Windsor Town Council Public Hearing and Regular Meeting – October 20, 2026

The Windsor Town Council met virtually and in person at Windsor Town Hall, 275 Broad Street, beginning at 7:20 p.m. with a public hearing on a parking ordinance amendment and resuming at 7:30 p.m. for the regular meeting. Councillor King was absent. The public notice read at the hearing states Monday, October 19, 2026, while the meeting timestamp provided for this summary is October 20, 2026. Vote tallies below are as announced in the transcript.

Public Hearing: Parking Ordinance Amendment

• The town manager read the notice for an ordinance amending Chapter 16, Article 3, parking. No virtual attendees raised hands.
• Thomas Hastings of 30 Ravine Road said the Democratic majority had set the fine for parking illegally in a handicapped spot at $100 instead of $150, and that the Republican member had “stood up for disabled people.” He described a teacher using a handicapped spot to unload items during a rainstorm and said the offense was “only worth a hundred dollars.”
• The public hearing was then closed, and the regular meeting resumed at 7:30 p.m.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Bahati Benjamin of 171 Park Avenue described a racialized incident during the campaign season: her son, while canvassing, was harassed and pursued by a woman who called police because, in the woman’s words, “a dark skin is in the neighborhood.” Benjamin called the incident traumatic, thanked officers for de-escalating, and said no one should be able to weaponize town resources to promote bigotry.
• Damon Benjamin of 171 Park Avenue expressed solidarity with his wife and son, saying his son is “seen, heard, and loved” and calling for a serious conversation about racism.
• Diane Whitney of 24 Orchard Road reported that the Hartford Symphony Orchestra received 196 applications for music director and has four finalists. Finalist Jonathan Taylor Rush, a Windsor native and former symphony intern, will lead performances November 20–22. Student tickets are $10, a companion ticket is $15, and limited free tickets are available at the library.
• Stephanie Pamiano of 223 Mountain Road, speaking as a resident and Greater Windsor Veterans Council member, urged approval of the $40,000 appropriation for a Vietnam War Memorial. She noted 51 years had passed since the Vietnam War ended and that Windsor’s WWI and WWII monuments were erected shortly after those wars.
• A veteran later referred to as “Mr. Clark” dedicated his remarks to Chief Warrant Officer Mark Stewart, a Vietnam helicopter pilot and the speaker’s former crew chief who died the previous week. Stewart served two tours, accumulated 1,858 combat flying hours, and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 65 Air Medals, and five Army Commendation Medals. The speaker said the memorial should stand as a promise not to forget.

Reports & Discussion Items

• Council members offered announcements on voting, school bus and bicycle safety, community events such as Nightmare on Broad Street, flu shot clinics on October 21 and 28, and the opening of the Boston Pickleball Club.
• The Public Building Commission reported that LP Wilson restroom renovations are near completion; LP Wilson HVAC phase 3 is 70% constructed with December completion expected; the train station boiler replacement engineering is 75% complete; 330 Windsor Avenue community center gym work is on the punch list; and the Town Hall roof replacement is complete except for weather-sensitive punch list items. The final facility study report from consultant HF Lens was accepted, with the Wilson Public Library selected as the first building for study.
• The Windsor/Deerfield Advisory Committee reported that it has nine voting members, two vacancies, and meets every other month. It hosted its annual Earth Day cleanup with volunteers ranging from young children to people in their 80s. The 2025 community health needs assessment identified needs to promote program awareness and increase access to mental health and physical health services.
• Town Manager Peter Sousa reported that Congress extended transportation grant authorizations to September 20, 2027. Federal funds up to $3 million are available for the Broad Street complete street project and $1 million in state funds for pedestrian safety; staff is not proposing a reduction in travel lanes but is exploring raised crosswalks, speed tables, rapid-flashing beacons, and resetting brick snow shelves. He also gave updates on early voting, I-91 exit renumbering (exit 37 becomes 44 and exit 38 becomes 46, with old numbers retained for 18–24 months), free Hartford Symphony tickets through the library, leaf collection, and a proposed 12–14 month long-range school facilities study.
• During parking ordinance debate, Councilor Armstrong’s amendment to raise the handicapped-parking fine to $250 and remove the automatic equal-penalty language was accepted. Councilor Pelkey said he was glad to see the change; the mayor responded that the Health and Safety Committee had wanted time to discuss the matter and that committee work should not be done at the dais.

Key Outcomes

• The council voted 9-0 to waive the full reading of the parking ordinance, approved the Armstrong amendment, and then approved the amended ordinance amending Chapter 16, Article 3, parking. The final ordinance raises the fine for illegally parking in a handicapped spot to $250 and removes the language making an amount equal to the fine immediately due and payable in addition to the original fine.
• The council voted 9-0 to approve the proposed price guide amendment for fire lane parking violations.
• The council voted 9-0 to approve installation of a BRAC black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the North Green and a $40,000 appropriation from the general fund unassigned fund balance. The town manager said the project will go before the Planning and Zoning Commission for administrative review under Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-24 in November. The deputy mayor noted that three names on the existing wooden plaque will not be included because research indicated two were not Vietnam War deaths and one could not be confirmed as a Windsor resident.
• The council voted 8-0 to reapprove FY26 general fund purchase order 26378 in the amount of $16,012.50 until January 4, 2027, for traffic data gathering; about $12,000 of the work has been completed but not yet billed.
• The council voted 8-0 to approve the minutes of the October 5, 2026 floodplain management public hearing and the October 5, 2026 regular town council meeting.
• Resignations and appointments were reviewed for a vote at the next meeting, and a capitalization typo on the resignation list was corrected.
• The closing public comment period had no speakers, and the meeting adjourned.