Town Council - Regular Meeting

yeah. yeah.

Good evening, Bloomfield. We are going to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I say it out loud.

Thank you. At this time, we will conduct our roll call. Councilor Cooper. Right. Councilor DeBethan-Brown. Here. Councilor Mahon. Here. Councilor Oliver is coming on board shortly. Councilor Merritt. Here. Councilor Waterhouse.

Here.

Councilor Goodwin? Present. Deputy Mayor Lloyd?

Here.

And Mayor Anthony Harrington is here. Okay. We will start first with announcements and presentations. We have a presentation this evening. It's a proclamation. Proclamation. for the 100th anniversary of the Bloomfield Center Fire Department. And we thank you all so very much for coming. It reads, Leslie, whereas in 1923, the Bloomfield Center Fire Department was established to support the growing needs of the community including extending water service along Bloomfield Avenue, controlling dust on local roadways, encouraging electric distribution, and constructing and maintaining sidewalks. And whereas the Bloomfield Center Fire Department was organized in 1926 to provide fire protection and emergency services to the residents, of the district, beginning with a repurposed Ford Model T chemical truck and the dedication of a small group of volunteers. And whereas the department's early volunteers demonstrated remarkable dedication by acquiring and refurbishing fire apparatus, including its first model, first Ford Model T chemical truck, and establishing its first permanent firehouse on Wittenbury Avenue in 1931. laying the foundation for a century of service to the community. And whereas throughout its history, the department has grown alongside the community, expanding its facilities, apparatus, and service area to meet the evolving public safety needs of Bloomfield residents. And whereas for 100 years, the department has been staffed entirely by volunteer firefighters whose selfish service, courage, and commitment have protected lives and property during fires, rescues, hazardous materials, incidents, motor vehicle accidents, and countless other emergencies. Generations of members have devoted their time to training, preparedness, and community service, establishing a proud tradition of excellence that continues today through companies one, two, and three. And whereas the Bloomfield Center Fire Department has remained a cornerstone of the community, exemplifying the values of volunteerism, professionalism, and public service for a century. And now, therefore, I, Anthony C. Harrington, Mayor of the Town of Bloomfield, on behalf of the Town Council and the residents of Bloomfield, do hereby proclaim the year 2026 as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Bloomfield Center Fire Department and extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all past and present volunteer firefighters, officers, commissioners, and supporters whose dedication and sacrifice have safeguarded our community for 100 years. Dated at Bloomfield, Connecticut, this eighth day of June, 2026. So I have a question. If there is anyone that would first like to take this proclamation and then possibly provide a few words.

Welcome.

So if I just want to say, I'm happy we don't have to take care of the dusty roads and sidewalks. We've come a long way in 100 years. Mayor Harrington, all the town council, I want to thank you all very much for recognizing this huge achievement that we have come to 100 years. Most importantly, I want to thank all our volunteers. That makes this department what it is today.

thank you very much and at this time we will move to citizen statements and petitions you will all have well let me say statements by members of the public may be oral or written and shall start with the speaker's name and address and shall continue for no longer than three minutes unless permitted by the mayor or Councilor presiding. Thank you very much.

There we are. Robert Dickinson, 400 Seabury Drive, Bloomfield. Bloomfield has a big budget problem while still having problems controlling speed on our streets and roads. Certainly, we cannot afford increased enforcement using police and cruisers, but many residents think that we need more enforcement. Speed cameras enforcement has been effective in many Connecticut towns. Fines are lower by the speed cameras than when an officer issues tickets. And the fines are not issued until 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. Plus, first offense is free as a warning. Proceeds from those fines can only be used to improve safety. Drivers slow down when they see a police car. Having a speed camera with its required warning sign is likely to cause everyone to slow down to within the speed limit. Plus the 10, which might also cause safer driving habits to be formed. We don't want to collect fines. We want people to drive at safe speeds.

Thank you very much.

Hi, my name is Sherry Levine, and I live at 4 Nolan Drive. I worked on the referendum, so I guess I'm the enemy. But I would like to thank four people first. Suzette, Daryl, Elizabeth, and Shamar for voting against me.

this budget.

The residents of Bloomfield do and will always remember this, that you fought for us.

So thank you for that.

But the main thing is, as I heard stories and horrendous stories, what are we doing financially for our seniors? what did this town council do for our seniors? I know the Connecticut State Legislature has passed numerous bills that state this is to help seniors, elderly stay in their homes. And I know Peter, Frank has published a huge list of articles also about laws of the past that we could also use on this town council to help our seniors. That's all I'm asking. Please help our seniors. Nobody should have to move out of their homes. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good evening. Good evening. Alvin Taylor, 15 Regency Drive, a longtime Bloomfield resident. My concern here basically is I think that this town is in a state of disarray. And I think that unless we focus, we are going to lose this town. Bloomfield is in a very precarious position. And I think it is incumbent upon us to take the appropriate action. I would recommend or suggest strongly that we commence negotiations with the town manager to essentially negotiate an end to his contract. Secondly, I would recommend that we immediately search out Louie Chapman and bring him back to the town of Bloomfield. because essentially we need to get the town hall under control and we need to get our services organized. We need to get our financial house in order. And also I think that we need to focus upon this town and its appearance. Bloomfield is slipping and we cannot continue in this vein. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good evening, Mayor Harrington, Town Council. My name is Erin Barringer, 28 Kenmore Road. The referendum failed in the fiscal 2027 budget has been approved. It was disappointing that more residents did not turn out to vote. And I question whether this was due to lack of awareness, insufficient notification, or apathy. For comparison, our neighbor in Simsbury uses a budget mailer, which actually is quite excellent. I'd recommend everybody looking it up. And it's used to inform residents about key budget details, including the referendum date, tax impact, mill rate, operating, education, and special revenue budgets. And I would strongly recommend that Bloomfield consider implementing a similar budget mailer, regardless of a referendum or not, just so that we can better inform our residents of this. the proposed tax increase, mill rate and major expenditure categories. Because in my view, the town website is currently a little cumbersome and it's really not that easy to navigate. In addition, many of our residents don't utilize email or have a computer to get information on the budget or, in this case, the referendum. I also wonder whether Saturday voting may have been a factor in this turnout. In Simsbury, approximately 1,068 of the 18,501 electors voted on their Saturday referendum. That's about 5.8%. So I'm actually quite happy that Bloomfield's turnout was 14.9%, yet it fell short of that 15% threshold of total voters. Additionally, 131 days ago, the council appointed the previous charter revision commission It set its charge and requested a draft report to be submitted to our town clerk by May 11th, 2026. I would like to ask whether the Charter Revision Commission can establish its new meeting schedule and begin its important work of updating our town charter. And finally, I would like to reiterate I have one sentence left. Finally, I'd like to reiterate my previous comments from two weeks ago regarding safeguards to fourth quarter transfers to ensure they're not used as a mechanism to fund expenditures outside of this adopted fiscal 27 budget.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Good evening. Good evening. Lucy Hurston, 5 Christine Circle. I am concerned by the adversarial stance the town council has adopted toward its citizens. The current approach of the town manager's office feels unwelcoming and disconnected from the community. As elected officials, you are obligated by oath to serve the citizens of Bloomfield, and I urge you to prioritize their interests. Below, I outline several actions and decisions that have negatively impacted the community and contributed to growing concerns. One, he made an inaccurate statement regarding one of our founding fathers, which appeared to be an attempt to discredit his legacy and remove his name from the library. This action seemed politically motivated. Bye, okay. Two, you hired a town manager who resides outside of Bloomfield, which appears to be inconsistent with the town charter and is unprecedented in our town's history. Three, recent fiscal decisions such as allocating $90,000 of our taxpayer funds for vehicles for the town manager and deputy town manager raise concerns about financial responsibility. These funds could have been used to prevent staff reductions at the Board of Education. The decision to hold the town-wide election on a Saturday rather than the traditional Tuesday did not account for the needs of all citizens, including those with religious observances. This change appears to have caused confusion among voters who expected the usable schedule. According to the charter, the referendum could have been scheduled within a 14 day window, which would have included landing on a Tuesday. Clarification on the reasoning behind this decision would be appreciated. Five, the admission of the budget referendum from the weekly newsletter distributed by your communications department is concerning as it limited public awareness of this important issue. Six, Holding meetings three days before the referendum could be perceived as influencing the outcome. The budget information discussed at these meetings was requested during earlier deliberations, but was not provided at that time. After consulting with the Secretary of State's office and the State Election Enforcement Commission, I learned there may be statutory concerns under Statute 9-3-69B. Despite 14.9% opposition, the council's actions appear to disregard the concerns of the citizens. Consistent adherence to the charter and the ethical standards is essential to maintain public trust. I urge you to reflect on the impact your decisions have had on the community. It is important for public servants to act in ways that unite rather than divide the citizens of Bloomfield. And I request that the town manager refer to the electorate appropriately rather than as civilians.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Excuse me. You're not respecting this citizen sitting up here. Robert Simmons, 23 Cape Will Drive. Back when Barack Obama was going against John McCain for the presidential election, John McCain was holding a town meeting, and a woman said that he was a Muslim. He corrected her, right? It would have helped his campaign if he didn't say anything, just sat back, But he corrected it. He took a stand because he knew that was right. So I ask all the council members, when you see something that's being said that's incorrect, please step up. I know you guys get a lot of negative comments and stuff like that, but I'll give you an example. It was said that the town manager was making special deals right before the referendum to get people to retire, right? The retirement, if you actually were paying attention, that was done in April and it was in the budget. That helped get the budget to 3.07%. That wasn't something he did because the referendum came around, right? Also, it's being said that, oh, he was driving, the town gave him a Mercedes. That's ridiculous, right? All right. He drives the Explorer. We have a fleet of explorers out there. Right. On top of that, previous town managers have vehicles. And then I would then, you know, it was just mentioned about Louie Chapman. How hilarious is that? Because this man was fired from that job for for for doing. I have to watch how I say it, but shady things. All right, and a new job in Florida. Not here, a new job in Florida. Okay, but we want that man to come back. All right. Then it was, oh, these packages about retirement. Bloomfield has been doing that for decades. My mother has been a longtime teacher. She started here in 1968 with the second black teacher hired by Bloomfield. Don Harris was the first. 2004, she took a retirement package. She said, there's no way I could turn this down. So she took it. And 2006, two years later, she went back to being in the school system, working in the office. And she did that up until she was 85 years old. And when COVID hits, the reason she stopped. So we have done these things all along. They'll just make it seem like our town manager is just doing this and doing that. This is a practice that's done all across the country to get to people's budget together. May I have 40 seconds?

OK, I can give you 20.

Thank you. Also, I think it's very despicable. Some of the comments were made about this gentleman here, Joseph Merritt. I mean, I have never have supported a Republican, but I will support any man that does the right thing. And he stood up and said these things are wrong. And then to have a former council person say the problem is he's been there since 1976. I think that was disgusting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Brickford Curtin, 7 Hickory Lane. Wasn't planning to speak tonight, but I think it's important to reinforce a couple of things. I saw a clip today from one of the news channel and they repeated the same thing that this council, the town manager's office, the town manager has been repeating that there's a 3.07% tax increase. Once again, that's wrong. And here's what the reality. On July 1st, Residents will receive their tax bill Right. They're not going to receive their tax bill. They're gonna receive the increase in the mill rate for both the center fire and for Blue Hills on top of The town increase which is roughly around seven and a half to eleven percent depending on your property value So that will be a reality But I agree with previous speakers. The town manager is not only not fit to serve in his role based on a lack of knowledge, but he's in violation of the town charter. I know many of you love to refer to the charter when it fits your needs. Look at what the charter clearly state, including the town manager's contract that he needs to reside in the town of Bloomfield. Now, the town attorney that's sitting here came up with all matter of wording to say domicile and all kinds of stuff. Was it ever in writing? Did the town attorney provide the council with an opinion? If there is one, I'm going to FOI that. And I would also recommend that the council members get a copy of that opinion because the town attorney shouldn't provide verbal opinion. It should be written. not only for the council, but for public to have access to that as well. So once again, the town manager is illegally in a position making decision and the town attorney on the other hand is billing this town compared to what was done in the past. And hopefully, hopefully some of you who support that will look and say, do we support the residents of Bloomfield? or we're going to support our friends. That's a decision that you have to make. You're currently elected, and that's your decision. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Yes. Michonne, you have the floor. Michonne, you just muted yourself. Okay. You can speak. Michonne? There may be a Could you unmute? She did.

Okay, can you hear me?

Now, yes.

I'm sorry. My name is Shelby Young and I live at 31 Alexander Road. The residents of Bloomfield spoke on Saturday and they upheld the budget. One of the things that I think would be really important is the messaging of of what we do because a lot of times the community is not knowledgeable about the processes and what what happens it leaves it open to the outside folks who really whether they're deliberately trying to mislead or unconsciousness is misleading creates all the turmoil. It usually is the same group of people. The town council can say red, then they'll say blue. The town council, town manager can say up, then they can say down. But really, we should be focusing on the people's work. There's too much issues regarding the internals and not enough comments and concerns about the people's business. I don't agree with everything the council says or proposes, but I do believe in being respectful. And so I just want to reiterate this budget process This has been the same in the past. And I think if you guys checked out, I did a Freedom of Information Act in 2018 and the town manager who used to be part-time made probably more than the current town manager. Plus he has sub lawyers and contractors that was working for him. So we better, we should be careful how we're forming this and attacking a town manager or any of the officials. It really isn't wise. That's all I wanted to say.

Thank you very much. Are there any more residents who would like to speak? Going once? Going twice? going three times and citizen statements and petitions are now closed. We now move to the reports of, from the council subcommittees. First one is governance policy and economic development. where I serve as chair. At our last meeting, we were talking about old business discussions and possible action regarding the town's boards and commissions, appointment process, standard operating procedures. This item was tabled. Documents are needed to complete the process for SOP and policy review. Conversations are ongoing. We did have a meeting following that, so we'll be discussing that a bit later. New business, there was discussion and consideration to reinstate the council subcommittee on committees. As discussed during our recent meeting, governance policy and economic development subcommittee meeting, there was a unanimous and favorable recommendation to forward to the full council the reinstitution of the Committee on Committees. Overview. Committee on Committees was developed when subcommittees were originally established. Committee on Committees circa 2017 through 2021. the responsibilities of the appointments subcommittee, reviews and makes recommendations to the full town council regarding appointments and reappointments to town boards and commissions, works with board and commission chairs to identify members whose terms are expiring, determine which members wish to continue serving, and obtain recommendations fulfilling existing or anticipated vacancies. They also solicit recommendations from both the Democratic and Republican town committees to ensure board community representation in the appointment process. Also, promote community engagement, volunteerism, and participation in local government by encouraging qualified residents to serve on boards and commissions. They also evaluate potential candidates to ensure they possess interests, qualifications, and experience that align with the responsibilities of the specific board or commission. They also strive to recommend individuals who will contribute effectively to the mission, goals, and success of the town's boards and commissions. The staff liaison assigned is the town clerk. The chair of this committee is Councilor Darrell Goodwin, and the members include Councilors DeBeeth and Brown and Councilor Waterhouse. And that concludes my notes. We will move now to finance, audit, and bonding with Deputy Mayor Cindy Lloyd.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Well, having just wrapped up budget. We have not had a meeting, but we will reconvene our regularly scheduled finance subcommittee meetings on next Monday, 6-15, 2026 at 6 p.m. So please feel free to reach out in advance if you have any questions. Otherwise, look forward to seeing you then. Thank you.

Thank you. We move now to public health and safety, public health, safety, and environment with Councilor Todd Cooper, Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just want to report that on Wednesday, May 13th, we did have a meeting at 6 p.m. And our normal reports were received from the Center Fire District, the Blue Hills Fire District, the West Hartford Bloomfield Health District, the CEC, and also the Bloomfield Volunteer Fire and Ambulance, and of course, Bloomfield PD. There was nothing outstanding to report. There is, fortunately, there was a drop in police calls. As many of you know, we did have a few extreme calls with our fire departments, and unfortunately, where lives were lost. With our others, the public health was normal. There is a They will be reporting out. I've asked them to also report out on some of the things that have been happening in the world with different hantavirus and the Ebola, which they will be reporting out. Fortunately, Bloomfield is pretty insulated and our health district does a wonderful job, I'm glad to say. So we will have another meeting on this Wednesday, begins at 6 p.m. please feel free to join us. You can join via Zoom and or in person. And I would encourage you that if you do have any concerns that deal with public health and safety, you may send them directly to my town of Bloomfield email and we will put them on the agenda and or respond and or triage them to the correct places where they might be addressed. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. We now move to education, workforce, youth development, and community service, chaired by Councilor Michael Oliver.

Thank you, Mayor Harrington. Can you hear me?

Yes.

Yes, I'm not around. I'm out of town right now. So sorry for not being there. And my battery is low, so I do not have the camera on because I'm afraid I will lose the meeting here. Uh, I don't have anything to report out and we typically would have a meeting tomorrow, but seeing I'm out of town, I will not be available for tomorrow. So we will move it to the following month. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We'll move now to a council business. And the first item is the consent agenda.

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? No extensions. Okay, the motion passes. We now move to old business. 2026-47, consider and take action regarding approval of applications for the Neighborhood Assistance Act NAA program. my apologies one item before this item is to be discussed uh item b consider and take action regarding tax refunds all those in favor aye opposed any abstentions the motion passes Okay. So I'm going to repeat. I'm 2026 dash 47 consider and take action regarding approval of applications for the neighborhood assistance act in a program. So moved. Okay.

Second.

Second. Is there any discussion? Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Any nays? Any abstentions? Members would say as well. Motion passes. Now calling the question process. So we'll now vote on the motion. Consider and take action regarding approval of applications for the Neighborhood Assistance Act program. So moved. All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye. I believe Council Oliver also voted aye. Okay, any nays? No abstentions? Motion passes. We're moving now to new business. 2026-62, consider and take action regarding the acceptance of Anthony's Way Roadway.

So move.

Is there a second?

Second.

Okay, we'll now have discussion. We'll welcome our director, Mr. John Coleman. Before you take the mic, I'm sorry, Councilor Oliver, you had your hand raised.

The road is called Anthony Way, you said?

Anthony's Way Roadway.

Oh, just to make a point of clarification, it has nothing to do with Mayor Harrington, correct?

No, no, not at this time.

Okay. When I looked at the agenda initially, I thought you were trying to do something.

Thank you for the clarification.

No, not trying to emulate New Britain, but Mr. Coleman.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Madam Deputy Mayor, members of the council, Mr. Town Manager, residents of the town of Bloomfield. Um, There are two items sort of related here. The first one is acceptance of Anthony Way, which is a normal procedure when a subdivision is developed and the road is built to town standards. It is then accepted by the town once the subdivision has been completed. In this case, that is the case. This is a subdivision that was approved by the TPZ in 2018. It's a 12 unit, 12 single family units. that are all occupied. It has been reviewed and accepted by the town engineering division of the Department of Public Works. A proper roadway deed has been executed and reviewed by the town attorney and is ready for filing pending acceptance by you. So staff recommends that you adopt the accompanying resolution, which the town would accept this roadway as a normal procedure. And the TPZ approved it when they approved the subdivision back in 2018. And I would recommend, Mr. Mayor, that the resolution be read into the record and should be attached to the end of your package.

Mm-hmm. Whereas. Yes.

So I plan on fully supporting this director Coleman by doing a, what are the four repercussions of us? If we did not approve this, what would be the ramifications of that?

It will remain a private road in the, uh, and the developer would be responsible for its maintenance. Okay. And all that goes with that, but part of the subdivision and part of the arrangement was that it would become a public room.

Thank you.

Yes.

May I, I would move the, uh, resolution, whereas at this way is a 12 lot residential subdivision approved by the town of Bloomfield plan and zoning commission on February 22nd, 2018 is there thereafter revised in September, 2020. And whereas approved subdivision plans provide for the designation and conveyance to the town of Bloomfield approximately 9.832 acre open space parcel associated with said subdivision, and whereas the developer, Anthony Bellucci, has delivered executed deeds for the advance of said open space parcel to the town of Bloomfield, which deeds have been reviewed and approved as to form by the town attorney and are ready for filing and recording upon exceptions by the town council and who couldn't order.

Excuse me, councilman. That's the resolution that relates to the open space, which is the second item. There's a previous motion that relates to the acceptance of the road. I don't mean to interrupt you, but we need to have the resolutions properly related. I can give you a copy of it if you want.

Oh, right here.

The roadway.

That's what I read.

No, I won't attribute this to it.

Whereas the land use department therefore recommends acceptance of Anthony's players.

Whereas the roadway is the beginning.

Right here. I got her here. Yeah.

Please give us a moment.

That's why I said, no, no, this is the, if you start reading it, you'll see it's different.

Okay. All right. Whereas the roadway known as Anthony's Way is probably 12 lots of residential subdivisions originally approved by the Town Manager, Town Planning and Zoning Commission on February 22, 2018, revised in September 2020. And whereas the subdivision includes a public road approximately 1,065 feet in length, designed and approved to be a town road, Whereas the town engineer inspecting all public improvements, including the road construction and as-built plan with respect to the approved plans and town standards in June 2021 and developed a punch list of items for the developer to address and, am I reading the right one? Yes, you are. Okay. And whereas the engineering division has confirmed that all punch list items have been satisfactorily completed and confirmed that the road is ready to be accepted as a town road. And whereas developer Anthony Mollucci has provided an executed roadway deed, which has been reviewed by the town attorney is ready for filing upon acceptance. And whereas the land use department therefore recommends acceptance of Anthony's way as a town road Now, therefore, be it resolved that the town council formally accept Anthony's Way as a public road in the town of Bloomfield.

Second.

All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Any abstentions? The mayor votes aye. The motion passes. I believe there is the next item. Yes, Mr. Mayor.

The second item related to this is the acceptance of the Anthony Way's open space parcel. Yes, sir. This parcel is directly adjacent to La Salette Park. The developer has executed and delivered the deeds for the conveyance. This open space was part of the approved subdivision. There's one little twist on this one. The parcel is being conveyed. in lieu of the foreclosure of municipal tax liens in favor of the town of Bloomfield. For whatever reason, a tax bill was sent out for a number of years on this property, even though it was going to be designated open space. And the developer challenged that, and an agreement was reached between the tax assessor, the tax collector, the town attorney, that... that was inappropriate and that the town would accept the land in lieu of pursuing a lien on the property for taxes. So their taxes were not supposed to be paid and will not be paid. Town Planning Zoning Commission recommends acceptance of this and it's really a great parcel because it debuts less of that park and provides another means of access to that park from residential areas. And so staff would recommend, and again, this is a rather lengthy one, but there is a motion attached to the staff report, a resolution attached to the staff report that I would recommend the council move and read. Be happy to answer any questions.

I'll read their resolutions. Whereas Anthony's Way is a 12-lot residential subdivision approved by the Town of Bloomfield Plan and Zoning Commission on February 22, 2018, as thereafter revised on September 2020. And whereas the approved subdivision plans provide for the designation and conveyance to the Town of Bloomfield of an approximately 9,832-acre open zone, eight three two acre open space parcel associated with said subdivision and whereas a developer anthony malucci has delivered executed deeds for the conveyance of said open space parcel to the town of blowfield which deeds have been reviewed and approved as to form by the town attorney and are ready for filing and recording upon acceptance by the town council And whereas acceptance of said open space parcel is in the public interest and is consistent with the approved subdivision plans. And because the parcel is directly adjacent to town on La Salette park, its acquisition represents a significant opportunity to expand and strengthen an existing public open space asset, preserve a larger contiguous area of protected land, safeguard natural resources, enhance larger, um, Oh, enhance passive recreational opportunities for residents and advance the town's long-term goals of conservation, stewardship, and preservation of community character. And whereas set open space partial is being conveyed in lieu of foreclosure of municipal tax liens in favor of the town of Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Bloomfield Center Fire Department. district, together with all municipal real property taxes and assessments due and owning with respect to the October 1st, 2023 grant list payable July 1st, 2024, together with any interest penalties, fees and charges due thereon. And whereas upon recording of the deed, Town of Bloomfield tax collector shall enter or cause to be entered in her books against the unpaid tax or assessment account of such real estate. The following notation acquired by deed in lieu of foreclosure, which notation shall be completed by a statement of the day, month and year of the acquisition of such real estate. Immediately after such entry in her books against such unpaid account, the tax collector shall file for record in the Bloomfield town clerks. A release of such lien or liens on such real estate, then on record in such office. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Town Council of the Town of Bloomfield hereby accepts on behalf of the Town of Bloomfield the conveyance of the approximately 9.832-acre open space parcel as shown on the approved plans for the Anthony's Way subdivision. and be it further resolved that the appropriate town officials are hereby authorized to take such actions and to execute and file or record such documents as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate and complete the acceptance of said conveyance. Second. All those in favor?

Aye.

Any nays? Any abstentions? Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. And give me one moment to find myself. Okay. Item 2026-64, consider and take action regarding the reinstitution of the Town Council Subcommittee Committee on Committees. Any discussion?

Mr. Mayor?

Yes.

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just expressing that I'm in favor of the Committee on Committees Reinstitution as a standing committee. It was a process that I went through back in around June of 2023 as a vacancy became available on town council. I'm also grateful that A new SOP governing the process was created with robust input from the public. And so I do thank the public for that. We have, I think, what is a very solid policy, although it may come under a little further scrutiny and review. Counselor Darrell Goodwin had sent message to his committee. that they start to work immediately. And one of the things was to understand the SOP and ensure that it's going to work well for the new process. So I just wanted to say that I do support this process and I look forward to us being able to fill our committees and boards positions because people are anxiously awaiting and excited about serving the town.

Thank you. There is a little background if you care to. Listen real quick. So the purpose of this agenda item is to consider an amendment to the town council rules of procedure to formally establish the committee on committees as a standing town council subcommittee. The committee on committees was responsible for reviewing and recommending appointments to town boards and commissions. The committee helped promote community engagement, identify qualified candidates, and provide a consistent process for filling vacancies and reappointing members. Formal inclusion of the Committee on Committees within the rules of procedure would provide continuity and establish a permanent framework for reviewing and recommending appointments to town boards and commissions. Analysis. The proposed amendment would add the Committee on Committees as a standing town committee council subcommittee. The committee would serve in an advisory capacity and be responsible for reviewing vacancies, soliciting recommendations, evaluating applicants, and forwarding appointment recommendations to the full town council. Final appointment authority would remain with the town council. financial impact, there is no anticipated financial impact associated with this proposed amendment. Legal considerations, the town council has the authority to amend its rules and procedures, rules of procedure, and establish standing subcommittees consistent with the town charter and applicable laws. Recommendation. This is the motion. The motion would be in order. Move that the town council amend its rules of procedure to establish a committee on committees as a standing town council subcommittee. Is there a second? All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? Any abstentions? Mayor votes aye. The motion passes. We move now to... Item 202665, discussion and possible action regarding revisions to the town council rules or procedure to establish the committee on committees as a standing council subcommittee.

So move.

Second.

Okay. 18.

So the motion being put forth is that we move that the town council approved the re-institution of committee on committees and direct the mayor to appoint its membership. Excuse me. As we move. Yeah. One moment.

Okay.

65 establishment provision to the town council rules or procedure to establish the committee on committees as a standing council subcommittee, which is this one in our motions. Okay.

So the motion that the town council amend its rules or procedure to establish a committee on committees as a standing town council subcommittee.

So move.

All those in favor? Aye. Any abstentions? Okay, we did hear an aye from Council Oliver. Mayor votes aye. Motion passes. There's a lot of paperwork up here. We are now moved to the report from our town manager.

Excuse me, Mayor, can I have... Excuse me, mayor. It's me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Should you, I know that when you were giving your report, you stated the committee members, but should we state them again now that you've been direct? Yes.

Yes. So this committee will consist of three members. It will be chaired by our, by counselor Goodwin. And the members will include a counselor to be the Brown and counselor water house.

Can I have a point of order before we, to echo what Deputy Mayor Lurie suggested we are looking to have our first special meeting on Wednesday, June 17th at 6 p.m. pending the ability to have the town staff be able to staff that meeting. And again, it would be a special meeting. And that special meeting's intent would be to further review the SOPs, which is a continuation from our conversation during the governance committee meeting. that some of the committee members, as well as just from that complete committee, had some further questions to make sure the SOPs were ready for implementation. Thank you very much. Manager?

Thank you. All right, thank you. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Madam Deputy Mayor, Councilors, staff, and citizens of Bloomfield. My report this evening, Mr. Mayor, is going to be brief. I'd like to spare you my hoarse voice and just basically just give a big thank you. I'd like to give a thank you to our citizens of Bloomfield. our public who came out to participate in the referendum this past Saturday. For those unaware, even though it was discussed in a town council meeting, the decision to hold the vote was a result of two primary factors. That's the decision to hold the vote on Saturday was the result of two primary factors. The high school was not available during the week dates we requested due to exams and the requirement of our tax collector to timely mail out new tax forms if the referendum would have been successful. We had to get those in the mail by 1 July, 2026. That was the reason why the Saturday was chosen. Regardless of the outcome, I just want everyone to know I was prepared along with my staff to come to work today to execute our public's desires. I do this job without emotion, although it does get challenging to hear the constant lies which are affiliated with my actions by a very small group of citizens. To be clear, each citizen has the right to express their opinion. As a combat veteran, I went to war for that right and endured my life literally being under fire on numerous occasions for your rights to be exercised. However, no one has the right to outright lie, as was done with an article in a messenger about the town affording me a Mercedes Benz to drive. as well as my attempt to slide a retirement incentive into the budget and the misrepresentation of the fees of the Crumby Law Group. For the record, and I know this has been said ad nauseum, Attorney Crumby and I are not fraternity brothers, as has been reported falsely by a local chat board. I can go on, but I will not. In closing, I'm beyond appreciative of the voices of reason, civility, and respect which have begun to make your voices heard in many forms. Each of you represents the Bloomfield I have always known and cherish. Please know your voices matter and are heard and valued by a vast majority of Bloomfield. This concludes my report, Mr. Mayor, subject to your questions.

Thank you. I will continue with, uh, my report. So first I just want to say thank you to each and every resident who, uh, decided to go out and vote, whether it was yay or nay. We thank you for exercising your ability to do that. I also want to take liberty to recognize our Bainfield High School girls. They made history by winning their fourth consecutive state Open title. While the boys finished runner-up, the Bethel by a narrow two-point margin, Earlier in the postseason, the boys actually claimed their fifth straight class as state title and 21st overall. Now, I went to Hartford High School, and we had phenomenal track teams. I can't remember. putting all of these years together. This is pretty phenomenal. It was too quick for us to invite the team here today, but we certainly do want to make sure that we do that acknowledgement And that pretty much concludes my comments. I just wanna thank each and every one for the time that they came out today. We had a proclamation for a center fire for 100 years of service and I thank you. So we move now to council comments and we will start with Councilor Cooper.

Good evening Bloomfield and thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just want to say thank everyone for coming out to vote on the budget. I'm sure it was contentious in some parts of town and in others there seemed to be, as some people say, apathy. But I think those who were concerned about it did have the opportunity to come out to the numerous budget sessions that we had. to get some gist of what was going on with the formulation of the budget. And I just want to thank my counselors, my colleagues here on the dais for coming out and for doing what they did. We all participated in our own way and it's fortunate that we were able to do that. But I think we all were concerned about the citizens of the town of Bloomfield I will speak for myself. I certainly am. And I am a Bloomfield resident. And so this will impact me and my family in the years ahead also. So please don't ever forget that, you know, this is not something that you are in it by yourself. There are folks here who really do care. about you and I being one of them. And that our job here is certainly just to come together with, take the needs, wants and desires of everyone here and put them together into a budget. That's what our job is. And we do take some hits for that. Oftentimes I can rest assured that that is what happens. But tonight, I just want to end with this. I sincerely apologize for what took place here earlier. And I want to say, you know, with a... We take a lot, right? And I'll be honest with you. I do not have to take abuse, but I do have to consider what everyone says. And so... You know, that's the way it is. I mean, no harm to anyone. And if it showed that, you know, I was out of place, I will accept that. But I just, I don't have to take abuse. And I don't want any of you to take it either. I'll be honest with you, because it can be thrown around, both on the left and the right. But again, thank you so much for coming out tonight. And as always, I'm always available for your questions. Please submit an email to my town email. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor DePete and Brown.

Thank you so much. Oh, there's just so much to be said and so much to unpack. But I'm just excited that we're doing some good time tonight. So I do want to thank every single person that came out to vote. I want to thank the over 1,900 individuals that came out to vote and vote their conscience on the referendum. Yes, I did not support the budget. And yes, I am concerned about July 1st when my tax bill comes. But I'm more concerned about residents who are thinking about moving out of the town of Bloomfield. Years and years and years and years and years ago when Bloomfield was the place to be, people who looked like me bought their homes and they sacrificed a lot to own a home in a beautiful town. And hearing those stories is hurtful. My girlfriend, her mom, who's a veteran, she's very public about the fact that they're probably going to have to sell the house. And that hurts my heart. Or residents who say, you know, I'm taking my medication every other day just to be able to stretch it out because of financial reasons. So those are the things that drive me. Those are the things that impact me. And that's why I'm here. I'm here to serve the residents of the town of Bloomfield. And I have vowed to amplify my voice for the residents of the town of Bloomfield. I do agree. that we should be able to agree to disagree respectfully. I do agree that no one should be verbally abused at any point in time, but I also give grace, especially to our residents and how they feel. I think it's really important that the grassroots stay involved because if you attend the meetings or watch the meetings, no one has to tell you what's going on. You will hear it directly from the horse's mouth No one has to make up stories. You will hear it directly from the horse's mouth. And if you have questions asked, and if you ask questions, I believe those questions should be answered no matter who you are, no matter what the questions are. I believe as servants and as your representatives, you should be able to get the question answered and get the question answered honestly. So I'm pleased, I'm asking, I'm begging whoever mobilized or whoever you know, finally click the lights on to become engaged, please stay engaged. Please stay engaged. One of the quotes, and it's funny, it popped up on my feed today. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. And I cannot be neutral if Is it the Enneagram, whatever that is that we did? It's fault. So I do believe to ask all the questions necessary, to get the answers necessary, to get the facts necessary, and then to stand and champion that. So once again, thank you, Bloomfield, for coming out. Thank you for making your voice heard. Either way, I'm asking you to please stay engaged, stay involved, hold us accountable respectfully. and we will hopefully serve respectfully. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Councillor Mahon.

Thank you, Mayor Harrington. First, I do want to join you in congratulating Bloomfield High School, specifically the track team, on their phenomenal athletic achievements. They're continuing to make history and put a spotlight on Bloomfield in a beautifully positive way. I also want to congratulate Center Fire on 100 years, and it's even more kind of... impressive the fact that they've made it 100 years because they're all volunteer body, all 100 years. So thank you all for your service. And then ultimately, I do want to take the rest of my time to thank our residents for coming out to vote on Saturday. Despite Saturday being a bit of an unorthodox date for us to conduct voting, you all either came out on Saturday, did early voting, just ensured that your voice was heard. And ultimately, that's what matters. Admittedly, because I did not support the budget, I was a bit disappointed in the results. I was hoping that we would have been able to vote down the budget. But what I am proud of is that so many residents really took the time to come on out. The only way that we can truly make a difference in our community is by stepping up each and every one of us. You know, Saturday was a great example of that. And so I do want to, once again, just thank everyone for making their voice heard. We hopefully can get things right for the following year. But I would say in the meantime, it's going to be very important for us to check on our neighbors, think about our neighbors, consider them. As Councilor Wheaton-Brown said, there are many of our neighbors that are having a very tough time. stretching out their medication is very dangerous, but it's something that people are doing to try to make ends meet. Check on your neighbors, consider them. It's up to us now to extend that helping hand to ensure that each of us in Bloomfield is accounted for and at least that we can live here with dignity. So thank you.

Thank you very much, Councilor Oliver.

Yes, I would like to congratulate the fire department as well for their glory, the Bloomfield Trek team. And just, you know, I would like to, you know, I know we had a vote on Saturday. The religious part for Sabbath, I apologize. It's something I didn't realize. I know we were kind of restricted on time there. I just wanted to make it clear there was no intent to – People of the Jewish culture weren't able to vote. I just want to make that clear that that wasn't done on purpose. Thank you.

Thank you. Councilman Merritt.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to make sure that we do some things that we can do. to make difficult years, budget years. So this one and last year were extremely difficult. And I don't think it was really necessary. We got hit by a very bad rebound. and it caused all sorts of problems for people. They got surprised with very high taxes. There's difficulties. This is not... They weren't planned expensive because they haven't had them that high in the past, and they've been going up as much as 11% per year for some people. And that's not the council's fault. That's a product of the referendum, of the... revaluation. And there are some things we can do about that to correct some of the problems caused by the referendum, caused by the revaluation. Thank you. And I think we should take that. I've been talking with staff and they're on board with looking into how these can work. And I think it's important we pursue it so that next year can be a different experience for our taxpayers and the town. So it shouldn't be necessary for us to butcher our town government in order to save money. It's not even necessary if we go ahead with some of these measures. And I look forward to not having a repeat performance next year. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Councillor Waterhouse.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to thank everybody coming out to vote this past Saturday. I know it was an inconvenience for some, but we did have a We did have a good turnout. And I wanted to remind people that our graduating class at Bloomfield High is this Tuesday, the 16th at 5 p.m. So we should go and support. That's it. Thank you.

Thank you. Councilor Goodwin.

Thank you, Mayor. I wanted to offer a Thanksgiving for everyone and especially our staff who supported the Bloomfield Pride flag raising this past week. It was a great turnout and just another great symbol that Bloomfield continues to expand and model an extravagant welcome. I wanted to, oh, and it was my two-month-old daughter's first Pride experience. So I was happy that she got to have that in Bloomfield. I want to hear she was the star of the day. I want to say a couple of quick things. We often talk about the voices of our residents. We talk about the voices of our residents to be heard. I also want to invite us to consider the voices that never speak, the voices that haven't echoed their sentiments, that didn't go out to vote on this Saturday, who won't post on social media, and maybe, at least for some of them who have spoken to me, don't do so because for some of them, in 2016, a reality entered the national scene, a reality of insults, threats, bullying, diminishing, and dehumanizing. We learned a different way of saying we have to serve, and service became me, I, everything is about one particular person and not about the community. Not only did that enter the scene, but the ability to take advantage of vulnerable people, people who really are worried about whether or not they will be able to make ends meet or pay their mortgage or their taxes or have access to food or access to their medications. And when we have figures who insult, threaten, dehumanize, intimidate, and they do that and say, I'm doing it in the name of the most vulnerable, I think those two things are incompatible. I think we can advocate on behalf of the least and the last among us, and we can still do it with a level of respect. So my invitation to the residents of Bloomfield is be cautious of those who say they will be your savior. I posted recently that there are nine of us. Each and every one of us has a vote. No one person, no matter how loud they are. No matter how many people they rile up, no matter the vitriol that they may instill or inspire in this community, they will not be the sole vote, nor will they have all of the right answers. I say this because I have been heartened over the past few days to hear people who serve this town tirelessly have also shared that they were ridiculed, attacked, cursed out, threatened, because they didn't agree with a particular stance. Now, Bloomfield, can we not tolerate one another not agreeing with each other without feeling as if who you are as a person and your humanity has somehow been thrown away because you don't agree? If the mentality to advocate on behalf of the vulnerable is is to say, if you don't agree, I will humiliate you. I will trash your name. I will disrespect you. Then I think that we have gone grossly too far. Let's fight for those we need fighting for without eliminating the humanity of our siblings. We have to collectively come together to say what we will not tolerate. And I think the behavior that's been modeled by some of our citizens, I think we can collectively say this will not happen in Broomfield. Many people have a sign in their yard. It said, hate does not live here. In Bloomfield, let intimidation not live here. Let bullying not live here. Let threatening the citizens because they don't agree with you not live here. Let tearing down citizens who every other day of the week are fighting for the least and the last without asking to be seen or asking for their name to be called or asking to do certain things because they are in a political theater moment. making you believe they care. But once they're in office, that's not going to occur. We've had that model for us these past few years, and a lot of people have voting regret. We can say hate does not live here. And if I use the rest of the time I'm elected to keep reminding us of that, I will. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Deputy Mayor Lloyd.

Thank you. Council Goodwin, well said. Thank you for those sentiments. There's a lot going on as an undercurrent and behind the scenes and words, some of them very frightening, that have been conveyed to leaders, residents, as well as counselors. And so I hope that there is a collective larger sentiment in this community to echo the words that you just said that we need to embody. Hate does not live here. On a lighter note, congratulations again to Blue Hills Fire as well as Center Fire on your 100 years. In celebration of that, I will remind the public that we have a carnival, June 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st, if I have the dates correct, as well. We also have on the 20th, is that Juneteenth, correct?

Yes. Yes.

Yes. To Beetham Brown, the 20th or Juneteenth? Yes. Okay. And that's at Blue Hills Fire? Yes.

Okay.

At 8 a.m. Yes. That I remember. I probably won't be there because of that, but it starts where? Got it. Okay. So please do look that up on the town website and you may probably as well find it on the leisure services website. I wanted to remind everybody of those two really important upcoming events and hearkening back to a couple that have just gone by. Pride Day was incredible. The singing, the community, the communing together, it was fantastic. I also want to go back and say thank you for our staff and the public and the veterans who came out, our keynote, our town manager who spoke at our Memorial Day celebration, which in light of the rain was moved inside, and it was a fantastic remembrance for those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for our freedoms. um lastly i think um it bears just um mentioning because it was mentioned earlier so um we're talking about the town attorney we'll be talking more about the fees because that seems to still be a controversy but please anybody if you know where i can find an attorney for under or around 250 an hour which brought him up to still not quite two-thirds of the market standard That's what we're dealing with. But I think in transparency, I will be further discussing this and some of the fees associated with that office or with that service going forward. We have finance committee meeting again coming up on next week. And so I invite everybody to tune in and do thank everyone for coming out to vote at the referendum, whether it was yes or no. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you. I'd like to take a moment once again to reiterate our apologies, my apologies for the feeling in the Jewish community that We were not looking out when we scheduled this activity on Saturday. I have had several emails and I've responded to them and just want to make sure that we didn't really have much choice, but we will make every effort in the future to be informed. what days we should and can hold these meetings and the times that we shouldn't. Also want to give props to our deputy mayor and the town manager for conducting those public meetings at 3.30 park and also here in the council chambers, they did a masterful job. And I think this is one reason why quite a number of people decided either not to vote or that had a change of opinion because there was a lot of people in the community that still thought trash was an issue, still thought seniors were an issue in terms of funding. leisure services, the pool, human services. So there has been a lot that the community had responded to and wanted back into the budget. We're going to make every effort as we move forward to try to accommodate in whatever way possible our seniors who are struggling unnecessarily with the taxes that they're currently going to be required to pay. We will search for other grants. that could be amenable to serving our public. This is not something that we hold lightly. It's very important to our community. I also want to acknowledge our finance director, Hill, and also who was also on hand. They're giving me a time thing. Okay. So thank you so much. And this concludes council comments. We will now. move into executive session. So that will be the council, our town attorney, and Natasha Kingland will join us. All others, we respectfully, oh, and Goldman and York will be here.

I was waving at you, Ms. Robitaille.

And our deputy town manager, Sharon Howell.

Good night, Wendy.

Be here as well. So do we have, I gotta do the motion.

Good night, Mr. Simmons. Yes.

Do we have a motion to move into executive?

So moved. So moved. All those in favor? Second. Aye.

Aye.

Courting stopped, already stopped, Mayor, before you said that. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Motion passes. We now move into executive session. Thank you. Yeah, we just motioned and seconded.

a long way to go.