Residents will be asked Monday, Oct. 6, during a Special Town Meeting to consider two questions, one covering a shortfall by transferring $49,522.68 to the town’s budget from the undesignated fund balance and the other involving a special appropriation of $100,000 to replace the public library’s cooling towers.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at Samuel Staples Elementary School. Those present will vote on the questions, as there will be no referendum machine vote afterward.
“The [shortfall] can be broken down into two parts,” said First Selectman David Bindelglass. “One is the cost of several lawsuits against the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. All have to do with a short stretch along Sport Hill Road involving three properties.”
“The second source of increased costs is in the enforcement of our zoning regulations,” Bindelglass said. “We have several situations where neighbors have caused significant damage or instigated direct conflicts with their adjacent neighbors. The town has taken several parties to court in support of the aggrieved neighbors.”
To address future legal costs, the town has retained a town attorney on retainer so that much of the costs are covered by a monthly fee. “The attorney will be more available to, hopefully, address things before they need to go to court,” said Bindelglass.
Planning and Zoning is also considering a new ordinance that would allow for the collection of fines as an alternative to court proceedings for zoning enforcement.
The $100,000 expenditure would replace the cooling tower, which is at least 25 years old and services the library.
“It has been assessed by our public works department’s HVAC specialist, and we have been patching up the system for several years,” said Bindelglass. “It is now time to replace the system to make sure we have reliable air conditioning for next year. We have discussed these repairs with the architects for the library addition, and they agree that the addition needs to be on a separate system, regardless.”
Selectman Kristi Sogofsky encouraged residents to attend the Oct. 6 meeting, noting that she supports paying the expenditures but has concerns about why they weren’t publicly addressed before the fiscal year ended.
“Even if we didn’t act in May, we could have received a pretty good estimate on the legal fee overage, which then could have been addressed prior to or shortly after the fiscal year ended on June 30,” she said. “Opposing the allocations is not in the town’s best interest in my opinion because it would delay the audit and could lead to other financial implications.”
The following supporting documents are available on the Town of Easton website:
- View Library Cooling Tower Information
- View Legal Expenses
- View Notice
- View Return of Notice
- View 10-06-2025 Special Town Meeting Revised Agenda
Those who cannot make the meeting in person can view it virtually on Zoom or on Facebook Live
Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7449751090?pwd=SnZSTCtaSjdZTmpleDZ2Z1MzcVkrQT0…
Meeting ID: 744 975 1090
Passcode: 06612
One tap mobile: +13092053325,,7449751090#,,,,*06612# US
Facebook Live:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1303006681556058/
