Town Council June 5 Meeting in a Minute

On June 5, the North Branford Town Council met–here’s a quick rundown (the quickest possible for a three-hour meeting!) of items discussed including some items from the Water Pollution Control Authority.

Gail Drive Sewers

After hearing correspondence from Walter and Mary Palasiewski of Gail Drive expressing concern about the cost of the , Town Engineer Kurt Weiss offered options for moving forward.

The Town Council unanimously voted for Weiss to send the project out to bid with an option for extending the sewers to all six properties with an alternate plan to limit the extension to just four properties. Later in the meeting, Finance Director stated the interest rate would be 2.75 percent.

Economic Development Commission

At the most recent meeting, the EDC discussed a number of projects, including the business to business breakfast, which will possibly be held in October. The EDC is also considering sharing space with the e at the The EDC would also like to move ahead with sharing photos and information on commercial listings available in town on the town’s website.

Town Manager’s Report

reported that there has been movement in hiring a dispatcher at the to replace , noting the Police Commission “did a great job selecting a highly qualified person.”

Branigan also noted the department heads have been asked to close out all purchase orders as the current fiscal year comes to a close.

Resignations and Appointments

Abigail Rose Walston was appointed to the Hazardous Waste/Recycling Committee with a term to expire Dec. 13, 2013 and Jack Krasko reappointed to the South Central Regional Water Authority with a term to expire Dec. 13, 2013.

Trash Contract

After a very lengthy discussion regarding the town’s trash disposal contract–and the process for getting there–which expires on June 31, the motion to award the contract to with automated collection and disposal was approved pending the Town Manager and Town Attorney John Gesmonde present a draft contract to the Town Council for approval. (Full story to follow.)

Amato’s Building Demolition

After tabling the discussion of demolition of the at the , the out to bid.

Charter Revision Public Hearing

Mayor Anthony Candelora reported that the has finished reviewing all of the items it was charged with, noting the committee “did a great job.” There will be a public hearing on Thursday, June 7 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

Land Swap at 27 Branford Road

After a land dispute was brought to the attention of the Town Engineer, a survey was performed on the Rose family farm. A proposal was referred to Planning and Zoning and two pieces of property are subject to exchange. Two parcels of the Rose property on Valley Road worth approximately $20,000 will be exchanged for a piece of land valued at approximately $188 that is located in middle of an area adjacent to North Farms Park.

Police Hires

The North Branford Police Commission was present at the meeting to discuss a budget cut and filling the positions of two officers. The Town Council moved to lift the hiring freeze in order for the North Branford Police Department to replace the recently resigned Officer Robert Brockett and the expected-to-retire Officer Len Popolizio.

Pension Overview

At Deputy Mayor Al Rose’s request from a previous meeting, Town Finance Director Anthony Esposito described the different pension plans–the defined benefit plan and the defined contribution plan–and which town employees benefit from what plans.

Suspense List

The Town Council decided to approach the Suspense List “aggressively,” as Mayor Anthony Candelora said, “I’m all about accountability.”  Esposito will prepare a full list for review for the next meeting.

Tractor Pull Saturday

During Citizen Statements, Al Rose shared that there will be a on Saturday, June 9 and encouraged everyone to come watch "the Rose boys beat the Van Wilgen's."