Minutes
Board of Selectmen - Minutes - Feb 18, 2026
Feb 18, 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.
T O W N O F S I M S B U R Y - B O A R D O F S E L E C T M E N S P E C I A L M E E T I N G M I N U T E S – F E B R U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 P a g e | 1 CALL TO ORDER1 2 The Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Main3 Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices. Present were: First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis;4 Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio; Board members Kevin Beal, Curtis Looney, Diana5 Yeisley and Mike Paine. Others in attendance included Town Manager; Deputy Town Manager6 Tom Fitzgerald; Attorney Bob DeCrescenzo; Chair of Charter Revisions Commission Kristen7 Barnett; Town Engineer/Director of Public Works Tom Roy; Treasurer/Finance Director Amy8 Meriwether; Police Chief Nicholas Boulter; Parks and Recreation Director Tom Tyburski; and9 other interested parties.10 11 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE12 13 Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.14 15 PRESENTATIONS16 17 1. 2025 Charter Revision Commission Draft Report (:56)18 19 Ms. Mackstutis noted that there are guidelines to follow to complete the Charter Revision20 Commissions work. She said she gave the Board a list of dates that need to be followed.21 22 Ms. Barnett the presentation is for the draft report for the 2025 Charter. She said the Town23 Charter is a fundamental, legal document that serves as the Town’s constitution. It formally24 establishes municipality and defines its governmental structure, procedures, and duties. She said25 it defines how officers are elected and how decisions are made. It also defines how residents can26 engage in our local government. It ensures that municipal government operates within a clear27 and defined framework and provides a mechanism for accountability to the community that it28 serves. She said the Charter empowers the elected and appointed officials to act in the best29 interest of the Town, by providing clear guidelines regarding their roles and responsibilities. It30 establishes clear responsibilities and expectations for the Town Manager and Town staff to31 ensure effective and transparent government.32 33 Ms. Barnett said the Board had a copy of the draft report and the Charter. She then went through34 how the Commission was formed, their purpose, timelines, etc. She said this was a 16-month35 process. She also went through the Commissioners’ biographies. She said the Board of36 Selectmen gave them their charges in January 2025. She also noted that the Commission37 established procedures, had public audience at every meeting, posted the meetings and recorded38 them, held two public hearings, etc. All of the information from Charter Revision is on the39 Town’s website. Ms. Barnett said the Board of Selectman was given all of their research40 materials. She said they also gave the Board a list of other towns where their charters were41 reviewed.42 43 Ms. Barnett said they also asked for Town Planner comments from Simsbury and other towns.44 She showed a list of public testimony names. She also gave a summary of public comments45 T O W N O F S I M S B U R Y - B O A R D O F S E L E C T M E N S P E C I A L M E E T I N G M I N U T E S – F E B R U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 P a g e | 2 including transparency, checks and balances, not giving additional power to the Board of46 Selectmen or Town Manager, etc. She noted that some boards and commissions are formed by47 ordinances and not by the Charter.48 49 Ms. Barnett said the Commission kept two-year terms; the First Selectman being chosen by50 residents; there will be no staggering of terms; they formalized the Selectmen’s review of the51 Town Manager’s performance; reworded the “directing/ordering staff” language; Clarified the52 First Selectman’s role as primary connection between the Selectmen and Town Manager53 54 Ms. Barnett said the Planning and Zoning Commissions be separate; they defined the role of the55 Town Manager in working together with appointed and elected boards and commissions; and56 required that alternates that are seated to be of the same party as the absent member when57 available. They also are recommending an Open Space Committee ordinance; recommending a58 Conservation Inland-Wetlands and Watercourses Agency Commission ordinance; and59 recommending annual land use boards and commissions meetings.60 61 She said the Commission clarified roles and responsibilities of the First, Board of Selectmen and62 town Manager; require the Town Manager to confer with the Board of Selectmen and board of63 Finance regarding union negotiations; require the Town Manager to consult with the chairs of64 Boards and Commissions to get staff review information.65 66 Ms. Barnett said they are requiring the Town Manager to promote collaboration between67 government, taxpayers and residents; public audience, in the rules of procedures, of all Boards68 and Commissions; and they require public hearing notices to be posted on the Town website,69 She aid they are implementing a uniform Charter format and made sections in the Charter easier70 to read. They are also recommending a clear policy on how unaffiliated volunteers serve on71 Boards and Commissions. All these things will help with transparency.72 73 Ms. Barnett said they will keep the same form of government; and will allow the Selectmen to74 delegate the grant applications authority to the Town Manager. They instituted an attendance75 requirement for appointed Boards and Commissions. They also required the Selectmen to76 review the Code of Ordinances no less than every four years; and removed the required posting77 of the entire budget in the newspaper.78 79 Ms. Barnett then went through the recommended Charter revisions by Chapter. She said they80 changed chapter III to Elected Boards and Commissions. They are also recommending 301 say81 where alternates are selected by the same party. She said they removed the Economic82 Development Commission from 301b as they are in an Ordinance.83 84 Ms. Barnett said there we no changes to Chapters I and II. There was some discussion on85 changes in Chapter III, seating alternates and removing the Economic Development Commission86 and length of terms; IV, legislative body, Code of Ordinances, role and responsibilities of the87 First, where meetings get published, and Town-owned properties, emergency procedures, etc.;88 Chapter V, Collaboration language and union negotiations; VI, Appointments of Boards and89 Commissions and some being in Ordinances; Chapter VII, title change to Administrative90 T O W N O F S I M S B U R Y - B O A R D O F S E L E C T M E N S P E C I A L M E E T I N G M I N U T E S – F E B R U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 P a g e | 3 Officials and Departments, where they used the organizational chart to correct, and Chapter VIII,91 Finances and Taxation provides more clarity and structure of different roles. There was also92 some discussion on 901 (a) that the Board feels should be taken out.93 94 Ms. Barnett said there were things that came up at their meetings and they are recommending95 items for their consideration of the Board of Selectmen.96 97 After discussion, no motion was made at this time.98 99 Ms. Mackstutis noted that the Public Hearing for the revised Charter will be held on Monday,100 February 23rd. The Board then has between February 23rd to March 6th to close the Public101 Hearing.102 103 Mr. Beal made a motion, effective February 18, 2026, to take a 5-minute break. Ms. Yeisley104 seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.105 106 2. Town Manager’s FY26/27 Recommended Budget (2:01:22)107 108 Mr. Nelson said under the Charter the Town Manager has to present a recommended budget to109 the Board of Selectmen after meeting with all the Department Heads and staff. He said this is a110 challenging budget He said the grand list growth is .9, which is a little better than last year. He111 said there is about $500,000 less in projected investment income along with aa significant112 increase in health insurance costs.113 114 Mr. Nelson noted that this presentation is a starting point for the budget and the budget workshop115 is being held on February 28th. He said taxpayers have had increasing in the past few years,116 however, this budget is the lowest percentage increase in the mill rate in several years.117 118 Mr. Nelson said the Board of Education budget is 2.77% and the Town budget is 2.99%. He said119 debt service is – 5.13% and non-public schools is 5.80%. The total gross expenditures is 2.24%.120 He said the Board of Finance guidance was 3.5% on the expenditure side. He said he did meet121 their guidance after using reserves as they agreed upon. He said he uses a zero-based budget for122 the Library Department and there was a restructuring of the Capital Non-Recurring Budget. He123 spoke about the CNR and Capital Plan budgeting. He feel the Town does not do a good job in124 capital planning. The Finance Director and Board of Finance are working on modeling to help125 with these issues. Mr. Nelson said CNR is not in the budget book this year. The items will either126 not be purchased or will be paid for or they will go into CIP or operating.127 128 Mr. Nelson said they used the $450,000 threshold again. The real estate and personal property129 mill rate would increase from 33.02 to 33.74, excluding the Fire District. The impact would be130 $227 per household. He showed the comparable communities tax changes of the last six fiscal131 years. He also showed a chart of the general fund expenditures with education and debt service132 taking up most of the area. He noted that benefits and insurance take up 6.26% of the budget. He133 also showed a chart for the general fund revenues, with the largest percentage from property134 taxes. Mr. Nelson said the grand list growth shows 0.9% in fiscal year 2027.135 T O W N O F S I M S B U R Y - B O A R D O F S E L E C T M E N S P E C I A L M E E T I N G M I N U T E S – F E B R U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 P a g e | 4 136 Mr. Nelson said he was recommending the Board support the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance137 Association with the $160,000, which has already been committed to in the MOU and fund up to138 $60,000 in additional support for the new ambulance purchase. He would like to use $60,000139 from the opioid settlement fund and $100,000 from capital reserves. He would like to match the140 SVAA capital campaign by using capital reserves as well.141 142 Mr. Nelson then spoke about Economic Development. He would like to take a Library full-time143 position and convert it to a shared position with the Library and Economic Development. He144 would also like to decrease the Main Street Partnership budget from $85,000 to $35,000. He145 said the Town needs more internal control over its own destiny. It doesn’t align with his mission146 from the Board.147 148 Mr. Nelson said Economic Development was one of this Board’s and his primary objectives. He149 tried several ways to bolster this but is having a hard time doing so. He would like this change to150 be considered to help move economic development further along. He feels the shared service151 would help him in the economic development of the Town. The shard service would also make152 this cost neutral.153 154 Mr. Nelson went through the unassigned fund balance chart and said we have a healthy fund155 balance. We are keeping our AAA bond-rated community. He said we had the best audit for any156 municipality.157 158 Mr. Nelson went through the budget calendar. He noted that there will be a budget workshop159 and possible budget adoption on Saturday, February 28th. He asked the Board to email any160 questions to Ms. Appleby so they can do their research and get the answers. He spoke about161 capital reserves and CNR. He noted that there will be a revaluation in two years.162 163 After some discussion, no motion was made at this time.164 165 ADJOURN166 167 Ms. Yeisley made a motion, effective February 18, 2026, to adjourn the special meeting at 8:07168 p.m. Mr. Beal seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.169 170 Respectfully submitted,171 172 Kathi Radocchio173 Clerk174