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Residents press council on school maintenance, senior tax relief, Post Road improvements and traffic safety
Summary
Public commenters urged more school maintenance funding, urged caution before changing elderly tax exemptions, asked for design input and maintenance plans for Post Road sidewalks, and raised safety concerns about a proposed roundabout and enforcement on a local roadway.
During the meeting's public comment period residents raised several community issues for the council's attention.
School maintenance and budget: Brett Mallory urged the council to increase school maintenance funding despite the recent bond, suggesting a quarter-million-dollar boost and noting available surplus funds. Mallory asked the council to revisit maintenance allocations across school buildings.
Elderly tax exemptions and proposals: Joseph Texara spoke about options for senior property tax relief. He said an exemption of $1,000 for approximately 2,400 senior homeowners would cost an estimated $2.4 million and warned it would require a large tax increase for other taxpayers. Town staff and councilors clarified that some changes to exemptions require legislation and that the council had submitted a legislative package addressing tax-exemption changes; officials said figures should be refined before action.
Post Road Business Alliance: Carrie Lanois, speaking for the Post Road Business Alliance, described the group's formation and work to encourage economic growth and aesthetics on Post Road. The group asked three questions: whether the state-funded sidewalk project is linked to other projects, whether the group can provide design feedback (curb cuts/crosswalks), and whether the town has a long-term maintenance plan for sidewalks.
Roundabout, traffic and cameras: Commenters asked the council for a scaled video and safety and pedestrian-crash data before deciding about a proposed roundabout and requested continued enforcement on high-speed local streets where children walk. One commenter raised concerns about privacy and vehicle-monitoring cameras and asked that the town avoid broad surveillance outside lawful public-safety use.
Council and staff responses: Council leaders said the legislative package on exemptions requires General Assembly approval and that staff will refine the fiscal numbers. The town manager said the school department and manager would provide monthly project updates and the manager will present the FY2026 budget on March 10. The council invited the Post Road Business Alliance to continue dialogue about design and maintenance.
Why it matters: Public comment surfaced competing priorities for limited local dollars (school maintenance vs. tax relief) and highlighted business and pedestrian-safety concerns tied to upcoming infrastructure projects. Councilors said they would pursue follow-up information and legislative steps as appropriate.
