Common Council Special Meeting on Bond Referenda and Appointments – August 20, 2026
Common Council Special Meeting – Bond Referenda & Mayoral Appointments – August 20, 2026
The Common Council held a special meeting on August 20, 2026, at 6:00 PM to consider two proposed bond ordinances for referral to the November 3, 2026 ballot and to approve mayoral appointments. After public testimony and extensive discussion, the council approved a $30,426,000 bond for the Board of Education infrastructure project (amended to remove the “Phase I” label) and sent it to voters. The proposed $38,000,000 bond for a downtown parking arcade failed on a 3‑8 vote, thus not proceeding to referendum. The council also approved a special event permit for Zion First Baptist Church and confirmed multiple mayoral appointments.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Roger Pilant (80 Round Hill Road) spoke in opposition to the $35–38 million parking bond, citing a pattern of poor capital planning, unfulfilled past promises (e.g., the boathouse project, the original 2020 Cork Street parking arcade replacement), and the need for a line‑item audit of the original $20 million parking allocation. He urged the council to deny referendum authorization until such accountability is provided.
- Paul John Frito (369 Pine Street, former mayor) expressed concern about the cumulative debt burden on taxpayers, noting that the two bonds together would add approximately $50 million net cost to the city. He suggested delaying the parking garage, exploring private sector investment, and considering 20‑year bonds to reduce annual costs. He also highlighted rising evictions (about 150 per year) as a sign of affordability stress.
- Pam (chair of the Parking Advisory Committee, business owner on Court Street) read a letter from the committee supporting both the parking garage at the arcade site and the parking deck at Millily Lot. She emphasized the parking deficit downtown and the negative impact on businesses since the old arcade was demolished.
Discussion Items
Board of Education Bond Ordinance ($30,426,000)
- Superintendent Joseph McCary and Facilities Director Marco Gaylord presented the proposal: a $30.426 million bond for district‑wide infrastructure improvements (roofs, HVAC, building management systems, security upgrades, and oil tanks/boilers). The state would reimburse 67.14% (approximately $20.4 million), leaving a net cost to the city of about $10 million over 2–5 years.
- Council members questioned the “Phase I” designation, the prioritization of projects, and the scope of security upgrades. The council voted unanimously (11‑0) to amend the ordinance by removing the words “Phase I” to avoid voter confusion. The amended ordinance was then approved 11‑0, and the resolution to place it on the November ballot passed 11‑0.
Downtown Parking Arcade Bond ($38,000,000)
- Mayor Nocera and Economic & Community Development staff (including an online representative) described “Option C” for a parking garage behind the police station. The ground level would provide 165 spaces, with a second level that could add up to another 165 spaces (exact number to be determined during design). The project would also serve as a platform for a future pedestrian bridge over Route 9 to Harbor Park (funded by the state) and as seed money to attract developers and state/federal grants.
- Councilwoman Salafia expressed concern that the concept plan left the upper level ambiguous (“to be determined”) and that the city was not maximizing parking spaces despite a claimed parking deficit. She also noted that the site had been vacant for 10 years. Other council members questioned the overall cost, the need for the garage, and the potential for private development to contribute.
- After a recess, the council voted on the bond ordinance: 3 ayes, 8 nays, 1 absent. The motion failed, so the parking bond will not appear on the November ballot.
Zion First Baptist Church Special Event
- Resolution 3D approved a free end‑of‑summer concert, “Soul on the Green,” on August 29, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the Middletown Green. The city waived Showmobile and personnel fees, capping expenditure at $1,000. The motion passed with one abstention (Councilman Lafredo, who raised procedural concerns about bypassing committee review).
Mayor’s Appointments
- The council approved appointments to the following commissions/boards (with votes as noted): Harbor Improvement, Human Relations, Inland Wetlands, LGBTQIA, Long Hill Estate Authority, Mattabassett District, Middletown Commission of the Arts, Preservation Design Review Board, Sustainability Commission, Parking Advisory, Public Safety Telecommunications, Walter C. Jones Fund, Youth Service Advisory, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Cross Street Fire House Building Committee. Councilwoman Sweeney voted against several appointments, citing a lack of Republican input in the selection process.
Key Outcomes
- Board of Education Bond Ordinance – Approved 11‑0 (as amended to remove “Phase I”). The resolution to place the $30,426,000 bond referendum on the November 3, 2026 ballot passed 11‑0.
- Downtown Parking Arcade Bond Ordinance – Failed 3‑8 (ayes: Lafredo, Spatola, Ford; nays: Blackwell, Fulton, Gennaro, Hart, Mangifico, Polino, Salafia, Sweeney; absent: Faulkner). The related resolution to send it to referendum was not acted upon.
- Zion First Baptist Church Special Event – Approved with one abstention (Lafredo).
- Mayoral Appointments – All appointments were confirmed, with some dissenting votes regarding representation process.
- Next Steps – The BOE bond question will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot for voter approval. The parking garage project will not proceed to referendum at this time.
Meeting Transcript
This webinar is being transcribed and summarized. Thank you, everyone for joining us tonight. Special meeting on our proposed referendum questions. And at this time, uh, if our council clerk could read the call of the meeting, please. The chief of police of the city of Middletown greetings by authority of the state of Connecticut, you are hereby commanded to summon and notify Vincent J. Lafredo, Janette Blackwell, Darnell Ford, Grady Faulkner Jr. Kelly Sweeney, Anthony Mangifico, Linda Salafia, Anthony S Gennaro Sr. Jonathan Polino, Leslie Spatola, Shine Fulton, Ava M. Hart, members of the common council of the city of Middletown to attend a special meeting of said common council for the purpose of a considering approving and moving to referenda, two propose bond ordinance initiatives for consideration by middle town voters on the november third, twenty twenty-six ballot. Number one, propose thirty million four hundred and twenty-six thousand dollar bond ordinance and associated referendum questions for the board of education capital improvement plan, including roof replacements and infrastructure repairs, and two proposed thirty-eight million dollar bond ordinance and associated referendum question for construction of a new parking arcade behind the existing police station, and B considering and approving proposed mayor's appointments and other council business that may appear on the agenda. Said meeting shall be a hybrid meeting to be held in the council chamber of the municipal building in said city and remotely via webex at join a meeting event number two three three seven three eight seven nine zero eight three on Thursday August 20th, 2026 at six o'clock p.m. Here of fail not, but make due service and return to the clerk of said city three hours prior to the time of fixed meeting. Notice is hereby given that a regular meeting of the common council of the city of Middletown will be held in the council chamber of the municipal building and remotely via web ex at join a meeting event two three three seven three eight seven nine zero three eight on thursday august twentieth twenty twenty-six at six o'clock p.m. One, an ordinance appropriating $30,426,000 for phase one of the Middletown Public School District Wide Infrastructure Project and authorizing the issue of $30,426,000 in bonds of the city to meet said appropriation and pending the issuance thereof, the making of temporary borrowings for such purpose. Two, an ordinance appropriating $38 million for the downtown area parking facility project, and authorizing the issue of $38 million in bonds of the city to meet said appropriation and pending the issue thereof, the making of temporary borrowings for such purpose. Any and all persons interested may appear and be heard per the instructions below. The complete text of the proposed ordinance is on file and open to public inspection in the office of the city clerk, attested by honorable Eugene Pinocchio, dated in Middletown the 15th day of August 2026. We have a memorandum to his honorable mayor Eugene Nocera and members of the Common Council from the Finance Department, dated August 17, 2026, certification of funds. This is to certify that funds sufficient to meet the appropriations requested at your meeting on August 20th, 2026 are available as follows. An ordinance appropriating phase one of Middletown Public School District Wide Infrastructure Project Ordinance Bond Issue, $30,426,000. An ordinance appropriating downtown area parking facility project ordinance bond issue, $38 million. Respectfully submitted Carl Erlocher, Director of Finance. All right, thank you. And at this time, uh we're going to open up your audit. Yes. Do we have a quorum? Yes, we do. Yeah. We have five in the room here. Online. Well, we have online. Okay. In addition to those who are, I'll put up the um, let me just switch the format if I can figure out where to do that. Um, in addition to the members in the chamber, online we have uh council president Jeanette Blackwell, Councilman Jonathan Polino, Councilwoman Kelly Sweeney, um, and Councilman Anthony Gennaro. Yeah. And Councilwoman Chine Fulton. Okay. They didn't all fit across my screen. Right. Council Clerk let me know at the beginning of the meeting. Um, so at this time, uh, we're going to open up public hearing on the bond ordinance, and then we're going to open up a second public hearing on all other agenda items. And um public is uh invited, yeah, that's in the chamber to come up to the podium. Um, and we'll go back and forth between live and webex. So just a reminder uh to speakers, and thank you for being here. We have a five-minute rule uh for public comment. Uh, please um state your name and address, and I'll give you a warning when you get close to conclusion of the five minutes. Thank you, Rogers. Thank you. Good evening, uh, and uh members of the common council. My name is Roger Pilott.
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