Selectman Outlines Key Fiscal Pressures for Finance Board

By Avice Meehan

The Board of Finance received an update from First Selectman Matt Riiska at a brief Aug. 12 meeting that highlighted some of the fiscal pressures facing Norfolk early in the new fiscal year. Kevin Case, the new school superintendent, joined the meeting and said he planned to attend on a regular basis.

Two items of concern topped Riiska’s update: attorney’s fees associated with supporting the Planning & Zoning Commission and the continued need to reduce the estimated construction costs for the proposed new firehouse. Riiska also noted that the town’s transition to QuickBooks has taken longer than expected, delaying completion of the report for the end of fiscal 2025 and the first month of fiscal 2026. The town had previously relied on a program from Alden, Novak & Dodd, but it is no longer supported, and the business itself has closed. Riiska said the reports should be available by the September meeting.

Riiska said in a subsequent email that Norfolk has spent $47,562 since 2024 in attorney’s fees to attorney Daniel E. Casagrande of the Danbury-based firm Cramer & Anderson in connection with the application by the owners of the Manor House at 69 Maple Ave. for a modification to a 1996 special permit. The application to add a day spa and additional facilities was approved, with conditions, by a 4-2 vote at the May 13 meeting. Neighboring property owners have since filed a lawsuit challenging the decision, and an additional $7,105 has since been spent on transcription costs related to the lawsuit.

Riiska said he would be speaking with CIRMA, the town’s insurer, to see whether it would cover some of the costs, which will continue to accrue. Legal fees to date include Casagrande’s preparation for and attendance at P&Z meetings, as well as discussions and correspondence. Both Riiska and Michael Sconyers, BoF chair, said they foresaw a lengthy process.

BoF members expressed ongoing concern about the cost of the proposed firehouse. “The firehouse is considerably over budget. How can we trim that back?” asked Jeff Torrant. Riiska outlined some of the items that were to be discussed with the Firehouse Committee but said he would not ask Norfolk voters to shoulder additional costs because the project already represented “a big nut” for the community. (See related story, page 7.)

Riiska said he continued to gather information about the potential for creating a fire district in Norfolk, an idea first floated by Sconyers earlier in the year. “We need everyone in town who uses this service to pay for it,” Riiska said. In response to a question from BoF member Myron Kwast, Riiska said he did not anticipate that a fire district would prompt an exodus from Norfolk. If established, he said it would be governed by a separate commission and that the mill rate would be somewhere between $.75 and $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.