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Selectmen hear public concerns about access and housing, schedule horse‑tax hearing and probe ambulance funding request
Summary
Public commenters urged clearer meeting access and raised concerns about housing‑committee composition; selectmen set a Jan. 26 public hearing on proposed horse‑tax changes, discussed revising abatement/fee‑waiver guidelines and asked staff to pursue detailed scenarios on a $250,000 ambulance capital request from the local ambulance association.
Simsbury — At their Jan. 12 meeting, the Board of Selectmen heard multiple public commenters concerned about accessibility of meeting materials, the new website and the housing advisory committee’s membership, then moved several procedural items and opened discussion on two policy issues with budget implications.
Public comment and governance concerns
Residents raised repeated concerns about public notice and access. Diane Nash, who said she had trouble finding meeting agendas and captions, urged the board to make agendas and contact information easier to find and to ensure mailed or emailed materials reach residents before votes. Another commenter called for more inclusion of open‑space and conservation expertise on planning bodies when housing and zoning items are considered.
"If we can't keep people informed, which a democracy depends on, we shouldn't do anything else," Diane Nash told the board during public audience.
Housing, abatement guidelines and committee process
The board discussed a CHAPAC recommendation to revisit fee waiver and tax‑abatement guidelines for future residential and mixed‑use development. Selectmen asked Town Manager Mark Nelson to draft revisions and circulate them to the Economic Development Commission and members of the finance subcommittee for written comment before the board considers formal policy changes. Several selectmen emphasized the need to treat any abatement package as a toolbox of incentives that should match the town’s long‑range planning goals.
Motion to set public hearing on horse taxation
Board members voted to schedule a public hearing on proposed amendments to Town Code Chapter 141 (taxation of horses) for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Ambulance association capital request and MOU review
Selectmen also revisited an August request from the town’s ambulance association for capital support to acquire a replacement van (the association’s communications estimated a capital cost on the order of $250,000). Town Manager Mark Nelson reported the association had received a $932,000 donation toward a performing‑arts‑center fundraising goal (reported earlier in the meeting) and said the ambulance board had begun its own capital fundraising.
Nelson summarized staff thinking for the ambulance funding question: capital assistance could be structured so the town’s contribution is treated on the capital side (cash reserves or a bondable purchase) rather than as operating aid, and the town could seek to renegotiate the existing memorandum of understanding that provides operating support so that capital help would offset future operating‑year pressure.
"If we decide to help them with the ambulance, we should deal with it on our capital side so that it doesn't further impact the mill rate directly," Nelson said, noting the town’s operating support for the association is already scheduled to appear in next year’s budget unless renegotiated.
Selectmen asked staff to pull together clearer financial scenarios, to meet with the ambulance board prior to any final vote, and to report back during budget discussions. Several selectmen said they supported emergency medical services but were not prepared to approve additional funding without a firm, multi‑year plan for sustainability and ownership/insurance terms for any town‑supported vehicle.
Appointments, proclamations and executive session
The board approved a set of appointments to planning and zoning alternates and to the Hometown Hero Selection Committee; one selectman announced an abstention and staff were asked to confirm any potential conflicts of interest for nominees. The board also issued a proclamation marking the United States’ 250th anniversary and voted to enter executive session on pending litigation and a personnel matter.
What's next: Staff will circulate a draft abatement/fee‑waiver revision for stakeholder comment, return to the board with cost and ownership options for ambulance capital assistance, and hold the horse‑tax public hearing on Jan. 26.
