Wilton’s Board of Selectmen (BOS) kicked off the first day of the new fiscal year by discussing a wide range of topics at the July 1 BOS meeting.

Building Priorities Committee

The selectmen voted unanimously to appoint three more members to the Building Assessment Priorities Review Committee, which is being tasked with assisting the BOS in prioritizing the significant upgrades required at Wilton’s schools and municipal facilities over the next 10-15 years. (The committee was referred to as the Facilities Advisory Committee at the June 18 meeting, when 11 committee members were appointed.)

The latest appointments included:

  • Matt Raimondi, Board of Finance Chair (voting member)
  • Richard Santosky, former Board of Finance member with building-related professional expertise (voting member)
  • Michael Wrinn, Director of Planning and Land Use Management/Town Planner (non-voting member)

First Selectman Toni Boucher noted the committee would begin its work as soon as the week of July 8. Meetings will be noticed and the public will have the opportunity to observe them. Documents will also be made available on the Town website for the public to review.

Potential Ordinance Changes

At Fire Department Chief Jim Blanchfield‘s request, Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker proposed a change to Town Ordinance §14A-12.

Under the current ordinance, Wilton’s Fire Commission has “operational authority” over the Fire Marshal and Assistant Fire Marshal.

“This arrangement has the inadvertent [effect] of denying the Chief the authority to direct the actions of these employees, issue work assignments, enforce the provisions of the Town’s employee manual” and other issues, according to a memo Knickerbocker wrote to the BOS.

With the proposed ordinance revision, the marshals would continue to be appointed by the Fire Commission, but they would then report to the Fire Department chief.

The selectmen agreed to bring the issue to a public hearing for more review.

The selectmen also considered ordinance changes at the request of Wilton’s tax assessor to write off small balances. The proposed changes — which Knickerbocker said were intended to align with state standards — will also be the subject of a public hearing before the BOS takes action.

More BOS News

The selectmen voted unanimously to dissolve the Building Inspectors Board of Appeals — which Boucher said has been essentially inactive for the last 19 years. She noted that resources at the state level are available for any issue that may arise.

Knickerbocker shared a proposal to adopt a tax sale process for collecting delinquent property taxes and sewer charges, instead of a typical foreclosure process. (A memo from Wilton Tax Collector Hollie Rapp explaining the potential move was shared with the selectmen in advance of the meeting.) Knickerbocker urged the BOS to consider the policy carefully, as it would mark a significant change in the Town’s practices, and “there’s no great impending need at this moment”. He also indicated he would investigate the policies of surrounding municipalities. A public hearing will be scheduled.

The board approved a CT DOT highway safety project grant application for $27,013 to replace aging equipment for the Wilton Police Department‘s E-citation program, which allows officers to issue citations (and warnings) electronically in the field and collect data in real time. The grant would cover the purchase of new equipment along with software and records management costs.

The board unanimously voted to allocate any FY 2024 budget surplus to the Town’s Infrastructure Fund. The exact amount of any surplus will be determined when the fiscal year-end accounting is completed. The selectmen have taken the same action in previous years, though it would be at their discretion to allocate the surplus differently.

As discussed at the June 4 BOS meeting, the BOS agreed to delegate planning activities for Wilton’s participation in the America 250 Celebration (2026) to Wilton’s Parks and Recreation Commission.

The BOS also unanimously made the following appointments:

  • Assistant Town Clerk: Sheilah Pastore
  • Assistant Registrar of Vital Statistics: Sheilah Pastore
  • Water Pollution Control Authority: Lori Bufano (reappointment)

The next BOS meeting is scheduled for July 16.

Correction: An earlier version of the story said that the Board of Selectmen had appointed Joe Fiteni to the Inland Wetlands Commission. They have not yet appointed him.