The Stonington Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting on this date at 7:00 p.m. at the Stonington Police Station. Present were First Selectman William S. Brown, Selectman Stephen E. Bessette and Selectman Peter L. Balestracci. Also present were students from Stonington High School, members of the public, and a member of the press.
(1) Call to Order
Mr. Brown called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Mr. Brown asked the students to introduce themselves and they did so.
(2) Comments from the Public - None.
(3) Request for tax exemption ordinance: Lighthouse Community Baptist Church
A letter dated December 21, 2005 was received from Rev. Ray Jones, Jr., Pastor of the Lighthouse Community Baptist Church. Rev. Jones is requesting an exemption in accordance with CGS Sec 12-81(b) for property at 22 Pequot Trail, Pawcatuck, acquired by the Church on October 5, 2005. They submitted the required paperwork, including their 501 (C) (3), to the Assessor’s Office in order to be considered tax exempt; however, they were told they would not be considered tax exempt until the 2007 tax year, since the property was not purchased by the October 1st deadline. Sec. 12-81(b) allows the establishment by ordinance of an effective date for exemption of property acquired by certain institutions, and states “any municipality may, by ordinance, provide that
the property tax exemption authorized by any of subdivisions (7) to (16) , inclusive, of Section 12-81 shall be effective as of the date of acquisition of the property to which the exemption applies and shall, in such ordinance, provide procedure for reimbursement of the tax-exempt organization for any tax paid by it for a period subsequent to said date and for any tax paid by the prior owner for a period subsequent to said date for which such organization reimbursed such owner on the transfer of title to such property.”
Brief discussion was held, and consensus of the Board was that the Church should not be penalized for missing the tax-exemption deadline by four days.
A motion was made by Mr. Bessette, seconded by Mr. Balestracci and unanimously voted to have the Town Attorney prepare an ordinance, to be voted upon at Town Meeting, to provide property tax exemption as requested by Lighthouse Community Baptist Church.
(4) Bid Awards / Letters of Agreement - None.
(5) 9-1-1 Street Numbering
Joe Larkin, Zoning Official, forwarded the following recommendation for assigning a street number in accordance with the Street Naming and Numbering (Emergency 9-1-1) Ordinance. The Assessor concurs with this recommendation.
Map |
Block |
Lot |
Address |
6 |
2 |
11A |
22 Mystic Avenue, Pawcatuck, CT 06379 |
A motion was made by Mr. Balestracci, seconded by Mr. Bessette and unanimously voted to assign this street number as recommended by the Zoning Official.
(6) Correspondence
A letter dated December 27, 2005 was received from Ed Hart, Taugwonk Road, Stonington, regarding the Stonington WPCA Facilities Plan and State of Economic “Well-Being”.
(7) Re/Appointments Boards and Commissions
Commission on Aging
Numerous vacancies exist on this Commission and an application for appointment was received from Jennifer Young.
A motion was made by Mr. Bessette, seconded by Mr. Balestracci and unanimously voted to appoint Jennifer Young to the Commission on Aging, to fill a vacant term that will expire on December 31, 2007.
Stormwater Task Force
A memo dated December 19, 2005 was received from Joseph Bragaw, Town Engineer. Mr. Bragaw explains in his memo that the list of proposed appointees he previously provided to the Board did not include the name of one of the residents who has been an active participant in the Task Force. Therefore, he now requests that the Board appoint Bruce MacMahon to the Stormwater Task Force.
A motion was made by Mr. Balestracci, seconded by Mr. Bessette and unanimously voted to accept the recommendation of Joseph Bragaw and appoint Bruce MacMahon to the Stonington Stormwater Task Force.
TVCCA Board
A request has been received for the Board to appoint a Stonington representative. Our current representative, Melissa Lestinsky, is unable to continue serving and an application for appointment has been received from Christina Healy.
A motion was made by Mr. Bessette, seconded by Mr. Balestracci and unanimously voted to appoint Christina Healey as the Stonington representative on the TVCCA Board of Trustees.
WPCA
A letter dated December 14, 2005 was received from Marc E. Ginsberg, resigning from the WPCA due to other commitments. A letter of thanks for his service will be forwarded to him.
(8) Old Business - None.
(9) New Business - None.
(10) Adjourn
There being no further business to come before the Board, the regular meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathy A. Kent
Recording Secretary
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