Voters agree to buy plow truck, defer action on ordinance revisions

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BEACON FALLS — Voters approved buying a new plow truck but postponed action on proposed revisions to three ordinances at a town meeting Thursday night.

By a vote of 21-5, voters supported a motion to buy a Freightliner plow truck for about $188,000. The plan is to pay for the truck in five yearly payments of $37,614. The cost will be offset some with a $40,905 state grant.

Officials plan to take a plow truck offline and use it for parts for another plow truck the town already owns.

The meeting’s agenda also included proposed revisions to the tax incentive program, Beacon Hose Co. No. 1 service award program and park and recreation ordinances. Voters agreed to hold off on taking action on these revisions.

After the meeting, First Selectman Christopher Bielik said action was deferred so officials could gather more information for further clarity on the proposed revisions. He said new proposed ordinances are in the works and the revisions will be voted on when the new proposals are ready for vote.

The town established the tax incentive program ordinance last March. The program provides tax abatements for eligible businesses that invest in a new commercial building or improvements to an existing commercial building. The incentives have to be approved by town officials and then voters at a town meeting.

Thus far, the Goldenrod Corporation is the only company to receive an abatement for an addition to the company’s building on Lancaster Drive.

Dibra LLC, a Seymour-based property management company, also applied last year for an abatement for a commercial building the company built at 113 South Main St. Voters rejected the company’s application, and the company subsequently submitted a similar application that the Board of Finance rejected.

The proposed revisions to the tax incentive program ordinance include adding language that states to reapply for the incentive for the same building the value of the project has to be at least 30 percent higher than it was in the previous application.

The proposed revisions will also make it so that applications will go before the Economic Development Commission for a non-binding opinion before going to the Board of Finance for a vote.

Revisions to the Beacon Hose Co. No. 1 service award program ordinance would clean up and streamline the language. The program provides eligible members of the company a small monetary benefit based on a point system.

The proposed revision to the park and recreation ordinance would add an alternate member to the Park and Recreation Commission.

1 COMMENT

  1. “First Selectman Christopher Bielik said action was deferred so officials could gather more information for further clarity on the proposed revisions.” This says to me that Bielik did not do research on the proposed revisions and thought it would be an easy win. Looks like another example of why he does not have the best interest of the town.