By Sarah Opdahl

At their Tuesday, December 23 New Fairfield Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, members heard a presentation on options for a windfall of grant funding that has come through for Meeting House Hill School and former New Fairfield High School projects.  Town Treasurer Ms. Terry Friedman provided multiple options for how best to apply the $1.376 million “more than we had originally planned” in funding. The projects—the renovation of the elementary school and the old high school’s science wing—were bonded, “so we are required to use that additional funding to buy back bonds,” Friedman explained.

Friedman laid out four options for the funds, which were increasingly conservative, and the Selectmen agreed to opt for the Board of Finance-approved suggestion, which involves retiring bonds in approximately $340,000 increments over four years.  First Selectman Ms. Pat Del Monaco is pleased that the funds will help to “ease the decline of our debt service payment over the next four years,” which are still at remarkably high rates in the initial wake of the new school building projects. Selectman Ms. Khris Hall agreed, saying, “we need to get back to the discipline of spreading things across the years for the benefit of the taxpayers, so we do not have a real zigzag, some spikes and some valleys.” Selectman Mr. Jon Russo commented that this option is “the most fiscally responsible for balancing our goals for the future.”

There was approval for the BOS budget to move forward. Del Monaco explained that she focused heavily on the legal budget, though “everything else stayed relatively stable.” While last year’s legal budget was $130,000, the 2024/2025 costs skyrocketed to $230,000 and the 2023/2024 total fell in the middle of the two. In light of a change back to former counsel, Cohen & Wolf, and their fee schedule, plus with contract negotiations in mind, Del Monaco now plans to request $155,000 for legal fees. She also noted that, in light of the Board of Education vacating the Town Annex, “we need to do a space study and figure out what is the best configuration of the space with the Town departments.”

BOS members approved setting Thursday, January 22 as the date for a public hearing regarding the transfer of Town property, located at 28 Calverton drive and 30 Calverton drive to Brandon and Christy Turco, a couple whose property abuts the Town parcels. The sale was described as a “win-win.” Town Finance Director Mr. Adam Lawrence said, “It puts the properties back on the taxroll, although these are not major properties, so it is not going to affect the grand list.” The move will also take property off of the maintenance schedule for the Town, and it was noted that the Turcos have done a large amount of work in the area, cleaning up and taking care of the parcels. The hearing on January 22 will be held at the Senior Center Community Room. 

There was also an approval to transfer funds from a Department of Public Works equipment chipper fund to another equipment line to cover lettering for a truck.

The next regular New Fairfield Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 8, 7:30 p.m.