My name is Peter Vizier, and I am president of the City Amber Council, and I'm the presiding officer of this public hearing, which I'm calling to order on April the 27th, 2026, approximately 6.03 p.m.

I ask Councilman Bridge to Please rise.

I believe it's please take your seats.

At this time, I'm going to call the roll for the City of Danbury Council.

Councilman Cuello.

Here.

Councilman Flanagan.

Present.

Councilman Hawley.

Councilwoman LePine.

Present.

Councilman Salvatore.

Present.

Councilman Bazade, present.

Councilwoman Gartner.

Present.

Councilwoman Faye.

Councilman Henry.

Councilman Wallace Smith called me.

She is in New York City.

Councilman.

Councilwoman Spain Reichel.

Councilman Giordano.

Councilwoman Jabar.

Councilman Rotello.

Councilman Chinese contacted me earlier today.

He's unavailable and will be absent.

Councilman Dwayne Perkins.

Councilman Britton.

Councilman McAllister has contacted me.

He is away in Indianapolis at a fire training session.

Councilwoman Robinson.

Councilman Laughinghouse contacted me earlier.

He is also away in business out of town.

Thank you.

Claire will be here late.

Right.

This time I'm going to read the public hearing notice.

The City of Danbury Common Count Council will hear comments from the general public at 6 p.m.

on Wednesday, April the 2nd, 22nd, in the third four council chambers.

The purpose is to listen to public comments regarding budget, ordinances, and resolutions.

Number one on tonight's agenda is an ordinance making appropriations for the fiscal year beginning on July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2027, and a resolution levying the property taxes for that fiscal year.

The second item on tonight's agenda will be an ordinance appropriating three million dollars for public improvements for the 2026-2027 capital budget and authorizing the issuance of $3 million in bonds.

The third item on tonight's agenda are is the consideration of ordinances establishing the sewer rates effective July 1st, 2026.

The fourth item is ordinances establishing water rates effective July 1st, 2026.

The fifth item on tonight's agenda is the neighborhood assistance act.

The sixth item on tonight's agenda is the government entities review committee report.

The final item on tonight's agenda is number seven, amendments to ordinances regarding sections 14-21 through 14-80 of the City of Danbury.

I recognize uh Councilman Frank Salvatore.

Mr.

President, we've been advised that item number seven, which is also item number five on the committee of the whole, is being pulled due to substantive changes that still need to be made to the ordinance, and rather than waste the public's time to do a public hearing tonight, and again, once the other changes are made, they're pulling the item and will bring it back to us with all the changes, and we'll go through the process uh at a later date.

Thank you, Councilman Salvatore.

With that, this meeting is specifically for members of the public to speak on the agenda items listed in the notice.

Our job is to listen to your remarks, your comments, your observations and concerns regarding each of those individual items on tonight's agenda.

The council will not engage you, will not respond to questions, and and once you're recognized, you'll come forward, uh speak at a podium, state your name and address for the record.

As a note, once once public speaking portion is closed, we will we may take a short break depending upon how long this goes.

I am told by our audio visual engineers that it takes almost 10 minutes to start everything up again.

So maybe we might not take a break and just go right into the committee for the whole afterward.

So I will begin.

As to item number one, which is the general budget, an ordinance making appropriations for the fiscal year beginning on July 1st of 2026, ending on June 30th, 2027, and a resolution levying the property taxes for that same fiscal year.