Monday night‘s (Feb. 3) Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting was short on action but long on discussion, as the selectmen explored potential changes to three town ordinances, among other matters.

The discussion, tense at times, also delved into procedural questions about how BOS agenda items are handled, with Selectwoman Kim Healy raising pointed questions for First Selectman Toni Boucher on a number of issues pertaining to the Town’s budget, fees for residents, status of the police station construction project and more, which she feels are not being answered in a timely or transparent way.

Healy Wants More Answers

Early in the BOS meeting, Healy requested to have a discussion to help ensure that “when a selectman requests [an item] to be on the agenda, that it be put on the agenda.”

“I have [made] multiple requests for things to be added to the agenda, and many of them have yet to be added,” Healy said, asserting that her requests have been “pushed off.”

Boucher, who sets the agenda as BOS chair, told Healy “that’s not the case” and “in fact, we have a plan to put those on the agenda, when we have the ability to do so.”

Healy expressed concern that when a selectman’s request goes unrecognized, their effort to have the topic addressed in a public meetings is not documented.

Boucher seemed willing to engage in the discussion about the procedures, but felt the selectmen needed to have “reasonable expectations.”

“I would welcome a discussion about this,” Boucher said. “I hope we would have an orderly way to do this” in a way that would not “overwhelm” staff but “everyone feels heard.”

Healy repeated that her requests had gone unheeded “for months” and were “extremely timely.” Boucher insisted they were not being ignored. The selectmen agreed to email their agenda requests, as well as to mention them in their selectmen’s reports at the end of each BOS meeting, where they would be captured in meeting minutes for the public record. Boucher said the minutes would also help serve as a reminder when setting the next agenda.

Throughout the meeting, Healy pressed Knickerbocker and Boucher for answers to several questions (and even some missteps) on several matters, including:

  • Board approvals of subsidies at Wilton’s Transfer Station and the transparency of costs in the budget: Healy said she has been seeking answers since May, after she could not find record of BOS approval of a $95,000 supplemental subsidy, among other questions about the Transfer Station, which is entwined with the Department of Public Works budget. Knickerbocker assured Healy the costs would be made clearer in upcoming budget discussions.
  • The status of the police station construction budget: Healy insisted on the need for more updates as the project nears completion. At least one executive session has been held on subject, which Boucher characterized as involving “the possibility of a contract change.”
  • The decision to reinstate ACH (electronic check) charges to residents making electronic payments, after some communications from the Town indicated they would not be charged: Healy objected to the fees being reinstated without the selectmen’s knowledge or approval. Healy also advocated for refunding the recent charges in light of the Town’s miscommunication about them. The selectmen did not vote on any new action.

Editor’s note: The original story stated that the Town stopped passing through ACH charges to residents during the COVID pandemic. That was the explanation offered to BOS members Monday night by Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker. Following publication, former First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice reached out to GMW to correct that assertion: “The reporting that the town paused ACH fees during the pandemic is factually incorrect. We eliminated ACH fees when we switched vendors and rolled out a new town website. We did so to encourage people to pay online rather than pay in person or mail a check. One, because ACH payments are more efficient and thus less costly to process by the town than received checks. And two, paying online had new benefits such as autopay, reminder emails and/or texts. At the time, the rationale was discussed at a BOS meeting by former CFO Anne Kelly-Lenz and shared with the public as we promoted the new benefits of paying online.” That change was made effective as of May 1, 2019.

What’s Too Early for Trash Pickup?

After a resident raised a concern about unreasonably early disturbances, the selectmen began considering whether to propose an ordinance that would prohibit waste haulers from picking up trash in the very early morning hours.

The selectmen agreed they needed more information — including from the haulers’ point of view as to why early pickups seem to be preferred — before taking the matter to a public hearing. Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker also said he would investigate other towns with such ordinances and how they were implemented.

What’s Too Historic for Demolition?

Wilton’s Historic District and Historic Properties Commission (HDHP) Chair Lori Fusco attended the BOS meeting to seek feedback about possible changes to the Town ordinance pertaining to the commission’s “demolition delay” authority.

HDHP has limited tools at its disposal for protecting historic properties. In addition to overseeing a design review process for any building renovation plans within Wilton’s historic districts, the commission also reviews demolition applications — whether or not a building is in a historic district — and has the authority, in some cases, to delay demolitions for 90 days to provide time for salvaging opportunities or other alternatives.

HDHP would like to see that delay extended up to 180 days, as well as to extend the time for the commission to respond to a demolition application from 10 days to 35 days. HDHP is also proposing changes to “intent to demolish” signage that would more clearly identify historically significant properties that are slated for demolition.

Healy questioned whether the 180 day period was “onerous” for property owners, especially since the HDHP review of demolition applications are triggered when a building is just 50 years old.

Second Selectman Josh Cole said that weighing the benefits of preservation efforts with property owners’ right is “a delicate balance.”

Fusco defended HDHP’s proposal, emphasizing that the commission has acted with great discretion, exercising its demolition delay authority only three times since late 2013 — in cases she called a “very important, select group of homes that are worthy of being preserved.”

The selectmen indicated they would seek additional guidance from Town counsel before deciding whether to take the matter to a public hearing.

Peddlers’ Permits

The selectmen are also considering a change in the Town’s Peddling and Soliciting ordinance.

In most cases, permits from the Wilton Police Department are required for door-to-door solicitors. The proposed ordinance change would include the provision that permits “shall be valid only between 9 a.m. and dusk and may specify the area or areas within the Town for which permit shall be valid.”

The current ordinance’s permit requirement has exceptions for “sales by farmers and gardeners of the produce of their farms, gardens and greenhouses, including fruit, vegetables and flowers, or to the sale, distribution and delivery of milk, teas, coffees, spices, groceries, meats and bakery goods…”

In December, the Wilton Police Department issued a public notice about solicitors that have recently been operating in residential areas:

“Over the past few days we have received numerous calls, some of them 911 calls, about individuals in ‘cow print’ attire approaching residences in town. We have made contact with the individuals who explained that they are soliciting business for The Modern Milkman. Due to the nature of their business, this company does not need a permit to solicit in our town, and their presence alone does not require a police response. We understand that it can be a bit startling to see someone in cow print attire on your property and they have been made aware of this. You always have to right to tell the individuals to leave your property and not come back.”

The selectmen indicated they would seek additional information from the Police Department about the permits before bringing the matter to a public hearing.

More BOS News

  • The board held a confidential executive session to discuss “the Wilton Town Center ground lease with Paragon.” Paragon leases and manages the Town Green and the buildings on the property at 101 Old Ridgefield Rd.
  • The board approved a $1,600 Citizen Corps Program (CCP) grant application by the Wilton Police Department that would cover Wilton CERT basic training materials.
  • The selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Trevor Huffard to the Architectural Review Board, as recommend by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
  • In confidential executive session, the selectmen interviewed two candidates being considered for appointment: Jessica Rainey for the Council on Ethics and Phil Fitzgerald for the Economic Development Commission.