First Selectman's Reports
03-23-2026 Simsbury First Selectman Report
Mar 23, 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 3/23/2026 Budget Updates We presented the Board of Selectmen’s budget to the Board of Finance on March 10th. Discussions will continue after our presentation at the Public Hearing on April 7th. Both the Board of Education and BOS will present their portion of the Town budget to the public. Please come to share your thoughts on the current budget and funding approved by our board. The proposed mill rate increase is 2.15% with a projected tax increase of $224 per house valued at $450K. Website Update The Town’s website was updated on March 23rd around 11:10 am. It now features a new interface and structure to make it easier to navigate and find what you're looking for. If you encounter any issues, typos, or have other comments to share, please use this link (www.simsbury-ct.gov/167/Contact-Us) to send your feedback. Including a screenshot, along with information about your browser and whether you're on a phone, Mac, or PC, would be helpful. Charter Updates BOS sent the charter back to the Charter Revision Commission to revisit a couple of areas, including the term length and term staggering, the composition of the boards and commissions in Section/Chapter 600, and to clarify some sections. They have a meeting on March 30th, 6:00 pm in the Main Meeting Room at Town Hall. Public Audience is welcome. National Register of Historic Places “Meadowood” On Friday, I attended the State Historic Preservation Review Board Meeting, where our agenda item, Cullman Brothers Tobacco Farm, was discussed, approved and forwarded to the National Park Service for consideration of a designation to the National Register of Historic Places. I spoke at the public audience and thanked them on behalf of our board, which voted unanimously to submit the nomination form. The property was nominated under the following clauses and using the following reasons: Areas of Significance Ethnic Heritage: Black Social History: Civil Rights Movement Architecture https://portal.ct.gov/decd/content/historic-preservation/06_about_shpo/state-historic- preservation-review-board/meeting-agendas Summary Paragraph: The Cullman Brothers Tobacco Farms #1 and #2 Historic District is made up of two irregularly shaped parts that include approximately 275 acres of mostly open land and 12 historic tobacco sheds in the north-central section of Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut (Figures 1 and 2). The property is significant for its association with the seasonal southern Black workers who helped cultivate and harvest tobacco there, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other students who later became associated with the Civil Rights Movement, and the presence of two generations of extant wood-framed tobacco sheds and open fields that were once used for cultivating shade-grown tobacco. The district retains its historic association, layout of fields and barns, and original their design. While the setting has been encroached upon by development, the presence of the sheds and open fields preserves the aspects of setting and feeling. The board was filled with praise on the preservation of this historic area and were unanimous in moving this forward. They spoke very highly of the efforts by Simsbury students and the community efforts to preserve the history of this property. They also removed a reference to the term ‘Meadowood’, as it refers to the residential development that dates back to the site’s initial plans and is irrelevant to this process. Public Hearing on 40 Nod Road Solar The Public Hearing that the town requested of the CT Siting Council will be held on April 23. Full correspondence and information on this project can be found at the link below: www.simsbury-ct.gov/641/Land-Use-Applications-of-Interest Here is a snippet on how to join the public hearing, which also can be found on the above site. Autism Awareness The BOS voted to approve the annual proclamation on Autism Awareness and to also approve lighting Eno Memorial Hall blue for the month of April in recognition. This follows a tradition by the Town that occurs each April. Proclamation on next page Simsbury Land Trust The Simsbury Land Trust came to our board meeting on Monday night to share the following information and to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of their conservation efforts. Both Diana Moody and Amanda Thompson, Executive Director shared this with us during Public Audience. The SLT is honored to dedicate a tree to the Town in appreciation of the community that has supported our conservation efforts over the last 50 years! We have scheduled this for Arbor Day (April 24th) at 3:00 PM on the Public Library grounds. It will be followed by a hike and scavenger hunt in Belden Forest led by Dr. Susan Masino. Everything is already coordinated with Lisa Miceli, the Library Board, and Tom Roy (Tree Warden). Bartlett Tree Care is also providing a free consultation and handling the planting. The SLT is also celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a dinner at Rosedale Farms on June 4. Keep an eye out for information on this event. Hometown Heroes Applications OPEN The application for nominating the 2026 Hometown Heroes is now open on the Town website. You can find information and see who qualifies by checking out this site. https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/688 It’s SPRING! Office hours I have a flexible work schedule, so feel free to reach out, and we can set up a time to meet - either in my Town Hall office or grab a coffee in town. 860-543-3770 wmackstutis@simsbury-ct.gov Thanks, Wendy