Willington WISE Committee votes to ask Board of Selectmen for Nip‑tax funds for cleanup and committee budget

The Willington Sustainability and Energy (WISE) Committee voted unanimously on May 13 to send a letter to the Board of Selectmen requesting that some or all of the town's $3,987 Nip‑tax distribution be applied to the committee's budget or used for community cleanup efforts.

Chair John Teehan said Willington received $3,987 from the Nip tax and noted the committee could request an earmark, propose that part of the money go to community cleanup work often organized by local volunteers, or ask for half for the WISE budget and half to support cleanup projects. "So we'll send a letter over to the Board of Selectmen asking if we can have some or all of that Nip tax money as a budget for the Wise Committee, and if we can't get all of it, then to at least put some of it towards a cleanup effort or something along those lines," Teehan said.

Members discussed likely uses given the small total. Teehan and another member noted the fund could cover printed outreach materials for a planned energy symposium at the library or help pay for community cleanup supplies; members also agreed the Board of Selectmen would control the town account that receives the Nip‑tax distribution. The transcript records the committee measured the local sales that generate the fund (about 74,000 Nips sold over the year, roughly 200 a day by the committee's account) while cautioning that $3,987 is a modest amount for hiring staff or large‑scale composting.

A committee member moved the request, the motion was seconded (Bill Lucian is named in the meeting transcript as the second), and the motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Teehan said he would draft and circulate the letter to the Board of Selectmen.

What happens next: The chair will prepare a letter to the Board of Selectmen requesting an earmark; the committee awaits the Board's response.