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Selectmen delay ordinance rewrites and table road-resurfacing plan; solar hearing scheduled June 4
Summary
Town staff told the Sterling Board of Selectmen that at least two ordinances need rewriting and that work will be delayed until July because legal fees are over budget; the board also tabled the Roads Resurfacing 5-Year Plan for missing monetary detail and noted a CT Siting Council solar project hearing on June 4.
Sterling town staff told the Board of Selectmen on May 20 that the town attorney must re-draft at least two ordinances and that work should be deferred until July because the current fiscal year’s legal fees are over budget.
Revenue Collector Judith Stumpo said the attorney will need to re-write additional ordinances and that, because the legal line item is over budget, the selectmen should postpone that work until the next fiscal year. Stumpo said those additional ordinances are needed to avoid incompatibility with an already drafted ordinance that would allow paid or salaried municipal employees to serve on certain boards and commissions.
Stumpo told the board four ordinances are ready to go to a Town Meeting: authorization to collect sewer use, connection and assessment charges; a revision to allow the town to withhold building permits when taxes or water/sewer rates are delinquent; an ordinance prohibiting street takeovers and related reckless activities; and an ordinance to allow paid/salaried municipal employees to serve on specified boards and commissions.
On capital planning, Selectman Patricia Massey said the Roads Resurfacing 5-Year Capital Project Plan "should have a title on the Road Resurfacing Plan along with monetary values within the plan," and she asked for those details to be added. Selectman Ronald Whitcomb moved to table the plan until Selectman Jack Joslyn could be present; Massey seconded the table motion. The board carried the motion 2-0.
The meeting also included a scheduling notice for a proposed solar project: Massey said the Connecticut Siting Council will hold an evidentiary session Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 2 p.m. followed by public comment at 6:30 p.m.
Why it matters: Rewriting ordinances can affect who may serve on local boards and how the town administers permits and public-safety rules. Tabling the resurfacing plan delays decisions about road priorities and funding allocations.
Next steps: Ordinance redrafting is to be revisited in July when the town’s legal budget resets; the road resurfacing plan will be reconsidered when Selectman Joslyn is available. The CT Siting Council schedule provides a public forum for comment on the proposed solar project.
