Good evening, everybody.

I am calling the April 7th, 2026 meeting to order at 7 01 p.m.

Apologize for the one minute delay.

I do do my best to try to start sharp at 7 or on uh whatever our start time is.

Uh before we start, if I can have everybody rise to join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, and I'm going to ask Troop 33, uh, if you don't mind leading us in the Pledge of the Allegiance this evening.

Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, which is one nation, another God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

If we can remain standing, Councilman Salvatore, can you lead us in prayer, please?

We gather here today intent on doing good work.

We seek to represent fairly and well those who have given us this task.

May our efforts be blessed with insight, guided by understanding and wisdom.

We seek to serve with respect for all.

May our personal faith give us strength to act honestly and well in all matters before us.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Councilman.

Madam Legislative Assistant, the role, please.

Coello.

Flanagan.

Paulie.

Lepine.

Salvatore.

Busade.

Present.

Gartner.

President.

Faye.

Henry.

Wallace Smith.

Spain Reichel.

Giordano.

Jabor.

Ritello.

Chinese.

Dwayne Perkins.

Britton.

McAllister.

Robinson.

Laughing House.

Dennis Perkins.

21 present.

Thank you.

We have a calendar of events that is posted.

And I just want to call everyone's attention to some life events before we get started.

Happy birthday to our legislative assistant, Elise Chetchup, excuse me.

April 5th.

Happy birthday.

Shortly after her was Councilman Peter Buzade on at on April 7th.

Happy birthday.

Happy anniversary to Councilwoman Mia Spain Ray Kill.

Excuse me, April 3rd.

Peter, you did this to your poor wife.

Happy anniversary on your on the day of your birthday.

Happy anniversary, April 7th.

Councilman Frank Salvatore.

Happy anniversary, April 15th.

You and Cheryl.

Councilwoman Diane Lepine.

Happy anniversary, April 24th.

Yeah, there she is.

Popular month.

And then here we have the calendar of events.

On April 9th, we have the evening benefiting Johnny Ruiz's stroke recovery at Charter Oak Brewery.

This is from 7 p.m.

to 9 p.m.

Uh proceeds will go to help with our recovery.

On April 10th, we have Eggs and Issues Breakfast, hosted by the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce.

To RSVP, visit DanburyChamber.com.

And their keynote speaker is Governor Neville Mont.

April 17th, Together for Change Annual Dinner.

This is hosted by the Center for Empowerment and Education to RSVP, visit the center.org, 6 p.m.

the Amber Room.

April 18th, the Portuguese Cultural Center's 25th anniversary gala, 6 p.m.

the Portuguese Cultural Center.

I do believe that's sold out, but you can reach out to them just to double check if you'd like to attend.

April 22nd, we have the Battle of the Badges, Blood Drive at the Danbury Fair Mall.

This is hosted by our Danbury First Responders collectively with the American Red Cross, always a good event from 10 a.m.

to 6.30 p.m.

Danbury Fair Mall.

April 25th, one of the most popular days here in Danbury.

It is Clean City Danbury Day, hosted by the City of Danbury.

You can sign up to volunteer with Hisham at our office.

That's H.

R-U-S-H, A I D A T at DanburyHyphen C T dotgov.

More information is on our website.

This is from 8 a.m.

to 12 p.m.

a city hall, a public works, Western Connecticut's West Side Campus, Rogers Park, and a new location, St.

Gregory's the Great Church.

Come bring your bulk waste if you're a Danbury resident.

It's a great day to just get some spring cleaning done.

But more importantly, if you want to volunteer, if you want to get a group of folks to clean your road, please reach out.

We have some areas where people will be.

It's a great event where we can all come together and clean the city of Danbury.

April 25th is on the same day, is also Arbor Day uh celebrations at Terrywild.

They go from 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

You can reach you can RSVP uh Terry Wilde's website.

Uh Dwayne, is there any more information on that?

I have a like a bitly code here.

So just go to Terry Wild's website for that.

All right, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Chair of the Terrible Authority.

Uh that's uh Terry Wall Park.

Um, and probably best to go to the back side, I would say.

Some have your machinery usually out front.

They do a lot of cleanup there.

Uh and it's another great event, the city of Danbury.

April 25th, Richter Park Hiking Trails Cleanup Day.

Richter Park Authority, you can email allude Giordano at Danbury Hypenstee.gov.

Councilman Giordano, raise your hand, and he is leading the cleanup there for the Richter Park hiking trails.

Uh, please reach out to him.

This is also 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

over at Richter Park.

And then on in the evening, after you're done volunteering all day, we can get together for a good cause at the Amber Room.

This is the Billy Beyond Gala to support another great organization to RSVP.

Visit AbilityBeyond.org.

Um cocktail hours starts at 6 p.m.

And after that long day of volunteering, I think everybody can use a cocktail.

Um if you have any questions, please reach out to our office, and we'd be more than happy to help you out with these.

Now, the first 30 minutes of these meetings are reserved for the expression and views of the public on matters before the council today.

Uh we ask that you speak clearly into the microphones on either aisle here.

You state your name and your address.

Uh, this is for Danbury residents or Danbury taxpayers.

Uh, I will usually just do 30 minutes, but I will obviously go longer than 30 minutes for the public here.

But what I am going to ask is that you do try your best to keep your remarks under three minutes so we can hear from everybody.

Uh with that being said, any members of the public looking to speak, Chief Harold.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Jeff Harold.

I live at 18 Foster Street around the corner.

I'd like to speak first to the uh promotional letter that you've got in for Ted Morges for the fire department.

As you know, I uh came from the fire service and working with Ted since 2006, I believe.

Um I know him to be a fine, fine man and a fine officer.

And he's this is a great promotion for him and for the city of Danbury.

And I uh urge everybody to uh you know move that forward as quickly as possible.

Next thing I'd like to speak to is the uh information uh the uh charter revision.

Um the city of Danbury's charter is for all intents and purposes our constitution, how we run our city.

It's a very solemn document, and I would ask that each and every member of the city council consider that depth of consideration for that document and the effort that you are about to put into changing and modifying that to carry us forward into the future.

This is a very serious undertaking, and I urge each and every one of you to consider it carefully.

I also reach out to the members of the public who are watching this process from out here in the audience and in the city to carefully follow that, understand its complications, its issues, and how it will affect the city of Danbury going forward.

This is not something that's undertaken lightly and is not an easy task.

The city council will have a difficult time.

There will be contentious meetings.

And I look forward to those meetings because that is where the sentiments and the feelings and the people get to put their voice into the future in a document that will carry us forward.

Thank you very much for this chance to speak.

I appreciate this.

Thank you, Chief Harold.

Those who know I call Chief Harrell, he's a retired Danbury firefighter and chief of the department.

So thank you, Mr.

Harold, for always participating.

Any other members of the public wishing to speak?

Any other?

If you do know you want to speak, it will be helpful if you do start lining up and then I'll alternate sides and I'll give us a good idea on what we have coming.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

My name is Paul Bamba.

I live on Three Crestdale Drive.

Um, I would like to say that it is a well-known fact uh that the ostrich, upon seeing an approaching predator, simply buries its head in the sand and is subsequently eaten by the hungry lions.

It is uh this behavior that has contributed to the extinction of the ostrich worldwide.

I admit my anecdote is hyperbole, but it illustrates an immutable truth.

Ignoring a problem does not solve a problem.

And for nearly 20 years, the city council has in its own way ignored a problem.

The city of Danbury is changing uh, and its charter has remained inflexibly unchanged.

Population growth, changing demographics, and new technology are just a few examples.

And our charter must respond to those and the many other changes that have presented themselves to our city in the last two decades.

So I stand here to urge the establishment of the Charter Revision Commission.

Allow the members of the Commission to investigate, identify, and propose changes to this charter.

This is an opportunity for positive change that Danbury desperately needs.

Please open the commission, explore the possibilities, and do not ignore this issue any longer.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

Thank you, sir.

Please.

Hi.

Lauren Mumford, 62 Oldbridge Barry Road.

I'm a lifelong Danbury resident and a new member of the Danbury DTC representing the sixth ward.

I'm here with my fellow sixth ward members, uh Anna Maloney and Kathleen Troy.

Um we are also here to speak in favor of establishing the establishing the Danbury Charter Revision Commission.

Um my fellow DTC members all agree, and I'd like to read aloud a short letter that we wrote to our councilman in support of establishing the commission.

We write to respectfully urge you to vote in favor of establishing the Danbury Charter Revision Commission as proposed by Mayor Alves.

The City of Danbury has not undertaken a charter review in over 17 years, well beyond the recommended tenure interval.

During that time, our community has experienced meaningful changes in population, demographics, and civic needs.

Regardless of whether the outcome results in significant revisions, minor updates, or no changes at all.

The act of convening a commission to review the charter is a necessary and responsible step.

Failing to do so risks leaving our government framework framework out of step with the realities of our city today.

We also believe Mayor Alves has re has approached this process with transparency and care and assembly in assembling a proposed slate of commission members.

His leadership has earned the trust of Danbury voters as reflected in his reelection in 2025 with nearly two-thirds of the vote.

And we encourage the city council to build on that trust by supporting this effort to ensure the charter is thoughtfully reviewed and if needed modernized.

As representatives of the sixth ward on the Danbury Democratic Town Committee, we sincerely hope you take our perspective into consideration and join in supporting this important initiative.

And again, that was signed by myself, Anna Maloney, Kathleen Troy, and Julie Kushner.

And on a personal note, uh as I said, I'm a lifelong member or lifelong Danbury resident.

17 years ago I was a junior in college, and now I'm approaching 40, raising my daughter here in Danbury.

Um, and this charter vision is long overdue.

And I hope we take the steps to modernize it for our city and for my daughter and everybody else.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Sir I'm Gregory Wentzek, WENCEK of Silcam Drive.

I'm here today for 90 seconds about the Cultural Commission, specifically item 26, the grant support for the International Music Festival, Make Music Day.

Its purpose is for everyone on the planet to make music, celebrating the first day of summer.

Danbury has been a sponsor of Make Music Day since 2018 in cooperation with the State Office of the Arts.

The festival has been celebrated in more than 2,000 cities across the globe in 17 towns in Connecticut.

Traditionally, we bring many artists to multiple locations up and down our main street, providing free music across all genres almost all day long.

With state grant funding, the Cultural Commission will be able to increase the quantity and the quality of the marketing to get the word out about this event.

I'd like to thank the finance department, the mayor's office, and the council for supporting the commission's work.

In addition to Make Music Day, we bring events to Danbury, such as the 54th Student Poetry Competition, the Hat City to Hollywood Music, sorry, the Hat City to Hollywood Film Series, the Neighborhood Walking Tour, the Connecticut Open House Day, which showcasing the last of the Charles Federer murals, the Danbury um Day of Danbury, which features the world premiere of a new Danbury feature film, Chalk the Walk Day, and Parking Day.

These events and more are found at DanburyArts.com.

Thank you for all of your time and all of your energies.

And I'm available for any questions.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you for the hard work of the Cultural Commission.

Hi, good evening.

My name is Denise Minson, and I live at 93 Park Avenue.

And I was discussing with my friends about the um charter revision, so I read it today.

And um I just want to read one thing that you know needs updating.

Uh section 38, public notice and hearing, at least one public hearing notice of which shall be given at least five days, but not more than 15 days in advance by publication in a newspaper, having a general circulation in the city, and by posting notice of such hearing in a public place.

Um we don't just have newspapers anymore, so I thought maybe that part would want to be updated.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much.

I won't make everybody raise their hands who has a newspaper subscription, because I think but we would make that point.

Um any other members of the public wishing to speak?

Mr.

Rickert?

And then we'll go we'll go again.

And if uh there's others who would like to line up to make the process easier, uh please just line up behind the speakers, please.

Good evening.

My name is Barry Rickert.

I reside at 26th Schoolhouse Drive in Danbury.

And I'd like to uh speak regarding two items on your agenda.

The first one is uh item number five, the communication for the appointment of a deputy fire chief.

Now this reflects the continued uh support and the progress that the fire department sees, whether they uh a member of the department for many years, as myself and the uh deputy chief being appointed and confirmed tonight.

I can assure you that this means uh quite a bit to me.

I understand the fire service.

I was there.

So I understand what a career ladder and what it means to have people in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

And I can assure you that when you call upon Danbury's bravest, the fire department, or a Danbury's finest, the police department, you'll always get the best.

So I ask that you confirm this appointment forthwith tonight.

The other item that I want to speak to is the um item number 27, charter revision.

Now, I am also a lifelong resident, and I remember charters being looked at for many years back and how things went and the discourse and the agreements.

What we should all be in agreement with is that this document, our charter, is a living document that needs to be looked at and to be reviewed on a regular basis.

Establishing this commission is really important.

So I ask all of you to vote to put this forward.

Actually, I don't ask for it, I demand it as a citizen that we need to do this tonight.

There is no more time.

We cannot delay this a moment longer.

So I would ask and demand that you move this forward tonight.

And if you have any questions about how a charter should be revised, you'll have that opportunity when the commission is is established, and the voters would have the opportunity and their responsibility to vote on it, and the next time we have a referendum.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Mr.

Katzing?

Billy Katzing, 13th Johnson Drive, Danbury.

Um, Mayor, just um what prompted you to make that decision?

I'm speaking on behalf of law enforcement.

What prompted you to go after uh non-citizens to bring them into the fold as law enforcement officers in the city of Danbury?

Why?

Why now?

Thank you, Mr.

Katzing.

Uh, just for anybody who's not aware of the process, uh it might be your first time speaking here.

We uh this isn't an exchange that's for views and expressions of the public.

Okay.

Um one question I have is bringing non-citizens into the law enforcement family, they have to be vetted.

Now I worked in federal law enforcement for 30 years.

When we vetted somebody that was already incarcerated, it took years sometimes to get information on people.

Is that what's going to happen here?

That this is going to be referred to a public hearing for the views and expressions of the public.

Um, but I will uh after you're done, I can entertain uh maybe a line or two.

But this is tonight's agenda is to bring this to a public hearing so the public can opine um if it's a good idea or not based on what what they feel.

Thank you.

You're welcome, sir.

Um the agenda uh item that Mr.

Katzing is referring to is an ordinance change has been presented to the council to update our ordinances to match post, which is the governing body of what police departments are allowed or not allowed to do in Danbury, and we want to match what they allowed uh Connecticut to do in 2020, which is hire permanent residents or dreamers, of folks who have a legal status to work in this country.

Um, these are folks who serve in our military who raise their right hand and so we have an oath to our country when they join that military as permanent residents and are willing to sacrifice their lives for our country.

And I feel they are merited to apply to be police officers in our country because of it.

Uh Dreamers, uh, it's also a legal status that allows them to work in this country.

Um if you get into a car accident and a paramedic comes to save your life, I don't think any of us are gonna ask them, are you a citizen or not?

They're allowed to be paramedics.

They are doctors, they are attorneys.

They are kids who would grew up here and know no other country but ours.

Um so yes, I am presenting to the council uh my opinion that we should be able to hire that.

And that came to me from our chief of police.

So thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Um as a designing officer of this meeting.

You are not supposed to be expressing your opinion on any of the items.

You are supposed to be presiding over the legislative body.

And that's personal to our charter.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

I'm sorry, any other members of the public?

Mr.

Levy.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Good evening.

My name is Warren Levy.

I live at Five Poem Drive.

Um, I'd like to address the same issue.

I think it was item nine.

And uh the Connecticut Mirror in 2024 did extensive research on that.

Um, on that issue as far as letting uh DAPA type of individuals in the uh police department.

Um Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Stanford, Danbury, Noah, New London, Middletown, and Waterbury do not have that in their um requirements for uh police officer.

It's a voluntary type of thing.

You uh don't have to adopt it.

There's no mandate from the state to adopt it.

Uh that was one of the issues that I I did want to address.

The other one is uh that has to do with with the police amendment ordinance, by the way.

The other one is uh the um collaboration item 10, collaboration of data and an agreement with the behavior health for wellness services.

I hope that goes to an ad hoc committee to find out exactly how they're going to interface with law enforcement.

Um I wish uh this evening you will also be discussing, I imagine the budget.

Is that correct?

Um I just hope everybody keeps in mind it's the biggest responsibility of the city council that they have to do every year.

And with um money being very tight with many, many people, even small increases uh hurts a lot of people.

And that I hope you can find efficiencies rather than increasing taxes.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr.

Levy.

Any other members of the public wishing to speak?

Any other members of the publish wish to speak?

Mr.

Cocker.

Good evening.

Ken Guerker, 89 Payden Aram Road, and I'm so happy to see the scouts here.

I think it's great that when they show up, they're probably here for citizenship in the community.

I'm guessing, uh, as a as a former scout and Eagle Scout myself, I understand the journey that they're gonna have, and it's so great to have them come here and actually see democracy working in action.

Uh, first item, item number seven, a little bit unusual.

Uh, I would ask you to support this uh nomination of putting Hallel Goldman back on the Board of Ethics.

I think Hillel has been a lifelong resident of Danbury, has done so much good for the community, and that I understand that even though it's not a glorious job, it's a job that really has to have somebody who is qualified doing it to ensure that you know any kind of ethics violations or complaints are looked at in a fair balanced area.

And I believe Hillel uh embraces all of those, all of those abilities.

So I would I would I would push and support that nomination.

Item number 15.

Who really wants to talk about sewer extensions?

I believe you should actually grant this sewer instant.

If I'm reading the plans right, it looks like it's to help one of the projects that I've been very passionate about since 2019, which is Danbury Proton.

And I believe this is to be able to get their project off the ground.

You know, as the son of two cancer survivors, I understand how important it is to be able to have that technology available to people and to be able to start building over there.

The sooner they can get open, the sooner they can help people.

But it's not just even that.

It's also about economic development, jobs, and other things that we've discussed at nauseum uh at other times at other parts of the uh the proton uh journey, so to speak, here.

So I would I would ask that you support item number 15.

And then I lastly, the elephant in the room item number 27, charter revision.

Another another thing that we have looked at ad nauseum.

All we are looking at today is opening up a committee to start reviewing the charter.

You know, as somebody we already heard uh an antidote earlier about the ostrich and the ostrich eggs, etc.

I'll do something different as a car mechanic.

As somebody who's driving a vehicle with 244,000 miles this week and kind of band-aiding it together, when something has been out there for so long, and I'll equivocate this to the charter.

Every now and then you gotta open the hood, you gotta check the oil, you got to check the antifreeze, you gotta do a little tweaking and maintenance to keep it going, because otherwise it fails.

It leaves you stranded.

And when we talk about things like what was brought up with one aspect of the charter about the notifications being in the newspaper, believe it or not, that is a subject that we're handling in Hartford right now as well, as far as making a change there, uh, to be able to make it easier for you to be able to maybe not have to advertise in a newspaper that may not have the viewership that it should have, but using other alternative motives.

But to be able to open up the charter and see what 17 years of difference looks like.

Things are vastly different today.

Technologies have evolved, things have changed.

You may find when you open up this charter revision that there's really nothing to change, or you may find that you need to do more.

So, what I'm asking is please open up charter revision, please have a look.

Open up the hood of that old vehicle, check the oil, check the air and the tires, make sure things are gonna be sound and they're gonna keep us going for the next 10 years because I believe if we don't open now, it may be 10 years from now that we actually take a hard look at it.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Gucker.

Mr.

Malulla.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I apologize for not lining up.

I wasn't intending to speak, but I decided to at the Mr.

Gucker moved me to speak.

Robin Lillo, one Lois Street Danbury, Connecticut.

It's okay, Ken.

We're the tag team, right?

Um, I just I wanted quickly uh make a couple comments regarding charter revision.

I have no opposition to the charter being reopened, it needs to be reopened, it should be reopened.

It's been tried to be reopened over the last couple councils unsuccessfully.

Um yes, as Mr.

Gucker was talking about a car, when you have a car issue, you uh need to address it.

But you don't just randomly go into the first mechanic you see to fix it.

You do some research as to who you want that mechanic to be.

You reach around and you get some information on it.

I watched the ad hoc committee meeting the other night.

I was not here, but I did watch it online, and there were a lot of good points made that night about who the commission members should be.

There was a lot of discussion on whether the vote should be split, but not so much on who those members are or what the makeup of the commission should be.

If it should be three independents, three Republicans, three Democrats, or a mix or or or nine individuals, 15 individuals, 11 individuals.

And I think that discussion um is warranted.

So I would encourage you to yes, vote to open up the charter this evening, but then take your time as to who the individuals are who are going to actually work on that charter, just like you would take your time to see who the best individual would be to work on your car.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Malolo.

Any other members of the public wishing to speak?

Any other members of the public wishing to speak?

Any other members of the public wish to speak?

Seeing none, public speaking is closed.

Thank you for all of those who participated.

So before we start the meeting, um, I'm just gonna give time for uh Jason to get the slides up.

Tonight is the day where we present our budget for you.

So we'll take the next 15 minutes or so to present that, and after it's done, we'll send the council their budgets uh and the public will be able to access them online.

I think as soon as the meeting is over, correct, Dan?

Perfect.

As soon as the meeting is over, you all have access to this online.

So City Council President Buzade, members of the city council, board of education members, other officials, residents of the great city of Danbury.

Tonight I present to you my proposed budget and capital improvement plan for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Our work and the progress we've made in a short time together is still only beginning.

For the rest of the month, members of this council and our department heads will meet to consider the needs of the city and deliberate carefully over how we might meet them.

That being said, a tremendous effort has already been made on part of a few key people.

And like I'd like to publicly thank our finance director, Dan Garrick, our assistant directors, Joanne Sterk and Kara Prunty, and my chief of staff, Taylor O'Brien, for the work that they've done and your tireless efforts so far.

This year, I'm excited to share that our economic growth strategy and our coordinated effort to attract, retain, and expand the Danbury business community has led to our grand list growing by over tw uh over 120 million dollars.

Thanks to new and expanding businesses and development in Danbury, we anticipate new revenues of approximately $3 million, a significant uptick in property tax growth.

Thank you to Donna Murphy, our tax assessor for your diligence in managing our growing tax base, and to Farley Santos in my office for your work in expanding advocacy to current and future Danbury businesses.

With more projects under construction, we look forward to our grand list continued growth.

That being said, there are still key pressures we're navigating this budget.

The first of which is ongoing litigation filed in 2010 with the local business party depot.

The appellate court has ordered the city to pay approximately 20 million dollars.

And while we have taken the next step by appealing to the Supreme Court, we need to be prepared for any eventuality.

This is a serious issue.

And my administration will continue to carefully manage our finances to minimize the potential impact and keep our city sound financial footing in order, and that's going to be no matter what the result is.

We're also facing a large 7% increase in our health care and benefit costs, rising electricity costs, and continued cuts in grants from Washington, D.C., with more instability coming from there.

And possibly even more cuts on the way.

With inflation, we continue to see increase in costs across many of our purchase services and needed software.

And despite these major cost drivers, I'm proud to propose a budget that continues to invest in Danbury.

For the third year in a row, I propose adding five more sworn police officer positions to tackle quality of life issues and keep our streets safe for everybody.

That's 15 new positions since taken office.

We're also adding resources to our fire department's budget as we move closer to closing our property for the West Side Fire Station.

Last year, we launched an ambitious infrastructure plan that paves 15 miles of road a year, more than double what Danbury had previously averaged over the past several years.

And in that first year, we paved 17 miles of road and improved over 20 miles.

This year, we're going to do it again.

Our plan addresses our roads, our bridges, long-standing drainage concerns that we're working on in several neighborhoods, and making improvements to our water and sewer infrastructure.

In addition, our work on the downtown streetscape project continues, replacing crumbling sidewalks and showing our true commitment to helping create a safe and vibrant downtown.

So, how do we plan to cover these investments and cost increases?

We've built solid, dependable partnerships with both legislators in Harford and our Board of Education here at home.

The state of Connecticut, thanks to tireless advocacy by my office and our legislative delegation, has again committed to investing in Danbury because it sees the progress we're making here at home.

This year, our budget includes another $13 million in state aid.

Additionally, we are continuing discussions in Hartford about education funding that can have a massive impact on our ability to provide services locally.

The Board of Education has come a long way in handling financial concerns.

I want to thank Superintendent Dr.

Kara Casemiro and Board of Education Chair Louisa Zagotas Britain and the whole staff for their willingness to sit down with me and discuss solutions to those challenges.

The Board of Education, the City of Danbury, will jointly advance a fully funded education budget that meets the needs of our school community.

And with that overview in mind, let's start taking a look at the numbers.

What are our budget drivers?

In this upcoming year, infrastructure, public safety, and the Board of Education remain the core drivers of our expenses.

As I noted earlier, health care costs are up 7%.

And frankly, we consider that lucky as other cities in Connecticut are looking at up to 15% increases in those costs.

While this isn't a Danbury only problem, it is our obligation and my responsibility to ensure we adequately provide healthcare coverage to our first responders and dedicated public city workers.

Public safety is a major priority of my administration, and the budget I am presenting can tonight continues the trend of public safety investments.

I want to thank Police Chief Rittenhauer and Acting Fire Chief Bill Loungebury, Emergency Management Director Matt Casavecia, and every member of our public safety team for their unwavering dedication to protecting our community each and every day.

I'm proposing again to expand the size of our police department for a total of 180 sworn officers.

And we've made further increases in resources to the Danbury Fire Department in preparation for the construction and opening of the West Side Firehouse.

I will continue to stand firm in my commitment to public safety safety in the city of Danbury.

And I'm asking this council to continue to invest in our police, emergency management, and fire departments to protect the residents of Danbury.

I also intend to continue increasing traffic enforcement and quality of life safety measures by building on actions we've already taken, such as recently adopting stronger ordinances that increase penalties for the legal use of ATVs on our streets.

Reckless driving is a serious concern in our community, and I won't play downplay the danger it poses to our residents.

In the upcoming year, I hope this council approves the use of automated traffic safety enforcement devices to curb reckless driving on our streets.

As your mayor, and as the father of two young children, no expense will be spared to keep our families safe.

And that's why my proposed budget for public safety reflects a 5% increase, totally totaling 48.4 million dollars and an additional 1.3 million dollars in capital improvement.

We've also begun work with Chief Ridenhauer and his leadership team to establish a police academy right here in Danbury to train and prepare the next generation of officers.

Our historic infrastructure program remains underway, and its results are already visible in every corner of Danbury.

This year, we will maintain our momentum and pave another 15 miles of roadway.

Our continuing commitment to improve the quality of roads will finally catch our infrastructure up to where it should be after decades of underinvestment.

But infrastructure improvements are about more than just road paving.

We've created a capital program for our engineering department that is proactive instead of reactive.

We're funding drainage projects across the city and supporting our critical water and sewer systems.

In downtown Danbury, our streetscape improvement project continues to move north, replacing old damaged and unsafe sidewalks with new walkways, ADA compliant pedestrian safety features, and trees that won't damage the sidewalks as they grow.

My commitment to strengthening our infrastructure has been rooted in action, not in words.

Tonight, I am proud to introduce a public work budget of 14.3 million City Council, reflecting an increase of 6.7%.

Across the board, Danbury City Departments are operating more efficiently with their staff and allocating resources where needed to provide better services to our community.

This budget proposes adding a full-time position to the Department of Elderly Services to help expand our senior meal program to up to five days a week.

This critical service supports our senior community with meals many of them depend on.

I want to thank our elderly services director, Susan Temeno and our Department of Veteran Affairs Director Danny Hayes for all that they do far beyond the duties of their role to assist our veterans and our elderly community.

Thank you.

And within this budget, we've included funding for state of the art software proposed by our building official Jim Shulery to help streamline the building permitting process, clearing the backlog, and making it simpler to get things done in Danbury.

As we head into another summer, our budget will also support the second of our city-run summer camp, an initiative of second year of our city-run summer camp.

An initiative that provides families with reliable, affordable programming.

While creating meaningful experiences for our young students, thank you to our director of recreation, Sean Ratchford.

You're working hard to keep this program running while continuing to expand Danbury's recreational opportunities throughout the year.

Our city staff work tirelessly to ensure they are available to assist our residents with all their needs.

We stay busy at City Hall, and I thank them for continuing to operate effectively and efficiently.

This year, the city received a responsible request from the Danbury Public Schools.

The request was an increase of $3 million, a $1.75% over the current $172 million budget.

I want to again acknowledge the strong collaboration between my administration, the superintendent, and the entire Board of Education, as we continue to bring greater stability and accountability to the district's finances.

After years of challenges and audit findings that revealed significant surpluses, the school district has taken meaningful steps to strengthen its financial practices.

This reflects real and necessary investments in our schools.

As Danbury High School West enters its second year and prepares to welcome a full student body across grades 10 through 12.

The budget request includes funding to support new positions that will ensure students have the resources they need to succeed.

It also addresses contractual salary obligations for our educators and the staff, increased transportation costs tied to expanded services and other critical investments.

These are not abstract numbers.

They represent the day-to-day needs of our students and the continued progress of our district.

This is what a responsible partnership looks like, aligning our resources with our collective priorities, all while maintaining the fiscal discipline our taxpayers demand.

Education is not just another line in this budget.

It is a reflection of what we value as a city and what we believe about our future.

This is why I'm proud to truly fully fund the Danbury Board of Education's proposed budget of 175 million dollars.

Our district serves a dynamic student population.

And with that comes real responsibility.

Because flat funding is not an up option for community like ours.

But here at home, we are stepping up.

For the third year in a row, my administration is making a meaningful investment in education, moving Danbury forward and ensuring we are no longer at the bottom when it comes to supporting our students.

And to fully implement this budget, I am proposing a mill rate of 25.37.

That's an approximate 1.5% increase, well below the current rate of inflation, and would reflect in the tax bill of the average Danbury homeowner of 25 cents a day.

As always, my job as your mayor is to balance the needs of the city and the impact of our spending priorities against the ability of the taxpayer to pay.

I am proud to present a budget that keeps taxes low.

Danbury's mill rate will remain below the statewide average and significantly lower than comparable cities by population, while still delivering full municipal services to our taxpayers that they expect and deserve.

This budget prioritizes public safety in a major way, funds many of our long-standing infrastructure needs, and delivers the high quality public education Danbury students deserve.

I am pleased to present a budget that meets our current needs while preparing for our future.

Our team, all of our department heads have held a line on spending and taxes.

As a city, we continue to seek out new grant programs and find ways to pay responsible rates on projects.

Right sizing and right tracking Danbury City government is an ongoing long-term effort.

Nevertheless, as we work through this process each year, I'm grateful of the hard work of so many dedicated city employees and the ideas they bring to their departments.

It is responsible to our residents, it is forward-looking, and continue the pro and continues the progress we have worked so hard to achieve together.

We are making tremendous progress.

Danbury is on the right path.

I look forward to working with each of you in the coming weeks to ensure that together we keep moving Danbury forward.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

With that, we can continue.

25 cents a day.

Mr.

Council President, and uh I remiss, I apologize.

As I was um going forward, today is April 7th.

So today is your birthday.

So it wasn't pass.

So happy birthday today.

What a way to spend it.

I love it.

Happy birthday, Feter.

And anniversary.

Please apologize.

Please apologize to your wife.

Uh, Mr.

Council President, can you um the minutes, please?

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, I move to receive the council minutes from the meeting on March the 3rd.

We have a reading of those minutes as all members of copies and copies are on file at the legislative assistance office and approve those minutes as they are presented.

Motion has been made in seconded.

Council, are there any remarks on the reading of the minutes?

Any remarks, any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

Uh, there are no items on consent tonight.

Madam Legislative AIDS, excuse me, item number one, please.

Communication appropriations for the fiscal year beginning July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2027.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Salvatore.

I move to refer this to a public hearing.

Is there a second?

Motion has been made and seconded by Councilwoman LePine.

Are there any remarks?

Any remarks and any remarks?

Uh, all those in favor signify saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number two, please.

Communication appropriating three million for public improvement in the 2026-2027 capital budget.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Gardner.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um, I move to um accept it as presented and move it to I'm sorry, to refer to a public hearing followed by uh committee of the whole.

Motion is made, second by councilman Salvatore.

Council, just to um remind you, when something is moved into a public hearing, uh, the the remarks are only on uh sending to a public hearing or not.

Uh are there any remarks?

Any remarks, any remarks?

Seeing none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number three.

Communication sewer rates as of July 1st, 2026.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Flanagan.

Welcome back to Mr.

Mayor.

I move that we refer this to a public hearing followed by committee of the whole.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Salvatore.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks, any remarks?

Seeing none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

Vote is so ordered.

Item number four, please.

Communication water rates as of July 1st, 2026.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Hawley.

Thank you, Honor.

I move to refer this to a public hearing followed by a committee of the whole.

Second.

Motion is made, second by Councilman Dan Lepine.

Council, any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number five, please.

Communication appointment of deputy fire chief.

Dear members of the city council, I am submitting for your confirmation the promotional appointment of fire captain Theodore Morgus to the position of Deputy Fire Chief.

He began his career with the Danbury Fire Department on March 2nd, 2006.

He was promoted to fire lieutenant in October 2015 and subsequently promoted to fire captain in November 2022.

As a captain, he has served as both apparatus captain and company captain.

He holds a bachelor's of science degree in business management from Pace University and possesses several certifications, including fire officer three, fire instructor one, incident safety officer, rescue safety technician, and hazardous materials technician.

He has demonstrated demonstrated effective leadership, skill, and dedication to the department and the community through his career, as evidenced by his numerous promotions and his significant influence and involvement.

Some of his notable accomplishments include designing and implementing the driver training program, creating the first due apparatus model, and establishing a third-party hose testing program to minimize workplace injuries.

Additionally, he has achieved the rank of number one on the deputy fire chief eligibility list.

His successful career and numerous achievements reflect his talent and commitment to the department.

His leadership skills and dedication will greatly benefit both the city and the department.

I am proud and honored to submit his confirmation for this well-deserved promotion to deputy fire chief.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, Roberto Alves, Mayor.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman McAllister.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and confirm the promotional appointment of Captain Theodore Morges as Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Danbury Fire Department.

Seconded by the entire council somehow, but I think the first one I heard was Councilman uh Dwayne Perkins.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have any Nancy.

Congratulations, sir.

We are so proud.

Don't sit down yet.

Don't sit down yet.

Would you like to say a few words?

Acknowledge anybody in the audience with you.

I just want to say thank you, my to my wife Melissa for putting them up with me the last year or so.

Um thank you to the chief.

Thank you to the mayor.

Thank you to all of you.

I look forward to serving in this new role, and I appreciate it.

Thanks.

Because you've been here so long, I can't even trick you and say that you have to sit through the whole meeting.

Uh but thank you.

Congratulations, well deserved.

Uh, and thank you for all your uh brothers and sisters of the fire department, everybody who's here to support you.

It's an incredible journey, and this is well deserved.

Item number six, please.

Communication appointments to the board of ethics.

Dear City Council members, I hereby submit for your confirmation the appointment of the following individuals to serve on the City of Danbury Board of Ethics.

Mr.

Abraham Kayal is a lifelong resident of Danbury and a graduate of Immaculate High School and Western Connecticut State University.

He currently serves as an ADIS lead business consultant one at Bo Boeringer Ingleheim and is actively involved in the community as president of the Danbury War Memorial Board of Directors and a member of St.

George Orthodox Church.

His professional experience and longstanding civic involvement provide a thoughtful and principled perspective that will serve the Board of Ethics well.

Mr.

Pedro Maderos is a lifelong Danbury resident and a graduate of Immaculate High School and Western Connecticut State University.

He leads a local masonry business and is currently pursuing a master's degree in counseling education at WestCon.

Mr.

Madeiros is active in the community as a member of the Knights of Columbus McGivney Council 29, president of the St.

Peter's School Home and School Association, and a former board member of the Danbury Police Athletic Activities League.

His leadership and community engagement will bring a practical and grounded perspective to the Board of Ethics.

Mr.

Michael Valinotti is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oneona, where he earned a degree in communication arts.

He previously worked at Sunny Oneota in the finance aid office, where he oversaw the student ethics committee and spent a decade with the World Wrestling Entertainment focusing on corporate social responsibility initiatives in partnership with organizations such as Make a Wish and Special Olympics.

Mr.

Valinotti currently manages communication at Pitney Bowes.

His experience in ethics, oversight, communications, and community focused work will contribute a strong sense of accountability to the Board of Ethics.

Respectfully submitted Roberto Alves, Mayor.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman LePine.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and confirm the appointments of Abraham Cale, Pedro Maderos, and Michael Vallanotti to the City of Danbury Board of Ethics with the term expiration of 4-1 2028.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Salvatore.

Council, any remarks?

Mr.

Henry.

I'd like to remove this.

And refer it to ad hoc committee.

Okay.

Thank you.

A motion.

Wait, is um point of order of the process we can send to ad hoc after the motion has been made, correct?

Yeah.

So uh motions been made to send it to ad hoc.

So it shall be the ad hoc will consist of councilman uh Frank Salvatore, Councilwoman Diane Lepine, and Councilman Mike Henry.

Item number seven, please.

Communication reappointment to the Board of Ethics.

And I apologize, Council Councilman Frank Salvatore in the chair.

I didn't say in the chair, but the first one.

Dear City Council members, I hereby submit for your confirmation the reappointment of the following individual to serve on the City of Danbury Board of Ethics.

Mr.

Hillel Goldman is an experienced attorney concentrating his practice in business and corporate law, commercial real estate, and business financing.

He earned his jurisdoctorate from Toro College, Jacob D.

Fuchsberg Law Center, completed studies at the Cornell Graduate School of Management, and holds an undergraduate degree from Vassar College.

He has served as counsel to businesses on a wide range of matters from routine transactions to complex mergers and acquisitions.

Mr.

Goldman is a former chair of the business law section of the Connecticut Bar Association and played a key role in drafting the Connecticut Uniform Limited Liability Company Act.

He has been actively involved in the community and has received recognition for his service, including the Greater Danbury Bar Association's Pro Bono Award and the Danbury JC's Distinguished Service Award.

Mr.

Goldman has served with distinction on the City of Danbury Board of Ethics for many years, where his legal expertise and sound judgment continue to be a valuable asset.

Respectfully submitted Roberto Alves Mayor.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Sherwell Smith.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and confirm the reappointment reappointment of Hillel Goldman to the City of Danbury Board of Ethics with a term expiring exploration of 4-1 2028.

Motion of May, seconded by Councilman Paul Rotello.

Council, are there any remarks?

Yes, Your Honor.

Yes, sir.

Ad hoc committee.

Thank you.

Uh the ad hoc I'll consist of Frank Salvatore and the Chair, Diane Lepine, and Mike Henry.

Item number eight, please.

Communication amendments to ordinances section 14-21 through 14-80.

Honorable members of the City Council attached for your review and acceptance are revisions to the Danbury Code of Ordinances, Section 14-21 through 14-80 concerning the Danbury Fire Department.

The revisions are to make the ordinance language gender neutral.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, Roberto Alves, Mayor.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Mia Spain.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and refer this to a public hearing, followed by a committee of the whole with the fire department leadership, corporation council, human resources, the mayor's office, and any other departments deemed necessary to effectuate an outcome and be present.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Salvatore.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks, any remarks?

See none and I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify saying aye.

Any opposed?

Communication, amendments to ordinances section 22-19 through 22-30.

Honorable members of the city council for your review and acceptance or revisions to the Danbury Code of Ordinances, Section 22-19 through 22-30 to meet the updated hiring eligibility policies and standards provided by the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council.

In 2020, the council extended hiring eligibility for appointment to a position of probationary candidate in a law enforcement unit in Connecticut to permanent legal residents.

And in 2025, further extended eligibility to recipients of DACA.

In addition, we have revised language to make the ordinance gender neutral and clarify age requirements.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, Roberto Alves, Mayor.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Giordano.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and refer this to a public hearing, followed by a committee of the whole with the police department leadership, corporation council, human resources, the mayor's office, and any other departments deemed necessary to effectuate an outcome be present.

Motion is made seconded by Councilman Andrea Gardner.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Your Honor Councilwoman Frey.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I'd like to send this to an ad hoc.

Okay.

This has been made.

The ad hoc will consist of Councilman Joel Britton in the chair, Councilman Ryan Hawley, and Councilman Mike Henry.

Uh just so everybody understands committee of the whole is also kind of an ad hoc, but that's okay.

Item number 10, please.

Communication, collaboration, and data use agreement with Cummings Foundation.

Honorable mayor and city council attached is a proposed collaboration agreement between the Danbury Police Department and the Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health Regarding Wellness Services for our personnel.

Attached is a collaboration and data use agreement.

We'll provide $83,625 for comprehensive health assessment for all our officers.

$32,000 for new gym equipment and 14,000 for our peer support team training.

Cummings has indicated that funding usually continues for up to five years.

So the total value could be around $600,000.

This collaboration and data use agreement has been vetted through our corporation council and the city's risk manager.

The Cummings Foundation will provide direct payments to vendors, and there are no local match requirements.

Chief Ridenauer, police department.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Claire.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I move to receive the communication and ratify the collaboration and data use agreement as presented and approved by Corporation Council and Risk Management.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Salvatore.

Council, are there any remarks?

Councilwoman Faye.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I'd like to send this to an ad hoc as well.

Thank you.

Uh I will this one will be Councilwoman Gardner in the Chair, Councilman Giordano, and Councilman Mike Henry.

Item 11.

Communication donation to Copsicle Truck.

Permission is requested to accept a donation of 1,000 dollars from Michael Schurer.

The funds are designated for supporting a variety of programs in relation to the department's ice cream truck.

Patrick Rittenhauer, Chief of Police.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Britton.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and accept the donation of 1,000 from Michael Schur for supporting the programs in relation to the EPE slash CCU ice cream truck, and we'll ask the legislative assistant to send a note of thanks on behalf of the city council.

Motion has been made and seconded by Councilman Paul Rotello.

Council, what is your uh any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 12, please.

Communication donation from Rotary Club and Traveling Toys Inc.

Honorable Mayor and City Council.

This is a joint donation from the Rotary Club and Traveling Toys Inc., a 501 C3 nonprofit dedicated to creating Troy toy lending libraries and public libraries across Connecticut and Rhode Island.

This donation in the amount of $5,000 will allow us to create a toy lending library at the Danbury Library.

Donations will be used to purchase toys and games that can circulate like books.

Katie Pearson, Director of the Library.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Robinson.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I move to receive the communication and accept the donation of $5,000 from the Rotary Club and Traveling Toys Inc.

for supporting the programs in relation to the creation of a toy lending library in the Danbury Public Library and will ask the legislative assistant to send a note of thanks on behalf of the city council.

Second.

Motion is made and seconded by Councilman Ben Chinese.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 13, please.

Communication, application for sewer and water main extension at Damia Drive.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Laffinhouse?

I move to receive the communication and refer this for reports back from the city engineer and planning commission.

Motion is made and seconded by Councilman Salvatore.

Council with any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

Seeing none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

Item number 14, please.

Communication, application for sewer main extension at 48 East Gate Road.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Mia Spain from the first ward.

It's an inside joke.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and refer this for reports back from the city engineer and planning commission.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Frank Salvatore.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 15, please.

Communication, application for sewer main extension at 85 Worcester Heights Road.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Gartner.

Legislative Leader Gardner.

Apologize.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um, I move to receive the communication and refer this for reports back from the City Engineer and Planning Commission.

Motion has been made and seconded.

I believe Councilwoman Lepine got that one up pretty fast there.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

Seeing none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 16, please.

Communication, application for renewal of water and sewer extension, Great Plain Road, and Great Meadow Road.

Council, what is your pleasure?

Councilman Frank Salvatore.

I move to receive the communication and refer this for reports back from the City Engineer and Planning Commission.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman John Laffinhouse.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 17, please.

Resolution, Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act.

Honorable Mayor and City Council.

Attached for your review is an annual resolution that will again allow local nonprofit agencies through the City of Danbury to apply for inclusion in the State of Connecticut Department of Revenue Services 2026 Neighborhood Assistance Act Program.

This program allows businesses to sponsor approved community programs and receive tax credits for their contributions.

The final list of funding requests will be provided for the public hearing.

Dan Garrick, Director of Finance.

Council, what is your pleasure?

Councilman Flanagan.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I move to receive this communication and refer it to a public hearing followed by committee of the whole.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Frank Salvatore.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

Seeing none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 17, please.

I mean, yeah.

Sorry, 1818.

Resolution acquisition of property reserve road parcel.

Honorable members of the city council.

In October, the City Council authorized the acquisition of land at the tax assessor's lot number C 16046.

The mayor's office has negotiated the purchase of the three acres within that parcel for a purchase price of 675,000.

The city is now pursuing a petition to amend the reserve master plan in the zoning regulations to change the land use classification for this parcel from offices, banking, business services, nonprofits to neighborhood retail services and community facilities.

This reclassification would permit the construction of a fire station.

Pursuant to the requirements of state law, in order to complete the acquisition of this property, the city council must reauthorize the process for an additional period of six months.

Sincerely, Roberto Alves, Mayor.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman McAllister.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Uh, I move to receive the communication and reauthorize the resolution as presented for an additional period of six months.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Ben Chinese.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 19, please.

Resolution acquisition of property 147-149 Westville Avenue Extension Renewal.

Dear Mayor and Council members, we have now obtained the necessary title search and appraisals of 147 through 149 Westville Avenue Extension in accordance with the prior authorization of the City Council.

Pursuant to the requirements of state law in order to complete the negotiations and acquisitions of this property.

The City Council must reauthorize the process for an additional period of six months.

Very truly yours, Robin Edwards, Deputy Corporation Council.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Giordano.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and reauthorize the resolution as presented for an additional period of six months.

Motion has been made, seconded by Councilman John Laffinghouse.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 20, please.

Resolution.

Connecticut Transportation Alternative Program Grant.

Honorable Mayor and City Council.

In 2019, the Transportation Alternative Program committed 1.4 million to the City of Danbury for citywide sidewalk improvements.

After further review and analysis, the amount has increased by 2.85 million.

The city is required to provide a 20% match for the increased funding in the amount of 570,000 to come from the SNAP 2020 bond.

I am asking for the council's approval to accept the additional funds as well as approve the additional matching amount.

Antonio Iderola Engine.

Thank you.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Jabor.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I move to receive the communication and based on the certification of available funds to cover the additional city match amount, approved the resolution as presented.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilwoman, Councilwoman Diane Lepine.

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

Councilman Chinese.

Thank you, Your Honor.

A question for the finance director, really quick, if I may.

I tried to find the ROAG 2020 bond.

What can you give us what's the remaining balance in that in that bond?

Because I wasn't aware we even had that bond.

Uh I would have to look that up.

I don't have it off the top of my head.

These funds are set aside though in both of these bonds.

They've they've been there for several years.

I just want to know what the what the remaining balance is if I can.

Whatever you have a chance.

Thank you.

Thank you, Honor.

You're welcome.

Council, any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Councilman Henry.

Okay.

This had uh councilman Peter Buzade in the chair, Councilman Billy McAllister, and Councilman Mike Henry.

Item number 21, please.

Resolution Congressionally directed spending grant.

Honorable mayor and city council.

The city of Danbury has identified a funding opportunity through the Office of Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy under the congressionally directed spending program.

This grant represents a significant opportunity to secure funding for community enhancements with no local cost match required.

The city seeks to request a total of 1.5 million supporting projects that will improve recreation, including lighting upgrades at key athletic facilities and fields in Kenosha Park, John Perry Fields on Memorial Drive, and Rogers Park.

Cara Prunty, assistant finance director.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilwoman Robinson.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I move to receive the communication and authorize the funding request as outlined in the resolution as presented.

Second motion is made, seconded by Councilwoman Cheryl Wallace Smith.

Any remark?

Councilwoman Faye.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um, I just have a question for Kara Prunty, Assistant Finance Director.

Good evening.

Hello.

Hi.

I'm just curious how were these three or four places identified?

Or three places identified as the recipients of this one and a half million dollars?

Like what went into that process?

Who was the decision maker?

Uh that would probably be better asked to Tom Hughes.

So that's okay.

If you think he's here.

Mr.

Hughes.

Can't you uh councilman?

Can you please uh speak closer to the microphone?

They're having a hard time hearing you here.

For sure.

I have a dog whisper.

Can you just read the question?

Hello?

Hi.

So my question was who and what process was used to identify the three recipients of the one and a half million dollars.

Well, we started after COVID and with public recreation and increasing the use of our fields because approximately 4,000 student young people play soccer.

There's another thousand people that play football throughout our fields.

So we were increasing the use of our fields and scheduling our fields by allowing more use.

The uh remaining fields that didn't have lighting were Kenosha, Perry Field, and a small field and Rogers Park.

We went to our through our government co-ops.

We got our quotes from Muscow Lighting, who has done all the lighting in uh the city, and that's where the number came from.

Okay.

So I didn't understand that it's only lighting that will be done.

I thought lighting was just one of the things.

Is it only lighting?

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Councilman Quello.

That's not what it's thank you through the chair.

Um Mr.

Hughes, could you uh elaborate on the fields at Kenosha that are gonna get uh lights, all four of them, or just the one of them?

There's actually six fields, Councilman.

Okay, and they're all gonna be lit.

Oh every one of them, yes, sir, including the one closest to Visputri.

They're the fields where the six soccer fields that are in the main area and the one field that's across is slated for lighting.

We have quoted it in that 1.5 million.

Okay, thank you.

You're welcome.

Councilman Cole, just to clarify uh the field there, just not the field that they do use for parking, even though the city does own that one.

Uh so that okay, just making sure sign is yes, sir.

Councilman Rotello uh through the shirt of Mr.

Hughes, Tom, when would those lights be uh shut off?

When's the latest that they would stay on?

That would be something which Sean usually it's around 10, 11 o'clock, but you have to remember that uh these fields are designed with photometrics that there is no bleed of lighting.

The entire lighting is on the field, which is a real important note to understand.

Yeah, I appreciate that.

We're on a lake and we got people on the other side of the lake, and you know, yep.

That's the photometrics is designed for the field only and no bleed.

Thank you, Councilman.

Council, any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 22, please.

Go ahead.

Resolution, Connecticut Department of Health Emergency Shelter Grant.

Honorable mayor and city council.

During the January 2026 meeting, the council approved an amendment to the existing resolution for the Connecticut Department of Health Emergency Shelter Grant, updating the funding amount and grant period to match the state's award.

We have since received the executed contract from the Connecticut Department of Health confirming a total award of $810,000.

Fernanda Carvalho, Director of Health and Human Services.

Thank you.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Laughinghouse.

I move to receive the communication and approve the amended resolution as presented.

Motion has been made, seconded by Councilman Ben Chinese.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 23, please.

Resolution, Connecticut Department of Health Small Cities Grant.

Honorable Mayor and City Council.

During the December 2025 City Council meeting, the council approved our request to accept additional funding in an amount not to exceed 124,000 from the State of Connecticut Department of Housing Small Cities grant.

The department is now requesting an amendment to the existing resolution and contract with the Connecticut Department of Health to extend the funding end date from March 31st, 2026 to April 30th, 2026.

All other terms of the contract remain unchanged and no matching fan funds are required from the city.

Fernanda Carvalho, Director of Health and Human Services.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Holley.

Thank you, Honor.

I move to receive the communication and approve the amended resolution as presented.

Second.

Motion is made seconded by Councilman Britton, I believe.

Or McAllister, I think it was Britton.

Uh council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

I'd like to send it to the ad hoc also.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

Can you use your microphone, Councilman Britton, please?

Through you.

Um to the councilman making the motion.

Could I ask for clarification as to why it's going to the ad hoc no?

It's uh it's at the councilman's will if you'd like to explain uh say why he sent it to an ad hoc.

Would you like to say or just send it to an ad hoc?

Councilman Henry?

Uh through to you, uh Councilman Braden.

He just wants to send it to the ad hoc.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um this ad hoc will consist of Councilwoman Gardner in the chair, Councilman Mike Flanagan, Councilman Mike Henry.

Item number 24, please.

Okay.

Resolution, the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation grant.

Honorable mayor and city council.

In December of 2025, the Department of Elderly Services requested and was granted permission by the council to apply and accept a grant from the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation not to exceed 75,000.

The grant award was actually 80,000.

Therefore, this department is requesting permission to accept the full grant amount of $80,000.

Susan Temeno, Director of Elderly Services.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Excuse me.

Councilwoman LePine.

I move to receive the communication and accept the amended resolution as presented.

Motion has been made and seconded by Councilman Frank Salvatore.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Yes, Your Honor.

Councilman Henry.

Yes, sir.

Uh this ad hoc shall consist of councilman.

Let's see.

Yes, we shall councilman laughing house and the chair.

Council Councilwoman Jabor and Councilman Mike Henry.

Item number 25, please.

Resolution, Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Honorable Mayor and City Council.

The Danbury Library respectfully requests permission to initiate an application to the John Excuse me.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation for a youth literacy grant in the amount of five thousand dollars.

We are seeking funding to develop a targeted literacy initiative for English language learners in grades K through two and their families.

This application is a competitive grant, and there is no requirement for matching funds.

Katie Pearson, Director of the Library.

Council, what is your pleasure?

Councilwoman Cheryl Wallace Smith.

Thank you, Honor.

I move to receive the communication and approve the resolution as presented.

Motion has been made seconded by our legislative leader, Andrea Gartner.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Yes, Your Honor.

Councilman Henry.

Refer that to ad hoc also.

Okay.

That ad hoc shall consist of Councilwoman Robinson in the chair.

Councilman Bench and E's and uh Councilman Mike Henry.

Just want to make the council aware that procedurally, I don't have to call on everybody, but I will keep doing it.

Council item number 26.

Resolution, Connecticut Office of the Arts Make Music Day grant.

Honorable Mayor and City Council, the Danbury Cultural Commission is requesting approval to apply for the Connecticut Office of the Arts grant in the amount of 1,000 dollars with no city match needed to help fund the Make Music.

This June.

Council, what is your pleasure?

Legislative legislative leader gardener.

I'm sorry, that's why I say councilwoman.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um I moved to receive the communication and approve the resolution as presented.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilman Ben Chinese.

Councilman Rotello.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Many years ago, my mother happened to be on the cultural commission.

My brother, some of you may have read in the newspaper, is a is an artist and a and a television producer.

My other brother was a musician.

Um I was in radio, and we were lucky enough to have a supportive family, but not everybody is.

Not everybody has a patron up until recently before the arts got commercialized.

Artists actually had patrons, Michelangelo with Assistine Chapel and the church paying for that.

And this has been going on for ages, but since probably the late 1800s, early 1900s, it became a business, and not everybody is successful enough to make it as a business, even if there are brilliant artists and cultural commissions throughout the United States, and especially the one in Danbury, um, have a a really strong history of supporting people who can't really get started.

Um even if they are brilliant artists, they're just the commercial thing is just not sinking.

We're seeing this with music now.

So more than ever, these local cultural commissions, and in particular, since we're discussing the Danbury one, uh, loom greater and greater in the importance of a rich and varied cultural life.

And the community is not a community without a bunch of stuff.

Police fire, sure.

We get the schools and infrastructure, but also the arts and a chance to dream and a chance to create.

These things are tremendously important.

And there's a child out there right now who who may have a dream, maybe he wants to be a fashion designer or a set designer, maybe he wants to be a musician or an artist, or uh maybe he plays with spray paint, but he just can't maybe he can't afford the paint or an easel.

And then a trip to the cultural commission.

My mom told me a story one time that a guy showed up who wanted to make an album and he only needed 500 bucks.

And I how do you make a record album with 500 bucks?

But he knew how to do that, and it got him started.

And I don't know what happened to that kid.

But I have a pretty good idea that if the cultural commission hadn't stepped in at that point, his career might have been derailed and his dream might have been snuffed out.

So I I can't tell you how much that uh it means to me to be able to support something like this, and how important something like this is to the community of Danbury and the region itself.

So I fully support this, and uh and I hope it goes forward tonight.

Thank you.

Council, any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

You know, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

Item number 20 seven, please.

Sorry.

Resolution and report, ad hoc charter revision.

Councilman Peter Buzet, Council President Peter Busade.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, I move to waive a reading of the ad hoc minutes as all members have copies.

Copies are on file with the legislative assistance office as well and accept the reports as they're presented.

Motion is made and seconded.

Council, the remarks are on the minutes.

Any remarks on the minutes?

Councilman Quello.

Uh, for what it's worth, I was reading them again today.

I noticed they didn't have my name listed there as attendee, but I was there.

I apologize.

We will have that.

Correct.

No, absolutely, sir.

Thank you.

Council, any other remarks in the minutes?

Any other remarks on the minutes?

CNN, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

Council.

Um what is your pleasure?

Councilman Salvatore.

I move to receive the communication and based on the ad hoc recommendation, approve the resolution as presented.

Motion has been made, seconded by Councilwoman Diane Lepine.

Council, are there any remarks?

Councilwoman Faye.

Thank you, Your Honor.

First, I'd like to note that what this council sent to ad hoc is not what came back.

What was referred at was a one-page letter from your honor that did not contain a resolution, and it certainly did not contain the names of nine people that currently appear on page 155 of our book.

I believe the agenda of our last meeting was misleading at best, and it raises some due process concerns.

Tonight we're here and we're presented with a list of nine people, which is 0.01% of the city's population.

Individually, all of these people may be suitable.

And this isn't a personal attack on them whatsoever.

However, of the nine persons that the mayor has discriminatorily hand picked by choosing all person, all personal supporters of his raises the following questions.

These people can be divided into three groups.

One group are people who already hold a public office.

We have Councilman Joe Britton.

We have City Treasurer Dan Jowdy.

And we also have I'm sorry, Mike Safranic, who was appointed as constable, I believe, just last month.

Three of the people appeared on the mayor's ticket in the fall.

That's Dan Jowdy, Joe Britton, and Wilson Hernandez.

Three of these people serve as Democratic Town Committee members.

One of these people served on the mayor's transition team.

In a strict reading of Connecticut General Statute 7-190 that states that no more than one third of the makeup of the commission may hold public office.

I think it's at least questionable whether DTC members, Democratic Town Committee members, qualify as holding public office.

How is this council or the residents of Danbury that we represent supposed to believe that these nine hand-picked folks who have all demonstrated an allegiance to the mayor and not to the city?

That they will act in our city's best interest and not in their own personal interest, which aligns with the mayor.

Which leads me to the conflict issue that was addressed at the ad hoc with Councilman Joe Britton, who served as chairman of the ad hoc and voted yes to put himself on the charter revision commission, demonstrating a clear personal interest and conflict.

There are a lot of fine people in this city that would aid this important commission's work.

And the mayor's discriminatory selections demonstrate the nepotism of this administration, and it highlights the lack of transparency that this city has seen from this administration since 2023.

Thank you, Councilwoman Faye.

Council, any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Seeing none, I will try your minds.

Council McCualo.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Uh, through the Chair, I have a procedural concern regarding uh agenda number 27, which was originally number nine.

Under Connecticut statute, uh Connecticut General Statute uh 1-125.

The public must be given proper notice of the business to be conducted.

The original agenda item referenced a charter revision generally, but not the version returned from the ad hoc committee, including as was said, specific names that were not part of the noticed agenda.

The addition of those names represent a subsident change, and it's not a clerical or procedural adjustment.

As such, this raises concerns regarding compliance with FOIA notice requirements, as well as whether the proper appointment process under the city charter has been followed.

Accordingly, I believe this item should be either ruled out of order in its current form or returned back for proper notice and process.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Did you have that question directly through the chair to anybody particularly?

Can I just are you?

I'm gonna go to legal counsel.

Oh, it wasn't a question.

I apologize.

You said through the chair.

Thank you, Councilman Qualow.

Council, are there any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

And Councilman Rotello.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh people have come here tonight, well-meaning people have come here tonight and discussed the importance of at least opening up the charter and taking a look at it.

Um you know, just as an aside, it's online, and anybody here can take a look at it whenever they want.

They've been able to take a look at it since the charters have been online for years now.

And before that when they were printed.

So if you have issues with anything inside the charter, it's probably a good idea to open that thing up and go through it with a rule or maybe a couple of pages a week or something like that.

And then bringing that to the Charter Commission should, should there be a seated charter commission uh commencing this evening.

Other people have called it a living document.

One person referred to it like as a car, which is not exactly a living thing, but you know, I I kind of get the point.

If it is, however, a living thing, it it has a life.

It has a it has an existence.

It has something that um is almost of a corpus.

And one would want to be careful about opening up something that's alive to poke around inside of it just to see if everything in there is okay, unless you had a really overriding reason to do that.

Like if you had studied the charter for the last couple of months, the couple of years, and there were some burning issues inside that charter that really, really needed to be fixed.

Um, and you realize that and and had this this just desire to get in there and fix those one or two items and present that to the uh commission, or maybe you're even going to be on the commission.

I've been looking at the charter for 30 years.

Um I voted to uh open the charter up and uh examined it, and I voted to uh send that those changes.

They were relatively minor changes, not not zero, but they weren't major changes.

I voted to uh send those changes to the voters and the voters then approved those changes, and that was the last time that the charter was actually revised.

Uh it's supposed to be done every 10 years.

Not, and let's be clear, we're not supposed to revise it every 10 years.

We're not required to revise it every 10 years.

We are required by statute to consider revising it.

That's the charge from the state.

One of the reasons why we're not required to change it is because it has to go to the voters.

And if we were required to change it and the voters voted down that change, we would be put in a position where the voters themselves have spoken and they've spoken against the statute.

It just would be unworkable.

If this is a democracy, the voters ultimately get a chance to decide if they want to do this or not.

So the statute is clear.

You don't have to revise it, but you do have to consider revising it.

And you have to do that every 10 years.

In the last six years, we have revisited that, including tonight, four times.

That that should normally take place over 40 years, and we've done that in six years.

So this question of considering the charter, and remember we all use this charter on a daily basis.

We know what's in it.

So when we vote against or for changing the charter, we're doing that because we have a working knowledge of the document.

The last four times this has been looked at uh and and the charter revision uh was rejected.

In other words, we we comported ourselves with the statute, but we decided not to open it up.

That vote was taken um two years ago, four years ago, and six years ago, by people who had a working knowledge of the charter, and they decided that it was not worth the risk of fixing something that really didn't need to be fixed.

The issue that I have with this this evening is that a prominent political people in Danbury have decided that one of the major problems with the charter is that the people's representatives on the council are too numerous.

Council was formed, the 21 membership uh council was formed in 1965 when the city of Danbury was consolidated with the town of Danbury.

The the city had its own political system, the town had its own.

They were combined, and in order to make the combination work, the combining work, uh, people were reticent to do that if they were going to lose their own representatives.

So a compromise would be it.

The town people would get to keep their representatives.

It would pretty much became the ward people, and the city people were allowed to keep their representatives.

That pretty much became the um at-large people.

That was 21 people in the population with Danbury at the time was about 43,000.

So just rough, roughly each person had about 2,000 representatives.

An issue that we found ourselves in in 2007 and 2009 when we started the charter revision and finished it uh about a year and a half later, one of the main issues was shrinking the council down to about five people.

I I've actually talked to my constituents in the sixth ward about that, and I've asked them how they would feel if they lost the majority of their representatives, and they were aghast.

I mean, they they found it abhorrent.

Now, I can't guarantee what the Charter Revision Commission is going to uh come out with, and I can't guarantee what the council is going to do.

But I can guarantee that if the charter is not open, the council and your representatives and the people of Danbury cannot become disenfranchised.

That's not a risk that we would take.

And again, with every operation, even if you're getting an MRI, even if they're not actually opening you up physically, with every procedure, there is a risk.

And the risk that we're facing right now, the risk that I'm facing right now is do I vote for the potential to disenfranchise my constituents.

So if you had 21 members on a council with 43,000 people, and you had about 2,000 people represented by each council member, and now the population has doubled, one would assume at the very least we would want to increase the size of the council, to just sort of jump back to that original parody of 1,000 people per or 2,000 people per representative.

So we'd have to double the size of the council.

There are councils in Connecticut that are twice our size.

There's a city that has a council with 40 people and a city that has a council with 30 people.

I was willing to compromise on this point and reject any attempt to increase the size of the council, because I happen to feel that the membership at 21 is enough.

I could not, however, in good conscience go along with a charter revision if my peers on this council would vote to lower it to reduce the size of the council, if indeed that came back from the Charter Revision Commission.

So I find myself in a position where I would like to actually take a look at the charter.

There's a couple of things in here.

Well, the the major thing in here has been already adjudicated by the Supreme Court, and that was the fact that our apparently the way that we do our redistricting does not comport with the voting rights act.

The Supreme Court has now said that if we were to actually comport with the Voting Rights Act, we would be noncompliant.

We don't comport with it now, at least it's not there in the language.

So if we were to change that and add that, we would we would be in a funny position where we're we thought we were noncompliant, so we make a change, we think that we're compliant, but actually the opposite is now true, and has been true for a couple of months.

We're now compliant.

So if we change that, we would become non-compliant.

There's a couple of minor things in there, like definitions.

Somebody brought up newspapers, which I happen to agree with, is a little weird.

Truth be told, I mean, in the interest of full disclosure, I get the newspaper, and I have a couch full of newspapers right now.

If you come over to my house, you won't be able to sit down as the newspapers all over the place.

And maybe they will, but they've tried a million times in the past, and maybe they won't.

And if they don't, we can't fix that in our charter.

We could put it in a charter, but we would be not in compliant.

So I I could not get a promise that we would not disenfranchise uh the members of the sixth board, my constituents in the sixth ward do not want to be disenfranchised.

They don't want to have fewer members.

Uh but I I this is the interesting thing about charter revisions.

We get to vote on it twice.

Public only gets to vote on it once.

We get to vote on it twice.

I am voting against it tonight for those reasons.

I am I am voting to not have this happen to protect my constituents.

However, I will probably be one of the few people tonight that votes against it.

And it will carry, and there will be charter revision.

I will get to vote on it again when this comes out of committee.

And if the council has been remains unmolested and the basic political system remains the same, I will in all likelihood vote for the charter, not me personally approving the charter, but vote to ultimately send it to the voters so that they themselves can understand the document and make that vote for themselves.

So that's what I'm gonna do.

I'm probably gonna vote no tonight and vote yes when it comes back, assuming that the political system and the way that we operate in the city of Danbury remains unmolested.

I I I would at this point talk a little bit about process and and how we got here and how the uh committee members were selected and how that's probably noncompliant, but that's already been discussed.

I don't want to replow ground that's already been plowed.

But that is a consideration that we need to look at in the future, Roberts Rules and Connecticut statutes, and and we really need to find ourselves more in alignment when we do that.

I mean, for instance, under Connecticut statute, the only way to add an item to an agenda is with a two-thirds vote.

And the list of the potential uh or selected candidates for the um charter revision was not added at that time.

And if it's not added, it's not noticed, and if it's not noticed, it is an improper addition to the city council agenda, and that went to an ad hoc before that uh was rectified, and it's back here tonight for the first time.

So this is the first time the city council in its entirety has actually seen the list of names.

They saw it at the ad hoc, but this is the first time the council itself has seen it.

And under our rules, and I'm not gonna press the point, but under our rules, if the if an item lands on the council for the first time, any member can send that to an ad hoc.

Problem with this is that the two items, one item which has already been vetted, that's the actual decision to create a uh uh Charter Revision Commission, has already been settled.

It was on the council last month and went to an ad hoc, and it's back on this month.

Those two items are entwined.

So if you were to send the second one to an ad hoc, there'd have to be a vote tonight to separate the question.

It would be complicated, and we've never really done that before.

But there clearly is a case to be made that the that process should not have occurred the way that it did.

Everybody here tonight, let's just make this clear.

Everybody here is well meaning.

Everybody wants the best for Danbury.

There is no malfeasance, there's no hidden agenda, there's no nothing.

We all have in our hearts a desire to do what's best for the city.

And that's what I'm doing tonight, and I fully expect the people who vote differently from me this evening feel exactly the same way.

And I am completely confident that all those disparate parties, the ones that maybe want to do this a little bit a little bit better, maybe a little bit more persnickety, and the ones that just want to ram full speed ahead because we haven't done this in 17 years.

I am fully confident that we will get together and we will produce an instrument that the city of Danbury can be proud of, and that the people of Danbury and the people who manage on their behalf the city will be able to use for the years to come.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilman Perkins, uh, Duane Perkins.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um struggled with this whole process, not just recently, but over the past several years when the charter was up for revision and consideration.

Uh we all had, well, many of us who are well versed in how the city runs had some concerns on procedure, like we typically do.

Uh we also are concerned with some rumors that we heard, and that was just alluded to a second ago about shrinking the council and reducing the level of representation for the city, which is a big concern.

I mean, we we dealt with that um recently with uh another type of situation.

So it it makes us kind of uh a little uh and build a and apprehensive about trying to move things forward when we are under such an uncertainty.

No one has really mentioned specifically about what they wanted to change, other than you know, some superficial things like uh that the newspaper and things like that.

But as far as like a deep, deep dive, we haven't really heard a lot of information about that.

Um we talked in our caucus last night that there could be a possibility where some members would reject shrinking of the council.

So that at least gave me a little bit of assurance that if that did come in front of us as a committee, council, we would hopefully vote it down because that wouldn't represent the city at all.

In fact, it would go the opposite direction of where we should be going.

So uh with those hopeful uh uh votes, I I think I'll be uh supporting this and keeping a close eye uh going forward.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilman, the other remarks.

Councilwoman Sherry Wallace Smith.

Hi, how are you?

So I've heard comparisons to cars.

I think I heard something about an ostrich.

I'm gonna compare it to fashion.

I hope no one in here is wearing a suit from 1970 or the 1960s for that matter.

I say that to say at some point things need to change, right?

The world is ever evolving, so is the city.

I guess my question is what is the fear for God's sake of opening up the conversation to look at the charter?

What is the fear?

No one says anything has to be changed.

Just open it up and look at it.

What is wrong with having a dialogue?

I don't understand what the fear is.

We get into our own ways all the time.

We get into our own heads, people start making stuff up.

Stop wrapping self-serving attitudes in constituents uh you know concerns.

Let's think about how we want to move the city forward, look into the charter, see what needs to be changed.

If nothing needs to be changed, then leave it alone.

But what is the fear in opening up the dialogue?

I just don't understand it.

We see what's happening in Washington, people get stuck, nothing is moving, and this is why nobody wants to get involved in government.

It is silly.

It's time for us to stop it.

Stop the nonsense.

Let's open up the conversation for the bloody charter revision, and let's move on from this.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Council, any other remarks?

Any other remarks from anybody?

Uh I'll go, Councilman Faye.

Councilwoman Faye.

Councilwoman Gardner first.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Um I just uh to maybe expand on Councilwoman uh Wallace Smith's point.

Um, I too don't understand what the struggle is.

Um we're really talking about um opening up the charter for review.

I don't understand the um pushback or the sh the what I would characterize as some um city council shenanigans tonight to expand this meeting to do unnecessary um procedures and create conflict over trying to implement um govern governmental transparency and efficiency.

Um this is long overdue.

This is not a new issue.

Um we've been talking about this for three years, and I I don't think we should hold the process hostage to rumors.

That's speculation.

And I um so besides that, I also just want to address the issue of what I call the duality of interests.

Um there are times where people will um raise a flag of and and personalize a conflict of interests and make the discussion personal.

But I have found in the course of being involved in every community that I've lived in to a great extent that there are often the people who get involved in communities get involved on levels that interest them.

I have a deep interest in arts and culture and bringing that to our community.

I have a deep interest in um expanding and um and franchising voters and getting people to register to vote.

And sometimes these will cross paths, and that's a duality of interests.

It doesn't have to be a conflict.

If we're well aware of how the person is showing up and in what role, given that they might have other roles, then it's an ex it's acceptable to consider that a duality and not a conflict.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilwoman Faye.

Thank you, honor.

So I want to be clear that the rumors that have been alluded to in some comments, the fear, the struggle, it's based in logic and rationale that was set forth by Democratic Town Committee Chairman Larry Reithberg in an interview with Bob O'Potzner a couple of years ago, in which he stated the goals of charter revision were to shrink the size of the council and to expand the mayor term to four years.

So they are not made up goals that anyone on uh uh the negative side has come up with.

Um beyond that, there's been no goals articulated, there's been no objectives laid out.

So, in the vein of transparency, it would be nice to know what the objectives were to charter revision beyond a constituent setting forth tonight, updating a newspaper publication.

I have heard nothing, and I was present at the ad hoc, not one goal or objective was clearly articulated.

I also want to highlight that of the nine people that have been hand selected by the mayor to serve on this charter revision commission, all but one donated to his campaign last year Councilman Robinson.

I think you raise your hand.

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I I I do think that we're kind of going down a road here that's not really be behooving ourselves to the city.

Um, the members of the city of Danbury here.

One of the reasons that I think we've tried really hard, and I understand that something was said several years ago that was not really relevant to this sitting council and not really a part of what any of us are looking to do right now.

But I think we have to be very cautious in what we say is our objective to opening the charter because we're not trying to bias the committee itself.

I mean, I think personally, I think there should be standing committees because I wanted to be able to have open conversations with the the Board of Education about finances more often than once a year.

People talk about how slow it is for us to get something to happen because every time that we want to have a conversation that involves the public with each other, we have to go to the council, get approval to have a committee formed, just to be able to have conversations to try to move things forward.

So I don't think it's our job to try to prove what it is we want to change in the charter because we're not here to tell the commission what it is we want them to do and what we want them to look at.

This is just governance, and it's allowing there there's public hearing that's gonna happen.

There's another, it's gonna be brought back to this group.

It's gonna there's gonna be a referendum of the people.

This is not happening in darkness.

And I understand that some people don't like the process, but there's nothing in this process that is gonna subvert democracy.

I think we need to get over whatever we're upset about and just look at the fact that these are nine very considerate people that understand what is being given to them and what their obligations are.

They have taken on this responsibility, and I don't think they deserve to be sitting here thinking about what they're gonna be giving up in all of these meetings and how they're gonna be looking at this and having us sit here and just question what their motives are.

We have every opportunity several times along with the public for a voices to be heard and for this to be reviewed appropriately.

So I think we we need to move on and let things, whatever personal feelings we have go by the wayside.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Robinson.

Council, any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Councilman Henry, here you have the mic.

Yep.

I would make the the motion to make the amendment to split the vote or the resolution into two separate part.

A motion has been made to split the vote, and I'm assuming you want to split the commission resolution to open and then the commission.

Is there a second on that resolution?

Vote by roll call vote.

The vote by roll call vote.

Is there a second on that?

Second.

Second by councilwoman Faye.

Council, any remarks on splitting the question.

Non debatable.

I apologize.

Uh I will try your minds, and this is a roll call vote.

So when you when you're ready, please.

Yes.

Flanagan?

No.

Hawley?

No.

Lepine.

No.

Salvatore?

No.

Fuseade.

No.

Gartner?

No.

Faye?

Yes.

Henry?

Yes.

Wallace Smith.

No.

Spain Reichel?

No.

Giordano?

No.

Jabor?

No.

Rotello?

Yes.

Chinese?

Yes.

Dwayne Perkins.

Yes.

Britton?

Nay.

McAllister?

Nay.

Robinson?

No.

Laughinghouse?

No.

Dennis Perkins.

Yes.

Six.

Oh, seven voting yes.

The motion fails.

Council, there are any other remarks on the original motion.

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks before I close?

I'll let Councilman Salvatore.

Mr.

Mayor, I just want to point out a couple of things.

March 3rd, it was not on the electronic version, but we had in front of us the resolution to open up charter revision.

That was noticed appropriately.

It is not uncommon for a resolution or an item to be sent to ad hoc that it gets updated and wordsmithed and sent back to us at the ad hoc.

Just so we know that was noticed on March 16th for a March 24th meeting.

It did contain the names.

It was noticed properly.

No, it's not the way it was done before, but there's nothing that says that's the way it has to be done.

I also want to address the fact that the objective from the beginning here has been to open charter revision.

I think any conversation on our part that could guide any of the people who are being named to that charter revision commission would be wrong.

We could have our opinions.

Chairman Reifberg has his opinion.

Chairman Reifberg and the public can come to the ad hoc, to the public hearings, to the Charter Revision Commission, and give their opinions.

But in the end, it is those nine people that will set forth what they think should be done, and then it comes back to us, which Councilman Rotello did point out, we get another stab at it.

So in the end, I just want to point out that it may not be the same process as before, but it's been a transparent process.

I can show you the minutes from the last time Charter Revision was done.

You opened up the Charter Commission, and then one month later you were presented nine names and expected to vote that night.

There was no vetting of the candidates.

After the 24th ad hoc meeting, every member of this council got a bio for each one of the candidates.

If we wanted to talk to anybody, we could have done that then.

So I find this process to be different but transparent and one worthy of proceeding forward.

Thank you, Councilman Majority Leader Salvatore.

And to close this out before we vote, Council President Buzade.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Mr.

Mayor, through the chair.

It's flashing now, so maybe.

What did you do?

All right, it's just it likes you, it's flashing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, through through you uh to uh Mr.

Castigrande, uh I have just a few questions based on some of the comments that were made earlier.

Um Mr.

Casta Grande, was the uh ad hoc meeting that considered this properly noticed?

Okay.

Sir, can you speak into the microphone, please so everybody can hear you as well?

In my opinion, yes.

Okay.

And uh Mr.

Castor Grande, uh, you were you were present at the ad hoc meeting, were you not?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Uh in terms of allegations made about uh Councilman Britton uh doing something improper.

Uh is is he by his voting for himself uh as a potential nominee to be on the commission?

Is there anything improper with that?

Not in my opinion.

Okay.

There's nothing illegal with that.

Not in my opinion.

Okay.

It's neither it's neither a conflict, uh, personal conflict or a financial conflict.

Sorry, as I don't talk about.

It's neither a personal conflict nor a financial conflict, as I understand it.

Okay.

And in terms of the process of uh this it was voted on as was spoken uh in on the March 3rd regular council meeting referred to an ad hoc meeting.

Uh is there anything improper with the addition of the names of the prospective people suggested to be on the uh charter revision commission being presented to the ad hoc.

I I'm not aware of any any legal impediment to proceeding that way.

Okay.

Thank you.

So if I may, just have a few a few more remarks.

Close this out, sir.

The the names uh that were offered uh that are part of this are all longtime Danbury residents.

Most of us know, if not all those people, we know some of them.

Uh I had the privilege 19 years ago to be named and be a member of the Charter Revision Commission that formed in 2007.

Uh and that commission was with nine people of all stripes.

Uh we were named by the mayor, uh, and we were put before the council.

There was no vetting, there was no questioning, uh, and and we were voted on and approved.

And we got along and and I believe we did our best to work and go carefully through uh Danbury's charter at that time, line by line.

If you attended any of the meetings, you would have seen an active engaged commission, and you would have seen that we had input from residents of the City of Danbury, Councilman, some of whom are still here, and also from elected officials as well.

When we went through that charter line by line, I certainly envisioned that this process would take place every 10 years.

Whether those changes we we would suggest or not suggest would be adopted, would be decided on the council.

Our report comes back to this body.

It gets heard, and that count and our council, this council can change it, reject it, and send it back to the commission.

It's it is a process.

It's an inclusive process.

It's a good exercise for our city.

It's an important exercise for our city because in the last 19 years since I was appointed on this charter revision commission.

Uh laws have changed substantially, times have changed substantially.

The city needs the its citizens to look at this document and possibly change it or not change it.

But it needs a serious consideration, not a flyby.

So I support this and I will vote for it.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

There we go.

Uh council, I will try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

I close out after council president buzzet.

Yes, ma'am.

How are these meetings going to be conducted?

Are they in person or Zoom?

That will be up to the commission.

Um, but I if you want my opinion, I can offer you my opinion.

No, I just can't believe that was wrong.

I just say I didn't know if that is something that had been it's not on the floor.

That would have to be decided at this point.

So who will decide that?

It would probably have an organizational meeting in which that would be discussed.

Okay, thank you.

Council, I will now try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying I'm uh no roll call.

I'll signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

Opposed.

The ayes have it.

The motion carries I only heard two voices.

We didn't do a nobody asked for a roll call vote.

I paused.

I don't sorry for acclamation.

Item number 28, please.

No.

Nobody contested it.

Are we doing 28?

28 resolution and reports, engineering and planning for condemnation of utility easement within Lombardy Street.

Mr.

Mayor, I move.

I move we read the reports provided by engineering and the planning commission, has all members of copies, and copies are on file with the legislative assistance office.

Sorry.

Thank you.

Um council on the minutes.

Are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Councilman Britton.

Thank you, Your Honor.

I move to receive the communication and adopt the resolution as presented.

Motion has been made and seconded by Councilwoman Gartner or Robinson.

I apologize.

Thank you, Councilwoman Robinson.

Council, are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remark?

Councilman Chinese.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Uh is it just a question to the uh public works director?

Antonio.

Thank you.

Um I know the road is private, but but the road is also in disrepair.

If we take the easement of the water, will we be paving the entire road or just that little sliver that we wind up be placing?

Uh the restoration requirements will be determined at the point that the actual permit is issued.

So we'll evaluate the condition of the road uh which is privately owned, and we'll set the restoration requirements for the contractor that does the installation.

This is not an extension of a water system that the city is doing.

It's a private water extension.

Okay, thank you, Your Honor.

Thank you.

Council, are there any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The motion carries.

Item number 29, please.

Report ad hoc Kirk, government entities review committee.

Council President Buzet, the minutes, please.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, I move we were reading the ad hoc minutes.

As all members have copies and copies are on file in the legislative assistance office, as well as we accept the reports as they're presented.

Motion has been made, seconded by Councilman Ben Chinese.

Uh council, this is on the minutes.

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

The ayes have it.

Council, what's your pleasure?

Sorry, Councilman Salvatore.

I move to receive the communication and move that this be moved to a public hearing.

Motion is made, seconded by Councilwoman Gartner.

Council, any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote carries.

Item number 30, please.

Reports, engineering and planning, application for sewer main extension at 72 Liberty Street.

Council President Buzet, the minutes, please.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, I move we were reading the reports as provided by engineering and the planning commission.

As all members of copies and copies are on file at the legislative assistance office, and we accept those reports as they're presented.

Motion has been made, seconded by Councilman Benchinese.

Council, any remarks in the minutes?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

Uh council, what is your pleasure?

Councilwoman Gartner.

Yes, I move to receive a communication with the four minute extension subject to the city's standard steps and conditions.

Second.

Motion's been made, seconded by Councilman Salvatore.

Council, any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have it.

The vote is so ordered.

31.

Council President Peter Buzet, please.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I moved that we were reading the reports as all members have copies and copies are on file in the legislative assistance office, as well as accept the reports as they're presented.

Motion has been made, seconded by Councilman Dwayne Perkins.

Council, are there any remarks or questions for our department heads?

Councilman Sheenies, please.

Thank you, Honor.

I just uh two questions.

One for the uh police chief.

Good evening, Chief.

Uh yesterday I experienced when I was driving in Danbury, someone on a scooter, one of those electric uh scooters.

And he was basically driving in the middle of the road, all over the place.

It ran a stop sign, ran a red light, and kept on going.

And it brought to my attention that it's it's spring and soon to be summer, and this is just the tip of the iceberg where we're gonna see many more of these that are gonna happen.

And um, because there I know the state had a program where we're giving them away for free, and they're getting more and more popular.

So, what is the city gonna do to prevent the unthinkable?

That is probably gonna bound to happen.

Is there any type of education that we can do?

But what can we do?

We actually are um doing an education campaign on this, but obviously when you see these things, if you want to give us a call, if we can uh locate the person and take enforcement action, we will.

They're they are required to uh obey traffic laws through the chair through the mayor.

Um problem is he was like 15 years old.

Still can't still gotta obey the traffic laws.

Yeah, but that's that's the issue.

Right.

You get people who think they can just do what they want, right?

Right, and we don't want that.

Well, thank you, Chief.

Anything we could do to prevent that is definitely what we would want.

Just keep us informed when it's happening.

As you know, our traffic units out there doing a lot of work.

Our patrol officers are out there doing a lot of work.

So certainly if you bring uh certain locations to our attention, we will uh put it on our on our list and then hopefully uh be able to deter something before it does something bad does happen.

But there's something we can't confiscate the actual scooter.

Yes.

Oh, we could.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you, Honor.

And the other question I have, if I may, is to the uh health director.

She's here.

Good evening.

Um now that the overflow shelter is closed, and I know there was several residents that were in there, and they are now homeless, because I think a lot of them have not taken housing in our shelters, and they have so what are we doing now?

Are they just roaming our streets now, or are we taking a proactive stance or trying to find them a shelter or I know I've seen a few of them just loitering in the library, they're loitering, probably in some of the other nonprofits, but they're just loitering now.

So what are we doing to prevent that?

So a lot of work is being done with Catholic charities and uh our office and the CCT team at New Vance to reach out to those folks, register them through 211 if they have not already been registered, and find alternative sheltering locations throughout the state where they can be relocated to.

Okay, so again, what are we doing?

Because they're just gonna loiter until we do something.

If there's anything that you see or observe, please let us know.

Um we can send out our team and and see if there's any assistance that we can provide uh to those who are not sheltered.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Councilman.

Just a really quick question.

How are we doing on the flu and on COVID?

Our numbers are actually looking really good now.

Um COVID did spike up slightly, and uh influenza uh B did spike up a little bit, but now we're on the downward trajectory trajectory, so that's good.

Are we seeing that new COVID strain or anything else on our wastewater?

I know that CB is an issue, and there's a couple of other things that are popping up, RSV and things like that.

Our wastewater did pick it up, um, but not significant enough, and hopefully it won't be.

Um, but our wastewater did pick it up.

So, what do they call that?

Watchful waiting or some some phrase that you guys use where you're not particularly concerned, but you're keeping an eye on it in case.

Absolutely.

Okay, thank you.

And one additional uh follow-up um to water David Day, Antonio.

Just how we doing on water, that's all.

Beautiful.

That was that was a big thumbs up.

He's here.

Uh David, would you like to over your head?

Building above it, collecting Councilman Quello, please.

Thank you.

Through the chair, uh a quick uh question for the chief, please.

Ritten hour.

Uh wanted to uh just congratulate you and your and your guys uh for apprehending those four guys and that uh how called house shooting retaliation, whatever it was.

Yes, one thing that was brought to my attention was one of the things used to apprehend them and solve that case uh was something to do with maybe a speed camera or some type of camera with regard to tracking down plates and so forth.

Uh number one, if that did happen, number two, is that still in place because somebody told me they decommissioned them or took them out of service because there was some issue.

I read just one clarification with regard to sharing stuff with uh federal level people.

So you could enlighten us, I'd appreciate that.

You're getting misinformation.

Our our cars have LPRs.

Um there's just certain companies that we work with and others that we don't.

When you say there's some companies you work with and other ones you don't, do you mean sharing information?

Is that not?

No, no, there's there's a bunch of different vendors for the uh license plate readers.

Yeah, and there are some uh vendors that uh we work with and some vendors that we don't.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Councilman Laughinghouse, I believe you had a question.

And then Councilman Wallace Smith.

Um it's more of a comment for uh Antonio and uh Mr.

Hughes.

Um you don't have to come up.

I publicly just wanted to thank you.

I received a very nice letter from one of my constituents uh in regards to the completion of the elevator at uh Hayeson Avenue School.

Um several of us actually had the opportunity to attend the Board of Ed Mobile meeting um actually at the school.

Uh and these funds were actually given to the city of Danbury some time ago, and it took a while for this elevator to get completed.

Um our folks got these funds, started the work in the elevator, and it was done not ahead, not behind schedule, not on time of head of schedule.

Um, and that's your hard work in terms of getting it done.

I just want to draw out in regards to what this student had to go through a little bit.

Um on rainy days, cold days, because the school isn't necessarily up to ADA compliance, should go around the school.

Um, and you know, this parent actually echoed directly to Mr.

Hughes.

Um how how much of an ease this is gonna be to her day-to-day life.

She's already wheelchair bound.

So publicly, I know I've talked to each of you personally.

Um, I wanted to just extend a public thank you for your hard work.

You're the doers of the city, and you keep things going.

So if you can come see me afterwards, I do have a small token of our appreciation.

Thank you, councilman.

Councilwoman Wallace Smith.

Hi, this is for the chief.

Just sit down, Chief up here.

Come on.

How are you?

It's more of a comment than a question.

I got to see one of your officers in action at a qual the other day.

And after I got over the fact that her name was Officer Cops, and she's a cop.

Um, I started paying attention to the way that she handled um the situation, and she did very well.

Um it's cops like that that we need more in our community of.

She worked very well with the community.

And there were also other folks that were around that witnessed everything and said gave me the same feedback, not just of her, but of all the officers who did respond.

So I just wanted to let you know that you're doing a great job employing our police officers.

And um, I think the mayor said we have five to go for this budget season.

So I employ you to keep hiring good officers for our city.

So thank you until officer cops that we appreciate the work that she does.

Yeah, Kristen is working out very well.

She's one of our newer officers, and uh she's say that.

Yeah, this is not the first compliment I've gotten uh about her, and uh we're very happy to have her, and we hope that she's gonna have a long and rewarding career here.

But again, thank you to the mayor for uh the support.

And um, we are working very hard to uh fill our ranks uh to make sure that we give the uh residents here the best service possible.

And um, I think we're gonna be able to do that, and and certainly with the mayor's uh support, trying to get our own police academy here, and that's really gonna be a game changer for us.

Nice, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Council, any other remarks?

Councilman Cuelo.

Thank you.

Three uh your honor.

Um I'm not sure if uh Katie Pearson's here today.

Danbury Library.

Uh perfect.

Hi, Katie.

How are you?

I was hoping to get a chance to speak to you before the meeting, but I didn't get a chance to connect.

I was wondering if you could shed some light on something for me.

I got a phone call from some constituents that were concerned about what's potentially happening this month uh with the uh friends of the Danbury Library and a change in their bylaws, uh method of understanding, the MOU.

Uh there's a considerable amount of money that's in that uh fund that's been donated.

And from my understanding that the the friends of the Danbury Library are basically trustees of that money, right?

That's been donated, you know, through you know, beloved benevolent acts, uh, you know, through people's passing, et cetera.

Yes.

Uh Sunderland's a number of families.

Yes.

Um the Danbury Library itself is obviously a benefactor of that.

Correct.

So if you could just shed some light on how much money the Danbury Library gets from that 501c3.

Because my concern is after speaking to some of the constituents there, that if the membership is blocked out of the voting capacity and having a say where that money goes, yes, it's only left to the people that are the chair and then the board, as opposed to membership nonprofit.

And they're the last IOMs of call was basically about four million dollars that was in that fund.

That is a direct impact on you if they decide not to give it to the Danbury Library.

That's very annual.

That is correct.

Um the Friends Organization has a separate 501c3, so obviously I don't have any control over how they do their bylaws, but I will say um, yes, they do have almost four million dollars.

Um they gave us 175,000.

Um, we have had a very good past relationship.

They do fund all of our programming for the library.

Okay.

So this is a question through the um through the chair, if I may, because I'm not sure what we can do to help.

Uh you know, with that.

You can attend friends of the library meetings, uh, but they have their own bylaws.

It's not a city again, it's a separate 501c3, similar to Friends of Terry Wild, Friends of the Museum.

The library has a board um that we uh put the nominees up in front of this council to nominate or non-nominate, uh, and then have our city minutes.

But these are organizations that are built to support and then um uh listen, this is a crutch for the library.

I'll I'll admit that, but what uh what an organization wants to do with their own bylaws with their own funds is really up to their uh their members, but like uh sorry, Consqualo, but to act within the confines of their bylaws and maybe how things are originally started.

I understand your concern.

Uh but some of this is outside of our purview uh because they are a separate organization.

I can I can appreciate that, but I'd like to share with everybody that's here tonight, if that's the fact.

It costs $10 to join the friends of the Danbury Library to be a member.

Correct.

My suggestion is you all come out on April 20th, because when the family like the Southern Linds and Ferriolis donated millions of dollars to that foundation, right?

It was with the interests that that group of trustees was going to take care of that money, and they were gonna allocate it to the Danbury Library.

That was the purpose they did it when they passed, they left a lot of money there.

If anything is done other than that, I know it's within their right.

Because they could have put it in a trust and given that money annually every year to that 501c3 decided not to.

So it's it's gonna have a direct impact on the library.

It's gonna have a direct impact on the taxpayers if we have to you know subsidize that, make up the difference.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Quello.

Council, any other remarks?

Council Councilwoman Jabor, please, and then Councilman Rotello.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Uh this is more of a comment to Director Carvalho.

Uh I just wanted to commend you and your staff on the work that you've been doing with the community that is struggling with housing.

Uh in the last approximately years since July 1st of 2025.

You and your staff have housed 30 of our residents who have been struggling with housing insecurity with housing costs at an absolute premium at this time.

Housing voucher programs that have lists that are hundreds of thousands of people long.

And section eight receiving cuts.

The amount of time and effort that it took your team to be able to help these people work nothing short of a miracle deserves to be commended.

And I did hear some commentary uh earlier from my brother council member uh about this population, and I just want to commend the work that you are doing to help them uh achieve adequate and stable housing.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Councilman Rotello.

Thank you.

I'm gonna try to keep this in the lane.

It's actually a question for Jim Maloney, Congressman Maloney, but I can't ask you this question, Jim, because you're not a department head, so I'm gonna just do a pivot and ask the department head.

Recently, an RFP went out uh for a construction.

This is uh for you, Wally, who I just saw Wallied, you're still here.

Good.

Rolly.

Uh recently an RFP went out to uh commence construction or get um and I can speak offline with Congressman Maloney about the particulars.

Do you have an estimate on when construction would start?

This is the project behind the civic building on uh Elmwood Park.

Good evening.

I know he's here.

I'm not quite sure.

It has been uh a lot of communication between myself and his lawyer Tom.

I didn't get an exact date.

Would would the would the uh leadership allow Mr.

Maloney to speak?

I don't have a problem with that, Council President.

Just together here.

How long is this gonna be?

Really?

Okay, fine.

Okay, thank you.

So you're Mr.

Mayor, I have some updates now.

Uh so we are hoping to actually complete finance by the end of this year and construction to start next year, and hopefully it could be completed in one year.

So we're looking at two years from now.

Well, you are right up to the minute with your information.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Councilman Rutello.

Council with any other remarks?

Any remarks?

Any other remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Any opposed?

The motion carries a vote disorder.

Council, before we start packing up, uh, I do want to go back to uh item number 27 and clarify clarify a couple points.

I know we're having some conversations up here and maybe distracting.

Apologize.

Um, when we had the vote, I paused to wait to see if somebody would call for a roll call.

That's not usually the chair that does that.

Uh and it didn't wasn't asked, so then I voted asked for the yes and I asked for the nays.

Uh we only heard two audible nays, so to me that was an overwhelming majority, and nobody contested that.

Uh I know historically, uh, maybe there was a roll call vote on that.

Uh, we did follow procedure on that, but I just want to ensure with corporation counsel that there is no problem with how we handled that vote.

Um, and if I I think if people want to raise their hands to reflect that they were a nay or a yay, we can do that after the fact, but the vote uh has gone and passed, and okay, through Robert's rules, correct?

Or and our charter.

You're good.

Three things.

One, the if there was going to be a motion for a roll call vote, it should have been taken right after the the yay-nay vote.

Number two, Robert Roberts rules says a roll call vote may be called for by uh by a majority, but only when it's unclear whether the yay or nay vote uh was actually you know a clear majority.

So clearly I think it was in your discretion not to call for a roll call in that circumstance.

It's not a majority vote, is uh is a two-thirds.

Um again, we have I'm sorry, counsel.

Okay, sorry.

Was that it's not a majority vote?

It's it's the two-thirds of the council, not the popular vote.

So I just wanted to be sure for the record that it was preserved that there was two.

Uh do you have any opinion on that?

Clearly a two-thirds.

Yeah, I I I again based on what we said, and there was no contention of the vote to say it was too close to call from not being a two-thirds vote.

Um, I don't see there was no contention with that, and we don't have any issues on the robbers rules.

I think you said it was passed by affirmation.

Yeah.

Does anybody have an eye?

And I'm doing this to open that up for the discussion right now.

I know it's all signed.

I mean, I know myself and and councilman Henry voted no.

Yep.

I know that there were other no's over there over there.

So I think there were more than two no's.

Okay.

So I think what we can go back to, and I agree.

I just waited and nobody said anything, and nobody on the on the diasser contested it.

Nobody asked for the roll call vote.

Um, I think it's fair to say then.

I want to be I want to be fair here.

If we feel like that vote didn't happen then or wasn't right, we can go back and have a conversation and open up and I can try their minds again.

You'd have to do a motion or reconsider.

Would have to be a motion by a member of the majority who voted in the majority.

If the motion to reconsider passes, then you would ask for a roll call vote.

I I I move that we reconsider the vote on item number 27.

Second.

Motion has been made and seconded by council woman Gardner.

Council are there any remarks?

Any remarks?

Any remarks?

See none, I'll try your minds.

All those in favor of reconsidering item number 28.

Uh 27.

All right, I apologize.

Thank you.

Item 27.

Through through roll call.

Through roll call.

Signify by saying aye.

Are there any opposed?

Opposed.

One opposition, Councilman Paul Rotello.

The ayes have it.

Council.

Item number 28 is open again.

27.

Oh my god, I'm so sorry, guys.

Wow.

Item number 27 is open again.

I think he's got your glasses.

We're gonna do a roll call open for a roll call vote.

Uh legislative, are you ready for item number 27?

Motion.

Just a point of order.

Yes, sir.

Would reconsider normally lead to a rediscussion, or can you actually make a motion to reconsider that so the purpose is that it's just specifically for the vote for the roll call vote?

The purpose of this motion to reconsider in was for roll call vote.

It was to reconsider the vote.

It was not unlimited.

No, I understand that.

Sorry, I understand that was the motion.

I'm just saying under Robert's rules, are we allowed to do that or once?

The discussion would be on the motion, Councilmember Tello, so we can discuss uh the motion to open up the vote for the roll call.

We can open up that discussion again, but not the topic.

Which we kind of just did.

We had the vote for that.

I'm just curious as to whether we can actually reopen this without legally allowing another discussion.

Now believe me.

We're discussing right now.

I'm just I want to make sure that we do this problem.

That's it.

Council, are there any other remarks for discussion?

Any other remarks?

Any other remarks?

Councilman Perkins, was that a handsome?

Thank you, Honor.

Just a point of order.

Do we need to re-inter introduce the motion?

Before the motion to open this was the motion.

Okay.

So all right.

So it's the main motion.

Okay, thank you.

That's what I was saying.

If you it's up to the chair.

If you'd like to read the motion, go ahead and Mr.

Majority Leader.

The motion was I move to receive the communication and based on the ad hoc recommendation approve the resolution as important as presented.

Thank you.

We ready for the roll call vote?

Second.

No, but this is just he was just reading the motions for clarity.

We already did the motion.

Yeah.

Okay.

Council.

I will try your minds on voting yay or nay on opening charter vision by roll call.

Coalo.

No.

Flanagan.

Yes.

Holly.

Yes.

Lapine.

Yes.

Salvatore.

Yes.

Use aid.

Yes.

Gardner.

Yes.

Fay.

No.

Henry.

No.

Wallace Smith.

Yes again.

Spain Reichel.

Yes.

Giordano.

Yes.

Jabor.

Yes.

Rotello.

Chief.

Yes.

Dwayne Perkins.

Yes.

Britton.

Yes.

McAllister.

Yes.

Robinson.

Yes.

Laughing House.

Yes.

Dennis Perkins.

Yes.

Two and three.

Four no's.

Thank you.

The count is twenty uh excuse me.

Oh my God.

The count is 15.

17.

I apologize.

17 to 4.

The motion carries again.

Thank you, everybody.

Appreciate everybody.

Uh I extend all committees.

I will also entertain a motion to adjourn.

Second.

Seconded.

All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Everybody have a good evening.

Thank you for coming.