Torrington — The Torrington City Council on Dec. 3, 2024 approved on third reading an ordinance to annex about 207.71 acres in the city’s southeast area, bringing city-owned utility facilities and related land inside the municipal corporate limits.

The annexed parcel includes an existing sewer lift station, a headworks building under construction, wastewater lagoons and related aeration blowers, several outbuildings used for equipment storage and the Torrington Police Department’s firing range, city staff said. Council members and staff said those improvements are already owned by the city and are now formally within city limits.

Why it matters: Annexation of city-owned infrastructure brings municipal utilities and the land that contains them squarely under city jurisdiction and clarifies which agency provides public-safety and municipal services for that ground. Officials said the move will allow Torrington police to exercise primary jurisdiction within the newly annexed area rather than leaving day-to-day enforcement responsibilities to the county sheriff.

City staff and a resident questioned statutory authority and limits during the discussion. Mr. Eddington, a staff member who read the ordinance and answered legal questions, said, “That that is inaccurate. As this ordinance states, we are proceeding under 151407,” distinguishing the city-initiated annexation process for government-owned land from other annexation statutes. He added that the statute cited allows a government owner to annex land it holds without the formalities required for private-property annexations.

Chief Johnson said officers already respond to incidents on the property when needed but that annexation would likely increase routine patrols. “I would anticipate that,” he said, describing the department’s ability to provide more consistent coverage once the land is within city limits.

Several residents raised questions about individual parcels that lie inside or adjacent to the proposed annexation boundary. A property owner who identified themselves during the discussion asked whether longstanding uses on privately held tracts surrounded by the annexed area would be affected; staff replied that existing uses are typically grandfathered so long as they continue, and that local zoning or building-permit requirements would apply to annexed land going forward.

The council heard that the city already has significant investment on the parcel. Staff described the infrastructure value as “several tens of millions” of dollars in improvements, though no precise appraisal was provided during the meeting.

Action taken: Councilman Rick Patterson moved to approve the ordinance on third reading; a council member seconded. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote; the mayor announced there were no nays and the ordinance passed on third reading.

Next steps: The ordinance passed at third reading. Staff did not specify additional implementation steps or an effective date during the meeting.