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Residents press East Haven council for audits and itemized accounting as bond measures advance
Summary
Residents at the Jan. 6 meeting demanded itemized project lists, an accounting of ARPA funds and explanations for canceled board-of-finance meetings as council approved several bond ordinances; officials said they will publish documentation and the ordinances only authorize future bonding.
Residents attending East Haven’s Jan. 6 public hearing repeatedly urged the council to withhold or pause reauthorizations of prior bond authorizations until detailed itemizations and audits are made available.
Multiple public speakers, including a lifelong resident who identified their address as 73 George Street, said they have followed litigation and budgetary issues closely and accused the town of failing to hold board-of-finance meetings, producing timely audits and accounting for ARPA and other funds. “We have failed to have board of finance meetings for several months… I want a true itemization of each of these expenses,” the resident said during public comment.
The town’s finance director, Barbara, and the town attorney responded that capital projects are identified by departments, reviewed by the board of finance and presented to the council for adoption; the ordinances authorize the town to bond later if and when market and advisor recommendations make issuance sensible. Barbara said the $1,520,191 request for the 2022–23 capital budget does not exceed statutory debt limits and does not require a referendum under the charter.
On the settlement-related item, the town attorney described placing approximately $13.5 million in an interest-bearing account as cash collateral to secure an appeal bond; the account accrued roughly $225,000 in interest before funds were applied to the settlement. The attorney said bonding is a common municipal tool to spread judgment costs over time and to avoid depleting operating reserves.
Despite those explanations, residents insisted on more documentation. Commenters asked for the names of banks and account numbers tied to settlement funds, a full accounting of legal fees tied to the quarry litigation since 2015, and the dates and minutes for canceled board-of-finance meetings. Staff agreed to provide additional paperwork and to publish board-of-finance recommendations and project itemizations following the meeting.
What the record shows: The council approved the ordinances at the meeting; staff committed to follow-up documentation and to file memos from bond counsel and legal staff that explain the settlement-related transactions.
(Reported from public comments and staff responses at the Jan. 6, 2026 meeting.)
