Simsbury sets Jan. 24 referendum for $388,000 supplemental for Performing Arts Center after debate over wording and funding breakdown

The Simsbury Board of Selectmen voted Dec. 15 to set a referendum for Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, asking voters to approve an additional $388,000 in capital reserve funds for the Performing Arts Center bandshell project. The board adopted the resolution subject to bond counsel and town attorney review and directed staff to revise public materials to make the funding breakdown clearer.

During public comment and early in the meeting, a resident sharply criticized the town’s handling of the project and questioned the transparency of prior meetings. That commentary framed much of the board’s later discussion about how the referendum question and the mailer will read to voters.

Town staff outlined the project’s funding history: the bandshell expansion was approved previously by referendum with a project total presented as $2,782,008.81, funded by approximately $900,000 in state grants and $1,032,081.81 in donations, supplemented by $850,000 in capital reserves. Staff said bids and unforeseeable requirements — notably a revised fire suppression requirement — pushed costs up, creating a shortfall of $388,000 that the board must seek from voters.

Selectmen spent considerable time on the exact wording that will appear on the ballot and on the mailer the town plans to send to households. Several members said the current resolution language could confuse voters by presenting combined totals that obscure which dollars were previously approved and which are newly requested. The board asked bond counsel to review revised wording and directed staff to include: (1) an explicit breakdown on the mailer of prior appropriations, state grants and PAC donations; (2) the date and time of the referendum (Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, 6 a.m.–8 p.m.); and (3) a statement that any unspent funds will be returned to the town.

The board approved issuing a black‑and‑white postcard mailer to households and authorized staff to make non‑substantive edits suggested by town counsel or the Secretary of the State’s Office to ensure the material remains informational and not advocacy. Staff estimated printing and postage and will fund the mailing through a transfer from the Board of Finance if necessary.

The resolution as read at the meeting asks voters: “Shall the town of Simsbury appropriate an additional $388,000 in capital reserve funds for an aggregate appropriation in the amount of $3,170,881 for the previously approved improvements to the Performing Arts Center Bandshell addition?” The board approved that motion and committed to seek counsel review to correct numeric presentation where needed.

Next steps: bond counsel and the town attorney will review revised referendum wording and the mailer; staff will circulate a second draft to selectmen for review and may call a short special meeting if counsel requires alternative language.