The Board of Selectmen held a public hearing March 4 about joining the Westport Weston Health District. The video is posted on Channel 79. You can watch it here.
You can watch the March 2, 2020 Westport Weston Health District presentation video here and read the presentation here.
The Westport Weston Health District will be on the agenda for the March 23 Special Town Meeting and the March 30 referendum. More details will follow in the next week.
Last year, First Selectman David Bindelglass pushed hard to achieve permission from the state to hold a referendum on Easton’s annual budget. He believed he had secured permission to hold a modified budget referendum and vote on joining the Westport Weston Health District (WWHD).
But Governor Ned Lamont’s May 1 Executive Order No. 7HH, “Clarification of Executive Order No. 7I, Section 13 – Mandatory Suspension of In-Person Voting Requirements by Members of the Public on Municipal Budgets,” put the kibosh on those plans.
Bindelglass and the Board of Selectmen intended to hold a town meeting for taxpayers to vote on the matter, but the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic rendered that intention impossible. The Board of Selectmen ultimately decided to enter a one-year contract with the WWHD as an interim solution until a long-term decision could be made.
The retirements of Polly Edwards, the town’s sanitarian, and Dr. Chris Michos, health director, led the Board of Selectmen to unanimously vote to join the neighboring health district on a one-year basis in September.
Find out more about the Westport Weston Health District at the links below:
Westport Weston Health District Remains in the Spotlight as Covid Rates Rise
Easton Close to Starting One-Year Contract with Westport Weston Health District
Town Seeks State Consent for Town Wide Vote on Health District
