Windsor Town Council Special Budget Meeting, April 20, 2026

The Windsor (Conn.) Town Council met in hybrid session on April 20, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. per the agenda, to review FY26 results and FY27 proposed budgets for Health Services, Police, Fire, Ambulance Services, and Recreation & Leisure Services. Meeting minutes were not available; this summary is based on the agenda and the raw transcript. The meeting was a budget review session: no budget votes were taken, and council members were told follow-up questions would be routed through Town Manager Peter Sousa.

Health Services

• Director Dr. Michael Pepe and Public Health Nurse Jennifer Waldo presented the health budget (pages I-1 through I-16), organized into inspection/regulation, disease prevention/control, clinic services, and emergency management.
• FY26 expenditures are expected to be under budget by $6,020 because of lower personnel and service costs.
• Departmental highlights included mental-health read-alongs at Clover Street and John F. Kennedy schools, a therapy dog for Sage Park Middle School's SEL day, and a WinTV mental-health/suicide-prevention documentary series launched with Hunter Flores of The Sober Truth.
• Council members asked about personnel-cost drivers, a maintenance/repair line-item correction, and mental-health needs; the department said surveys show an increased need for primary-care and mental-health providers and it is working to connect residents to those resources.

Police Department

• Chief Melanson, Captains Power and Pardy, and finance manager Suzanne Brannick presented the police budget beginning on page F4.
• FY26-to-date statistics included over 19,500 calls for service, over 3,170 medical calls, 780 motor vehicle accidents, 365 animal complaints, 440 welfare checks, 320 domestic incidents, 230 emotionally disturbed person calls, over 4,280 motor vehicle stops, and over 690 arrests.
• Recruitment results to date: more than 100 applicants reviewed, more than 70 in-person interviews, more than 35 employment backgrounds, 13 conditional offers, and 7 officers hired, with a goal of full authorized strength by the start of FY27.
• The FY26 police general fund is expected to finish $454,030 (3.6%) under budget; the FY27 general fund increase is $474,470, mostly for wages, health, and retirement, offset in part by police private-duty revenue (vendor-paid services such as road construction details).
• Chief Melanson described part one crimes as serious offenses including aggravated assault, homicide, robbery, and, he believed, arson. On ALPR cameras, he said the technology is beneficial but he understands privacy concerns; the proposed budget includes $30,000 from police private duty and $18,000 from the general fund as a placeholder. Asked whether turning cameras off has caused financial costs, he said it was difficult to quantify but likely costs time in investigations.
• Training figures: a new officer costs about $77,000 in salary, $3,000-$4,000 for the academy, and $3,000-$4,000 in equipment. Proposed training overtime is $86,280 and tuition is about $42,500. Other overtime budgets are about $467,000 for patrol, $70,000 for support/detectives, and $170,000 for communications.
• The department contracts with CHR for two mental-health clinicians at just over $100,000 for 40 hours per week, and also has peer support and an employee assistance program.
• There are roughly 5.5 vacancies; the FY27 budget does not request additional officers beyond filling those positions. The cadet program has declined to about 7-8 cadets, with about $12,000 held in community services pending decisions about a possible merger with Windsor Locks and East Windsor cadet programs.
• Other facts: a part-time code-enforcement officer paid about $25,000-$27,000 has removed roughly 750-800 junk/unregistered vehicles; patrol officers handle general parking enforcement; peddler badges cost about $15; cruisers are replaced before 90,000-100,000 miles; annual vehicle maintenance is about $100,000-$110,000; school resource officer/education support is about $367,000; average emergency response time was described as about 1-4 minutes after dispatch; and the town uses Everbridge for emergency alerts.

Fire Department

• Chief Steve Bianchi presented the fire budget with Mr. Goldberg and Chief Savely. FY26 is projected to be over budget by $31,710 (2.2%) due to equipment maintenance and energy/utility costs; FY27 would increase by $121,680 (8.5%) due to personnel costs, increased officer stipends, equipment maintenance, and energy.
• The department received $39,000 in state reimbursement for emergency responsibility on state highways; the funds were placed in an equipment fund.
• Recruitment/retention is the department's top concern. The town has supported it through stipends, a length-of-service award/pension program, property tax reductions up to $2,000, apparatus purchases, a new firehouse at 340 Bloomfield Ave, and dedicated recruitment/retention funding. The department received 14 applications, and four members completed probation.
• In response to a council question about 10 resignations, Chief Bianchi attributed the losses primarily to normal attrition, including students leaving for college; the average volunteer tenure is about five years. The high school fire program has 53 students this year and a projected 90 next year; four graduates have joined the department in four years. The age requirement to join is 18. The recruitment/training/retention line is $197,490, with at least $40,000 dedicated to recruitment/retention events and marketing.
• Fire apparatus is standardized under Pierce; the chief said the single-spec approach improves parts availability and maintenance efficiency and that a new ladder truck is expected around February or March.

Ambulance Services

• Chief Dan Moylan presented Windsor EMS, which is a not-for-profit organization and not a town department. FY26 expenditures are expected to be on budget, with revenues at or above budget, despite lower insurance reimbursements and more uninsured patients.
• Recruitment to date: 69 applications, 59 interviews, 4 full-time EMTs, 1 full-time paramedic supervisor, about 22 part-time EMTs/paramedics, 8 new volunteers, and about 9 more in the hiring process.
• Passed calls (calls passed to outside services when Windsor units were unavailable) have fallen to about 9%, down from about 24% in 2023. A new fleet of five transit ambulances has replaced a fleet about 12 years old.
• The FY27 requested town contribution is $763,700, an increase of $8,870, mostly from higher-than-expected ambulance lease payments and continued staffing/wage costs.
• Financial context: reimbursements typically arrive 60-120 days after billing; the third-party billing service keeps 4% of collected revenue. Council members noted revenue is down about $300,000 and personnel costs are up about $100,000 in the current fiscal picture. The equipment loan balance is about $300,000 with payments around $100,000 per year; vehicle lease payments are about $170,000 per year; and a COVID-era SBA loan is being repaid on a 25-year term. A $115,000 special-revenue transfer paid off a Windsor Federal loan and is expected to reduce the FY27 budget by about $30,000.
• Windsor EMS has three fly cars (two pre-2010) and is considering replacing at least one; fly cars allow a single paramedic to respond and begin care without using an ambulance. Mutual aid includes 92 calls so far this year to Bloomfield, and East Windsor is the largest mutual-aid partner.

Recreation & Leisure Services

• Director Paul Norris and division leads presented the recreation, senior services, Northwest Park, Youth Service Bureau, and transportation operations, beginning on page G1.
• FY26 department expenditures are expected to end on target or slightly under by about $1,100; FY27 total budget increases by about $105,580 (2.7%), with the general-fund portion up $153,180 (5.65%) mainly because of personnel costs and senior-center lunch program expenditures.
• Camp Foxfire serves pre-K through grade 8, with capacity of about 80 campers per week across six summer weeks; Windsor residents get a two-week enrollment window before nonresidents. CivicRec software costs about $17,000 per year.
• The senior lunch program is being built into the annual operating budget with a $30,000 increase, after prior-year support came from unassigned fund balance. Dial-a-ride transportation has a suggested $35 annual donation.
• Summer scholarships: $14,000 is allocated in the recreation general fund among Northwest Park, Recreation, and Youth Service Bureau, and families can apply for up to 50% tuition assistance through Social Services; staff said they do not like to turn anyone away.
• Transportation fleet: 6 buses, 2 wheelchair-accessible SUVs, and 3 town cars; 5-6 vehicles operate daily; buses are replaced about every 7-9 years or at 110,000-150,000 miles, with federal funding covering 80% of cost; 8 of 11 vehicles can carry a wheelchair passenger.
• Aquatics: resident registration opens Thursday, May 21, nonresident registration May 28, and pools open Tuesday, June 16; the goal is to open all three pools. 26 of 28 lifeguards are returning; the department covers certification costs of about $300 and offers classes, with about 20 hours in class and 20 hours in water. Minimum-wage increases are reflected in about $32,000 of new budget dollars.
• Northwest Park recently renewed its USDA animal-care certification with no corrections; animal volunteers must be at least 18 or work with an adult. Youth theater is self-sustaining through a special-revenue fund.

Key Outcomes

• No final budget votes or formal council decisions were made; the meeting was for departmental presentations and council questions.
• The agenda did not include a consent calendar, and no public comment period or public testimony appeared in the meeting.
• The council voted by voice vote to adjourn.
• Budget review continues on April 21, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. with information services, human services, child development enterprise fund, and adult daycare enterprise.
• Additional council questions raised during the meeting will be sent to departments through Town Manager Peter Sousa.