It is time again to look forward and to set an agenda for 2024. The municipal elections are behind us, and we move forward with a new Board of Selectmen, for the first time in many years without my friend and colleague, Bob Lessler. He will be missed.
I am writing today in the Easton Courier, as always, so there is no question that I am writing for myself, lest there be any question of bias. I believe that the people of Easton are happy with the regular correspondence they get from my office regarding what is going on in Easton, and I hope to continue as before. If you are reading this I can assume that you are aware of the importance of our town online newspaper and avail yourselves of the other ways in which the town communicates with its citizens. As you talk to your neighbors, I would ask that you make sure that they, too. are aware of our newspaper and our town website, and please encourage anyone who is unaware of these resources to sign up for notifications from our website and look at the material. We still need to reach more of our town with accurate information about what is going on. My goal for every year remains to increase communication, transparency and to maintain the highest level of integrity in our town government.
Fiscal responsibility is always one of our highest priorities, and remains so. We continue to deliver excellent services to our residents while maintaining one of the lower mill rates among similar towns, even without any commercial revenue. It is a struggle every year to fund great service to our residents, but with a new Board of Finance and our Board of Education, led by Dr. McKinnon, our superintendent, we will continue to do so. We continue to look for additional sources of revenue such as the sale for preservation purposes of part of the South Park property to the Aspetuck Land Trust, grants for tennis court resurfacing and pickle ball lining, a recent state grant for part of our EMS renovation, and state funding for an overhaul of our fire department communication system, as well as ongoing negotiations with the Aquarion Water Company to make sure we receive fair tax revenue for our reservoir lands.
Last year I said that finding a new home for our EMS was a priority. Since that time, we have eliminated all other sites and reached an agreement between the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and the EMS that the most cost-effective solution is to renovate the old building. We received $396,000 in funding from the state, which we were granted for the purpose of doing the site work on that property. There is a preliminary design and budget. We will use ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds and money raised by EMS, and will come to a Town Meeting this year to approve the balance.
We have reactivated the land use and acquisition authority to explore options for land which becomes available in private sales. I recently discussed my feelings about the issues the town will face in regard to preserving land, especially farm land going forward, and maintaining the character of our town. I am pleased that we were able to close the sale of 19 acres of the South Park property, and the property, named for William and Patricia Kupinse will open next year. This year we will resolve the last piece of the South Park Avenue situation and settle the occupancy of the New England Prayer Center. While there has been no formal lease with the town for many years, we will bring a final lease proposal for approval of the town to a Town Meeting shortly.
Town governance in a small town like ours is only possible with the participation of many of our dedicated and talented citizens who are willing to donate their time to lead and staff our boards and commissions. The Board of Selectmen recently reemphasized our commitment to protecting those who serve from personal attacks. Most importantly, though, we need to commit to civility in our dealings with each other, political parties, board and commission members who volunteer to serve, town employees and elected officials. Volunteers for boards and commissions can ask to serve through the Republican and Democratic town committees or by reaching out to the Board of Selectmen directly. At the urging of Selectman Kristi Sogofsky we have formalized procedures for Unaffiliated residents or those who do not want to work through the town committees to contact my office directly if they are interested in serving.
There needs to be follow up on a recent suggestion that we consider making several positions, including tax collector, town clerk and treasurer, appointed instead of elected positions.
We all see Easton as our special town, with beautiful open spaces and great schools and with our wonderful farming heritage. We have great pride in our town, and we are very much invested in it. The two beautiful “Welcome to Easton” signs designed by our children installed last year proclaim this, as does our designation as the “Christmas Tree Capital of Connecticut.” A recent visit by the commissioner of agriculture demonstrated the state’s recognition of our farming excellence. All of this makes Easton, Easton and is our “brand,” which is integral to our property values. We must maintain and promote this.
I have learned that there will always be the unexpected, from pandemics to storms to last year a massive watermain break. Good governance will always be about being open and transparent, keeping your word and putting the people of Easton first. It will always be about giving everyone a chance to not only speak but to be heard, even if they disagree with me, and about being willing to work with anyone who is willing to work honestly and fairly and civilly to make Easton better. I have written previously about our Town Meeting form of government, and the need to make it more democratic by allowing for referenda on important questions, and about the new Land Use Ordinance, which gives the people the power over the purchase and sale of town land. It is all of our roles to be educated on town issues and to participate in our town’s government. Lastly, it will always be essential that all of our residents feel welcome and treated equally.
