Clinton Town Council Regular Meeting - July 1, 2026

The Clinton Town Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 8 a.m. The council approved the June 17, 2026 minutes and a slate of appointments, unanimously approved a $549,285 Board of Education request from the non-lapsing account for Joel Elementary School boiler replacement, heard two Economic Development Commission technology proposals, adopted draft vision and mission statements for public comment, and approved several fund transfers.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Clinton resident Mr. Wolf complained that the fire chief had commented online about his petition and about Christine Zulati’s state representative campaign posts. He alleged a double standard, said the fire chief had a criminal record involving vandalism and robbery, and stated that no town employee should comment about him. He also objected to what he described as eye-rolling and smirking from officials. Council members did not interact with him, per policy for non-agenda comments.
• Andrea Rue of Waterside Lane requested that at least two town council members, one Democrat and one Republican and preferably more, be present at every meeting the town manager has with the Department of Transportation. No immediate vote was taken on the request.
• The Public Works Director spoke in support of Gary Bousquet’s reappointment as tree warden, praising his work with the department and Eversource.

Minutes, Appointments & Reappointments

• The council approved the minutes of the June 17, 2026 meeting by unanimous voice vote.
• The council unanimously approved the following appointments and reappointments:
  • Kristen Waterbury, Conservation Commission, term through June 30, 2028.
  • Sandy Allen and John Allen, Design Review Board, term through June 30, 2029.
  • Mark Palmeri, Economic Development Commission, term through June 30, 2030.
  • Joe Alves, Fair Rent Commission, term through June 30, 2030.
  • Michelle Benavign and Rita Foster, Connecticut River Area Health District, term through July 1, 2029.
  • Todd Pozewski, town treasurer, term through November 2027.
  • Gary Bousquet, tree warden, term through April 2028.

Board of Education Non-Lapsing Account Request: Joel School Boilers

• The superintendent said the Joel Elementary School boilers are 26-year-old cast-iron units with redundancy; one boiler had been non-operational for about a year, and repairs uncovered additional cracking, leading to a recommendation to replace both boilers.
• Through the Capital Region Council of Governments cooperative procurement process, the final replacement proposal totaled $633,285. A $84,000 DRIP grant would be applied, leaving $549,285 to be drawn from the non-lapsing account.
• The superintendent said the account balance was roughly $870,963 to $870,964 and that approval would leave about $321,678. She noted this was the largest request made from the account and the first true emergency facility capital repair since the account was established. The transcript contains some inconsistency about account history, including a later reference to a $150,000 addition in September 2025 that brought the account to about $930,000.
• During discussion, the superintendent said unexpended operating funds, expected around $400,000 or about 1 percent of the operating budget, could be considered for replenishing the account at the board’s July meeting and referred to the council in August.
• The request was approved unanimously.

Economic Development Commission Presentations

• John May, chair of the Economic Development Commission, presented two proposals.
• CPIP, the Community Property Inventory Platform, was created by Clinton resident Patrick Shea. It consolidates public records into plain-English property briefs for commercial prospects. Shea demonstrated a prototype using 1 West Main Street and said he had built six briefs so far for roughly 12 currently listed commercial properties, with each brief taking about an hour to assemble. He said he was not asking the council to fund anything.
• Council members and EDC representatives generally praised CPIP for reducing research time and improving Clinton’s responsiveness to investors. The town manager was cautious about additional workload for the town planner and town clerk, noted that similar tools exist, and said any adoption would likely require a formal request-for-proposals process. The council asked him to review the proposal and report back.
• Clinton Connect was proposed as an optional SMS text notification service for town events, votes, and surveys, at an estimated cost of about $30 per month. The town manager noted the town already has a Notify Me feature and a town app, and said staff would explore whether the existing service can be enhanced instead. The superintendent offered to coordinate school event information through the school district’s new Parent Square system and website redesign.

Vision and Mission Statements

• After a prior workshop, the council unanimously adopted, as a draft for public comment from July 1 through July 31, two separate statements:
  • Vision: 'Clinton will be a thriving shoreline community where people of all ages and income can live, work, and prosper, rooted in a strong local economy, environmental stewardship, and the civic character that makes Clinton home.'
  • Mission: 'The town of Clinton is committed to delivering efficient and effective municipal services that protect public health and safety, preserve our community’s character and history, and provide responsible stewardship of our financial, physical, and environmental assets to its residents, businesses, and visitors.'
• The next step is a follow-up workshop to establish policy initiatives and goals aligned with the statements.

Fund Transfers

• The council approved a transfer of $14,489.39 from the WSAM carpeting account and $3,801.08 from the PR HVAC account to a new Elliott House repair fund, totaling $18,290.47, for carpet, painting, bathroom work, safety repairs such as stair rails, and a roof leak at the Elliott House.
• The council approved police department transfers totaling $7,000: $1,000 to training, $250 to prisoner costs, $5,000 to marine support, and $750 to animal control professional services, funded by savings in service contract line items.

Town Manager and Chairman Reports

• The town manager reported a successful rabies clinic with over 20 animals, the near-completion of paving on Route 81, upcoming summer and America 250 events, a social-media push for trolley ridership, and a town hall dress-down day supporting the fireworks committee.
• The chairman reported that the Department of Transportation has put the Waterside bridge project on hold for design revisions after public feedback, with an update expected around the end of July. He said he remains optimistic about getting a safe, reliable, and aesthetically appropriate bridge.
• The chairman proposed a future workshop on policy initiatives, asked for a Harbor Commission update on the harbor management plan review, and proposed an executive session to continue the town manager performance evaluation. He also shared observations about Old Saybrook’s drone show.

Council Discussion: Eversource Tree Work and Town Green

• Tree Warden Gary Bousquet reported that Eversource is about three months into a four-year tree-trimming program and that he and the Public Works director have used the program to remove hazardous trees at utility expense.
• He described an emerging plan for the town green, including a landscape architect proposal for a gathering area by the statue. A white oak, about 2.5 to 3 inches in caliper and roughly 15 feet tall, will be planted near the triangle on July 4th to mark the 250th anniversary and will not interfere with the broader town green plan. He emphasized community input and balancing grass and trees to avoid past problems.

Key Outcomes

• The June 17, 2026 minutes and all listed appointments and reappointments were approved unanimously.
• The $549,285 Joel Elementary School boiler replacement request was approved unanimously, leaving an estimated non-lapsing balance of about $321,678.
• The draft vision and mission statements were adopted for public comment through July 31.
• Both fund-transfer packages were approved as presented.
• The EDC proposals were referred to the town manager for review, with no funding commitment made.
• The Waterside bridge update is expected by the end of July; the town green plan will proceed with landscape architect input and a July 4 tree planting.