First Selectman's Reports
February 9, 2026
Feb 9, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
First Selectman’s Report 2-9-2026 Thank you to our Voters The 1/24/2026 Referendum on the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center Next Act was approved. I was happy to see this pass, as this project has been a major priority for me and our board since the original budget approval in FY 2025, when we approved the town funding needed to support both the State of CT grant and SMPAC donors to meet the inifial need. With changes in requirements, costs, and environmental factors, costs escalated, and you helped underscore the importance of this project to our downtown. The PAC has announced the Indigo Girls, and from the seafing map, fickets are selling quickly! Stay tuned for more announcements, and of course the HSO - Talcoft Mountain Music Fesfival in July. Nod Road Solar The CT Siting Council approved a hearing to be held via Zoom on April 23rd. The town has provided information on how to access the meeting and share your comments. All information about this project is posted on the Planning Department’s webpage at: https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/planning-and-community-development- department/land-use-applications-of-interest/pages/40-nod-road Information on the hearing is shared on this site, but here is a direct link: hftps://www.simsbury-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif9751/f/pages/lodestar_solar_public_hearing_informafion.pdf Key town officials met with Lodestar and VHB this week to discuss the outstanding items in the lefter we sent to the CT Sifing Council in advance of the public hearing. Stay tuned to the link above. I will also confinue to provide updates. Here are a couple of sfills from the video on the planning page while we wait for the requested views. Budget Kickoff 2026/2027 The Town Manager will present his annual budget to the Board of Selectmen at a Special Meefing on 2/18, beginning at 5:00 PM. An addifional BOS Special Meefing will be scheduled for early March, to allow more fime for the Board to discuss the budget. Charter Public Hearing The revised charter will be presented by Commission Chair, Kris Barneft, on Feb 18th. The Public Hearing will be on Feb 23rd, and we would welcome feedback from the town on the first changes to the charter since we moved to the Town Manager form of government in 2017. The Board of Selectmen will have unfil mid-March to return the Charter to the commission if we want to request changes. If approved by our board, it will go to the voters in November 2026. Below are the required fimeframes. The 45-day period in item 5 ends on March 8th. Here is the link to the charter recommendafions by the Charter Revision Commission. Unaffiliated voters and engaging new volunteers We are working through this process and developing policy around it, but it is taking some fime, so bear with us. We are happy to announce that tonight, 3 unaffiliated voters came through the town portal to apply for the boards they were interested in. There were no other party nominafions or renominafions, so we appointed them based on their submissions and expressed interest. All 3 – Abi, Mafthew, and Shawn – are very excited to have the opportunity to serve. They will serve on the Water Pollufion Control Authority, the Tech Task Force, and the Sustainability Commiftee, respecfively. Black History Month I would like to acknowledge February as Black History Month. This is a fime to celebrate and explore Black culture in our society. In Simsbury, I want to thank our DEI Council for its confinued efforts in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to ensure everyone feels welcome. We are fortunate to live in a great community that strives to be welcoming to all. On a related note – regarding the comment made by the President during Black History Month – I am taking this opportunity to express my disgust with his racist post shared on social media, which lacked decency, respect, and decorum. No apologies were offered, making it difficult to remain silent when these actions impact our residents and are an embarrassment to all. SVAA Presentafion Thank you to the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association for presenting to the board at Monday’s meeting. We have begun discussions with the SVAA regarding future operating and capital needs to support the service level we have agreed upon. Unlike the Fire Company, the SVAA does not have a separate taxing district and relies on transports, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements, and donations. Capital Project Update The Communicafions secfion of Monday’s agenda includes a full breakdown of in-progress capital projects and their status. It was originally planned as a presentafion, but with 2 already on the agenda, it was moved. The BOS will have an opportunity to address the status of any of these projects during the budget workshop. It’s page 52 of the packet: hftps://www.simsbury-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif9751/f/agendas/02-09- 2026_town_of_simsbury_board_of_selectmen_regular_meefing_packet_0.pdf ClearGov I am really disappointed that we are not using ClearGov this budget cycle, as it was a priority of mine and our prior board voted to fund it in 2025 to create an online interface for the public to view current and prior budgets. The print capability many required was not fully available, which is why town staff decided to move forward without it. There is a communicafions lefter in the BOS 2/9/26 packet on this from Town Manager Marc Nelson. Town Website Upgrade We received a second presentation on the Town Website and its status. Brett Marchand, Interim IT Director, walked us through the outstanding discrepancies and provided a demo of some related functions. A tentative go-live date of March 9th was shared with the board and the residents. Superbowl I loved the vibrancy and culture of the Bad Bunny halftime show, where he shared parts of his Grammy for Best Album. The set was amazing and fun. I don’t speak Spanish, but it didn’t matter, as his message of love over hate and a united America was loud and clear. I was also happy to see Green Day perform as the opening act – one of my favorite 90s bands, which I still listen to regularly on my Spotify playlist. And of course, the best commercial was Good Will Dunkin’. I come from a NY Giants household, so no one mourned the Patriots' loss. Sorry to all our Patriots fans. Mabel Loves Winter Office hours I have a flexible work schedule, so feel free to reach out, and we can set up a fime to meet -either in my Town Hall office or grab a coffee in town. 860-543-3770 wmackstufis@simsbury-ct.gov Thanks, Wendy