[0:00] All right. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the February 2nd town council meeting. If everybody would join me for a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance.

[0:33] Thank you, Margaret. Would you call the role, please? Mike was well here. Mary Isaac here. Steven's play here.

[0:40] Bill Mecca, Anne Sather, Jennifer Winchell, Christina Larris, Richard Wolf, Jason Marsh, Anthony

[0:50] Dorsey, Ashley Gaudiano, Carl Massaro, John Foreman, Thomas Barotterick, Matt Dunn, Joy

[0:59] Cologne, Brian Walsh, Kevin Kelly Melozi, Tony Sinto, Jared Ferrari, and Nicole Satt,

[1:09] here. Thank you. We'll move along to approval of minutes of the January 12th town council meeting.

[1:17] Do I have a motion to approve those minutes? Nikki in a second. Thank you. Any discussion?

[1:26] All in favor of those opposed? Any abstentions? Okay. Thank you.

[1:34] We are going to do a recognition first and foremost.

[1:41] We are going to recognize Rob LeBrandi this evening, and I'm just going to read briefly

[1:47] about Rob's successes, and then we'll bring him up front real quick.

[1:51] In November, our town planner, Mr. LeBrandi, competed in the World Martial Arts Games held

[1:57] in Oslo, Norway.

[1:59] Rob competed in the men's heavyweight black belt breaking division.

[2:02] He received three gold medals and the Grand Champion Ultimate Breaker Award for most

[2:08] material broken by all the athletes.

[2:10] He is the only athlete to ever win the Ultimate Breaker Award in two different world games.

[2:16] Rob also served as the head coach for the U.S. New England team.

[2:19] The United States competed with 32 other countries and won the most gold medals of any country.

[2:25] So congratulations, Rob, on your successes.

[2:34] I know that I have had the pleasure of seeing you at competitions.

[2:39] My son does martial arts as well.

[2:42] And so we've gotten to see Rob in his gear in often working

[2:48] and really what a wonderful honor for you.

[2:52] So Rob, I don't know if you want to come up to the podium and share

[2:54] anything about that experience.

[2:57] And then we'll present you with a certificate.

[3:00] Rob Labrani, 22, Griswalt, planning a zoning commission.

[3:04] No, I don't know what to play.

[3:07] It's weird to be up here and not over there, but it's, I do appreciate thank you, Chairman Guariano.

[3:14] Thank you to our first selectman and all the staff.

[3:16] I do appreciate everything you do.

[3:18] I don't like to talk about Karate because it just makes me nervous.

[3:21] My wife is here.

[3:22] She laughs all the time.

[3:23] She's like his face is going to get red, but I do appreciate it.

[3:28] But this has been a long training experience.

[3:31] It's great for our school and for our town because we were the only training facility in the Northeast.

[3:37] We had a team of 25 individuals that they had to do tryouts.

[3:43] They came from as far as California to come try out.

[3:47] We had them from Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and a few other states as well too.

[3:55] So it was great to have a large amount of people that came to trial for the USA team here.

[4:00] Our delegation was around 25.

[4:03] All of them did amazingly well.

[4:06] I have one of my athletes here too, who was born and raised in trouble, Patrick Gerserney.

[4:11] He's a master belt here.

[4:15] I told him to wear his uniform, but he wouldn't, he wouldn't fall for that, unfortunately.

[4:20] But it was, it was great to represent the United States and the town of Trumbull and

[4:25] our state with something that doesn't involve politics or religion or anything like that.

[4:31] Just good time.

[4:31] We met so many great people from around the world who feel the same way we do, that it's

[4:36] all about love and working together and being better and making ourselves better, and that's

[4:41] what martial arts is all about.

[4:43] So I do thank the town and I just want to say a few things.

[4:48] It's our third anniversary at Trumble Academy of Karate, but the help of the town we've grown

[4:52] substantially. We have over 60 students now. We've been featured on ESPN, which is kind of crazy.

[5:00] If you look at our website, you can watch our video on ESPN. And we have amazing students.

[5:06] We don't make a lot of money, but that's not what it's all about. My goal is for the next year to

[5:10] have some scholarships for children that can afford tuition. That may be that we can press that

[5:16] and get that going hopefully soon. I would like to thank our sponsors, my landlord,

[5:24] The best landlord ever, he sponsored our team.

[5:28] And I do thank him, I do thank the town as well for all their support.

[5:33] And it's hopefully we get this thing going again, and we do his job

[5:39] and we did last time, so I do thank you so much.

[5:42] Appreciate it.

[5:44] Congratulations, Rob.

[5:45] Mickey, do you have anything?

[5:53] Do you want to come up?

[5:54] Sure.

[5:54] So I'm sorry.

[5:55] Do you want to-

[5:56] PEP.

[5:57] Welcome you.

[5:58] The girls too.

[6:00] Hi, man.

[6:05] Sorry.

[6:16] Oh, you're just, I sometimes, though.

[6:20] So I perhaps have to town.

[6:22] David, so much needs to have you and so many.

[6:26] Right here.

[6:27] Well, I think you can't be here.

[6:28] Also, as an employer.

[6:30] I'm a job for.

[6:33] We feel very safe.

[6:37] So just congratulations to you, just to your family, because you have a nice, well,

[6:43] Ben Chiu, on behalf of the town of Troma, a little bit certificate.

[6:48] And I know you really want this pen.

[6:51] Yes.

[6:52] Well, because that's one day that I'm out of my mind.

[6:56] So I want to give them another round of applause.

[7:12] Great.

[7:12] He's crushed on that.

[7:20] All

[7:32] right. So we are going to move along to public comment this evening since this is really

[7:41] the first meeting of the new town council session where we have a nice full audience.

[7:48] I am going to just read the rules regarding public comment. These are our town council rules.

[7:55] We welcome comment from the public on the agenda of each meeting of the town council period shall be set aside and designated during the meeting for an as an opportunity for the public to address the council on item scheduled to be considered on the agenda.

[8:08] The chairman, that's me at my discretion, may limit the time allotment for public comment and may limit individual comment to a maximum of two minutes.

[8:16] that speakers may not yield any portion of their time.

[8:20] Any citizen speaking should identify themselves by name and address.

[8:23] If the speaker is speaking for a group or organization, they may state that as well.

[8:29] Written statements presented by speakers during public comment can be included in the minutes of the meeting.

[8:34] Immediate replies to questions concerned are not expected.

[8:37] The town council will not permit any expression of personal complaints or

[8:40] defamatory comments about town council members nor against any person connected with the town of Trumbull.

[8:45] or any individual firm or corporation.

[8:48] And so this evening we are going to limit comments

[8:51] really to about two minutes, two and a half minutes.

[8:54] Please try and abide by that so that we can get through as many comments as possible.

[8:59] If you, you know, agree with somebody else and just want to echo your agreement,

[9:04] you're welcome to do so.

[9:06] And then again, just ask that everybody keep comments respectful this evening.

[9:10] So with that, I will grab the sheet and we will get started.

[9:14] Anybody

[9:17] who wants to speak, write their name on here.

[9:30] All right.

[9:30] First, we have Patricia Kelly.

[9:40] Patricia Kelly, 15 gives an avenue.

[9:43] Good evening, everybody.

[9:44] I'm here to speak in regard to the police commission.

[9:48] Not sure what the real reason is for replacing these three men that have given their all to

[9:52] this town and the department.

[9:53] I find it highly suspect that you suddenly relieve them of their positions without good reasons.

[9:58] I looked at the list of who you want to choose to replace them with, and it's not surprising

[10:02] you chose the same people you always do. You just pass them around from commission to commission,

[10:08] and they push your agenda. When the Republicans issued a statement in regards to this matter,

[10:14] the rebuttal invoked national news, very inappropriate, and absolutely a non-response.

[10:20] So thank you, Angela, Ray, and Christian, for always serving within integrity,

[10:24] and may it be a lesson for others in this room.

[10:27] Thank you, Ms. Kelly, Chris Petnella.

[10:38] Any trouble to our council?

[10:39] Chris Petnella, 69, Churchill Road.

[10:43] I just want to make one thing clear before it really starts.

[10:45] I stand in many of us behind me, stand with our law enforcement here in Trumbull, a hundred

[10:50] percent.

[10:51] But I am in strong disapproval of the sort of administration's choice to politicize the

[10:54] role of our police commissioners.

[10:56] I think it's actually undermining the trust that the public has with our town and our

[11:00] law enforcement.

[11:01] I like the town council members to not overlook the service of former first-selectman, veteran police officer, commissioner Ray Baldwin,

[11:08] business owner, and lifelong volunteer, Angelo Maglioco, and lifelong resident Christian, and commissioner of Christian trips.

[11:17] Typically, when someone's appointed commission, if you're doing a good job, you're reappointed, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, we've heard that one before.

[11:25] And if eight years you want to consider it lifelong, I just think we should think.

[11:30] about really coming from a person with maybe five years, almost 10 years of service.

[11:38] That's a little more than eight, but that's all right.

[11:40] If we look at other commissions in this town, we see vastly longer 10 years.

[11:43] According to town records, Inland Wetlands Commission has two commissioners, one with 15 years of service.

[11:48] Another with over 25 years of service, and then Parks and

[11:51] Red Commission has a commissioner with over 41 years of service.

[11:55] It don't get me wrong, I'm commending these folks for their service at a town.

[11:58] but you don't need like a law to agree to see the double standard there.

[12:04] If lifelong service is a problem, then it should be a problem everywhere.

[12:09] And if it isn't, I just think that it's not about tenure, it's actually about control.

[12:13] So all I'm asking is quite frankly, I think it's reasonable, is transparency.

[12:18] But going into the vote, don't forget that Tim Harps, when elected, he appointed Mr.

[12:23] Soreau to the Board of Finance after she ran against him and lost.

[12:27] So I think that's really what putting the town before politics is like.

[12:31] So the overpolitization of our law enforcement here is sad.

[12:36] And standard shouldn't depend on who's holding the gavel, Mr. Chairman, thank you.

[12:40] Thank you, and Mr. White, I believe you're the third name on here.

[12:49] Richard White, 169 Churchill Road.

[12:52] I'm glad that the town council is taking the time to reach out to the town about what they're looking for in a future senior center, community center.

[12:59] And I'd suggest including questions on an aquatic facility.

[13:03] I'd also suggest that you hold small group meetings with recent and past Trumbull Pisces Board members as well as representatives of the various neighborhoods you're considering.

[13:12] Although the survey questions were not included in the minutes, I hope that the town council will have a chance to review the actual questions before sending out the survey, that the survey results will be made available for public review before moving forward.

[13:25] It is not beyond doubt that our charter allows us to actually bond anything related to a senior center and community center, given the failed bonding referendum.

[13:35] That doesn't mean that we can't or shouldn't move forward, only that it is dubious that we can bond these costs.

[13:41] It is my understanding that the town council is looking at four options on three properties, like new renovation or new structure of Priscilla Place.

[13:49] one of the existing plans for Grace Church properties or one of the existing plans for the hardy lane properties.

[13:56] Happy Groundhog Day.

[13:58] Each of these properties is spatially constrained.

[14:01] Normal planning and zoning setbacks that would have been strictly enforced for similar non-menaceable projects were ignored.

[14:08] Grace Church had structures, driveways, and parking that was within 20 feet of residential properties.

[14:13] Hardy lane had the main entrance roundabout being less than 10 feet from an existing residential driveway.

[14:18] And Priscilla Price has the often stated need to purchase up to eight residential properties.

[14:24] Each of these properties is environmentally constrained with wetlands and water courses on each of the properties and zero formal wetlands commission review.

[14:33] One of the properties looks to be built or rebuilt on a piped intermittent stream, something that has recently been denied to private developers.

[14:42] 2. To the properties of but our town's most important natural resource and one of those

[14:47] properties is polluted and contaminated fill based on an incomplete study of hardy

[14:52] lane that needs to be greatly expanded in scope.

[14:55] Each of these properties is pedestrian traffic constrained.

[15:00] We have one traffic engineer and traffic report stating that, quote, if you're expecting three pedestrians or 30 pedestrians, you're going to need a metered crosswalk. When asked repeatedly for a state warrant granting the crosswalk, the neighbors were told zero problem, but that will happen later. Later, another traffic engineer and traffic report stated that there was zero chance the town would ever get a state warrant granting a crossroad on the exact same classification of road less than two miles away.

[15:29] Well, any of these properties be granted what a licensed engineered stated was a requirement for this type of project in a residential neighborhood.

[15:37] Finally, I'm disappointed that we continue to look at two small, environmentally questionable and traffic constrained properties.

[15:44] Please open up consideration to larger town owned properties, as well as vacant and available commercial space.

[15:51] Thank you.

[15:54] Thank you.

[16:00] Anybody here? Anybody else here this evening for public comment?

[16:09] Okay, seeing none, we will

[16:12] get to the resolutions this evening. We have a presenter online and so I would like

[16:20] to move to CC31-23 out of order. So if I could have a motion to take that out of order, thank

[16:30] Thank you, Councilman Cologne, and a second.

[16:32] Thank you.

[16:34] All in favor of moving that out of order?

[16:37] Any opposed?

[16:39] Thank you.

[16:40] All right, Mr. Bragic, would you bring TC31-23 to the floor, please?

[16:45] Yes, absolutely.

[16:46] Resolution TC31-23, be it resolved that the Sienna Research Institute

[16:51] is hereby designated as the consultant

[16:53] to conduct a survey of tremble residents

[16:54] to gather resident input that will inform evaluation,

[16:57] Planning and next steps are related to a potential senior and or community center.

[17:02] Thank you and do it.

[17:03] Second, thank you, committee report.

[17:09] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[17:10] The committee considered hiring CNA Research Institute to survey residents on potential senior and community centers.

[17:17] The survey would cost $25,000.

[17:19] The survey aims to gather public input for planning future projects.

[17:24] the need to address the failing senior center and the importance of senior programming was emphasized.

[17:29] The Public Works Committee will work with Sienna on the survey and will present it to the full

[17:33] council. The council, as a whole, will determine how to handle the survey results and what should

[17:37] happen next. It was explained the resolution designates Sienna Research Institute as the consultant

[17:42] and would be funded by the one-year bond issue and authorization, not the general fund,

[17:47] unless it was decided it should come from the general fund. It was suggested to pass the resolution

[17:52] without recommendations since Sienna will be present at the full council meeting and further

[17:56] discussion is needed. Moved by Marsh, seconded by broad direct to pass without recommendation,

[18:01] vote motion carried by unanimous consent. Thank you very much.

[18:07] All right so on the Zoom screen this evening we have Megan Crawford who is with Sienna Institute.

[18:14] She has a presentation for us this evening and so I will turn it over to her in one second.

[18:20] Again, Sienna has entered into and Megan and Dan correct me if I'm wrong in the language,

[18:26] but Sienna Institute has recently entered into a strategic partnership with a company

[18:31] called Recon MR and so they are now the vendor of record for Sienna Institute and so we will

[18:38] need to amend this resolution to substitute Recon MR as the name instead of Sienna Institute.

[18:46] But everybody received a letter in addition to the proposal stating and explaining the

[18:53] need to change and substitute that name.

[18:56] I'm happy to wait to do that so that if there's any questions about that shift or that

[19:00] partnership between Sienna and Ricanna, we can ask that later.

[19:06] And so, Megan, what I think I'll do is turn it over to you to do your presentation.

[19:10] If she can get through her slides, we'll take questions.

[19:13] and then we'll do the motion to amend with the new name.

[19:17] So that's not good?

[19:19] All right, Megan, the floor is all yours.

[19:22] Okay, great.

[19:23] Thank you so much.

[19:24] Thank you for having me this evening.

[19:25] My name is Megan Crawford.

[19:27] I'm the Director of Data Management

[19:28] at the C&R Research Institute,

[19:30] which is also now part of ReconMR.

[19:33] I will go ahead and share my screen.

[19:51] So I will be sharing with you a little bit about background

[19:54] of who we are, the C&R Research Institute

[19:56] and also a little bit about public opinion polling.

[20:01] So the CNR Research Institute is a public opinion

[20:03] and survey research center affiliated

[20:06] with CME University in Albany, New York.

[20:09] We were founded in 1980,

[20:11] and we focus on high-quality nonpartisan research

[20:14] on a wide range of topics.

[20:17] SRI conducts regional, statewide, and national surveys

[20:20] that measure public opinion, expert views,

[20:23] and social trends on issues such as economics,

[20:26] politics, politics, voter attitudes, business, health, education and social concerns.

[20:34] These surveys include both general public sampling and targeted expert polling.

[20:39] We are perhaps best known for political and public policy polling, for example, the

[20:44] CNN New York poll, which is a regular snapshot of voter attitudes across New York state,

[20:49] as well as other long-running indicators such as the New York state index of consumer sentiment.

[20:54] We also work on custom research projects for government agencies, nonprofits, businesses,

[21:02] and community groups.

[21:03] These can range from health and quality of life studies to economic and civic engagement

[21:08] research.

[21:10] As of the beginning of this year, 2026, SRI has entered a strategic partnership with a national

[21:16] polling firm, ReconMR, expanding our reach, analytic capacity, and operational efficiency,

[21:22] while maintaining our academic integrity and continuing to produce rigorous

[21:26] research. So we also have a lot of experience working in healthcare and

[21:32] medical industry with different regional hospitals located primarily in New

[21:37] York State. We also worked with a number of health departments within the state

[21:42] different counties also the State Department of Health in New York and in

[21:47] Maryland as well. We've worked in different support services such as the Community Hospice

[21:53] and different tobacco-free coalitions throughout the state of New York.

[22:01] So since 2013, SRI and the New York Times have collaborated to conduct and publish major

[22:06] public opinion polls branded as the New York Times Seattle polls. The first joint polls were

[22:12] for the 2013 New York City mayoral race. The collaboration expanded over subsequent elections

[22:17] to include national polling, including surveys of registered or likely voters across the United States and polls on presidential, congressional and other major races.

[22:27] In 2018, the partnership even launched real-time polling on key house battleground districts, sharing results live on the times and CNS websites, something that no major media organization had done before.

[22:42] The New York Times and SRI design field and analyze polls that measure voter preferences,

[22:48] approval ratings, attitudes on issues, and political trends. SRI does the data collection

[22:54] in statistical work, and the Times provides journalistic context, analysis, and publication

[22:59] through its website. According to poll aggregators like 538, the New York Times

[23:05] SRI have been among the most accurate and well-rated in the nation, often earning top statistical

[23:11] ratings for low-era and strong methodology compared to other major pollsters.

[23:17] So in addition, we've done a lot of community and municipal polling as well.

[23:22] For example, I'll focus a little bit on our work with Data Haven. Data Haven is a non-profit

[23:28] research organization based in the state of Connecticut that collects analyzes and shares data

[23:34] about local communities to help policymakers, nonprofits, and citizens make informed decisions

[23:41] about quality of life, equity, health, and economic opportunity.

[23:46] For more than a decade, SRI has worked with DataAven

[23:49] to conduct large, scientifically rigorous surveys

[23:52] that measure neighborhood-level

[23:54] and statewide community well-being.

[23:57] SRI carries out the surveys, handling the data collection

[24:00] by telephone and web interviews, sampling,

[24:04] and statistical waiting, so results are accurate and representative.

[24:07] In addition to specific experience in the state of Connecticut, we've conducted several small local municipal level surveys about specific initiatives and proposals.

[24:18] We've done a survey with a local fire district about building a new fire house and their bond vote.

[24:25] We've local leaders wanted to understand how the voters felt about this new fire house.

[24:30] We also conducted a poll to measure public opinion among local residents about the construction of cell phone towers.

[24:36] specifically whether residents wanted better cell coverage and which of two proposed

[24:41] tower sites they preferred.

[24:45] So I'll talk to you a little bit about polling. So what is a poll?

[24:49] A poll is a systematic way of measuring public opinion. It uses a sample to represent a larger

[24:55] population. A poll is not a guess or a show of hands. It is a structured measurement tool. Instead

[25:02] of asking everyone we ask a carefully selected group and use that to understand the whole

[25:07] population. Poles are used far beyond elections to shape policy, evaluate programs, and understand

[25:14] lived experiences.

[25:18] So why does polling matter? It gives voice to the public, it informs decisions

[25:23] in policy, and attracts changes over time. One polling provides scientific perspective using precision,

[25:31] reliability, and sampling theory to measure the unobservable. It gives social perspective,

[25:37] giving equal voice to the public

[25:39] and giving them all the chance to be heard.

[25:42] It provides a business perspective,

[25:44] understanding what people want,

[25:46] to help minimize risk,

[25:48] and make sure people's needs align

[25:50] with what is being offered.

[25:51] It provides a civic perspective.

[25:54] Pulling strengthens democracy

[25:55] by holding leaders accountable,

[25:58] prioritizing urgent issues

[25:59] and concerns,

[26:01] and informing citizens of diverse views within the community.

[26:05] Polling allows people who may never attend a meeting or contact an official to still be heard.

[26:11] Decision makers rely on polling to understand priorities, needs, and concerns.

[26:16] In a democracy, polling is one way leaders can listen systematically, not just to those with the loudest

[26:23] platform.

[26:25] Population versus samples. So the population is everyone you want to study. The sample is a

[26:31] a smaller group representing that population

[26:34] with the goal of being accuracy through representation.

[26:38] The population might be something

[26:40] like Connecticut voters or parents of school age children.

[26:44] Serving the entire population is usually impossible

[26:47] or too expensive.

[26:49] A well chosen sample can give us very accurate results.

[26:53] A sample is drawn so that every member of the population

[26:56] has a known chance of selection.

[26:59] Survey results are based on a sample, not the entire population.

[27:04] When residents or voters are selected randomly and

[27:06] representatively, a survey of about 400 people can accurately

[27:10] reflect the views of all voters regionally.

[27:14] So I like to use the analogy of tasting a spoonful of soup.

[27:18] You don't need the whole pot if the spoonfuls will mix.

[27:23] So the survey works a lot like tasting this pot of soup.

[27:26] You don't have to drink the whole pot to know whether it needs more salt.

[27:30] You just need one good spoonful that's been well mixed.

[27:33] In polling, that spoonful is a randomly selected group of residents.

[27:38] If the sample is chosen correctly, it can tell us a great deal about the whole community.

[27:46] So why not just interview people outside a grocery store?

[27:49] Because you've only catch people who shop at that specific time.

[27:52] You miss workers, homebound seniors, and others who don't happen to shop there.

[27:57] that is not a representative sample.

[28:00] Scientific polling cases diversity,

[28:02] it doesn't wait for it on the street corner.

[28:04] It ensures that demographics,

[28:06] such as age, gender, and education are balanced.

[28:11] The result is a mathematically accurate,

[28:13] mini-view of the community.

[28:18] So how samples are selected?

[28:20] Random selection is key.

[28:23] Representative NIS matters more than size.

[28:27] Random selection means everyone

[28:28] in the population has a known chance of being selected.

[28:33] Today, many surveys use a mix of methods

[28:36] to reach different types of people.

[28:38] A sample of 400 well-selected respondents

[28:41] is usually better than 10,000 poorly selected ones.

[28:45] The goal is not volume, it's balance.

[28:48] A survey of about 400 residents is a standard

[28:51] professional sample size for local government surveys.

[28:54] What matters is how these 400 people are selected,

[28:56] not the total population.

[28:59] Whether a town has 5,000 residents or 50,000 residents,

[29:03] a properly selected random sample of 400 can still be accurate.

[29:07] This works because statistics rely on probability, not volume.

[29:14] So you also want to make sure that you're asking

[29:16] the right questions.

[29:18] You want to use clear and neutral wording,

[29:21] and you want to make sure there's one idea per question.

[29:24] Question wording can strongly influence responses.

[29:27] You want to avoid leading language or emotionally loaded terms.

[29:31] So for example, you wouldn't want to ask something like do you support the unfair tax

[29:35] hike?

[29:36] You'd want to make sure the question was neutral, something like do you favor or propose

[29:42] the proposed tax changes.

[29:46] You also want to make sure that there's one idea for question, you don't want to avoid

[29:49] a double barreled question, such as do you support the budget and the tax increase, because

[29:56] Because you don't know if people support it or oppose it, are they supporting.

[30:00] Both are they supporting one or they supporting the other? So you'd want to make that two questions to make sure that you gauge the support for the budget and also the tax increase. Response, response choices should also allow people to accurately express their views. You want to make sure that you have equal, you want to make sure if it's, you've got strongly favor in favor, you want to make sure you have opposed and strongly opposed as well. When wording is neutral,

[30:29] and options are balanced. This spoonful of soup remains pure. We ensure the results are fair

[30:35] and honest representation of the public's voice.

[30:41] So we use a mixed mode strategy when fielding our surveys.

[30:45] We use landline and cell phones and we call people on the telephone. We text them on their cell phone

[30:52] with a link to participate. If they don't respond, we follow up with a phone call.

[30:57] Other polling that we've done can also involve mailing out a survey or using online

[31:02] panelist or garner participation. Careful field work helps reduce bias. For our telephone

[31:08] calling, we will call people multiple times on various days and at various times to solicit

[31:13] participation. We want to ensure that we catch people when they are available and give them

[31:19] multiple avenues to participate.

[31:24] Waiting the data. Even strong samples rarely match the population

[31:29] perfectly. Wading adjusts for differences in age, gender, race, education, and

[31:35] region, for example. This helps ensure results better reflect the real

[31:40] population. So for example, maybe the sample you collect has 55% women and

[31:45] 45% men, when in fact the true makeup of the population is slightly

[31:50] different. What we will do is ensure that the final results match the true

[31:55] demographic makeup of the population we are studying. If our sample has too many women and not

[32:01] enough men, compared to the census, we mathematically weight the data to balance it. This ensures the

[32:08] final result looks like the actual town, not just the people who answer the phone. Waiting is a

[32:14] corrective tool, not a way to manipulate outcomes.

[32:21] So margin of error. The margin of error tells us how

[32:24] precise the estimate is. A result of 45% support does not mean exactly 45%. It means it is likely a

[32:33] range. So the margin of error for example is if that's plus or minus 3%. If a poll says 45%

[32:43] with a 3 point margin of error, the true number is likely between 42 and 48%.

[32:51] So for planning purposes

[32:53] is like deciding whether there is a broad support or identifying priorities, the level

[32:57] of precision is more than sufficient. By increasing the sample size, you can decrease

[33:04] the margin of error. But in order to cut the margin of error in half, you must quadruple

[33:09] the work.

[33:15] So why is 400 enough? What matters is how people are selected, not total population

[33:21] relationship size. A properly selected random sample of 400 is accurate for a small region

[33:30] of 5,000 to say 50,000 residents. At 400 respondents, the margin of error is plus or

[33:38] minus 5%. This is sufficient for identifying community priorities.

[33:44] We use waiting to ensure

[33:46] that the final results will reflect the count's actual demographics.

[33:52] Public meetings typically

[33:53] you track those who are the most passionate. Surveys, reach seniors, caregivers, busy parents,

[34:00] and those with mobility challenges. A survey complements public input. It does not replace it.

[34:09] So you also want to make sure that you are a smart consumer of polls.

[34:14] Always look beyond the headline number. Transparency is a key indicator of quality.

[34:20] asking a few basic questions can tell you whether a poll is trustworthy. Who

[34:25] conducted the survey? How was the survey conducted? What were the questions and

[34:31] when was the survey done? A well-conducted public opinion poll will be fully

[34:36] transparent and supply all of those answers. We at the CNR Research Institute

[34:41] belong to APORE, the American Association of Public Opinion Research, with other

[34:46] well-respected pollsters like Gallup, Pew Research, Quinnipiac, Marist, and others.

[34:53] We subscribe to the Transparency Initiative, which requires that we supply all of these

[34:58] answers with every poll that we release.

[35:02] Polls are powerful tools when conducted and interpreted responsibly.

[35:07] Only doesn't rely on talking to everyone.

[35:10] It relies on talking to the right people in the right way.

[35:13] Okay, so this is my contact information if anybody would like to invite you in.

[35:22] Welcome.

[35:23] Well, we will circulate that contact information and certainly the presentation as well

[35:30] tomorrow.

[35:32] What I would like to do first and foremost is get this motion amended with the correct

[35:37] name.

[35:37] So if there are any questions around why we need to amend the resolution, feel free to ask

[35:43] But otherwise, I'd like to amend it, and then we'll go into discussion on the amended resolution.

[35:48] So, can I have a motion to amend to replace the name Sienna Institute with Recon MR?

[35:55] Thank you, Councilman.

[35:56] The original in a second.

[35:58] Thank you, any questions, any discussion on that?

[36:02] Okay, all in favor of that motion to amend?

[36:06] Any opposed?

[36:08] Okay, great.

[36:08] All right, now we can do discussion on the resolution as amended.

[36:13] Those questions for Megan, please feel free to ask.

[36:16] Councilman Cento.

[36:20] Hi, how are you?

[36:22] How many calls do you have to make to get one person on the phone?

[36:27] More than we would like.

[36:29] What's an example?

[36:33] Typically, you're talking several

[36:38] hundred, usually.

[36:41] You know, our typical response rates vary, but we usually, our response rates are in the single digits, meaning that it's approximately, you know, five to seven percent of the people that we call actually complete the survey.

[37:03] So in a survey like this, how many phone calls would you have to make to get the sample

[37:10] size that you'd like?

[37:11] Yeah, the 400 probably in the neighborhood of 10 to 15,000 telephone numbers.

[37:28] That's more than the whole town.

[37:31] Yes.

[37:33] So we'll have to do multiple call back attempts.

[37:38] I did reach out to the sample provider. I don't have a number in front of me at the moment

[37:45] to get counts of how many telephone numbers they had available for the town of Trumple.

[37:52] It was sufficient enough to be able to garner the response that we needed.

[37:56] Thank you.

[37:57] And Megan, that's part of why you will do both calls and texts, right, to be able to get

[38:03] those numbers over and over and over until somebody responds.

[38:07] We will make multiple attempts with the same telephone number a different times of day.

[38:12] And we will also send text messages hoping to get people to respond.

[38:17] And if they don't respond by a text, we will follow up with a phone call.

[38:23] Councilman Dorsey, and then I saw some back row folks.

[38:27] So just roughly, if you have to make 10 to 15,000 calls to get the 400.

[38:33] roughly how long do you think that how long will it take for that to happen?

[38:38] We typically like to be in the field no more than a week.

[38:44] And what happens if you don't get to the 400, you just keep going?

[38:48] We would keep going beyond that. I'm fairly confident just given our experience with the state of Connecticut

[38:54] and when I was able to get from the sample provider that we will be able to get close to 400.

[39:01] Yeah, I'm, you know, within a week.

[39:05] Okay, just one final question for me.

[39:08] Has Sienna ever worked with the town of Trumbull

[39:12] for any surveys in the past?

[39:14] No, we have not.

[39:15] Okay, thank you.

[39:16] No, and their name came to me through data haven in my work

[39:21] with data haven outside of the town.

[39:24] They were a recommendation from them.

[39:27] And there was in the proposal that was circulated,

[39:29] there is a timeline laid out in there, or a proposed timeline.

[39:33] A lot of that depends on how quickly we as a town council work with them to develop the survey,

[39:39] right? They aren't going to develop the survey in isolation. That'll be a collaboration.

[39:43] So some of that timeline is really going to require us to have some meetings ahead of time.

[39:49] Councilman Buzzhaw and then Councilman Winchel.

[39:51] Hi, Megan, thank you.

[39:54] Who would anybody be helping you with the questions that you would be putting on this survey?

[39:58] for instance, would you be gathering any feedback from the town of Trumble, from the town council, or even more importantly, the building committee that is in place?

[40:08] We would work with whoever it was on the town of Trumble's side who presented us, we would work collaboratively with whoever on the town of Trumble's side is responsible for writing the survey.

[40:21] We would use best practices and offer our expertise as to how to word questions, make

[40:30] sure that they're fairly balanced and written in such a way so that they're not biased.

[40:36] But we would work with whoever it is on your side that has input into how the questions

[40:45] should be asked.

[40:47] Thank you.

[40:48] And my intention is that this run, again, through the Public Works Committee, that the Public Works Committee be the one to develop this.

[40:55] Certainly, there can be opportunity to speak with building committee architect for all of the people who have had lots of experience over the last many number of years.

[41:05] But that the Public Works Committee will be the one to develop this survey.

[41:11] Councilman Winchell.

[41:12] Thank you for coming this evening.

[41:15] How long will the survey take to take?

[41:18] Once you get all these folks lined up, how long is someone expected to work on that with

[41:25] you?

[41:26] Yeah.

[41:26] The survey itself, we generally don't like to do surveys that are too long.

[41:30] We typically like to keep the survey to, at most, about 15 minutes on the telephone.

[41:36] I believe that's what the timeframes that you're looking for.

[41:39] Yeah, we try to keep the survey to know more than 15 minutes in length.

[41:47] Okay, thank you.

[41:48] Yeah.

[41:49] We'll go Councilman Foreman and then Councilman Isaac.

[41:52] Thank you.

[41:53] Megan, I, through your presentation there,

[41:55] if I understand this correctly with the 400 respondents,

[41:58] there's a margin and error of approximately five points or whatnot.

[42:01] And then you use some sort of a waiting system as well to help maybe narrow that down to a degree.

[42:07] If I understand that correctly, more importantly, can you talk to us a little bit more about this

[42:11] waiting process?

[42:13] Yeah, absolutely.

[42:14] So, you know, we will draw a random sample and we will survey the population.

[42:19] But, you know, the census will determine, you know, the census says, you know, here's

[42:24] the break-up, the demographic break-up of the town of Trumbull.

[42:27] And, you know, it's got, I'm sorry, I did not brush up on my census on the town of Trumbull.

[42:33] but maybe it's 52% women, 48% men, and say the survey that we developed after we finished with

[42:42] our responses, say women tend to respond to surveys at a greater likelihood than men.

[42:48] So maybe the survey that we have has a greater percentage of women than 52%, maybe there's 58%

[42:57] of women and only 42% of men. So what we'll do is we'll weigh our data such that it represents

[43:03] the actual demographic profile of the town of Trumple.

[43:07] So what we'll do is we'll wait the women down slightly

[43:11] and wait the men up slightly.

[43:14] So the woman's responsible counts slightly less,

[43:17] and a man's responsible counts slightly more.

[43:19] That makes sense.

[43:22] Another question.

[43:23] Other than gender, are you going to have different sort of bins,

[43:27] you know, based on age?

[43:29] Is there any sort of even party affiliation that goes into your

[43:33] research? Yeah I mean it'll it'll have to depend upon you know who are serving

[43:38] our research I believe we're serving residents not registered voters so we

[43:43] will ask party either party registration or party affiliation we generally

[43:49] don't wait by party affiliation we can't wait by party registration just because

[43:53] that's a known we will wait by typically it's you know your standard age

[44:00] gender, race, ethnicity, and education as well, just to make sure that we have a well-balanced

[44:11] demographic makeup of the town.

[44:13] Okay.

[44:14] I'm just one other thing.

[44:15] I just noticed that there's these research all given in English.

[44:20] Is there a reason for no Spanish speaking included in this research?

[44:24] That wasn't part of the proposal that I was asked to submit.

[44:30] The Spanish is generally a higher cost as because of translation and also interviewing in Spanish is a little bit more expensive.

[44:40] Just thinking about being fully representative of the population, but thank you.

[44:47] Councilman Isaac.

[44:51] Do you find a few send out, I don't know if you do this typically, through the towns that

[44:55] they'll put a push out to say that the survey is coming out, that people are...

[45:00] Any more prone to pick their phones up because they're aware, and then when the phone number comes in, is it identified as Sienna or Recon so that people know who it is or extent of sometimes things come up as a spam? Or would it be listed as Trumble? How does that work? Yeah, those are really good questions. We find any advanced notice that can be given is very helpful. Anything that can drive up people's participation and willingness to pick up the phone.

[45:27] It's one of the things that we battle on a regular basis.

[45:31] The caller ID that's going to go out will likely just be state of Connecticut telephone

[45:36] numbers.

[45:37] And the reason that we have to do that that way is because when it's just one telephone

[45:43] number that's gone out, the telephone companies have an algorithm, which we are not privy

[45:49] to.

[45:50] And if enough people flag it as spam, it that gets flagged as spam and we have no records

[45:55] to change that.

[45:56] So we will go out with the wide range of Connecticut telephone numbers, so as to not get flat as spam.

[46:05] Thank you. And then also, if you are texting people, is there an option? If someone decides I'm not going to answer it for whatever reason, they didn't vote, they don't feel they know enough, or whatever the reason is that they can opt out at that point so you don't continue making multiple calls to someone that, you know, in order for

[46:25] you know, that you're not going to waste time.

[46:27] We will only send one text message,

[46:31] which they can then reply, stop to,

[46:33] if they want to, but we won't send more than one.

[46:37] We don't have a mechanism to respond to that text message

[46:41] to then prevent a phone call,

[46:42] but if we do call and they say they don't want to participate,

[46:46] we will, you know, listen to that request

[46:49] and not make any subsequent telephone calls

[46:52] if they do not want to be called anymore.

[46:53] Thank you.

[46:55] You're welcome.

[46:57] Councilman Sather.

[46:59] Thank you.

[47:00] So, as I hear you say, Connecticut phone numbers, and I very distinctly do not have

[47:07] a Connecticut phone number.

[47:08] What happens?

[47:09] Like, because there's a lot of, I'm sure, I'm not the only one who moved in and never changed

[47:15] their number.

[47:16] Absolutely.

[47:17] I know that's a very good question, but we, the sample provider that we use in addition

[47:22] to numbers that are specifically within Trumble.

[47:28] We also have a mechanism for being able to get numbers

[47:31] that are out of the Trumble or Connecticut telephone number,

[47:35] but that have migrated in.

[47:38] We have a mechanism to be able to get that.

[47:40] I can't guarantee that we have every possible number

[47:43] of someone that has moved into the town of Trumble,

[47:46] but we have a way to get telephone numbers

[47:49] and people who live in Trumple, who do not have

[47:52] cannot get telephone numbers.

[47:54] And then I'll follow up to that.

[47:56] Is there a way to create a, like, you know,

[48:03] I don't need my 13-year-olds getting a call either?

[48:07] So is there a way to like,

[48:09] arrange it towards likely voters

[48:11] or people over the age of 18?

[48:14] I mean, we will screen the survey that will look

[48:17] in the introduction.

[48:18] We will identify who we are, and we will make sure that the person that we're speaking to is over the age of 18.

[48:25] There are instances where we do call children, but if they answer and they say, no, I'm not 18, that's it.

[48:34] We terminate the survey right away.

[48:37] Councilman Wolfe.

[48:40] Hi, just curious, after you take the survey, would we have access to the raw data, or at least raw data, minus names?

[48:47] Yes.

[48:48] Thank you.

[48:49] Yes, and I believe that's, I can't remember the transparency name, but that is part of

[48:55] working with Sienna is that all of those results have to be made public, that we will have to publish

[49:02] the raw data, yeah. And we will also, part of that is too, we can't cherry pick, we will let you

[49:09] release one or two questions because you like the results. If you release one or two questions,

[49:14] as you have to release all of them.

[49:18] Councilor Nellaris.

[49:20] So to that end of questions and question design,

[49:23] as we move forward, if we end up moving forward

[49:26] with working and collaborating with you

[49:30] and we're trying to get to a 15 minute block of time

[49:33] to interact with a person on the phone,

[49:36] is there any guidance you can provide now,

[49:39] even though it's a little early in this planning stages

[49:42] of exactly how many concepts we could put before someone to open on because there are

[49:50] lots of different things that have been talked about over a span of 10 years of possible options.

[49:56] So I think in the Public Works Committee and then in the Browdertown Council,

[50:00] they'll be and with all the expertise and all the planning that's gone on for over a decade,

[50:04] there will be lots of things. I'm just wondering if you have a sense of how much is too much to ask

[50:10] about in that 10 minute, 15 minute time frame.

[50:13] Yeah, we try to 15 minute surveys of approximately 35 questions.

[50:20] And we'll work with you to try to phrase the questions

[50:27] such that they're simple and easy to understand.

[50:31] It's really, really hard when you've been working on something

[50:34] for and you're so, you know, that this is, you know, your, be all, and all, you know,

[50:41] your baby to really just have a lot to say about it.

[50:47] So we'll work with you to try to streamline the questions and make sure that they're simple

[50:52] and easy to understand for everybody.

[50:53] So it's, so someone who's very, very passionate and really knows everything about this topic

[50:59] can answer the questions and someone who maybe hasn't really given it much thought, doesn't

[51:04] know a whole lot about it, they can also answer the questions, too.

[51:10] Councilman Foreman?

[51:12] Just a follow on regarding the raw data.

[51:14] What other sorts of deliverables come along with the raw data?

[51:18] Is there an executive summary, key findings, a deck that calls out and puts the statistics into some sort of context for us?

[51:27] Yeah, we will provide an executive summary and I believe there, I think we also said that

[51:36] there would be a presentation to the board also with the findings.

[51:41] I believe that's correct.

[51:45] It will just be key five recommendations or.

[51:49] It would just be key findings.

[51:51] Yeah, you know, the, you know, we can, we can, we would just be key findings.

[51:56] You know, we're generally not in the business of making recommendations.

[52:03] We can tell you what the data says and how people feel about specific issues, but as far as, you know,

[52:11] Whether moving forward or not moving forward, that's that's not our decision. Thank you.

[52:18] That's my wash.

[52:20] Thank you. Do you have a rough estimate on how much more by lingual survey would cost? We talk about thousands tens of thousands?

[52:27] I mean,

[52:33] I'd have to, I'm just thinking off the top of my head, you're probably talking

[52:38] at least another $10,000 if not more.

[52:46] Additional questions, Councilman Isaac.

[52:49] Just one question on the population.

[52:52] You're not asking if someone is a registered voter.

[52:56] And is that because you are thinking that perhaps this might be something that would, if they

[53:02] are not a registered voter, they may register before the next election, or I mean, I don't

[53:08] know if this is going to be at an election time, if it's going to be a summer, if it's

[53:14] going to be at, you know, at one of our municipal elections.

[53:17] So would you, would it make more sense to ask if people are registered to vote already?

[53:24] We, I mean, my understanding of the survey was wanting to know, understand what residents

[53:29] feelings were on the proposed senior center. We will ask a demographic question whether

[53:35] or not people are registered to vote or not and I would venture a guess that you're probably

[53:41] going to get at least 80% of the respondents are going to be registered to vote.

[53:47] Yeah, Mary, I'll just weigh in on that too. The point of doing this is not to

[53:53] get us only those people who will vote at a referendum. The point is to gauge feedback from all

[53:59] those residents who live in town and then we will take this information and decide what's to come.

[54:06] But the intention is certainly not to get information and then only look at those people who would

[54:11] vote out of our friend of.

[54:15] You're right. I was looking at backwards of why the referendum didn't pass.

[54:18] So we're looking forwards at what people actually want overall. Correct. Additional questions?

[54:27] We know a metric we're using for a senior is a what age group like 55 and older or 65 and older or that falls in or has that been decided yet?

[54:36] I don't think that's been decided yet. I mean we'll ask age and we ask it in such a way that we'll you know we'll ask what your people were born so we can slice and dice the age category however you like.

[54:48] Right, Megan, because you're going to get all of this data and then be able to cross-tab

[54:52] and cross-walk all of these questions in whatever way we want to receive some information.

[54:58] So if we're curious about a question and how many women who are 55 and older or 50 and

[55:04] older feel about that question, we can get that cross-walk of data.

[55:10] Correct.

[55:12] Yes, Anne.

[55:14] One last question, how much is this, because I've definitely answered polls before.

[55:20] Is it a live person that they're talking to, or are they going to be listening to AI

[55:24] now?

[55:26] No, we have experimented with that, but it's not good yet.

[55:30] No, these will be all the live interviewers.

[55:33] And even though we are partnered with ReconMR and they are based in Texas, I would say most

[55:39] Most of this fieldwork is going to be conducted out of our call center in New York, in Albany, New York, so they will be residing there.

[55:47] Some of it may be done by the call center in Texas, but most of it will likely be done out of our call center in Albany, New York.

[55:57] Councilman Portman?

[55:58] Just a question, kind of following on Councilman Ellaris' comments about multiple designs, so to speak.

[56:06] Would your research include points of view to determine what elements of the various designs carried

[56:11] greater weight, like, for example, a pool or smaller dimension, larger dimension, just trying to call

[56:18] out where those key differentiations lie?

[56:22] Yeah, I mean, we haven't started working on the questions yet, but that is kind of where we had

[56:28] One of my thought process was to, you know, calling out different aspects of the senior

[56:35] center and gauging support and opposition so you'd get a rank order of the different proposals

[56:42] different, you know, key pieces of the senior center and see which ones bubbled up to the

[56:49] top, which ones were more popular than others.

[56:53] And we've given Megan the referendum question, we've given her access, obviously everything

[56:59] that's public information, pointed out the explanatory text, the FAQs, things around the pool,

[57:07] right, the desire potentially for an aquatic center, but their job at this point was not to actually

[57:14] craft survey questions. It was to tell us whether they could put together a survey on this issue and

[57:21] then the Public Works Committee will help design that and highlight the things that we think are

[57:26] important to get feedback on.

[57:29] All right are there additional questions for Megan before we

[57:33] take this to vote? Yep, Councilman Dunne.

[57:37] Quick question in the demographic section. Is there any questions that cover

[57:44] income and stuff like that? This will all be decided when we build a question but if that's a relevant

[57:53] and demographic question that you want to learn about.

[57:58] It's generally one of the questions

[58:00] that we ask in our standard demographics,

[58:02] but that will just be decided when we design the questionnaire.

[58:05] Thank you.

[58:06] All right, anybody?

[58:09] Just one question.

[58:10] This is more for the council and not for Megan.

[58:14] I see that the resolution is whether or not

[58:16] we're gonna engage with, and that's fine.

[58:19] We haven't talked about how we're gonna pay for this.

[58:21] I presume that this is part of the bond, part of the $275,000 a bonding for.

[58:28] That's correct.

[58:29] Okay, thank you.

[58:35] And again, I think you have taken all the questions.

[58:38] You can get thank you for joining us tonight and we'll be in touch after today.

[58:46] Glad to have.

[58:47] Thank you.

[58:47] Thanks so much.

[58:49] All right, are there any additional questions or discussion items related to this resolution?

[58:54] Okay. Seeing none, let's take it to a vote. All in favor? Opposed?

[59:02] Abstentions. All right. Thank you.

[59:05] All right. We will now go back in order of the resolutions

[59:10] on the agenda. Starting with resolution TC31-20. Councilman Isaac, would you bring that to

[59:17] the floor, please?

[59:20] Certainly. Resolution TC31-20. If you resolve

[59:24] that the first selective and having recommended the appointment of blank as a member of the police commission,

[59:29] blank B and the same is hereby appointed as a member of the police commission for a term extending to the first Monday of December 2030.

[59:36] Thank you, second.

[59:38] Councilman Braddrick and committee report.

[59:42] Moved by Metta, seconded by Winchel to amend by inserting the name Don Kentafio into the blanks.

[59:47] The chair explained these are sitting members that are up for re-appointment, their terms have expired.

[59:53] It was explained under the charter when a term ends, people continue to sit until the replacement is appointed and take the oath of office.

[1:00:00] There were some extensions. It's within the purview of the First Selection to make a recommendation, and then it's up to the town council, whether to appoint. The First Selection has recommended, in this case, that Don Can Taffy overplace Ray Baldwin on the commission. His term expired last month, as some of the other members had terms that expired earlier, Mr. Trevz and Mr. Maglioco. They are stepping down. These resolutions fill the positions for the balance of those terms. Chapter eight, Section three, provides that the incumbent continues to sit until replaced.

[1:00:29] It was confirmed that one term did expire in 2023 and that there is still a vacancy.

[1:00:35] It was noted in the last term Democrats tried to put forward a police commission resolution for the agenda.

[1:00:41] The Republicans had control of the council.

[1:00:43] The resolution was not accepted.

[1:00:45] It was explained that the appointees would have probably continued to serve.

[1:00:49] The first selectman thought it was time to give other people the opportunity to serve.

[1:00:53] It was noted all three appointees would be present at the full council meeting and

[1:00:56] I'd like to suggest that all three resolutions be passed to the council without recommendation.

[1:01:01] Vote motion to pass resolutions TC-31-20, 31-21, 31-22, without recommendation as amended, carried.

[1:01:11] 4-2.

[1:01:12] Thank you.

[1:01:13] And since this resolution has blanks, the first thing we need to do is motion to amend to fill in the blanks.

[1:01:20] So I'd like a motion to amend to fill in the blank of Don Cantafio.

[1:01:26] a second. Thank you. All right. So we have that. I'd like to bring Ms. Cantafio up to the

[1:01:34] front since she was not here the other evening. Don, if you would introduce yourself.

[1:01:39] Madam Chair, we have to vote on the motion to amend. Apologies. Hold on, Don, one second. Can

[1:01:46] Can we take a vote on the motion to amend?

[1:01:49] All in favor?

[1:01:52] Opposed?

[1:01:54] Abstentions?

[1:01:55] Okay.

[1:01:56] Now, take two.

[1:01:58] Thank you.

[1:01:59] I'm Dwan Contapio.

[1:02:01] I reside at 72 Tate Road.

[1:02:04] My party affiliation is Democrat.

[1:02:08] Excuse me.

[1:02:09] Oh, excuse me.

[1:02:10] Excuse me.

[1:02:10] That's okay.

[1:02:11] And Don, just tell us why you're interested in serving

[1:02:15] on this commission.

[1:02:17] Okay.

[1:02:17] I was asked by the first selectman to consider being approved for going on to the police commission.

[1:02:26] My background, a little bit of background is I have eight years on town council.

[1:02:31] I was chairman for council for one year.

[1:02:34] I served on the building committee.

[1:02:36] I have been on there for 10 years.

[1:02:38] I was off when I resigned from town council but was voted back on by the town council.

[1:02:46] So to resume my position on, and I'm Vice Chair of the Building Committee for the Senior Community Center.

[1:02:52] Before that, I served on the Policy Advisory Committee for the Board of Education for many years.

[1:02:58] I was chairman of that for a while.

[1:03:00] I have recently been a moderator for the town of Trumbull during election season.

[1:03:07] Any questions or any concerns?

[1:03:10] Thank you, Dan.

[1:03:11] Thank you.

[1:03:12] Councilman Center.

[1:03:14] Yes.

[1:03:15] Hi, Dawn.

[1:03:15] How are you?

[1:03:16] Good.

[1:03:16] Are you currently still on that committee?

[1:03:19] On the building committee?

[1:03:19] Yeah.

[1:03:20] Yes, I am.

[1:03:21] Do you have to resign from that?

[1:03:24] I don't know.

[1:03:25] I can check.

[1:03:27] I don't believe you do to serve on the police commission.

[1:03:29] Is that correct?

[1:03:30] Attorney Shopek?

[1:03:37] Additional questions?

[1:03:38] Councilman Dorsey.

[1:03:39] Good.

[1:03:40] How are you?

[1:03:40] Good.

[1:03:41] How are you, Tony?

[1:03:42] Just what you're in, what would be your vision or intent while serving on the police commission?

[1:03:47] I work with the chief of police, and I know it's concerns as we've talked about on council with recruitment and retention, one of the things that I did while I was on council vote for the bring back the pension, and I think that that has been a positive.

[1:04:04] So it would really just be helping with whatever decisions need to be made on the commission.

[1:04:09] And this you're replacing Ray Baldwin at least at least this is the resolution.

[1:04:15] Okay.

[1:04:16] I just have to ask what makes you more qualified than Ray Baldwin.

[1:04:20] And I wouldn't ever say it was more qualified than Ray Baldwin.

[1:04:24] I was just asked to serve on the commission.

[1:04:29] Any other questions?

[1:04:30] Additional questions from Ms. Kentafu.

[1:04:33] That's been buzz well.

[1:04:34] I don't, do you have a background in law enforcement, whether it be your personal life, your work life, any family members, anything that draws you to law enforcement, do you have any sort of background to help tie into this?

[1:04:49] I'm not a police officer now.

[1:04:52] Okay, I didn't know if you had family members, or your work life, or anything.

[1:04:57] My background is financial and office management.

[1:05:00] Thanks.

[1:05:01] You're welcome.

[1:05:04] additional questions. Councilman Marsh.

[1:05:06] I don't know how are you.

[1:05:09] Notwithstanding your lack of police involvement, are you a sane and rational person who can

[1:05:15] listen and interpret and work cooperatively with people?

[1:05:19] I believe I can. I think I've shown that. And I show up for meetings. I do my homework.

[1:05:24] So hopefully yes, I'm insane as most.

[1:05:27] Thank you. I just want to make sure you're qualified.

[1:05:28] Thank you.

[1:05:32] Additional questions.

[1:05:35] Okay. Thank you, Don.

[1:05:36] All right, any additional discussion on this resolution?

[1:05:41] Councilman Centell?

[1:05:43] Let's have a comment, you know mine.

[1:05:47] I just want to, you guys hear me, okay.

[1:05:51] I just want to raise concern about the recent Change of Police Commission.

[1:05:54] The current Council majority has removed all but one of the sitting police

[1:05:58] commissioners and replace them with individuals.

[1:06:01] At this point, it appeared to have little understanding of the role and responsibilities of the commission.

[1:06:06] oversight of public safety is not an area where on the job training is acceptable.

[1:06:11] Additional, the one remaining commissioner has missed six out of the last 12 meetings,

[1:06:16] a 50% absentee rate.

[1:06:18] That level absentee rate undermines the commission's ability to function effectively and weakens the public trust.

[1:06:25] Please commissioners are response for oversight, policy guidance, and accountability.

[1:06:29] These roles require experience, consistency, and commitment.

[1:06:32] I urge the council to prioritise our qualifications, attendance, and continuity of repolitics when making appointments that directly affect public safety.

[1:06:41] Thanks.

[1:06:44] Thank you. Any additional discussion?

[1:06:48] Councilman Marsh.

[1:06:50] I appreciate Mr. Santos' condense, although I would point out that, as was noted in the committee minutes, that there was a resolution that was put forward

[1:07:03] for the agenda in January of 2025 when your caucus controlled the council that would have addressed some of these issues.

[1:07:14] And unfortunately, Chairman Massaro decided not to put that resolution on the council agenda.

[1:07:21] So, when you talk about politicizing things, I just wish you would take a more global approach with your comments.

[1:07:31] The terms of the outgoing commissioners have expired, they have been expired for a while.

[1:07:38] Per the town charter, this position is at the appointment of the First Elections,

[1:07:42] her discretion has nothing to do with politics.

[1:07:46] The commissioners have served ably and they have been thanked for their service.

[1:07:50] And the First Elections and her discretion has determined as she wishes to put forward

[1:07:55] some new individuals and it's for us to decide whether they sit or not.

[1:08:00] Thank you. Anything else?

[1:08:05] All right. Okay. Councilman Alaris. Just to make a point about whether a person's

[1:08:12] has a professional law enforcement background or not, is not necessarily an important qualification

[1:08:18] for a civilian oversight board, right? I think the most important thing is the integrity of

[1:08:24] individuals and their ability to understand issues at hand, collaborate with all parties

[1:08:31] and all stakeholders and make sound decisions based on all that input.

[1:08:39] Thank you.

[1:08:40] Christine, my point earlier was not to question Dawn's background, but a lot of times people's

[1:08:49] backgrounds draw them to positions like my father's or retired state trooper, or if I'm on the

[1:08:56] Veterans Committee, my grandfather fought in World War II, so I'm passionate about that.

[1:09:00] That was more along my comments and questioning somebody's background, whether they can serve on the volunteer committee.

[1:09:06] Thank you.

[1:09:09] Yes, Councilman Cullen.

[1:09:10] Perhaps the last comment, but I agree with Mr. Buzzle, but I end with Ms. Alaris.

[1:09:15] But what I'd like to say is what I like about people like Dawn serving and

[1:09:19] the many volunteers that come forward and I'll say it again, it's one of the most exciting committees out there.

[1:09:25] because it's people that want to help our community, our town, where we live.

[1:09:29] And Dawn has shown that, and I'm so glad she's back to do so.

[1:09:32] Thank you.

[1:09:34] Thank you.

[1:09:35] All right.

[1:09:37] Anything additional on this resolution?

[1:09:40] Okay.

[1:09:41] We'll call this to a vote.

[1:09:42] All in favor of TC31-20 as amended.

[1:09:48] Opposed?

[1:09:50] Abstentions.

[1:09:51] That passes.

[1:09:53] Congratulations, Ms. Kentafio.

[1:09:54] So we will move along to TC31-21, Councilman Wolff, would you bring that to the floor, please?

[1:10:06] Resolution TC31-21, it resolved that first selectman having recommended the appointment of blank.

[1:10:12] As a member of Chief Commission blank, be here and the same and hereby pointed.

[1:10:17] As a member of the Police Commission for a term extending to the first Monday of December 20th, 2019.

[1:10:23] Thank you.

[1:10:24] Second.

[1:10:26] Thank you.

[1:10:26] Committee report.

[1:10:28] Moved by Spalane, seconded by Mecca to amend by inserting John Walkley into blanks.

[1:10:34] Vote motion carried for to two.

[1:10:36] Thank you.

[1:10:37] And again, the first thing we need to do is amend this resolution to fill in the blanks.

[1:10:41] So can I have a motion to amend TC31-21 to insert John Walkley?

[1:10:45] Motion to amend.

[1:10:46] Thank you.

[1:10:46] In a second.

[1:10:48] Second.

[1:10:48] Thank you.

[1:10:50] Take a vote on the motion to amend.

[1:10:52] All in favor?

[1:10:54] Opposed?

[1:10:56] Abstentions.

[1:10:57] Okay.

[1:10:57] Mr. Walkley, would you join us at the podium, please?

[1:11:01] Thank you for joining us this evening.

[1:11:05] If you could, you just like Don did, state your name, and your party affiliation, and then tell us a little bit about why you want to serve and perhaps your experience that will lend itself to this commission.

[1:11:16] Happy to, John Walkley, my address is 124 Imperial Court.

[1:11:23] My party affiliation is Democrat.

[1:11:26] My wife and I have lived in Trumble for 44 years.

[1:11:31] I've been active with my raising my children here.

[1:11:36] In terms of background for purposes of the police commission, when I graduated from law school,

[1:11:44] I went to work for a criminal justice agency in New Haven, was there for a few years.

[1:11:52] I ended up being counseled to the South Central Chiefs of Police Association and also

[1:11:58] work with the statewide Chiefs of Police Association, doing training and things of that nature.

[1:12:04] I was also principally responsible for creating what was known and I believe is still known as

[1:12:10] the Valley Street Crime Unit, a consortium of towns in the Valley so that they can share

[1:12:18] services and resources and also do investigations that cross town lines.

[1:12:26] After being at the Criminal Justice Agency for a short time, I became a prosecutor and

[1:12:32] And I prosecuted for five years in the State Court in New Haven.

[1:12:37] After doing that, I went into private practice for about 30 years.

[1:12:45] And during that 30 years, I principally concentrated on representing people who are charged with

[1:12:54] crimes.

[1:12:56] I did that for 30 years and then the last 10 years or so I was the public defender, the

[1:13:03] Chief Public Defender in Danbury and then the Chief Public Defender in Milford representing

[1:13:09] people who were indigent and again protecting their rights.

[1:13:14] I did retire from my last position as a public defender in Milford and for the last year and

[1:13:19] And a half I've been representing, I am the executive director of the Judicial Review Council in Hartford, a statewide council where I am investigating complaints made against judges, and I have to do those investigations.

[1:13:36] So it's in a sense coming back a little bit full circle for my time as a prosecutor to now representing or making investigative conclusions for the council.

[1:13:49] so that they can determine whether a judge should be punished.

[1:13:53] That's a little bit about my background, which I think is helpful in terms of sitting on the police commission.

[1:14:00] I don't come into this with any kind of agenda. I don't have a plan.

[1:14:08] I have gone back and looked at the minutes of meetings of the police commission and tried to get an idea about the issues that come up before the commission.

[1:14:17] and I can assure everyone that I'll do my best to keep an open mind about everything,

[1:14:21] work with the chief in terms of what he has in mind and just consider the issues that

[1:14:28] come up before the commission as they come up.

[1:14:31] Thank you very much, Mr. Walkley.

[1:14:34] Are there any questions this evening?

[1:14:40] Councilman Centau.

[1:14:42] Oh, sorry.

[1:14:47] Are you able to make the meetings?

[1:14:49] I'm sorry.

[1:14:50] You'll be able to have a good attendance record for the meetings.

[1:14:52] Oh, you can be sure that unless there's illness that I'll be at every meeting.

[1:14:57] Okay.

[1:14:57] And you're not on any other commission.

[1:15:00] Questions right now on the table. Okay. Thank you.

[1:15:05] Additional questions. Yes, councilman say there. Do you, and I don't, I'm just asking out of sheer curiosity, is there any, like, possibility of a conflict of interest with your state board and the commission? No, like, like, you know, not all, but like, ever, like, some kind of conflict. Right. So I may be doing some kind of investigation. It would interfere with my ability to be a police commissioner.

[1:15:31] No, I mean, I just can't envision a complaint that someone might make about a judge that would then circle back.

[1:15:42] Yeah, I don't think so.

[1:15:47] Thank you.

[1:15:49] Additional questions, comments?

[1:15:52] Okay, thank you for being here this evening, Mr. Weekly.

[1:15:54] Thank you.

[1:15:55] All right, we need to take a vote on the motion as amended.

[1:15:58] All in favor?

[1:16:02] opposed, abstentions.

[1:16:04] Thank you.

[1:16:07] And that brings us to resolution TC31-22.

[1:16:12] Councilman Marsh would you bring that to the floor?

[1:16:15] Certainly. Resolution TC31-22 be it resolved that the first

[1:16:19] electman having recommended the appointment of blank as a member

[1:16:22] of the police commission, blank B and the same is here by appointed as a member of the

[1:16:26] the police commission for a term extending to the first Monday of December, 2028.

[1:16:30] Thank you, Second,

[1:16:33] and committee report.

[1:16:35] Moved by four men, seconded by one shall to amend by inserting James Zigmont into the blanks.

[1:16:41] Vote motion carried four to two.

[1:16:44] Thank you, same as with the other resolutions.

[1:16:46] We need to fill in the blanks.

[1:16:47] Can I have a motion to amend and insert James Zigmont?

[1:16:51] Motion to amend.

[1:16:52] Thank you, and a second, Councilman Winshel.

[1:16:54] All in favor of that motion to amend.

[1:16:57] Opposed? Abstentions?

[1:17:00] Do you get everybody Margaret?

[1:17:05] Please remember to put your hands up to make Margaret's light easier.

[1:17:09] Mr. Zigmatt, would you join us at the podium?

[1:17:16] It's nice to see you this evening.

[1:17:19] Same drill, name, address, party affiliation, background why you're interested in serving.

[1:17:25] Jim Zygmont, 11 Pine Street, I can't follow that guy, that guy was pretty good.

[1:17:33] I lived in Chumble with my wife and my two children since 2001,

[1:17:39] became increasingly more active in the town, volunteered,

[1:17:43] medic capacities at my kids elementary school, volunteered in Rec Basketball,

[1:17:48] which was proud to say that we did win a championship after three seasons.

[1:17:52] Then I was appointed to the Fair Rent Commission in town, which I really enjoy being on given my background growing up in subsidized housing down in Stanford, so I can relate to that topic.

[1:18:07] And I'm just looking to become more involved, I spoke to the first select one, I spoke to the chief just to get an idea of what the expectations are.

[1:18:16] And at this stage, I'm just looking to become more involved.

[1:18:21] I'm a small business owner.

[1:18:22] I've been so since 2001 on a computer consulting business,

[1:18:27] recovering the entire state and the trouble housing authority.

[1:18:31] So I try to get as involved as possible.

[1:18:34] And this is why I'm interested in joining the commission.

[1:18:39] Thank you.

[1:18:40] Questions, Councilman Cologne.

[1:18:43] Hi there, and your party affiliation again?

[1:18:45] I'm sorry, we're probably in.

[1:18:46] Thank you.

[1:18:46] Thank you. I was unsure if I missed that one.

[1:18:49] Questions for Mr. Zigman, Councilman Cento.

[1:18:53] Hi, I'm Warrior.

[1:18:54] Good. Are you still on the fair rent commission?

[1:18:56] Yes, currently.

[1:18:58] Yes. Okay, thanks.

[1:19:01] Additional questions.

[1:19:03] Councilman Boswell.

[1:19:04] Hi, James.

[1:19:05] Being a registered Republican, did you have any conversations with anyone from the TRTC

[1:19:10] in regards to disappointment, sharing any thoughts that you wanted to join for our party?

[1:19:16] No.

[1:19:16] Okay.

[1:19:20] Councilman Marsh.

[1:19:21] Are you a member of the TRTC?

[1:19:24] No, okay, thanks.

[1:19:27] Additional discussion, yes.

[1:19:30] Just as additional instruction,

[1:19:32] I would like to see if we can mend to reappoint Angel Maglioco.

[1:19:39] So that's a point of order.

[1:19:41] Only the first electman can make an appointment

[1:19:42] for this position.

[1:19:43] So that's, it's just out of order.

[1:19:45] I'm sorry, the recommendation for appointment.

[1:19:46] So I appreciate that, but it's an out of order.

[1:19:49] Okay, I just want to know as just as the Republican side of things, he's done a fantastic job, and we're proud of what he did.

[1:19:59] So I want to make sure that at least we, we mentioned that, give that up.

[1:20:03] Those comments are welcome.

[1:20:05] As Councilman Marsh said, the police commission is a first-selectman recommendation to the town council,

[1:20:10] town council appoints, and I would echo your sentiments on commissioners Baldwin,

[1:20:16] and Aglioco and Trev's and thank them for their,

[1:20:20] in some cases, decade of service to that commission.

[1:20:23] So comments are noted and will be reflected

[1:20:25] in the minutes of the meeting.

[1:20:26] Understood.

[1:20:28] Councilman Cologne.

[1:20:29] Through the chair.

[1:20:30] I'm just such a stickler for procedure.

[1:20:33] In another life, I'm definitely an attorney,

[1:20:34] but right now I'm a teacher.

[1:20:36] But I just wanted to let you know,

[1:20:37] and the public know that no one has to belong

[1:20:40] to either party to be appointed.

[1:20:42] So I know that question was asked.

[1:20:44] I just wanted to clarify that.

[1:20:52] I think you and Mr. Walkley for both volunteering and stepping up and Mr. Walkley, your resume was very, very impressive.

[1:21:00] The only thing that we as a party or as a town councilman, we would have liked to see possibly Mr. Maglioco be able to stay on and possibly either one of these two individuals possibly fill in for that vacant role that I believe is still vacant.

[1:21:16] from Mrs. Thornton when she left.

[1:21:20] So any vote against you two, either of you tonight,

[1:21:23] has nothing against you personally.

[1:21:25] We would have liked to see Angelo continue to serve.

[1:21:28] Obviously, him being here still shows that he cares

[1:21:31] and I'm sure that he's hurt, that he's not coming back.

[1:21:34] Thank you, and there is still a fourth seat open

[1:21:37] and certainly happy to have conversations offline

[1:21:41] from this, not over email, but in person we can do that.

[1:21:46] And I'd like to add my thanks to Ms. Cantafio as well, all three volunteers who are coming

[1:21:53] on to this position are valuable and hopefully will contribute really great things to the

[1:21:59] police commission.

[1:22:00] Any further questions from Mrs. Sigma?

[1:22:03] Okay, thank you very much.

[1:22:06] We will take this to a vote.

[1:22:08] All in favor?

[1:22:11] Opposed?

[1:22:12] Abstentions.

[1:22:14] Okay.

[1:22:14] Thank you, again, thank you to the three of you, and thank you to our outgoing commissioners for your service.

[1:22:20] I know that we will see great things from our new commissioners and look forward to everybody getting up to speed with the chief and the police officers.

[1:22:31] We are going to move right along to TC31-24.

[1:22:37] This is our Board of Education Capital Improvement Plan.

[1:22:40] And so first and foremost, I need a motion to wave the reading of the full text and incorporate

[1:22:45] it into the minutes.

[1:22:47] Can I have that motion?

[1:22:48] Thank you.

[1:22:48] And a second.

[1:22:51] Thank you, Councilman Winchell.

[1:22:54] All in favor of waving the full resolution, the reading of that opposed abstentions.

[1:23:03] Okay.

[1:23:04] Now we will bring that resolution to the floor.

[1:23:06] Councillor Buzwell, do you have that in front of you to bring Resolution TC31-24 to the floor?

[1:23:19] Resolution TC31-24. Resolution appropriating 6,470,000 for the Trumble Board of Education Capital Improvement Plan 2026-2027 and authorizing the issuance of 6,470,000 bonds of the town to meet set appropriation and pending issuance.

[1:23:39] therefore the making of temporary barring for such purpose full resolution attached.

[1:23:44] Thank you in a second.

[1:23:46] Second.

[1:23:47] I'd like to wave the reading of the committee reports.

[1:23:51] Everybody good with that?

[1:23:53] Okay.

[1:23:54] All right.

[1:23:55] So the first thing we need to do and we did this in committee was to amend that number.

[1:24:02] So the number that's listed the 6.47 million listed

[1:24:05] is the originally proposed capital plan number, and it needs to be the Board of Finance approved number.

[1:24:15] And so I'd like a motion to substitute in both instances the number 5,305,000.

[1:24:23] So moved.

[1:24:25] Yep, 5,305,000.

[1:24:30] Did we get a second?

[1:24:32] Okay, so all in favor of that motion to amend?

[1:24:37] Any opposed?

[1:24:41] All right, we will,

[1:24:45] we have some folks here. I haven't even looked up to see if we've

[1:24:49] got Mr. T on here. We have Board of Education Chair, listen to Tim Penelli here. You know,

[1:24:54] I know that there were some questions out of committee. We will kind of quickly go through

[1:25:00] school by school. I'm not going to ask for a presentation tonight. I will take any questions

[1:25:05] the council has of Mr. Dion regarding this.

[1:25:10] And so, again, we will just jump into the schools in order starting with Madison.

[1:25:16] Are there any questions on Madison?

[1:25:22] Councilman Centreff?

[1:25:23] Yes, we can.

[1:25:24] Absolutely, Mike.

[1:25:27] Hey, how are you?

[1:25:29] Good, I know you kind of knew.

[1:25:32] You guys have maintenance records of every school and what's been done over the last five years on a day-to-day basis.

[1:25:39] Yes.

[1:25:40] We have a work order system?

[1:25:41] Yeah.

[1:25:42] Yes.

[1:25:42] Can we get a copy of all those?

[1:25:44] Every single one of them.

[1:25:46] Yeah.

[1:25:47] For the last five years.

[1:25:49] Sure.

[1:25:50] We can pull that out.

[1:25:50] It's quite a bit of information.

[1:25:52] Sure.

[1:25:52] And you're looking specifically for any work.

[1:25:54] We put work orders for maintenance.

[1:25:55] I want to work order for everything.

[1:25:58] Sure.

[1:25:59] Thanks.

[1:26:00] Especially the maintenance.

[1:26:02] Anything maintenance orientated?

[1:26:04] Anything.

[1:26:05] Right.

[1:26:05] It's going to be a work order of what was requested.

[1:26:07] Whatever it was completed, there would be no finance.

[1:26:10] The door handle fell off, anything like that.

[1:26:13] Mr. Zian, we can work on the best way to get those files to the council.

[1:26:20] I'm sure that Mr. Jain can help us with that.

[1:26:24] All right, we'll move from Madison to Middlebrook.

[1:26:30] Daniels Farm,

[1:26:33] Jane Ryan,

[1:26:38] Booth Hill,

[1:26:43] Tasha,

[1:26:47] French Town,

[1:26:52] agro science,

[1:26:56] Trumbull High.

[1:26:57] No

[1:27:00] questions? Long Hill and

[1:27:06] Fleet. We just made it through our list. Are there any

[1:27:10] questions regarding anything related to the Board of Education Capital Plan? I know

[1:27:17] that there was lots of information circulated. Thank you for getting back to us on all of

[1:27:21] the Drainage, the Trimble High Paving and Drainage Project. We appreciate that and that was circulated

[1:27:26] to the council today. Anything else?

[1:27:32] Okay. Mr. Dion, this might have been your easiest

[1:27:35] meeting ever. I appreciate that. With that said, we need to vote on this as amended,

[1:27:43] all in favor of approving TC31-24. Opposed? Abstentions. Okay. Thank you very much.

[1:27:53] That brings us to TC31-25, and again, I need a motion to waive the reading of the full

[1:27:59] text and incorporate it into the minutes.

[1:28:01] Motion to waive.

[1:28:03] And a second.

[1:28:06] We were a little excited there.

[1:28:09] Let's see, Councilman El-Aras, can you bring TC31-25 to the floor, please?

[1:28:16] Sure.

[1:28:17] Resolution TC31-25.

[1:28:20] Resolution appropriating $14,620,000 for the Trumball Town Capital Improvement Plan 2026 through 2027 and authorizing the issuance of $14,620,000 bonds of the town to meet set appropriation and pending the issuance thereof of the making of temporary borrowings for such purpose.

[1:28:48] this full resolution attached.

[1:28:53] Okay, and can we waive the committee report reading on this as well?

[1:28:58] Any objections?

[1:29:00] Okay.

[1:29:01] All right, so same thing, we'll go through this section by section before we go through section

[1:29:06] by section.

[1:29:07] Any general questions?

[1:29:09] Councilman citel.

[1:29:11] This one's from Maria.

[1:29:16] How are you?

[1:29:16] Good.

[1:29:27] These total, these two bonds are what, like 22 million, and we're, and we're retiring 13.

[1:29:36] 13 million.

[1:29:37] So we got 11 over what we're retiring, and we've been doing that consistently over the last two or three years.

[1:29:44] Well, you have a new school also, so the new school years, it's going to be a lot more.

[1:29:49] But this can this particular one is we're going to bond 10 million 11 million dollars more than we're retiring

[1:29:56] I don't think that's a good idea, but just want to know

[1:30:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Any more general questions before we go through this? Okay. Hi, George. How are you?

[1:30:14] All right. We will start at the top and ask questions as we go. And George, if there's anything that you need to interject on, feel free to do so. We'll start with roadways,

[1:30:29] aiming, anything there.

[1:30:34] Okay. Public facilities.

[1:30:36] Is anything in that section?

[1:30:40] Yes, Councilman Walsh.

[1:30:42] Through the chair, I'd like to make a motion

[1:30:45] to remove the 275,000 from the bonded

[1:30:48] to in the capital plan for the senior center study,

[1:30:52] move it to the general fund.

[1:30:56] Okay, so let's try, so your motion is what?

[1:31:00] To take the 275,000 from the senior center survey

[1:31:06] Okay, and move it, take it from the bonding and move it over to the general fund.

[1:31:11] So the-

[1:31:12] Take it out of the bonding.

[1:31:13] At this point, the only thing you could do is ask us to zero to make a motion to zero out the senior center line or reduce it from 275 to whatever your proposal would be.

[1:31:24] We can't move things to different accounts at this point.

[1:31:29] Remove it, then a motion to remove it from the-

[1:31:31] Okay, so there's a motion on the floor to remove $275,000 from the senior center and

[1:31:37] make that $0. Is that correct? Okay, can I have a second? Okay, discussion on that resolution.

[1:31:47] The party that made that would be, yep, go ahead.

[1:31:49] I think the idea is that the concern is that we're bonding for a study, whereas bonding is supposed

[1:31:55] to be used for things that will be like we're going to do the study and it's going to be done and

[1:31:59] we'll still be paying for it 20 something ideas down the road. So I think the point is to move it

[1:32:05] to the general fund, so we're more thoughtful about how we use our funds to study certain

[1:32:13] things. That's my, that, I'm just not a fan of bonding something that's going to be

[1:32:20] done and we're paying for 20 years down the road.

[1:32:25] Additional discussion?

[1:32:28] Councilman Isaac. I agree. I know the Board of Finance has done

[1:32:32] that in the past, where they've moved certain amounts that they thought she came out of

[1:32:35] operating budget instead of the bonding, but it's also for items that are in the last 20 years

[1:32:40] or that exceed a certain amount, and this is a pretty costly expenditure to then be pulled.

[1:32:47] Part of it is the study for the Sienna or whatever we are called, the Recon MR, but the rest is

[1:32:54] for the facility as well. So I don't have a problem with that portion of it personally just because

[1:33:00] as of the extent of the cost.

[1:33:05] Additional discussion and maybe just for some clarity, right?

[1:33:10] Because in some ways, there's two issues at hand.

[1:33:12] There's the issue of how the study is paid,

[1:33:15] which is almost a separate conversation.

[1:33:18] I understand that it's linked here,

[1:33:20] but that's a separate matter and would require

[1:33:23] a separate action through a supplemental.

[1:33:26] And then George, maybe speaking at a really high level

[1:33:28] to what that $2.75 is there for, and if I can add a second part to that or a reminder that

[1:33:37] we approve the capital plan at whatever level we approve, it doesn't mean we actually bond

[1:33:43] those dollars immediately. So, George, I'll kick the first one to you. What's that $2.75, right?

[1:33:50] That's a bigger purpose than the survey. So the purpose of the $2.75 suggestion to consider the $2.75

[1:33:58] is to begin the study, first of all, I believe, is this where the survey will be funded from?

[1:34:08] The 25 of the 275, a fraction of it, yes.

[1:34:12] So establishing what it is that the community actually wants and then the remaining funds will be

[1:34:22] to pursue, depending on what that outcome is, the sites that we control, which are the

[1:34:28] three sites, Priscilla, Hardy and Main Street, and then trying to develop a concept that

[1:34:36] can be considered by the community for adoption.

[1:34:44] Does that help Councilman Dorsey?

[1:34:46] I understand that the purpose of it, again, it's worked that's going to be done, and generally

[1:34:55] We should be bonding, and I've been pretty consistent on this.

[1:34:59] Any surveys or plans, this should come out of a budget.

[1:35:04] It's just my recommendation, my thoughts, why the motion is on the floor.

[1:35:09] And to say we should be paying for this over 20 years versus just taking the money out and

[1:35:16] finding a way to pay for the town pay for it is the purpose of the motion.

[1:35:22] Thank you.

[1:35:23] Thank you, additional discussion.

[1:35:28] Okay, so there's a motion on the floor to take the 275 in the senior center line, 275,000,

[1:35:34] and zero that out entirely.

[1:35:37] We need to vote on the motion that's on the floor.

[1:35:40] All in favor?

[1:35:44] Opposed?

[1:35:46] Abstention.

[1:35:48] Okay, that fails.

[1:35:51] You good Bill?

[1:35:53] Okay.

[1:35:55] All right.

[1:35:56] All right, so any additional discussion on public facilities?

[1:36:05] Okay, moving along to parks.

[1:36:17] So that's parks improvement, and then we'll go to fleet next.

[1:36:25] Anything on parks improvement?

[1:36:26] Okay, so fleet in equipment.

[1:36:28] This was where the bulk of our conversation was the other evening.

[1:36:37] Anything in fleet in equipment?

[1:36:44] You need me to go slower.

[1:36:45] I apologize,

[1:36:50] Councilman Sutton.

[1:36:54] I think we have a question regarding parks.

[1:36:57] The Ford F-550, I'm a little, and I hope this wasn't addressed in order to finance already,

[1:37:05] but I'm curious the difference because when I look at the Board of Ed budget and they're

[1:37:11] looking for the Chevy that's moving out with the plow attachment, I think that was only

[1:37:19] like what 75K for each of those and then this is a $2,000 vehicle, $2,000, I'm sorry, $2,000

[1:37:29] were sold, $2,000 vehicle, I'm trying to figure out what is the expense.

[1:37:36] It's the size of the vehicle and the equipment that I'm going to defer to our fleet manager

[1:37:40] so that he can give you specifics.

[1:37:42] So the material that the truck is built out of is mainly stainless steel, and it's just

[1:37:54] much heavier duty, and it's got a much heavier GVW that gross vehicle weight, so it's,

[1:38:03] you know, in the summer it's going to be hauling soil and gravel and whatnot, and then through

[1:38:09] the winter, it's set up as a sander and a plow truck,

[1:38:17] 4-F-550, and yeah, they're looking

[1:38:21] for, I think, the 3-quarter ton truck.

[1:38:25] Okay.

[1:38:26] I am, I hate to be the bad person here, but I'm going to move to remove it tonight.

[1:38:32] I just think there's, we have so many other urgent needs, and I know you guys really need

[1:38:38] that second plow.

[1:38:39] So, I am going to motion to remove that line item, which is what, $199.550, I believe.

[1:38:52] Okay, so there's a motion to remove the Ford F-550 at $199.550. Is there a second?

[1:39:00] Okay, discussion on that. Questions, comments, concerns?

[1:39:06] Yes. We'll start in the back and then work for it.

[1:39:10] I'm sorry, I'm trying to, there is a lot of pages, which is why we're

[1:39:13] who's the truck for? It's for the parks department.

[1:39:17] So if you're in the full, are you in the full packet?

[1:39:25] It is page 8 of 10 or 148 of 340.

[1:39:31] Oh boy, yeah. Depending on, I don't know if you're on paper or computer.

[1:39:36] I'm on computer trying to scroll through.

[1:39:37] Yeah, if you go to 148, it is at the very bottom of that page far left says parks and then it far right is

[1:39:49] $199.550. Yeah, it's to be true. It's fine. Thank you.

[1:39:58] I'm to be sure we really enjoy you.

[1:40:01] Sorry that he's not here. Mostly when he's not here. Councilman Dorsey.

[1:40:05] Just question, if this is voted know what's really all turn to plans.

[1:40:14] I guess we would just kind of put in for the truck that we're trying to replace is a Chevy 3500.

[1:40:23] It's less than 20 years old.

[1:40:26] It's rotten beyond rotten.

[1:40:30] I think we have some pictures of it.

[1:40:33] We're hoping that moving up to the next step, we'll get us more longevity on it.

[1:40:41] Again, they're hauling salt all winter long and driving around with it.

[1:40:46] And it just wreaks havoc on these mild steel bodies.

[1:40:53] I'm assuming that the Board of Ed, it doesn't do that with, you know, these are,

[1:40:58] they're buying their trucks for their service people, the HVAC and Carpenter

[1:41:04] electrician kind of a thing, but this is you know literally just filled with

[1:41:10] the gills with salt and driven around all winter long. I understand but this is

[1:41:17] such a heart obviously you know you've heard a lot of discussion already

[1:41:21] tonight and there's just so many other urgent needs and 200 grams you know

[1:41:27] big ticket item. So next year, all behind it. Well, and I think very typically, we're on an

[1:41:36] alternating year schedule of snow plows. Is that correct, right? Two, one year, one, another year.

[1:41:41] And this leaving in the numbers as is would get you two, two years in a row, correct?

[1:41:50] correct, which feels with the 14 plus inches of snow outside, perhaps, like a really important thing.

[1:41:59] Okay, Councilman Isaac, did you have your hand raised?

[1:42:03] Okay, Mr. Estrada, did you have-

[1:42:06] I would, I just want to agree with that, at this time I think that the critical, your balancing needs and

[1:42:15] you're considering everything.

[1:42:19] It's more important at this time to have the two plows

[1:42:24] than it is for this one part truck.

[1:42:26] We'll come back with the part truck next year

[1:42:28] and request that.

[1:42:30] These guys, I always call them our magicians

[1:42:32] because they keep everything going.

[1:42:35] Sometimes I have no idea how.

[1:42:38] So I'm gonna rely on them to continue the magic.

[1:42:42] But it is the priority really is if possible to consider the two ploughs.

[1:42:49] One of the advantages of considering the ploughs this year as a double purchase is there's a new plow that will be coming out from the manufacturer in a year.

[1:43:05] here. Do you want to talk to that or do you want to reach you to talk to them?

[1:43:07] That's a mission space. So on the next year's models, the 2027 models, they're changing

[1:43:18] the standards for the diesel emissions, and nobody wants a first year model of anything

[1:43:25] that's just coming out. It's the standards are going way through the roof and the changes

[1:43:32] that they're making are going to be difficult to deal with, especially, you know, I'm nervous,

[1:43:41] ask, because eventually I'm going to have to come up to you and ask you for more money for

[1:43:45] diagnostics software and more computer-based stuff to just take care of it. So we're trying to

[1:43:52] stable off buying anything with that new 2027-based, you know, wait until it's 2028 and

[1:44:04] they've got a year in it and see how it's all working. So getting to this year is going

[1:44:11] to put us in front of that.

[1:44:15] Thank you. Yes, Councilman Walsh.

[1:44:17] I just had a quick question if the 195,000 is that included a plow with it or is it just a truck itself that's a full full fit out.

[1:44:26] Yeah, okay, that makes a little more sense that a little high for a truck.

[1:44:32] Councilional.

[1:44:35] So the F-550, the B-3 helps plow the parking line or I mean it'd be funny to keep them in a stay for the sun truck, but I mean we're just trying to justify the F-550.

[1:44:47] That would be there, I think that they mainly and I'm not really sure they do all the facilities in town, the different buildings.

[1:45:00] And then the parks with these trucks.

[1:45:04] Thank you. Councillor Dorsi. Just some clarity, because we've been throwing

[1:45:08] them on plows and trucks. So, let's, I want to add some clarity. The motion on the floor now is to limit the cost of the 550. Yes. And then whatever happens

[1:45:20] that will take a vote. And then within the bonding is the purchase for two plows. The sure, correct. And if I heard the team is fine.

[1:45:29] I mean, if this does not pass, meaning the 550 truck is not included.

[1:45:38] Okay, I just wanted to clarify anything.

[1:45:41] Go ahead, Councilor Washington.

[1:45:44] So, if we postpone this for one year, then you buy the truck next year.

[1:45:48] That's when you're going to be buying the new model year of the truck.

[1:45:51] That is not the same emissions because of the size of the motor.

[1:45:58] It's not going to change substantially as the heavier class, the class 7 and 8 trucks.

[1:46:07] So like the truck that you're looking for right now.

[1:46:10] The 550, if we buy this 550, that wouldn't meet that.

[1:46:14] That should not be in the requirements.

[1:46:16] Emissions wise, those emissions standards, although they are changing the way they're going to

[1:46:25] deal with that on the lower class of truck isn't going to change substantially so on the Ford 550 it's not going to be the big issue on the big freight liner trucks. It's going to be an issue.

[1:46:38] I think your confusion is you're hearing plow and you're hearing 550 and you're hearing plow.

[1:46:46] So my point is, if this truck that we were buying is, if we push it off the year,

[1:46:54] would be the first year of that model run?

[1:46:56] No.

[1:46:57] We need the equipment for that.

[1:46:58] The equipment is very expensive.

[1:47:00] I think Sam, we work on our ambulances.

[1:47:02] I understand that the repair costs are very expensive.

[1:47:06] So it might be actually beneficial to buy the truck now.

[1:47:09] But if it's not going to be that next model,

[1:47:12] Right.

[1:47:13] I'm right.

[1:47:14] That model that's changing significantly is the freight line or the large capacity plow.

[1:47:19] That doesn't mean anything.

[1:47:19] That do the streets.

[1:47:21] This, the 550 is more parks and parking lots.

[1:47:25] Thank you.

[1:47:30] There's a motion on the floor.

[1:47:31] Any other questions on the motion to remove the $199.550.

[1:47:36] Okay.

[1:47:36] We'll take a vote on that.

[1:47:38] All in favor of removing that.

[1:47:41] Opposed?

[1:47:42] Abstentions.

[1:47:44] Okay.

[1:47:45] Okay, now we'll continue.

[1:47:50] So we did highways already, which had fleet in it, and then we went to parks that had

[1:47:55] fleeting it.

[1:47:56] I want to make sure we're all set to continue past the highway fleet.

[1:48:02] All right.

[1:48:02] That brings us to economic development,

[1:48:11] engineering,

[1:48:17] other projects, and

[1:48:22] then last to WPCI.

[1:48:27] Okay.

[1:48:29] Any other discussion before we get a new total from Maria?

[1:48:32] Councilman Centau.

[1:48:32] Hi, Maria.

[1:48:38] I got your email. Thank you for the information. Just got a question for you. Just

[1:48:44] make sure. So on the email that you sent, just one example is 2026. The principal, that's this

[1:48:53] year coming up. The principal was 12 million eight six eight hundred sixty thousand. And on that,

[1:49:00] that we had to pay $5 million in interest.

[1:49:04] Now is that just on that one bond?

[1:49:06] It was at the whole entire bond?

[1:49:08] Or that just a payment?

[1:49:09] All issues that are still open.

[1:49:12] So you with these, but the interest is on just 12 million.

[1:49:16] And that bond was 12 million.

[1:49:18] The principal payment was 12 million for the whole,

[1:49:21] all the bond issues that were due for that year.

[1:49:24] OK, for that 2020, whatever year that was,

[1:49:26] that would be 2006.

[1:49:28] Yeah, going back.

[1:49:29] Yes. Okay. So in 2006, so in 20 years we paid $5 million in interest.

[1:49:42] Additional questions before we get the new total.

[1:49:47] Okay, Maria, you want to give us the new

[1:49:49] total? Yes, the new total is 14,420.

[1:49:55] That's adjusted for funding costs, bonding costs.

[1:50:01] So 14,420? 14,420,000.

[1:50:09] Okay, so we have a new total.

[1:50:13] Do we need to just vote overall or do we need to vote on the new total and then on the

[1:50:17] whole resolution?

[1:50:20] All right, great, even better.

[1:50:23] So we have a new resolution total of 14,420,000, all in favor, opposed, abstentions.

[1:50:34] All right, Margaret, does that get us all set with those two resolutions?

[1:50:43] I declare those two resolutions adopted.

[1:50:47] And with that, we are at the end of our meeting.

[1:50:50] Can I have a motion to adjourn?

[1:50:54] Thank you, second.

[1:50:55] Second.

[1:50:55] All in favor?

[1:50:57] All right.

[1:50:58] Have a great night, everybody.

Town Council 2/2/26 Meeting

Transcript