and debt service. Additional resources fund miscellaneous and operational expenses necessary to maintain day-to-day services. The budget is primarily funded through 102.28 million dollars in local property taxes, representing the town's largest revenue source. An additional 9.33 million comes from state and federal grants, helping to offset costs and support specific programs. Overall, this slide highlights both where resources are invested and how those investments are funded. FY2027 recommended budget mill rate. How can you present something that nobody can read? Intentional. You can't see that. Disgusting. Can you see that? No. Nobody can see it. That is problematic. Uh You want to have somewhere else to sit now? Is there any way that we can Keep talking. I'll just keep talking. Tony, keep going. I'll try to move forward. Is that better?

Mhm? A little better. So, the FY2027 recommended budget reflects a balanced approach to sustaining services while managing long-term fiscal stability. The budget incorporates the phased implementation of the 2024 revaluation law to moderate year-over-year tax impacts. FY2027 represents the second year of a four-year phase-in plan designed to smooth the transition to updated property values. Under this approach, only 25% of the increase in assessed property values in assessed property values is applied annually through FY2029. This phased strategy helps reduce sudden tax spikes and provides predictability for taxpayers. The recommended budget results in a mill rate increase from 33 37 to [clears throat] 34.55 mills, or 1.17 mills, or 3.51%. The overall tax impact reflects both rising costs and the gradual incorporation of revaluation changes. The approach balances fiscal responsibility with taxpayer affordability while maintaining essential town and education services.

Town Council's revisions to Town Manager's budget. Through multiple Town Council deliberations on the FY2027 Town Manager's proposed budget, the Council conducted a detailed review of all major budget components, including town operations, Board of Education, fixed costs, and unassigned fund balance. The Council's work focused on developing a balanced [clears throat]

and responsible budget scenario that preserves essential municipal and educational programs and services. Emphasis was placed on maintaining service service continuity and responsible budget scenario that preserves essential municipal and educational programs and services. Emphasis was placed on maintaining service continuity continuity while carefully evaluating cost drivers across all departments and funding categories. Fixed costs and long-term obligations were reviewed to ensure fiscal stability and compliance with contractual and statutory requirements. The use of unassigned fund balance was evaluated cautiously to support one-time or strategic needs without compromising long-term financial health. The resulting budget framework reflects the Council's goal of sustaining core services while maintaining fiscal discipline and responsiveness to community needs. Town budget expenditure highlights for 2027. So, the Board of Education increase is 1 million 578,520, or a 2.91% increase. Maintains support for community programming delivered through the Human Services Center, ensuring continued access to local services and engagement opportunities. And accounts for

increased debt service costs associated with recent bond issuances, reflecting prior capital investments in town infrastructure. Restores funding to return the Prosser Library to full service, supporting public access to library programs and resources. Includes support for community-wide weekend celebrations such as Memorial Day observances, the summer concert series, and the West Indian celebration, promoting civic engagement and cultural enrichment. Town budget expenditure highlights 2027 with the budget modifications. The FY2027 recommended budget includes these targeted budget modifications. Includes these targeted budget modifications are embedded and detailed within departmental operational budgets. These modifications are recommended for Town Council approval to support the continued advancement of town operations and service delivery. Collectively, these enhancements represent a total investment of 551,522 dollars. To offset some of these investments, the town has identified corresponding savings through operational efficiencies, personnel adjustments, and cost containment strategies across multiple departments. Ongoing evaluation of service delivery models continues to improve efficiency and overall effectiveness effectiveness of town operations.

The FY2027 expenditures summary. The FY2027 recommended budget reflects an overall 5% increase in expenditures across departments and offices. The primary drivers of this increase fixed costs, which continue to rise due to contractual obligations, insurance, and other required expenses. Additional increases are seen within boards and commissions, reflecting expanded responsibilities and operational needs. A significant portion of growth is associated with the Registrar of Voters office, primarily due to early voting implementation and increased election-related costs. These adjustments reflect evolving statutory requirements and expanded election administration responsibilities. Overall, the budget growth is concentrated in essential, mandated, and service-driven areas, respond Excuse me, necessary to support town operation and compliance. Expenditure drivers, 2027 increases. So, FY 2027 budget increases are driven primarily by fixed costs, contractual obligations, and essential services. Town operations increase of 1.1 million, or 3%, driven by personnel, contracts, Excuse me, personnel, contracts, and inflationary costs. Board of Education increase of 1.6 million, or 2.9%,

reflecting staffing, special education, and instructional needs. Debt service increases of 8.6% due to borrowing for the library and Ferry Park projects. MDC costs increases of 557,768 or 15.2% is driven by utility rates and infrastructure costs. Health insurance premiums increased 6.3%, reflecting rising health care and utilization trends. Town Council's recommended budget, FY 2027 revenue summary. So, the FY 2027 recommended budget totals 119 million, 268,107, funded primarily through a property tax levy of 100 million, 430,277, 277, or 84.2%. Non-tax revenues total 15,172,892, 892, including state aid, permits, fees, interest earnings, and other local revenues, an increase of 2.16 million, largely driven by anticipated education cost share, or ECS, funding and higher investment earnings. A 3 million dollar 3 million 665,000 dollars use of general fund unassigned

fund balance is included, which reflects one-time resources, including 665,000 dollars in bond premium from the January 2025 refinancing. The recommended mill rate is 34.55, an increase of 1.17 mills, or 3.51% over the equalized mill rate of 33.37. The calculation assumes a 98.5 tax collection rate to reflect historical collection performance. Revenue assumptions also include level funding of municipal aid, pending final state budget decisions uh for the upcoming biennium. Town Council's recommended budget, FY 2027 revenue highlights. So, FY 2027 continues the four-year phasing of the 2024 revaluation, with 25% of the increase in assessed property values applied annually from FY 2026 through FY 2029 to moderate taxpayer impact. The mill rate increases by 3.989%, reflecting changes in property values, revenue needs, and overall budget requirements. Non-tax revenues are impacted, including a significant reduction in the state motor vehicle cap grant due to the lower mill rate and declining investment income and a lower interest rate environment.

Building permit revenue is projected to decrease by 100,000 dollars, reflecting anticipated changes in development and construction activity. The unassigned fund balance contribution remains within town policy guidelines, pending year-end audit results and the final financial closeout. The property tax collection rate is assumed at 98.5% consistent with historical collection performance and conservative revenue forecasting. Town Council's recommended budget, FY 2027 capital budget funding. In accordance with section 903 B of the town charter, the five-year FY 2027 FY 2031 capital improvement program totals 81.8 million dollars, reflecting [clears throat] a comprehensive multi-department review of long-term capital needs. The FY 2027 recommended capital budget, representing year one of the plan, totals 2 million, 920,000, and supports eight capital projects. FY recommended capital projects. The Town Council supported a capital plan focused exclusively on grant-funded capital improvement programs, CIP, projects to minimize local tax impact. This approach prioritizes leveraging

external funding sources, including state and federal grants, to advance critical infrastructure and and facilities improvements. The CIP continues to support essential investments in public facilities, infrastructure, equipment, and long-term asset maintenance. Future issues, FY 2027 and beyond. The Town Council's recommended FY 2027 budget reflects a balanced approach to maintaining services while managing financial pressures. Total education funding is 55.9 million, a 2.91% increase over FY 2026. The non-education budget totals 64.4 million, increasing 6.86%, driven by fixed costs and operational needs. Key cost drivers include labor and health care expenses, pension and OPEB obligations, refuse collection, contracted services, and new library operations. The budget also supports Board of Education funding, town operations, Metropolitan District Commission costs, and debt service obligations. FY 2027 represents year two of a four-year phasing of the 2024 revaluation to gradually reduce taxpayer impact. Only 25% of increased property values are applied annually through FY 2029 to ease the

revaluation tax burden. The recommended mill rate increases from the equalized 33.37 to 34.55 mills, a 1.17 mill 3.51% increase. Overall, the budget reflects careful, strategic decision-making amid economic uncertainty and structural cost pressures. Summary, in closing, I'd like to thank Town Council for their strong commitment to developing a responsible and balanced budget that supports town priorities while maintaining fiscal discipline. We also appreciate Town staff in the office of the Town Manager, Department of Finance, and all members of the Community Service Leadership Team for their dedication and commitment throughout budget process. The process reflected collaboration with the Board of Education to ensure coordinated planning and and alignment of shared community priorities. Throughout all deliberations, decisions were guided by a consistent focus on minimizing the impact on taxpayers while maintaining essential services. And at this time, that concludes the Town Council's recommended budget.

At this time, we will start public comments. For public comment, public statements on the budget, statements by members of the public shall start with the speaker's name and address, and shall continue no longer than 3 minutes unless permitted by the mayor. I'm going to call up the first five people who signed up. If we can start a line leading down this aisle, so first will be Mark Slik, Janette Kemp, Kathleen Luseko, Kendra Madison, and Claire Hennum. Good evening, Mayor and counselors. Mr. Montano, I have two hats I'm wearing. Hello, Claire. Hello. Hello. Hello. He's very light on his feet, too. Okay. Stay close. Easier if I do that. Okay, then. Hello, good evening, Mayor and counselors. I'm going to explain that I live in the second district of Bloomfield uh in the gallery community. Um I'm not sure if I learned anything useful tonight. Uh it was hard to see slides, very high-level, literally high-level standing, um and a high-level discussion of the budget. Uh I just have a few comments to make, and one one relates to the the communications regarding the budget process. I was expecting there to be a deliberation last Tuesday night. Uh and apparently at the last minute, it got switched uh to be included in the Monday night Council meeting. Um I did not know about that until Tuesday morning, the day of supposedly uh deliberation meeting. So,

I I missed the deliberations last week. Uh it seems there have been a number of miscommunications during this process, and I I thought perhaps our the town's $800,000 communications department might be able to find effective ways of communicating with the residents. Wait, wait, wait. The changes to the meeting schedule and and other such things so the community can actually be informed. Uh my second comment sort of picks up on that. Uh you did hear us. We turned out in large num- vocal members in the past couple weeks to express our feelings about the budget. And the mayor and others have said that you listened and you heard us. You did hear us partially. You did reinstate all of the things that we were very upset about having removed from the budget, such as the trash pickup services, etc., etc. What you didn't hear us, um I think, was cutting the bloated at Town Hall. Cuz I don't see cuts in the budget I don't see anything here about reducing the budget of that the next $800,000 communications department. Most of those I have no idea what that refers to in dollars. Uh nothing to reduce the head count at Town Hall. Um and I know it's not possible to do anything about town manager's bloated salary and and um free car that he receives. Because that's the federal law. Um we can't do anything about that, but perhaps in the future you might think about issues like that when you're considering contracts with town managers. It doesn't seem that you have right-sized the budget or the head count relative to the other towns in nearby. On the chart before that we could barely read, I do see West Hartford listed. Um and they're about three times our size.

Their manager does not get $200,000 in a free car. And my last point here being the town manager is in violation of section 11-27 No. The town manager um is in violation of the charter, and so is the Town Council as long as it permits the town manager to not comply with him And if you don't like that, I said Good evening. My name is Janette Kemp, and I am at 1 Filley Street, a sixth grade teacher. I'm speaking this evening on behalf of Corrine Davis, a sixth grade teacher from Carmen Arace School, who couldn't be here this evening. She's at 5 Woodward Drive here in Bloomfield. Dear members of the Town Council, I am writing as a resident, taxpayer, and teacher in our local school district to express my serious concerns about the proposed budget cuts and broader implications they will have on our schools and community. In my role as an educator, I see every day how essential adequate funding is to student success. Budget reductions will likely result in our larger class sizes, fewer instructional resources, and cuts to the programs that support students with diverse academic and social-emotional needs. These are not abstract consequences. They directly affect the quality of the education that we provide and the ability of the students to then thrive. At the same time, as a taxpayer in the district, I find it deeply concerning that the taxes continue to rise while the funding for education is being reduced. This creates a troubling disconnect, and residents are then being asked to contribute more financially, yet one of the most critical investments in our community, our schools, is facing the cuts. It raises important questions about priorities and allocation of those resources. Many of us support paying

taxes because we believe in strong public services, especially education, and when those funds do not appear to support that goal, it understandably does lead to frustration. And it makes it very difficult to retain experienced teachers, ultimately impacting the educational outcomes for students. Beyond the classroom, strong schools are fundamental to the thriving community here in Bloomfield. They support your property value, attract [clears throat] families, and continue the overall quality of the life in this town. Reducing investment in education while increasing that financial burden on the residents, it risks undermining the long-term benefits. I recognize that budget decisions are complex, and that there are competing needs right now to consider. However, I do urge the Council to re-evaluate those proposed cuts. Consider whether they align with the values of our community. And if taxes are increasing, residents deserve transparency and priorities listed within the community. They will have that assurance that the funds are then being used to strengthen, but not weaken, the schools. Please, thank you for your time and consideration, your continued service to the community. Sincerely, Corrine Davis, the sixth grade teacher from Carmen Arace Middle School. Good evening. My name is Kate Roscoe, and I live at 75 Hoskins Road. Members of Council, Mayor Harrington, and Bloomfield residents, for 10 years, I have been a proud resident and teacher in Bloomfield. I'd like to discuss tonight the understanding that Bloomfield schools have never been fully funded during this decade. Every year the schools do not get the funding they need to operate optimally, they risk falling further and further behind. This fall may be academic because they cannot provide support and academic

coaching to students. It may occur in the arts and athletics because we cannot provide programs and enrichment to enhance the diverse student experiences, which also assists in creating the whole child both academically and socially. It may occur in staffing so that students are not getting the attention they need to succeed. This Council and the Town at Large cannot expect to consistently cut from the school system and expect superior outcomes. It is already a testament to our students' desire to learn and our teachers' passion as it is that the children are performing as high as they are, but motivation and passion are not enough. As a resident, I have seen my taxes go up astronomically in the last year, and we were told this would continue throughout the next several years due to the re-evaluation of properties. It is a particularly tough time to be going through this process while also seeing basic needs like food and gas prices rising as well. My feeling is this, if our taxes are going to be raised anyway, I'd like them to go where they do the most good, the students and well-being of our schools. To be absolutely clear, I do not want my high taxes going towards one department in Town Hall that has been raised by 33% and only helps a handful have an easier job. I do I do want my taxes going towards pet projects that we can't afford right now, such as a carved wooden bear. I do not want my taxes going towards excessive administrative employees when less will suffice to do the job. I will always choose for my tax dollars to go to the highly qualified teachers we have in Bloomfield, who are currently facing a job loss and who are necessary necessary to the children of Bloomfield. I believe Dr. Youngberg has a long-term plan for success to bring Bloomfield schools to a place of fiscal equilibrium, but it cannot be done in 1 year. We need your allyship to raise up the success of Bloomfield schools. I implore you to re-evaluate the budget

you have brought to us and make very certain that our high tax dollars are going to serve as many people as possible in Bloomfield. Thank you for your time and consideration this evening. Hello, everyone. My name is Kendra Madison. I live at 28 Park Avenue Street. I am currently a fifth grade teacher in Bloomfield Public Schools, a proud graduate of Bloomfield High School, class of 2017. I've been a Bloomfield resident in Bloomfield Over the past few weeks, many have spoken about the impact that has that not fully funding the BOE will have on our staff, our community, and most importantly, our students. I stand here as one more voice in that chorus. As a product of Bloomfield Public Schools, I experienced firsthand I experienced firsthand the power of supportive and enriching educational environment. I've learned so much as a student and I continue to grow every day as a teacher. While I could have chosen to work in any district across Connecticut, I made the intentional decision to return back to Bloomfield to give back to the community that has given me so much. During my time as a student, I was surrounded by educators who poured into their their students with unwavering dedication. They didn't just support me, they supported everyone around me. I went on to attend UCONN, enrolling in one of the nation's top teacher preparation programs, and ultimately returned to Bloomfield. It felt only right to pour into the same community that I once poured into me. I ask you not to deny teach-

safe students the same opportunity and support that was given to me. What we do for our students are benefits for our students, for our services. Sorry. And as an [clears throat] educator, I see how critical it is to keep the class sizes low so that every child receives the attention they deserve. Beyond the classroom, I had the pleasure of bringing back the girls middle school basketball team. The students worked incredibly hard and there's so much room for growth. They're excited to return next year and more students are eager to try out. Reductions in funding risk taking away opportunities like these. Opportunities that students engaged, motivated, and connected to their school community. The 4.7% increase proposed by Dr. Youngberg will help ensure these opportunities to remain available for current students and future students. I am fully supportive of Dr. Youngberg's plan. And I stand here as a proud Bloomfield Public Schools Kinder- And I'm just one of those many examples across generations. Thank you. I want to talk about the following. Larry Kendall, 27 High Hill Road. Thank you, Mayor Harrington, Deputy Mayor Lloyd, and members of the Town Council for hearing us. The town, as when you passed the budget,

you assumed you'd be getting 1.4 million dollars additional in ECS money and it looks like it's only got a half a million, but I'm fairly reading the paper correctly. Um, the legislature is saying you can reopen the budget. And that you could that they will be passing a law to permit that. So, I mean, I didn't look up the law, but I did read the paper. Um, so when you do that, I would recommend taking a hard look at Peter Franks' better budget for Bloomfield, which gives you a couple lot of good ideas. Some of them may work, some of them may not, but it's worth the serious consideration. It's a very careful and thoughtful piece. And there's a lot of concerns, I think, that are on the process and on the on the merits, but I'm not going to focus on some of the fixed costs and just ask for a couple of considerations. On page 139, the fixed charges for employee benefits go up And the town does not have a Medicare Advantage Plan. I am 65 years old, recently retired from the state. As soon as I turned 65, let me say, DAS was ruthless about requiring me to file up for Medicare and gave me a Medicare Advantage Plan that gave me the exact same benefits, exact same co-pays, exact same everything, but now Medicare is covering about 40% of my coverage. Why on earth are we not doing this for our retirees of this town? Other towns in the area have been doing this and you'd save a lot of money on that. I am here because you guys like to go and cut trash and coverage and I have lots to say about that. But then, and when you had our last public hearing, we had the discussion after public comment,

suddenly there was a golden handshake recommended. And then the council had to say, kind of like used car salesman, you know, you have 2 days to decide or that's it. Well, this that, you know, is going to cost on page 143, $883,000 for this for the accrued sick leave and vacation time. So, I'm concerned about what kind of savings we're really having. So, I would ask you to reopen the budget, that you have a zero cap on the FTEs. If you're going to add new positions and ask people to take furloughs, well then I'm sorry, you're going to I would say, if you're going to add positions, you got to cut positions and have a flat number. And finally, I would ask that you consider the retiree health benefits and require your 65-year-old retirees to join Medicare and do what everybody else does. Thank you for your time. Good morning, everybody. My name is CJ Holman. I'm at 8 Holly Road in Bloomfield. Um, I'm not going to sit and talk about individual items on the budget because when I sat up at the original budget evaluation, I think I suggested $635,000 in cuts and that was only looking at the first 60 pages of the budget. I suggested you that there's more than that that could be obtained. You may have already looked at that, I don't know, so I'm not going to repeat that again. I will tell you that I stood here a year ago with the prior council administration and I warned that we're going to have a rainy day. Well, guess what? We now have rainy days. And because of you can blame it on the federal administration, whatever, but

the bottom line is I said I look at the paper every day and I look at the news and I see Simsbury and East Granby and Windsor and all others that are coming up with economic development. With Bloomfield, nothing. I see nothing about Bloomfield. When 4 million was taken out a year ago, I said we are not told how it's going to be spent. I suggested we save it for a rainy day. Well, folks, we still have that 4 million sitting there. I still don't know what it's going to be spent for, but that's beside the point. The issue now is we now have another rainy day and if we don't have economic development in Bloomfield, we can't have an increase in the grand list that was widely trumpeted by saying, "Oh, we have this wonderful increase." But it's on the backs of the homeowners in Bloomfield because of reval. And we can't have increases in the grand list simply because the homes are more expensive. People can't meet their needs. They can't meet the things that they have to pay for. In the new budget, I saw that there was an economic development specialist for over $100,000 in one of the departments. That is a total absolute waste of money. That specialist will accomplish nothing. No way. We're going to get Norman. I'm going to suggest that there be $200,000 and that it be a separate department director within the town of Bloomfield responsible to this administration and to this council in order to go to the people in town and say, "What kind of economic development should we have?" Let's let this specialist, this expert, go out and talk to developers and put everything together and bring it to the manager and to this administration. This administration, I

believe, will do it. The previous administration did not lift finger one. Between last year and this year, we've had absolutely nothing in Bloomfield. I predict that next year, if something isn't done, I'm going to be standing here again and I'm going to say that it's another rainy day. Thank you very much. May I have the remaining Bloomfield residents speakers? Willie Mark Sanderson Abigail Mullins Janette Martel Roy Duncan and Irene Lassner. Thank you. Hello, Council. Thank you. Follow the mic. Uh Mark Sanderson, 17 Oak Lane. And um I just got the budget yesterday, so it's the first time I've had actually go through it. And can I just see a show of hands of how many of you have actually looked through the budget line by line? And can see all the accounts? Okay. Thank you. Um I In looking at it, I'm sorry. Uh I'll wait till you guys get back. Back to the clock. 10 seconds. You can take your five minutes here and other people's shots, so they think but that's okay. Um It's all right. Next. Thank you. Um anyway, in uh starting looking through it today and I'm about a third of the way through the budget and I started looking at each account, right? And there's I've identified about 45 line items where there's up to a 30% increase for I can't understand why. Um it also says anticipated 26, projected 26 totals are way out of They're not even there. If they are, they're not accurate. They're less than the 2025 budget was, but the 2026 and 2027 they're asking for is more, so the anticipated 2027 total or 2026 total is

wrong or we just have no funding in it. I don't I don't It doesn't make sense to me. So, when you start looking through the numbers, in some cases it they don't make sense. The 2026 anticipated total is missing. Um and there's a lot of increases like uh one was for the police admin, there's an extra $2,000 for washing our uniforms. Um there's um additional positions within several departments, obviously, because they're up to six figures over six figures from the 2026 anticipated actual to what the 2027 is and there's no justification for it. In every department and I mean um uh office hardware or excuse me, for office supplies, right? For office supplies, they just put in around $5,000 in every account. So, in every department for office supplies, it's $5,000. One department only used $99 for their office supplies in 2026 budget. So, why is it all going to be $5,000? I mean, by the time you're done, that's another 50, 60, 70,000 dollars we should save. So, out of the third of the budget that I'm through, I'm up to 1.6 million that I question, why is it there? Right? And I'm only a third of the way through the budget. Now, I don't have all the information, so I'm sure that all of this doesn't apply. The total wouldn't be accurate, but there's a lot of money that you could save. And it just looks to me that somebody just threw money in the budget and didn't go line by line and said, "Do we need this or do we not?" Nobody's done that. I mean, it's obvious if you look at the budget, right? And it's time that somebody did it because all we're we're just going to keep paying and paying and paying and nothing's getting done. But if I was faced with a line item that only got us what we need and what we don't need, we could save this town a lot. Please. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. Uh Abigail Mullins to Julie. Um I'm a seventh grade teacher at Laurel

Literacy Academy in Bloomfield. It's my first year teaching. Um And I am a lifelong Bloomfield resident. Um I mentioned last week when I came up here and spoke that I've gone through the Bloomfield school system. I've been to every single school in Bloomfield and Living Gems. So, I have a lot of varied experience of all of the programs that have been offered within the academics. And as you think, um myself and the other seventh graders in front of you last week to express our concerns about the budget and uh as of June 18th, 2026, our last day of school, I will no longer have a job in the Bloomfield public schools if this budget continues to pass as the way it has. Um right now, my seventh graders are learning about citizenship and they're learning about what it means to be an active member in your society and I would hope that me coming up here is a good representation to them about how your voice matters. Bloomfield public schools is more than just where students come to learn. They come here to grow, build relationships and memories that shape who they are to become. They are the future of our town and going to make a difference any way they choose. That is true. Mr. That was true for me as a student and it is why I strive to create that same environment in my classroom every day. This year, my classroom and classrooms district has seen growth from students learning to read to finding their voices in the school choir and forming friendships that may last a lifetime. Right now, that is what is at risk. We are already beginning to see the impact of this budget and it will inevitably lead to fewer staff, fewer supports and changes in programs that many students rely on. While those may sound like logistical changes, their impact is deeply human.

They mean larger class sizes, less attention, fewer opportunities for students to feel seen. Bloomfield is a place where the community has shown up for its students and it's a place where education is not just valued, but deeply rooted in who we are. The goal has never just been to get students through school, but to help them thrive and set up lives for themselves when they leave Bloomfield. These decisions are not easy and they're not taken lightly, but as you move forward, I ask that you keep the students in the center of your conversations. Um think about the classrooms that they're going to walk into next year, what the supports going to look like, whether they'll be available or whether they'll be cut. Um think about the kind of experiences we want them to have. And you know, you want school to be fun, you want it to be extraordinary, you want to think about the things that you did, you want to run to your parents and tell them all the amazing things that you learned. And without those extra things, they're not going to have um many of those moments. Um Our school Our students, sorry. deserve to be in the classrooms where they feel supported and they should have every opportunity to succeed. Thank you. All right. Good evening. My name is Lindy Dumas. I am a teacher at Laurel Elementary School and I'm speaking on behalf of Chanel Martel, who lives at 7 Oak Drive. She could not be here to attend. Dear members of Bloomfield Town Council, I am a long-term resident of Bloomfield special education teacher within our district. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the proposed budget cuts. While I understand the complexities of municipal financial management, the specific reductions will have a detrimental long-term impact on our students, our staff and the overall health of our community. In the daily work with my seventh grade students, I see firsthand how vital individualized attention to academic and

social success. The prospect of increasing general education class sizes to 25 students is fundamentally counterproductive. For students with specialized learning needs, a larger classroom environment dilutes the ability to provide effective inclusion services and makes it significantly harder for them to access the curriculum and thrive alongside their peers. Furthermore, I'm extremely concerned about the proposal to increase caseload caps for special education teachers. My role is not limited to classroom instruction. It requires a rigorous cycle of direct teaching, progress monitoring and detailed documentation. When case caseloads are increased, this delicate balance is destroyed and eliminates any hope for a healthy work-life balance, directly fueling teacher burnout. We are already facing a national teacher shortage. By overextending our current staff, the town risks a high turnover rate. This creates a secondary crisis. When a teacher leaves due to burnout, it is the students who suffer most as their mandated services are disrupted while the district struggles to find qualified replacements, who then inherits an even more overwhelming system. Short-term savings in the education budget will inevitably lead to long-term cost reductions, including potential legal challenges regarding service delivery and a dent in the quality and educational reputation that draws Bloomfield in that draws families to Bloomfield. I urge you to reconsider the cuts and prioritize the budget that supports the educators and students who are the backbone of our town's future. Thank you for your time and your service to the community. Chanel Martel. Thank you. You can use the buzzer now.

Good evening. My name is Eileen Glassman and I'm an educator at Metacomet School. Good evening. I'm Pamela D. Smith, 323 Park Avenue. As she could not attend in person this evening. Um to the elected town council members, I come to you in several roles. As a proud Bloomfield High School graduate, class of 2003, a lifelong community member, a parent in Bloomfield Public Schools, and a social worker at Carmen A. Lacey Interdistrict School. These perspectives give me a clear understanding of how your decisions impact our students, families, and staff. The proposed 2.91% budget allocation for the Board of Education is insufficient to meet the growing and increasingly complex needs of our students. This level of funding presents significant limitations at a time when the demand for academic, social, and emotional support continues to rise. In my role, I work closely with students and families navigating these challenges. This work is not only my profession, but a responsibility I take seriously. It is therefore deeply concerning to witness the effects of our current budget decisions, including cuts of essential student support staff, such as school psychologists, school counselors, teachers, and instructional assistants. These professionals are integral to student success, and their absence weakens the support systems our students depend on. Our schools serve as more than educational institutions. They are vital sources of stability, connection, and care. As a parent, I share the concerns of many families regarding our ability to continue meeting student needs in meaningful and equitable manner. The impact of these financial constraints is already evident. They affect the level

of support available to students, place increased strain on staff, and risk eroding the trust families have in our schools. While our educators and support staff remain deeply committed, sustained underfunding creates challenges that cannot be ignored. Budget decisions reflect priorities. When investment in education is limited, it communicates a message, whether intended or not, about the value placed on our students and their future. I respectfully urge you to reconsider this allocation and make a stronger investment in our schools. Supporting our students is not optional. It is essential to the long-term strength of our community. As Whitney Houston once stated, "I believe the children are the future." That belief calls for meaningful action. So I ask you, will you stand with the rest of us in this room, online, and across our town to invest in our children? If we stand for nothing, we risk falling for everything. The choices you make today Thank you. Respectfully, Pamela D. Smith. Before we call the next five, I just wanted to give Mr. Duncan another chance to come on up and speak. Okay, so I'm going to proceed with Gail Jordan. Jordan? Dorothy Overstreet? Livy Rowan? And Winston Campbell. Can you adjust that downwards? Good evening, town council members. I want to start by first thanking you for the time that you've spent deliberating

the budget. I've been here every single week, you know. Wow, you guys are alive. Um I just wanted to first step up and say, uh I know Mr. Oliver, you mentioned last week that this is organizing. Yes, it is. I will take full responsibility. This is what organizing looks like. When I first stood before you 2 weeks ago, I spoke to you um specifically about what it is that our purpose as Bloomfield Education Association is. I'll repeat it. As a member of the teaching profession, to work for the welfare of school children, the professional interests of teachers, and the improvement of instructional opportunities for all. Um So if I'm honest with you, I'm very proud of the people that have come before you. I know that there are people that have sent emails, um and I know that there have been accusations of the organizing that we've done to try and suppress voter voice. So this evening, I made it my goal to really make sure I brought before you the 10% of our staff that are residents within town. Um they [clears throat] have the implication they they have three times the impact of people that live in this town. Their taxes are going to be increased. There's no question about that. Their children's education is going to be negatively impacted. And as you heard, some of them are losing their jobs. I had the challenging job of calling 11 people last week to tell them they're

[snorts] sorry, as of June 18th, you will no longer be working for Bloomfield Public Schools. Our class sizes are definitely going to be increasing. Our services will definitely be decreased. There's no way that that's the solution. I don't disagree that throwing money at education is the answer. I very much that being very mindful and planned with our money is the answer. Now, we're not going to fight this. We didn't make sure that Dr. Gumberg and I didn't mongol everything.

[laughter]

We have plenty of meetings. However, I believe in her overall vision. She knows what she's doing. And we need to support her. Relying on the ECS funds is not going to save us. I hope that you've seen how much is actually coming. Nowhere near what she thought. It's exactly near where I thought it was going to be. And we need to do better for our students. We can't rely on the state to save us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry, miss. I just wanted to say my name is to the record of the meeting, and with that Thank you. Gail Jordan, Metacomet Elementary School, School Street. Make sure they're sticking into the microphone. Please make sure you speak directly into the microphone. Anthony Campbell, and the comments that have been made tonight are very reflective of most of the comments that were made in the meeting. There was a lot of emphasis on what the Board of Education in terms of cuts. Now, in your presentation and your budget, there was a table that shows Bloomfield Town Council. And one of the line items in there is, I think, a metric assistant. Small Dallas assistant that would not exceed. And it had math and English. You know, there's no information what the benchmark is for elementary, but for Bloomfield, the two years that you have it, it's been consistently under 50%. And the other towns that you compared to, they've done much better. So this metric reflects what impact the Board of Education has to teach children.

And you have $1 million cut, and you use the benchmark to reflect how good you're doing. It's not going to get better. So I think you need to seriously consider what people have said in terms of the cuts that are being made in front of education, and how you're going to look at this as a reflection of your benchmark and that you need to show how good you're doing. Cuz according to this, you are not doing that good. Thank you. Thank you. Before we proceed with our next group, I'm just going to call again on Bryant Duncan, and Dorothy Overstreet, and Livy Rowan. And with that, I will move on. Liz Kerrigan.

[snorts]

Jeanie Pesbone. Prince Joel. Six. Six. Thank you. Donna Hobbs. Nicole Hopkins. And Um I'm sorry, I'm not catching the first name. Last name Graham Davis. And before you speak, please speak into the microphone for the benefit of our residents at home, and be sure your name and address. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. My name is Liz Kerrigan, and I live at 390 Park Ave. For at least part of each day. Probably 3/4 of it. So, my name is Liz Kerrigan. Two of my children attended Bloomfield schools and I've been a full-time teacher in town for a very long time, since 1998. And I'm wrapping up my 28th year of consecutive service here. Where I am a very dedicated teacher and you can argue that I'm a resident of the area. So, I spend a great deal of time in that building, like many of my colleagues, way beyond contract hours, working tirelessly for your children, our children, who are the future of the town of Bloomfield. This weekend, in the opinion section of the Hartford Courant, I'm not sure if everyone saw it, but just in case anybody didn't, there was a piece titled "Bloomfield Residents Deserve that reflects reality." That was a big thing that was by Rick Burton. Uh and it of course caught my eye and he addressed a number of town budget concerns and he stated, well, efforts is a quote, quote, "While efforts are

underway to move our school system forward, this budget introduces cuts without a clear explanation of why. Instead of reinforcing progress, it creates uncertainty." That coupled with all of these calls that Ms. Jordan had to make to tell people about their fate as of June 18th this year, it's it's quite daunting. So, I'm asking that you reconsider your budgetary decisions. Last week I spoke about dangers of staff layoffs, which are no longer dangers, they're here. And eliminations of programs and expenses that aren't quote, unquote, mandated. But, however, they may not be mandated, but they're very important to our children. And tonight, what I want to focus on cuz I got cut off last time, was class size. So, over the years I've had classes as small as 16 and as large as 30, three out, three times. I want to focus on class sizes because I want people at home and, you know, just non-teacher, non-board of ed, non-school staff people to understand. This isn't about, oh, teachers want to put their feet up and have fewer kids in a class. Small class sizes, you know, just going from the data that the gentleman just shared, small class sizes are essential because they're going to help us to personalize instruction, which is critical to promote that growth. They will allow us to provide faster feedback and tailored support to each student. They enable teachers to build stronger connections with students and families. They foster, these small class sizes really do foster increased student participation. So, please reconsider your spending options and invest in our students and fund our futures.

Good evening and thank you, councilors, for this opportunity. I'm Genie Pastore. I live with Liz at 390 Park, Carmen Aris. I'm one of the two SOAR teachers that helped to develop the BHS Talented and Gifted program. Working alongside a dedicated team to define the services for our highly capable and highest performing students, and that's academic, social, emotional, and executive functioning. Bloomfield is recognized in the gifted community as an underrepresented population, where students are often overlooked for gifted services due to racial and socioeconomic barriers. That reality is precisely what drives us forward every day. I recognize that this is a difficult budget year and that Dr. Youngberg is doing the best she can with the resources she's been given. But, it truly hurts my soul to know [clears throat] that she's been placed in a position to make difficult cuts, difficult cuts, and in particular, reduce the scope of the SOAR program, especially at a moment when we stand on the threshold of something transformative, bringing SOAR's foundational principles to all classrooms through enrichment infusion and collaboration with teachers. As Connecticut finally passed a long overdue increase in ECS funding in 2019, still not enough. It's not the time to retreat. It is the time to invest in our students. The SOAR program, product of the 2021 Portrait of a Graduate initiative, built on input from all stakeholders and informed by collaboration with a national gifted consortium. Bloomfield was losing students to magnet schools every year. When the POG team interviewed those families, the message was consistent. They wanted a program that challenged students to excel and they believed magnets could offer what we could not. Our team set out to change that. In consultation with Yukon experts, we established identification and PPT guidelines, developed curriculum, and created opportunities for students to compete and showcase their work. This

weekend, we were represented at the History Day state finals by Tristyn Stanberry with her documentary "The Bombing of Hiroshima." And that is how our students SOAR. SOAR is still a young program. Our first round of fourth graders are just entering eighth grade this fall. We envisioned more time for SOAR teachers to collaborate with classroom teachers to expand student thinking and deepen their learning. We've only just begun to realize that vision. The consolidation of schools gives the SOAR team greater scheduling flexibility to build on this momentum, working alongside classroom teachers to strengthen our commitment to MTSS and UDL and expand [clears throat] enrichment for all students. Dr. Joseph Renzulli, the world-renowned gifted researcher and educator whose work inspires our program, often says, "A rising tide lifts all ships." That philosophy is the promise we made to every student in Bloomfield when we launched the SOAR program. We have needs across the entire learning spectrum that need to be addressed and supported. Please support our schools and be sure our ECS funds are going to Dr. Youngberg so that she can continue to build on that important work every day. Thank you very much. Thank you and happy teacher's appreciation week. Donna Holmes, 16 Brook Street. As an old-timer in town, I've talked to a lot of town councils in the last 40 years. Right here, at this microphone. Just as an aside, with all the school talk tonight, in the 1990s, we had a special ed program that worked. My daughter was part of it. She mainstreamed here at Bloomfield High School. She was the first special ed student with mental retardation to do that. And it was successful. She graduated in 1996. So,

we need to realize that as we go along, there are programs that work. And then they're cut. And now we're reinventing the wheel. And I hate to see that. Secondly, this was a five-four vote for this budget. That's pretty close to 50/50. I think you really need to talk to each other and to work this out. And it needs to be at least a majority budget as far as maybe even unanimous. You need to work together and make this happen. There is no There is a lot of things that can be cut in this budget. Contingency funds, town hall, [clears throat] communications. Things that we aren't seeing on a daily basis because they're not happening. If we're paying $800,000 a year for communications, we need a lot more communications and we need honest communications. I vote in Bloomfield. I run a business that I market. And that is BS marketing that we're getting and not reality. You really need to focus on what's important in this town to keep it the town that it is. I love this town. I've been in my home for 50 years and I'm and I'm a graduate of Bloomfield High School. We need to keep our town moving forward. This budget does not do that. Thank you. Thank you.

I'm going to turn the microphone a little bit so I can look at all of your beautiful faces. Hello, my name is Nicola Caplin, 9 Byron Parkway. Um I wanted to prepare a written statement. I'm going to read Peter Frank's statement, but I was going to write my own statement. Um and it would probably have exceeded the three minutes, but if you knew me as an educator in Bloomfield or principal, I don't need a microphone. So, first I'm going to say that I can't stand by and allow a lazy and incompetent town manager to keep his job below the And we can do better. I cannot allow him to ease his job load by hiring an administrative assistant that on day one will make more than a teacher on step 13 with not one of those. But, she will not have those. They will not have What are they going to Can't help it. Town Council, your adherence to the town charter seems to be conditional. You would adhere to it when selecting a mayor. You adhere to it when deeming that the budget referendum last year did not receive the necessary number of votes. But when it comes to the town manager's residency requirements, where is he, by the way? Point of order. I was just saying For our town of Bloomfield, mayor to gas that he paid for, the town car that he paid for, I'm going to say it. You all were complicit, but you can do better. You can rectify this today by passing a fair budget and working together for the better of Bloomfield. You campaigned on this last year. Make it better for those businesses. I didn't want to come in here and be angry and be upset. I want to be a a team player, but you're not playing fairly. And I noticed that none of his recommendations got cut. How is that possible? Rectify this today. And Peter Frank had a couple of

questions, but I'm going to make this really quick. Um number one, he wants to know under what specific legal authority is the town council allowing the town town manager to operate in direct defiance of section 502 of the town charter and section 11 of his own employment contract, mandating his residency in Bloomfield. Number two, since the town attorney is an appointee of the town council under charter section 501, under what legal or statutory authority did the mayor or town manager unilaterally increase the town attorney's hourly wage to $250 without a formal vote by the town local council? Number three, why does the fiscal year 2027 document fail to present parallel columns showing actual revenues and expenditures for the first 8 months of the current fiscal year? I believe it was up there, but no one could see it. Number four, how can taxpayers trust a $119 million budget request when internal memos confirm 50% of recent financial activity bypass the town's E E I can't even see E R system. Excuse me. Thank you.

And 2.19 million in current spending remains uncategorized categorized and undefined. Thank you very much. 1.19 million dollars Please let the next speaker come forward. Excuse me. Please let the next speaker come forward. Thank you very much. Please. Miss Please stop. Please. Hello everyone. My name is Prince Joel Dixon, candidate for mayor of Bloomfield. First of all, I want all the teachers to stand up and get recognized. All teachers, stand up, please. Come on, let's go. These teachers provide our students with a true education in politics, in world hunger. [clears throat] My father, who I'm here on his behalf, Douglas Dixon. Some of you may know our family. We're really well known. My

brother ran Bloomfield Pool. Aaron was a BBA person and was on the ambulance. And I'm the next in line to my dad's legacy and his throne. For those of you here seeing this town council, this is not Bloomfield at all. The way I see Mr. Heredia sitting there looking at the timer as this lady is speaking is disgusting, despicable. And you know what else was wrong? That was wrong. You should be ashamed of yourself. In fact, I'm going to recommend to the Attorney General, who's a close personal family friend of ours, that he do an investigation into you and this budget and the town manager. You know what else was wrong? The way Bloomfield treated Bill Collins. The Bloomfield Police Department knows us. The State Troopers know us. And now you are going to know who we are. You need to be removed, sir. You need to take that gavel, smash it and say, "I remove myself." You are the same color as me, and yet you are making me disgusted. I watched all these people speak, and you watched [clears throat] that timer. I came here with a different tune, but now I come here to make sure you're held accountable. People of Bloomfield, the Attorney General will be contacted forthwith tomorrow, Mr. William Tong, and I will make sure, as you have seen his track record, that he investigates all of this situation. You have made an enemy in the whole town of Bloomfield, and now you will reap what you sow. Welcome to politics. The fact that you didn't want to recognize the one dollar people is that we need to change the face of Bloomfield. We spent money on the Prosser Library. That wasn't needed to be fixed. We're a small country town with great interests, farmers, teachers, politicians, and a great place to be. You want to know what they say about politicians? When they're not kissing babies, they're stealing from them. And that's what they're doing. Again, my name is Prince Joel Dixon. I

will feel free to hit us up at dix@hartford.edu about all of your concerns. I hope this young lady is the next senator or congressman. With that, mic drop. Have a good day. Thank you. Okay, we'll go down to D Grant Drive, Bloomfield Avenue. And I I share the same sentiment that that both Mr. Dixon and Nicola also shared. This My father who was on Town Council in Bloomfield for at least 15 years. I grew up watching the politics here in Bloomfield. I grew up in the Bloomfield school system and remember when it was a high quality school system where in junior high school we went to London. Seventh graders would go to London. Some have gone to Paris. That was Bloomfield school system. I think that due to your level of incompetence, okay, or your lack of research, because what you presented was total garbage. Like you really should have been ashamed to present that high level and the thing that you had to read it to us was embarrassing, okay? Because everybody wants to get to the nitty and the gritty, and you only made that available yesterday, okay? So people still have more to do. But I think you have a terrible town manager who doesn't know what he's doing. I have a problem with your town attorney. You need a microphone. And you don't need to be the town manager. I think that the town accountant doesn't know what he's doing, because you haven't been able to fulfill the audit in over a full year, and you expect these people to believe these numbers that you're giving us, and your books aren't even balanced. You can't even balance your books, and you haven't been able to do that for years.

You're not constantly voting something to move this. You're finding an investigative reporter, and when the investigative reporter reaches out to you, Peter Frank, okay, you come back with this one no comment. No comment like you're cyborgs. Like you're not in this business. I think you need to put on your creative energy hat or whatever you need that would impart in you some common sense that would work for the best interest of this town and not for your image or how important you think you are because you sit on this council. You answer to the people of Bloomfield, and I hope the people of Bloomfield are hearing this. Okay? I hope that they go and take over your DTC because you've elected the previous finance director who never had meetings as your vice chair, which will continue to perpetuate this Okay? I think that you really need to re-evaluate. I know you don't like my tone. I know you don't like it. I'm not here for you to like it, okay? You haven't seen me in a long time, and I and I [clears throat] I tried to encourage you to be a leader. I still have minutes. I have seconds. I encouraged you to be the leader because you're the mayor, but you don't know how to do that. Okay? And you can't you you you keep on coming back with garbage. Every [clears throat] other year when things were tough, there was always multiple scenarios. And you should know that.

Hello everyone. My name is Carmenisa Greenason. This is my daughter Nayeli. I'm a teacher over at Global Experience Magnet School. Um I came here from Jamaica as a trained teacher. And starting in the Bloomfield district, I started working as a special ed and and I remember one day the superintendent superintendent came over and when she came over I said I decided I'm going to use that opportunity to speak to him. And Braxton and there I raised my hand and I informed her of the of the skills that I had brought here and immediately she saw something inside of me and she gave me a chance. And ever since the HR has worked with me and I got my certification here. I had to pay a lot of money to get my documents certified here in the US and I became a certified teacher before the end of that school year. Okay. My fellow citizens, which is 2020 2025, I started at Carmen as a certified teacher currently being in the private. Now the other day I got a letter that my services is no longer needed here in Bloomfield. I felt so disappointed, you know, being an immigrant, no family, just my daughter. And also I'm disabled because I had to go and open heart surgery. And I'm like, "What am I going to do?" I didn't go to school that week early. Went back to school and my students said, "Ms. Brandon, why weren't you here?" I said, "Excuse me, it's not like you guys miss me anyway." They're like, "Ms. Brandon, what are you talking about? You inspire us so much." And I I thought about it and I'm like, "Really I

do?" And they're like, "Yes, Ms. Brandon." When we're having a bad day, even though you're not our science teacher or algebra teacher or capstone teacher or chemistry teacher, we always find consistency. Middle schoolers who I don't teach middle school but um I teach 9 11 and the seniors. And I find that I have such an impact on the students. Yet still I'm going to be let go. These students need me as much as I needed my family. Like I said, I don't have any relatives here. It's just my daughter and I. And and so after getting that letter I had to call the mortgage company to let them know that my first home I might have to foreclose on it because what is going to happen in July? No job, no apartment. That is my two cents. Thank you very much. Thank you, ma'am. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm just going to move over there to pick up the other sheet that has been signed during public comment and we will proceed from over there.

[clears throat]

We'll start with Mr. Rickford Curtain. Good evening. Rickford Curtain, Bloomfield resident. I live in Thank you, ma'am. I think I want to start off by requesting that the council apologize to Dr. Youngblood. I literally watched you all interrogated her in the last council meeting on April 28th. Interrogated her while we have a town attorney who's basically ripping the town off. And he came up and told you all that you don't have responsibility in regards to his contract. That's a lie. You hired the town attorney. You should be increasing any increase for him. It shouldn't be the town manager who's a frat brother with him. That's a conflict of interest. So we have an unethical town attorney that should be replaced. That's the first thing. So Dr. Youngblood was very insightful. She told you don't rely on the ECS funds. The mayor stood at the April 28th meeting and confidently told the residents of Bloomfield that the town of Bloomfield will get $2.3 million. Guess what? We didn't get $2.3 million. What the town of Bloomfield received is 323,000 for the Board of Ed and 264 for the town. That's a total of 586. There's a shortfall of $814,000 that's reflected that's not reflected in the budget that you presented to the residents tonight. So basically the budget that was presented tonight is not accurate.

It's been a consistent problem with this town council and I thought that you would have been transparent tonight and explain that to the residents. You didn't. So once again, you're misleading the residents of Bloomfield. You're paying the town manager more than the town manager of West Hartford, three times our salary. You're paying his executive assistant $134,000. More than many of our teachers within the town of Bloomfield. And you all know that I know the numbers. I've gone through the numbers. I've reached out to you. The MDC projection that you have of $550,000, that's incorrect. The reason why it's incorrect because of the lack of your a complying budget, the MDC received incorrect information from you all. So that increase within the budget is not correct. And the finance director knows that. Correct? There's no way that there will be 15% increase in the MDC in one year for the town of Bloomfield. That's impossible unless there's something strange going on that I can't explain. But you all refuse to adjust that number. We cannot continue down. By the way, do you all know that they took $3.6 million from the fund balance budget plus another $4 million for for a center of town development that's not going to go forward because currently the owner of that property Mr. Curtain So they're wasting your funds.

Okay, I'm calling up the remaining names that have previously signed up. We have James McGovern, Aaron Berenger, Annette James, Jean Davis, and Lucy Hershman. Thank you. James McGovern, 25 Valley View Drive. I've been a Bloomfield resident for 50-something years. I've been in Bloomfield schools K through 12 just so you know why I'm here. Year after year, spending grows while accountability lapses. The gap doesn't disappear, it widens and it lands squarely on us taxpayers. Avoiding hard choices is not leadership, it's delaying. Let's be direct. When a town's cost structure becomes unsustainable, maintaining it isn't compassion, it's negligence. It limits future investments, weakens services, and risks far worse corrections later. That brings us to layoffs. No one takes that lightly. These are real people, they deserve transparency and respect. But keeping positions that no longer align with the town's need or financial reality doesn't protect employees. It sets them up for a deeper, more chaotic cut down the road. The responsibility of this council is to ensure long-term stability, not short-term comfort. Residents must ask the hard question. Why does our mayor act like an ass file and focus more on Robert's Rules of Order to shut down necessary conversations than telling us our plans for replacing the town attorney and shrinking the town manager's office by two thirds? Do we dare ask what was the proposal to cut trash hauling services a form of theatrics to enable the town council to appear heroic when they restore it? No one is that big a freaking idiot to propose cutting trash as a viable idea, right? Are decisions being driven by data or fear of political backlash? Right now it looks like fear is winning. The layoffs

are delayed, the worse the outcome will be. Likewise, labeling resident input as um at town council meetings as vitriol does more than describe tone. It belittles delegitimizes this participation. It signals to the community that only certain kinds of speech are welcome, measured, agreeable, and convenient. But the First Amendment does not protect speech because it is comfortable, it protects speech because it is essential. Councilwoman Cooper was not elected to serve as a referee of emotion but as a steward of process. The council's role is not to correct the public but to listen to fully, openly, and without prejudice. Our town government does not exist to protect those in power. Residents deserve a town manager and a world-class school system. Why do residents tolerate such underperformance? Dr. Youngberg, please ask the students via survey which teachers suck ass the most and put them on your list of people to terminate instead of terminating all the good teachers that we've met here. Students will gladly give you the information you need to make an informed decision. The town council should focus on ensuring that every role delivers 100% value or should be eliminated. We need to as a town fire the town manager, town attorney as as a starting point. Let's pray that Mayor Harrington will also resign tonight so that we can get Cindy Lloyd her job. Thank you very much. I'm confident that he can do a much She can do a much Thank you very much. Residents may have poor people Good evening. Erin Baringer, 28 Kenmore Road. First, I want to reiterate and support the comments that I heard from not only the teachers, residents, and parents last Monday, but again tonight.

I strongly support public education and believe in investing in our children as they are our future. I want to change gears because 49 days ago during citizen statements at the finance, budget, audit, and bonding subcommittee meeting, I raised several concerns. And today, I have not received any of those responses. I don't know if Director Hill is still here or anybody else from finance, but I haven't uh heard from my citizen statement and my follow-up email. So, I'll read part of my follow-up email that I sent those 49 days ago. I'm following up tonight to request a clarification on two items, the undefined category and the one-time paid vendor. I understand that MUNIS serves as our town's system of record and Open Finance is our tool as the public-facing reporting tool. With that in mind, I'd like to ask that someone in finance clarify why the undefined category in the uh public-facing reporting tool currently lists over $2 million as undefined. I'm not an investigative reporter like Peter Frank, but I know how to use Open Finance, and tonight, I did look and it's still at 2.19 million. So, for residents that rely on this platform to understand how Bloomfield uses our finances and how we spend our money, it would be very helpful if

Bloomfield's finance people properly reported invoices and categorized them under the appropriate department rather than undefined. I raise this because transparency tools like Open Finance are valuable for our community and especially when we're talking about budget. So, ensuring that categories are not only clear and accurate helps the public better understand how our funds are not only being spent, but being reported, especially during this budget time. Clarification on these items would improve transparency and strengthen public confidence in this data. Thank you.

Thank you, and I look forward to that information cuz 49 days later, I still don't have Lucy Ann Hurston, five Christine Circle. I have been in that house in this town for 45 years. In case I'm too far away from the camera and you can't read the sign that I had it out last meeting, let me read it to you. It says the town manager and attorney are not worth their salary packages. Now, there is nothing going right with this town manager's office or the town attorney's office and part of the communication department that can't be used, you know, better way to enlist the aid of our future. I can't see wasting money over there on someone who is unethical as an attorney who would do something like redefine a legal term to fit that round peg where it's a square hole, okay? Cuz that's what you're doing when you define residency as 40 hours or less. 40 hours or more you can count. That's how they define residency to defy our charter that says the town manager must live in town. What? So, if you start with this unethical foundation, you get deals like, let me give you a raise. I'll hold off taking a raise this year. You can get a raise next year, and you just divvy up your own money like that. But you start with an unethical foundation and you put a fly in the ointment, and that's what you get. People that do not have a problem at positions getting raises, getting cars, paying for insurance rather than doing what the charter says. And anyone that does not agree with

that, now is your time to be an ethical, honest, constitutional, charter-bearing witness to this fiasco. Speak your mind if you think that you are not defying our charter and disrespecting our citizens by having this man as town manager and that man as attorney. Thank you. Shane Davis, 46 Woodland Avenue and 390 Park Avenue. Dear members of the town council, I am speaking tonight to respectfully ask that you reconsider the funding allocated to Bloomfield education. Bloomfield is more than just the town where I work. It is the community that helped shape who I am. I am a proud product of Bloomfield Public Schools. I attended J.B. Vincent, Laurel Elementary School, Carmen Arace Intermediate and Middle School. The relationships I built there as a student had such a profound impact on me that I ultimately ultimately led me back to serving the same community that served me as an educator. My connection to Bloomfield runs even deeper. All of my siblings attended Bloomfield Public Schools. My nephews attended Bloomfield Public Schools. And even my late father dedicated years of service as a building substitute at Carmen Arace and Bloomfield High School. Bernard Davis. This is not just where I work. This is a community that my family has been invested in for generations.

Bloomfield has a has long been known for its ability to retain dedicated, passionate teachers who invest in their students year after year. And unfortunately, this budget will change that. I was fortunate enough to learn from educators such as Irene Lasman, Elizabeth Carrigan, Jennifer Madaloni, Donna Mims, Eileen Richter, Dorothia Jones, Jessie White, Danielle Bartley, who is now my principal. And the list goes on. These are individuals who not only taught me academically, but also modeled what it means to truly care for students. Today, I have the honor of calling them my colleagues. Even our current superintendent, Tracy Youngberg, was my vice principal when Carmen Arace Intermediate School just opened. These connections are not coincidental. They are of They are the foundation of what makes Bloomfield special. It is a legacy of commitment and care that ensures students feel seen, supported, and inspired. Bloomfield students, like I once was, deserve access to a high-quality education delivered by educators who value them deeply and are equipped with the resources to meet their needs. As both a resident and a teacher in this district, I urge you to thoughtfully and sincerely reconsider the current level of funding for the Board of Education. As a taxpayer, can I just have 30 more seconds, please?

I'm sorry, but You have a minute and 30 I think I explained at the outset We tried to explain at the outset that we needed to keep it to 3 minutes. Asking 30 seconds. Thank you. As a taxpayer, I would feel more comfortable with an increase that at the very least funds our students. We were already in jeopardy of staff changes before the Board of Education budget was proposed. Carmody Race Intermediate School and magnet school is closing. Now, here we are losing 20 staff members. 10 of which [clears throat] are are a part of our teaching union. I am sure I'm not sure you all understand how much of a tremendous adverse impact on our students this is and it is not okay. It has been said from members of the council that this budget reflects the priorities of this town based on where the money is going. I ask that you carefully reflect not only on the budget and the numbers, but consider the stories such as mine that represent the lasting impact of what investing in our students looks like. Thank you. Thank you. If there are no further in-person public comment, we're going to move to online comment.

Good evening everyone. I'm Pat Davis on the line for Lisa Lane. I was not planning to talk. I didn't even think I would be here this long, but I just really wanted to come to the mic and for the record to state that everything that's been said has been said. But I just want to make the town council aware that when we're here speaking, this is because we are invested. And we really need you all to understand that it seems that you're not. You're not invested in the things that we really need as residents, as taxpayers, and the things that we need to do. I think someone spoke about the vote 5-2 on the budget and that's not the majority, so we appreciate that. I appreciate the ones that are finally realizing that when we're here to speak, it's not just about we want controversy or we want to make you look bad, but in hindsight, I just want to come to this mic and say, "I want my money to go to the Board of Ed." I don't want my money to go to your town hall. I think everybody has a job and everybody has a job to do, but if the budget is how it is and I have to sacrifice as a taxpayer and a homeowner, my property taxes are paid more. If I got to pay more, I want my money to go to the Board of Ed because they are our future. Not to the town attorney, not to the town attorney, not to anyone else. You guys are volunteers and you're suffering, too. Which I don't understand why you don't feel like me. I can't understand why you all don't feel like me. You are residents in this town and you understand the impact that this budget is going to cause all of us as taxpayers. And again, I'm going to be all right, but I'm nervous. I'm I'm a senior citizen. And I'm so proud of where I live that I had to say something. But seriously, no, I'm not I'm not joking, but put you know, our resources where they belong. We got a lot of things that are happening, a lot of cuts that are happening, and I understand the reason why I understand it all. And I'm telling you, regardless of how y'all feel about Mr. Curtin, what he's been posting, I learned a lot. Aaron

Berenger, the things that they're putting on social media that you claim that you don't see, those that information is really transcending for me. I learned a lot by coming here. I've been here. I'm going to stay here. Been a resident for 28 years. Raised my kid. The superintendent was my son's teacher. She saved my oldest. And I'm not telling you this so I'm going to fight for this carrier. I'm going to fight for this Jordan. I'm going to stand here. I'm going to fight for Bloomfield because we deserve better. All of you want to talk about that personally because I know you want to talk about it. But I appreciate you. Stop talking. Y'all taking up my time. I got to give you one second. No, but I appreciate everybody and I really hope you hear us. I really hope you hear us tonight. We consider all that you're doing. I don't want to take money out of nobody's pocket, but I don't want my money taken out of my pocket and given to somebody who don't live here. Can we really think about that? Thank you. All right. Good evening. My name is Renee James. I live at 23 Mayfair Road. I hope you can breathe tonight. I'm going to switch tunes a little bit and just thank you all for your hard work and council members and for passing a budget or working towards passing a budget. And it was really difficult. I'm a DCT I'm a DTC chair, Democratic Town Committee chair. Um And I just want to thank everyone, I mean, the town council, uh town staff, um all the people who came to speak. I mean, this is a process that's been very painful throughout the entire process. I've been in communication with other chairs across the state and all of the towns are dealing with a similar situation. And you see it when you go to the grocery store, pay more, you get less. You go to the grocery store, you pay more, you get less. It's no different in our town budget. It's very hard and money is very near and dear to all of us in our pockets and I want to appreciate

send appreciation to our town council for taking hour after hour, week after week to look at the budget to see where we can find some savings, to see to make some very challenging decisions. You know, these are people's jobs, their livelihoods. Um even Board of Ed and the town side. So, I understand I see you guys not taking these decisions very lightly and it's very serious to all of us. I can see 35 listening to us, so I want to say thank you and I don't envy you at this moment, so good luck in your senior year. Thank you. Betty Williams 48 Gabb Road. So, as you can see, I am in support of the school system. Um I've been here for 20 years. My children went public school all the way up. And I've said this before, I fully support Dr. Youngblood's vision. I think she has us moving in a forward direction. And if we can't get all of that money, we just need a little more. We need some more. It is heartbreaking to hear first day to first year teachers, teachers who have lived here and come back and want to do this to be the first ones on the chopping block. That is very saddening. And I do think that there's places that we can squeeze out that are not on the Board of Ed side, that are not out of Dan Carter's pocket, that are not out of Dave Melesto's pocket or the library's pocket. I just think that everybody here, including the town, we have to make tough decisions and some of that is in town hall. It can't be a bunker. We are not in the military. We don't have all of these different things in the military. And I applaud the town manager and some of you are going to boo me for that. I applaud him for all of his initiatives and the things that he would like to do, but maybe some of that just cannot happen now. And we need to think twice and we need to ask what might be able to be shaved a little bit and move a little bit of money. So, I thank you all. I wish we had gotten more ECS, but I'm a realist. I knew we were not going to match up to some of these other towns, but

appreciate it. I know you have a lot of hard work to do. I know we all have been sitting here for weeks doing it already, but thank you and I look forward to a budget that helps the majority of our community. Thank you. Thank you. Last call for in-person public comment. Going once. Last call twice. Last call three times. We'll open the floor to our online residents. For our residents online Last call. Okay, we have one. Okay, we are opening up the floor. Hi. Um I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person. Um I have been a educator in Bloomfield for 26 years. Um these last several years we have had smaller class sizes. I'm a third grade teacher at Metacomet Elementary School. And I can just say that the smaller class sizes make such a difference. Again, 26 26-year teacher here and the class sizes of, you know, 13 to 15, it allows us personalized instruction, it allows us to make small groups based on student ability and needs, and cutting those positions would just be horrible and detrimental for our students and our staff and our and all of our school buildings in general. We need these small class sizes, especially to help our students that are in need.

And that's just basically all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you. Jennifer, can you please state your address? Yes, I live outside of district. I live in 489 Wolcott Street, number 21 in Bristol, Connecticut, 06010. Thank you. And we have public comment for Kate King. If you can state your name, your address, and 3 minutes, please. Kate, you may be muted if you are available. You have 3 minutes. They're starting. You are being asked to unmute. Going once. Going twice. Okay, we have one more. Ellen. With no other hands raised on Zoom, going once. Going twice. Three times. And we are closing public statements. Thank you.

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to close public comment. I move. There will be a special meeting of the town council immediately following the town meeting. All those in favor? Aye. Those opposed? Any abstentions? Motion passes. We will now call the meeting to order. Mr. Roll Call. Councilor Cooper. Present. Councilor DePino-Brown. Present. Councilor Mahan. Here. Councilor Oliver. Present. Councilor Merritt. Councilor Waterhouse. Councilor Goodwin. Present. Deputy Mayor Lloyd. Mayor Anthony is not here. Under council business. New business. 2026-51. Consider and take action regarding appointment to the town plan and commission, TPZ. The alternate vacancy. Excuse me. No, we're going to we're going to back up a moment because we did not actually adjourn.

But I said All those in favor? Those opposed? Any abstentions? Okay. So, we called the order, we did the roll call. New business. 2026-51. Consider and take action regarding appointment to the town plan and commission, TPZ. That's not Let's listen. Town Planning and Zoning Commission, TPZ. The alternate vacancy. No paperwork. There is no one. I don't think there's anyone. So, I just is there a way Okay. Well, then We table it. Okay. Can we table to

Motion to table. Yeah. So, next meeting. Is there a second? Second. Second. No. They're all in favor. My crew. Okay. So, what we'd like to do is see if we can get clarification from India Rogers in terms of the name because there is a statutory retire requirement that this person be identified and seated tonight. If we could take a moment to uh Where's India? Fill that information. So, just a little background information. A vacancy for a town plan and zoning, TPZ, alternate became available March 9th, 2026. Town charter allows for 60 days to fill this vacancy by town council. For the deadline to fill the vacancy by 5/8/26. The term ends 11/8/27. And disclosure is required. The town charter states that when the vacancy

member was elected as a member of a political party, the appointment to fill the unexpired term must be a member of the same political party. Accordingly, as the vacancy was created by a Democrat, the position must be filled by a Democrat. The Bloomfield Democratic Town Committee did not submit a nomination for this vacancy. Please note, the appointment will not be official until the appointment candidate submits their disclosure form and is sworn in in person at the town clerk's office. Attachments. Interest forms received in alphabetical order. Desiree Cotton. James Jenkins. Lorna McCloud. And Teshwana Teshwana Turner. Town charter, chapter two. Election of offer officers. The following motion must be in order. Move that the town council appoint Alternate. No. So, we're waiting for some more information. Um parliamentarian. Excuse me. Mr. Mr. Mayor One on at a time. Mr. Mayor. Yes. Um if

if time allows, I would like to make a motion to table this until Wednesday. You took my table, but I second it. If the parliamentarian can give us clarification, I was going to ask that he come up after they finish conversation. I would like to And there was a There was a motion on the floor to table. There was a second to the motion to table. We didn't hear that down here. Already. No, you made the second. So, I made the motion, it was already seconded. There was a motion on the floor already.

Okay. Okay. I don't think we have enough information to be able to vote on this. That's just my opinion. Can Okay. Perfect. Can we get the parliamentarian to speak on this? Thank you. Our question was if you could provide clarification on the amount of time frame that we have to act on this because I don't believe town council and anybody else here is ready to um act upon it. The 8th. Okay. Thank you. We have until the 8th to make that decision. Thank you, Attorney Frome. Thank you. He said that the doesn't have to be made until the 8th. We needed clarification because no one here felt we had enough time to weigh in on the candidates, particularly when not getting a recommendation from the DTC. He advised that we have until the 8th. Thank you very much. And we would like to let you know that it will be handled on the 8th because we do plan to have another uh council meeting on the 8th, Wednesday. Excuse me. Excuse me. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, the 6th. Wednesday, the 6th. So, the next item 2026 52. Mr. Mayor, we still have to vote on the to table it that So, we can call in the question. You did. We already did a motion and second. But, we just took a motion. We didn't vote. We only

a a motion and a second. Yes. We didn't allow them to vote on it. All those in favor? I. Those opposed? Any abstentions? The next item, 2026 52. Consider and take action regarding the adoption of the town of Bloomfield FY2027 budget and set the mill rate for fiscal year 2027. So, who So, who You can't vote on it. Mr. Mayor Because the numbers aren't right. Deputy Mayor. Deputy Mayor. But, this is our opportunity to do the consider part. We don't have to vote on it tonight, but we at least can consider Yes.

speak about it. Deputy Deputy Mayor, please. Deputy Mayor. Thank you. In light of the numbers not being updated to the ECS, as well as many, many more concerns about some numbers in the budget that I know are looking at being adjusted, I make a motion that we table this item. Second. Second. All those in favor? I. Those opposed? Nay. Any abstentions? Can we make a

Hey, motion passes. Here's a motion to adjourn. Is there a second? Second. Second. Thank you, everyone, for coming out.