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Stratford council members press mayor for clearer event and budget information
Summary
Councilman Green and other members told Mayor Laura R. Hoyde they have had trouble obtaining timely event and budget materials and asked for improved coordination; the mayor said finance documents are posted online and urged direct communication with her office.
Councilman Green said at the April 7 special meeting of the Town of Stratford Town Council that he and members of the Long Brook Park Commission have repeatedly faced delays getting flyers, reports and budget materials from town staff, and asked the mayor for a commitment to improve the town’s communications and to provide financial records earlier in the budget cycle.
The request followed Green’s description of a pattern of late materials, including not receiving a draft flyer for a park cleanup until the night before distribution. “This pattern makes it really hard for me to do the job I was elected to do if I don't have the information in a timely manner,” Councilman Green said in remarks recorded during the council meeting.
Mayor Laura R. Hoyde responded that finance information is available online and said staff make reconciled reports available as soon as they are final. She urged direct communication with her office for scheduling or event coordination and said the town will continue to work with council members to address concerns. “Don Sabo makes sure that as soon as those reports are done and reconciled, that they're available to you,” the mayor said.
Other council members who spoke during the discussion said some requested materials — including historical salary data and a five‑year look‑back of certain budget lines — have not been consistently supplied. Council members asked that requests be shared with the full council and noted that some departmental calendars and online reservation tools are hard for residents and officials to navigate.
Council members described practical problems in scheduling community events at town facilities. Several members said the online reservation system (RecDesk) can be confusing, and an application that staff described as “online” appeared to some council members during the meeting to have a paper alternative. Town staff and the mayor said the rec desk system has been used for years and that applications and payments are processed through it; staff offered to walk through the system with council members.
The exchange also covered volunteer and commission coordination for spring cleanups and other events, with council members urging clearer advance publicity and recognition for volunteer groups. The town’s mayor and other council members encouraged members to continue submitting requests through staff and said they would follow up to reduce delays and improve coordination.
The discussion produced no formal vote or directive recorded in the meeting minutes; it concluded with an agreement to continue working through staff and the mayor’s office on scheduling and information access.
