Eye on Town Government
Norfolk Board of Selectmen Meeting: November 9, 2012
By Wiley Wood
With Connecticut facing a $365 million budget deficit this year, Norfolk’s selectmen are concerned about cuts to municipal aid. The town receives considerable state assistance for road maintenance and education, but both programs may be cut as Governor Dannell P. Maloy tries to balance his books during the coming legislative session. “Everything is on the table,” says Norfolk’s first selectman, Sue Dyer.
A possible rise in the cost of waste disposal is another source of concern. The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) disposes of Norfolk’s recyclables and garbage, carting away the first without charge and its municipal solid waste at a flat rate per ton. The waste is then burned in the CRRA’s trash-to-energy plants, and the electricity generated is sold, but the rate paid per kilowatt-hour for what is designated a Class II renewable energy is set to drop, and Norfolk is likely to feel the effects. The selectmen discussed ways of increasing the proportion of Norfolk’s trash that goes into the recycling bin.
Two parcels of land belonging to the town are to be placed for sale. One is found land that was discovered during a property survey and is landlocked. The other was acquired by the town in foreclosure. Notification of the sales will appear in the local papers, normally the Waterbury Republican or the Register Citizen, and the abutters will also be notified.
Several matters under consideration will require a town meeting. The Planning and Zoning Board would like to change an ordinance governing permit fees, increasing the size of a porch or a shed that can be built for a $60 permit. And the Norfolk-Colebrook Study Committee has recommended that the towns proceed with a regionalization study, pending a favorable referendum. No date for the town meeting has been set as of this writing, but a notice will be placed in the local papers and posted on the bulletin board outside the Norfolk Post Office with the time and place.