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Stratford officials report comprehensive zoning rewrite, permit‑fee revenue uptick and request for part‑time building inspector
Summary
During the March 25 Ordinance Committee budget workshop Town of Stratford staff said planning and zoning completed a major rewrite of zoning regulations, evaluated dozens of commercial projects, and reported a rise in building‑permit revenue that has prompted a request for a 19‑hour‑per‑week inspector.
Town planning, zoning and building staff told the Ordinance Committee on March 25 that planning and zoning has completed a comprehensive rewrite of the town’s zoning regulations and that permitting activity and fee revenue have risen enough to support a requested part‑time building inspector.
A planning and zoning staff speaker said the town had “executed their first comprehensive rewrite of the zoning regs in 80 years” and that the board had evaluated 73 commercial projects in the prior year. Committee members asked whether the zoning rewrite increased flexibility for mixed‑use development along Main Street; staff said wording changes had been made for Main Street corridors and that further minor tweaks could follow as needs arise.
In the building‑inspection briefing, staff reported permit counts rising over recent years and confirmed that a current check of Munis by staff member Linda Dominic showed permit‑fee receipts of $778,002.79 for the year to date. Building staff said that figure supports an increase in anticipated revenue for next year and that the department had proposed adding a part‑time inspector for 19 hours per week to handle the higher permitting workload.
Committee members and staff discussed salary changes that appear as small percentage increases in the budget documents; staff clarified that the figures reflect contractual union step increases and that no service cuts were planned. Members asked for clearer notes in the budget book when headcount or step‑schedule changes drive line‑item differences.
Staff also said that zoning and building positions are union positions with step increases reflected in the proposed budget, and that the 2.8% increase in a planning line reflected contractual salary adjustments rather than new operating spending. Dan Brennan was mentioned as the zoning enforcement contact who handles code enforcement issues; staff said they would supply counts of code violations if the committee requested them.
No formal committee votes were recorded in the transcript portion covering planning, zoning and building inspection; staff committed to providing requested data (detailed grand‑list materials and exact grant totals) after the meeting.
