Last night’s (Feb. 8) Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting was a lengthy work session, focused on a 127-page, work-in-progress budget document.

The special meeting was the first of two such work sessions, in which the selectmen will scrutinize the many line items of all the municipal departments in the BOS budget.

The second special meeting on the BOS budget will be held on Monday, Feb. 12.

So far, the selectmen haven’t discussed the bottom line. First Selectman Toni Boucher has not given an indication of what the total BOS budget proposal might look like — and whether it will be in line with the 4% mill rate increase the Board of Finance (BOF) offered as guidance.

The selectmen are tentatively aiming for a meeting to be scheduled on Feb. 26 to deliberate and finalize the BOS budget proposal, followed by a joint meeting with the BOF on Feb. 28 or Feb. 29.

During last night’s meeting, the selectmen heard from several department heads and other town officials representing:

  • Police Department
  • Land Use (Building, Health, Wetlands and P&Z)
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Human Resources
  • Social Services/Town Clerk/Registrars

In their remarks, the officials took a broad view of various drivers and challenges impacting their budget requests.

In a key example, Police Department Chief Tom Conlan emphasized that his department has been significantly impacted by the shortage of police officers — a problem affecting local area police departments as well as regionally and nationally. Conlan said he hopes to fill four open positions over the next few months.

He noted that Wilton’s new police headquarters, currently under construction, is likely to help recruitment. It might also help morale among current officers, who have seen a 5% increase in incidents since 2022, Conlan said.

Director of Planning and Land Use/Town Planner Michael Wrinn also addressed staffing challenges across the building, health and P&Z departments, and the demands on staff time. He pointed out that the demands are coming not only from commercial development, but from industrial and residential projects as well. With such a high number of applications and projects, Wrinn said, “There is no question… it is a challenge.”

Registrar of Voters Annalisa Stravato told the selectmen about some cost increases expected for early voting in the November elections that are expected to exceed the $10,500 provided by the state under the new law that requires municipalities to provide early voting.

Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker noted slight increases for the Social Services department, such as transportation for special needs residents, mental health assistance, and the Senior Center, which has seen increased activity in the post-COVID-19 era.

Parks and Recreation Commission Chair John Macken highlighted some maintenance work in the proposed budget at the Comstock Community Center facilities, as well as an uptick in the Dial-a-Ride program, which he said logged almost 6,500 rides last year.

Macken also mentioned plans for four new pickleball courts near the soccer field at Merwin Meadows. GOOD Morning Wilton will be reporting on this and other Parks & Rec updates in an upcoming story.

Note: Boucher noted during the meeting that the budget document discussed during the Feb. 8 meeting will be updated before the Feb. 12 meeting, as some items are being moved from the operating budget to the capital budget.