Stephen Buccitti

The Special Town Council Meeting included a call to order followed by an Executive Session, conducted pursuant to CGS Sections 1-231 and 1-200(6), to discuss privileged correspondence received from the Town Attorney under the attorney-client relationship exception (CGS Section 1-210(B)(10)). No action was taken during the executive session. The meeting concluded with an adjournment.

The Public Safety Communications Committee meeting focused primarily on ongoing technical issues related to emergency communications equipment. Key discussions included persistent coverage, battery, and rebooting problems with the assigned pagers, leading to a motion to notify the town lawyer and proceed with legal notifications to vendors. Further discussion addressed communication failures during a recent fire incident involving repeaters and the fireground talk group. Other agenda items included tabling the financial update and mutual aid issues to the subsequent month's meeting, and an update indicating work is in progress for installing computers in firetrucks. The committee also reviewed radio communication issues concerning the Fire and Public Works departments.

The document indicates that the scheduled meeting for the Agriculture Commission on February 10, 2026, did not take place due to a lack of quorum.

The primary discussion concerned proposed changes to the 2026-2027 budget. Key requests included purchasing two Lifepaks for an estimated cost of $64,000, acquiring a command vehicle for an estimated $85,000, and replacing the Chief's vehicle to serve as a spare responder paramedic unit and support fire inspections. Additionally, the Fire Chief requested two wage increases within the operating budget for the fire marshal and deputy fire marshal, along with converting their compensation structure from salary to hourly.

The agenda for the Pension Committee meeting includes the Pledge of Allegiance, public comments, and discussions regarding the minutes of the December 10, 2025 meeting. Key discussion items focus on updates concerning pension requests from Stephen Kopylec, John Carafeno, and Kristen Fitzgerald. The committee will also discuss the USI Quarterly Report and an update on Pension Compliance Review before adjourning.