Thursday, June 10, 2010
Summer Projects
While most people are taking summer vacations and some time off, the town is hard at work on some important projects. Now that the budget process is over for this year, more time can be spent on changing our operations to better suit the needs of the town and increase our efficiency.
One of these projects is enacting a new Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) process. In order to effectively plan for the future, the boards must have an understanding of what our capital needs are as a town. The process will help identify and prioritize improvements that need to be funded at some point. I will be working with the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, and the Board of Education to create a process we can all utilize.
Another summer project is a rewrite of our town personnel policies. While it doesn’t sound very exciting, these policies govern how town employees should conduct themselves and what rules they must follow. It’s a very important document which unfortunately has become outdated. Over the summer, we will be revising these policies to bring them up to date with current laws and the needs of the town.
A third project is the creation and implementation of a town measurement system. I’ve mentioned this in the past and a lot of work has been done to date to develop it. The purpose of the measurement system is to track the activity and performance of the various town functions. The analysis of the data gathered will help myself and the boards determine where there may issues that need to be addressed such as staffing levels, capital improvements, or technology upgrades. We’re on track to complete this in the next couple of months.
As you can see, we are very busy in town hall with these and many other projects. It’s all part of our continued effort to improve the services the town provides and make our operations as efficient as possible.
Animal Control Officer
At the last Board of Selectmen meeting, the Board decided to place the Animal Control Officer (ACO) and his operations under the Resident Trooper Supervisor. Animal control is a very important enforcement operation as there are numerous instances of domestic and wild animals causing problems. This change was made to bring together the enforcement powers of the ACO and the police along with increasing the communication between the functions.
If anyone has an animal control issue, they can contact the ACO at (860) 537-7224. Additionally, you can contact the police department during work hours at (860) 537-7270.
- Gregg Schuster
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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