Steering Committee Meeting of the 32nd Board of Representatives – March 10, 2026

Note: The transcript indicates the meeting date as Monday, March 9th, but the provided instructions specify March 10, 2026. This summary uses the instructed date; the discrepancy is noted.

This steering committee meeting covered administrative announcements, committee agendas, and procedural votes. Key actions included the creation of a Board of Representatives liaison to the Board of Education, the scheduling of committee meetings, and the commitment or referral of numerous items.

Announcements

• The Transportation Committee meeting will move to the third Monday of the month (same day as Personnel Committee) starting in March, noticed as special meetings until the next yearly reset.
• Chairs were reminded to be mindful of budget meeting volumes and to plan time-sensitive items before steering.
• President Shaw announced the creation of a Board of Representatives liaison to the Board of Education to improve communication on school construction, capital projects, and fiscal matters requiring board action. Representative Noah Lepine was appointed as the liaison. The liaison will not report on policy matters outside board authority.
• An honorary resolution honoring Melissa Mulrooney for 20 years of service as CEO of the Stamford Museum and Nature Center was approved for placement on the next board meeting agenda, moved by Chair Weinberg.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar was presented; all items were handled individually.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments or testimony were heard.

Discussion Items

Appointments Committee

• Co-Chair Gardner presented 8 individuals for interviews at the March 25th meeting: Larry Ginsberg (Assessment Appeals), James Fleischer (Assessment Appeals, later moved to pending), Jerry Bozak (Zoning Board), Keith Walker (Zoning Board), Chet Salad (Planning Board), Drew McKay (Planning Board alternate), Ashley Lay (Planning Board alternate). All except Fleischer were committed to the committee agenda; Fleischer was placed on pending after he requested rescheduling.

Fiscal Committee

• Co-Chair Zachary presented 10 items (F32.043–F32.061) covering funding for law department settlements, Boys & Girls Club rental loss, refunding bonds, cybersecurity grants, community center renovations, and more.
• Amendment: Item 2 (F32.053) was amended to specify the location as the Yearwood Center to distinguish between Boys & Girls Club locations. The amendment passed.
• Item 1 Debate: F32.043 (additional appropriation for law department wage settlements) sparked discussion about its relationship to a rejected tentative bargaining agreement. Confusion existed over whether the contract was rejected or approved (minutes from March 2, 2026, showed a vote to reject the rejection, effectively rejecting the contract). After parliamentary guidance, item 1 was moved to pending, and items 2–10 were committed to the fiscal committee agenda.

Legislative and Rules Committee

• Chair McEwen presented LR32.016 (ordinance to repeal the Appointments Commission) submitted late by Mayor Simmons. A roll call vote to consider the late item was unanimous (14–0). After debate on whether it belonged in Appointments or L&R, the item was committed to L&R with Appointments as a secondary committee. Meeting set for March 24 at 6:00 p.m. (note adjusted time).

Personnel Committee

• Chair Weinberg presented P32.003, a review item covering the city’s collective bargaining and disciplinary processes. It was committed to the committee agenda for March 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Land Use Urban Redevelopment Committee

• Co-Chair Price presented LU32.006 (acceptance of Pembroke Drive as a city street). It was committed to the committee agenda for March 18 at 7:00 p.m. (webinar only).

Operations, Parks and Recreation Committee

• Chair Sanford presented four items: building permit fees on commercial projects (OPR32.002), excavation permits enforcement (OPR32.003), street light audit and LED conversion agreement with Wendell Energy Services (OPR32.006), and a commercial building permit fee exemption for qualifying grocery stores downtown and in the South End (OPR32.007). All four were committed to the committee agenda. Meeting rescheduled to March 19 at 6:00 p.m. (webinar only) due to a conflict.

Public Safety and Health Committee

• Chair Bouchard presented two items: PS32.004 (security review of abandoned building at 200 Henry Street) and PS32.005 (originally an overview of Stamford Police Department, amended to overview of Stamford Fire Department). Both were committed; the meeting will be March 26 at 6:30 p.m. (webinar only).

Community Development, Housing, Education, Social Services, State and Commerce (CHESS) Committee

• Co-Chair Pollock presented items 1–5: DBI contract for Rippowam Indoor Air Quality, Arcadis contract for Newfield Elementary, two review items (CDBG process overview and state bill HB5283 on pet shop sales), and were committed. Order was changed to put housing-related reviews first.
• Items 6–8 (resolutions endorsing state housing bills SB257, SB151, and HB5260) sparked extensive discussion. Several members opposed because it was too early in the legislative process, could undermine local control, and lacked precedent for endorsing state legislation. After debate, the motion was withdrawn by the chair (by leave of the body), and the items were placed on the pending agenda.

Transportation Committee

• Chair Weirs presented T32.003 (ordinance to dissolve the Stamford Transit District). It was committed to the committee agenda for March 16 at 6:30 p.m. (webinar, special meeting).

Minutes Approval

• The minutes of the March 2, 2026 regular board meeting were moved to the agenda for the April board meeting. A correction was noted regarding the personnel item vote (the rejection of the contract was approved, but minutes may have reflected the opposite); the correction will be addressed at the board meeting.

Key Outcomes

• New Liaison: Representative Noah Lepine appointed as Board of Representatives liaison to the Board of Education.
• Honorary Resolution: Melissa Mulrooney honorary resolution approved for the next board meeting.
• Committees: All committee agendas were set as detailed above, with many items committed and a few placed on pending (James Fleischer for Appointments; F32.043 for Fiscal; CHESS items 6–8).
• Late Item Consideration: LR32.016 was considered via roll call and committed to L&R committee.
• Amendment: Fiscal item 2 description amended to include “(location: Yearwood Center)”.
• Meeting Schedule Changes: Transportation Committee moved to third Monday; L&R meeting rescheduled to 6:00 p.m.; Operations committee rescheduled to 6:00 p.m.
• Motion Withdrawal: CHESS items 6–8 were withdrawn and placed on pending.
• Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m.