Selectmen vote to close $175,000 budget gap

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of June 1, 2026

Guilford selectmen closed a $175,000 Board of Finance budget cut without touching police or EMS service levels. First Selectman Matthew T. Hoey III and the board voted unanimously to fully restore a $62,151 OPEB contribution cut, hold an EMS peak-staffing cut at $88,160, trim a proposed police overtime cut to $20,689, take $58,151 from capital projects and forgo an $8,000 increase to their own stipends.

Separately, the board tabled a long-awaited personnel policy manual rewrite after Selectman Jonathan Trotta objected to a new ban on wearing "any partisan or political buttons, hats, shirts" at work, saying "I prefer the old manual." HR Director Mitch defended the restriction as necessary for employees to appear non-partisan to the public. The board also approved a $297,700 WasteZero food scrap co-collection contract and a $48,543.19 landscaping contract for Benton's Knoll.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,972 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of June 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.

The Full Article

Approval of Minutes

The board opened its June 1 meeting with routine approval of the May 18, 2026 regular meeting minutes, approved unanimously on a motion and second with no discussion. The May 27, 2026 special meeting minutes drew brief confusion over a software formatting glitch before passing; Selectman Jonathan Trotta abstained, explaining he had missed the meeting due to a work conflict. First Selectman Matthew T. Hoey III acknowledged the absence without further comment.

Draft Plan of Conservation and Development

Background and stakes: Connecticut law requires towns to adopt a Plan of Conservation and Development, or POCD, roughly every ten years to remain eligible for certain state grant funds. Guilford's update began in late 2024 and is now in a state-mandated 65-day referral and review period that ends in late June, with copies sent to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRAG).

The question before the board: whether to hold its own public hearing on the draft plan and what, if anything, to recommend to the Planning and Zoning Commission before that body's July 1 meeting.

Substantive content: Consultant David Murphy of Resilient Land and Water, joined by staff member Victoria and MP Planning consultants Pat Gallagher and Mike Zuba, told the board the plan was restructured in spring 2026 from eight topical chapters into five themes — live, grow, connect, conserve and sustain — after public workshops in March raised concerns about navigability. The plan now contains 11 goals, about 24 to 25 strategies and roughly 140 actions, up from 200 a decade ago but more than planners' initial 100-action target. A community survey drew nearly 260 responses. The future land use plan, required by statute, designates Guilford Center as one of only a handful of "local activity zones" along the shoreline recognized in the state's Conservation and Development Policies Plan, alongside Branford and Clinton, with Madison notably excluded. Murphy said the town's conserved open space totals roughly 22 percent of its land area, essentially unchanged from 2015 and still above a state benchmark near 20 to 21 percent, a figure town staff member Kevin corroborated from the room.

The deliberation: Hoey pressed Murphy on public turnout at prior sessions (25 to 40 people at spring 2025 workshops, fewer than 20 at a March 2026 session) and asked about potential conflicts between housing and conservation goals; Murphy said early drafts were tightened so development is not implied to be appropriate everywhere, particularly in the town's northern section. Selectman Sandra Ruoff and others asked how residents can track the comment period; Murphy said the town is relying heavily on word of mouth and a volunteer outreach campaign Hoey said he met with organizers about roughly a month earlier.

Procedural steps and outcome: No vote was required or taken on the presentation itself. Later in the meeting, under new business, the board discussed whether to hold its own public hearing on the final draft. Hoey said he was skeptical a hearing would add much given extensive outreach already conducted, including listening sessions with boards and commissions and pop-up events at the Guilford Fair and on the town green. Selectman Louis Federici said he would prefer a hearing be held on the final draft specifically. No motion was made; Hoey said he would work with Murphy, the town planner and staff to weigh whether a hearing is feasible before the Planning and Zoning Commission's July 1 session.

Implications and what is next: The Planning and Zoning Commission can adopt, amend or continue the plan after its July 1 meeting regardless of whether the Board of Selectmen acts, under the enabling statute Murphy described.

Benton's Knoll Landscape Contract

Background and stakes: Planning and Zoning pulled a developer's landscaping bond at the decade-old Benton's Knoll subdivision after the original developer failed to complete planting work.

The question before the board: whether to approve spending bond proceeds to finish the landscaping.

Substantive content: Zoning Enforcement Officer Abby, appearing for Town Planner Ann Archan, presented a $48,543.19 proposal from Mountain View Landscape, drawn from a roughly $50,000 remaining bond balance. Selectman Trotta asked whether the quote included a second year of post-planting watering beyond the standard one-year warranty; staff said that watering obligation would fall to current property owners, not the bond.

Procedural steps and outcome: Approved unanimously on a motion and second, with no dissent.

Implications and what is next: Any unused bond balance will be released back to the original developer once the work is complete.

Tree Removal Contract, Cook's Lane and Whispering Woods Road

Background and stakes: Twenty-five dead or declining ash and oak trees along the right-of-way on Cook's Lane and Whispering Woods Road were identified as hazards to the road and utility lines.

The question before the board: whether to approve a removal contract after determining the work exceeds public works' equipment capacity.

Substantive content: Staff member Kevin said four companies bid the work, ranging from $12,300 to $16,800; A&L Tree Experts, a company with prior town experience, was recommended at a cost staff estimated near $16,000, with work scheduled within 30 days. Kevin said the trees exceed the 40-foot reach of the town's public works bucket truck and that removal cost includes wood disposal, which otherwise would require grinding stumps at town expense.

Procedural steps and outcome: Approved unanimously.

Implications and what is next: Work is expected to proceed within the current fiscal year.

WasteZero Food Scrap Co-Collection Program

Background and stakes: A first attempt at a food scrap co-collection pilot in town stalled because participating haulers lacked dedicated infrastructure and contracts. Guilford has since received a second DEEP Sustainable Materials Management grant to try again.

The question before the board: whether to waive competitive bidding and award a contract to WasteZero, which has guided the town's prior grant work and transfer-station food scrap programs.

Substantive content: Staff member Janice said the contract would mirror the $297,700 grant amount and fund an RFP for a preferred hauler, starter composting kits, a year of compostable bags for subscribers, and marketing, rather than ongoing collection costs. She said the transfer station currently diverts five to nine tons of food scraps monthly and that a new food-waste processing plant in New Haven will provide capacity the first pilot lacked. Officials noted heavy food waste drives up tipping fees calculated by weight and burns inefficiently at incineration plants.

The deliberation: Hoey noted the program is voluntary and will not be forced on residents using private haulers; Federici noted the earlier pilot had 150 to 200 interested subscribers before it was shelved.

Procedural steps and outcome: Approved unanimously.

Implications and what is next: Success will be measured informally as the hauler relationship develops; no subscriber target was set.

Personnel Policy Manual Update

Background and stakes: The town's personnel policy manual had not been comprehensively updated in decades, with separate standalone policies requiring multiple employee signatures. Human Resources Director Mitch and a colleague identified as Sam said town counsel and labor counsel reviewed the rewrite, which consolidates policies into a single electronic document ahead of a planned July 1 effective date.

The question before the board: whether to approve the rewritten manual as drafted.

Substantive content: Changes include lowering the full-time employee threshold from 35 to 30 hours to match a state law triggering health benefit eligibility at 30 hours; clarifying that collective bargaining agreements prevail over the manual in any conflict; and a new section restricting employees from wearing "any partisan or political buttons, hats, shirts, etc." while working, building on language that previously only encouraged employees to exercise political rights as citizens "as long as it doesn't interfere with their work."

The deliberation: Trotta objected that "excessive" political discussion and "any" partisan attire are both subjective standards and said he preferred the old language, which he said simply encouraged political participation. Mitch countered that the provision aims to keep employees appearing non-partisan to the public, citing a hypothetical building official wearing a candidate's hat. Hoey cited the U.S. Supreme Court's balancing test in Pickering v. Board of Education as relevant precedent but declined to take a position without further review. Members compared Guilford's draft language to a Madison personnel policy, which restricts employees from serving on elected town boards but does not address attire. Federici noted the existing manual already contains Hatch Act-style restrictions on using official authority to influence elections.

"I think the language is very good. It's what we need, the best." — unidentified board member, read into the record during the exchange

Procedural steps and outcome: With no consensus, a motion to table passed unanimously so staff can survey comparable towns' political-activity policies. No return date was set.

Implications and what is next: The manual's other provisions, including a revised progressive-discipline process and removal of vacation and sick-leave language now covered under individual union contracts, remain pending alongside the attire dispute.

Vacation Carryover for Darlene Menard

Background and stakes: Darlene Menard, a member of the Guilford Employees Association (GEA) covering a vacant finance office position, cannot use standard vacation time before the June 30 fiscal year-end while training a future hire.

The question before the board: whether to approve an exception allowing her to carry over 10 additional vacation days beyond the five-day limit in the GEA contract.

Substantive content: Human Resources Director Mitch confirmed the GEA contract allows additional carryover only by special board exception. The days must be used by December 31, 2026.

Procedural steps and outcome: Approved unanimously.

Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget Adjustments

Background and stakes: The Board of Finance cut $175,000 from the town-side budget for fiscal year 2026-2027. Finance staff member Mary Jane had initially recommended three cuts: $62,151 from the OPEB contribution, $88,160 from new EMS peak ambulance staffing, and $24,689 from police overtime.

The question before the board: how to distribute or modify those cuts to reach $175,000 while minimizing service impact.

Substantive content: Mary Jane said the OPEB cut might be offset by a revised actuarial discount rate being developed with Milliman, similar to a recent pension change, with minimal long-term impact. Hoey said this year's OPEB contribution had been scheduled to rise from about $92,000 to $202,000 under the town's funding ladder. On EMS, Hoey said the peak-staffing program could not have launched before the fourth quarter of the fiscal year regardless, and that fire department revenue has already been trending up in recent months. On police overtime, Hoey said the department is coming off a difficult staffing year and that overtime spending is still projected to run 15.45 percent above the prior year even after a reduction.

The deliberation: Trotta said he would rather cut elsewhere than reduce EMS peak staffing, which he said generates more revenue than it costs, and suggested looking instead at capital projects, specifically a roughly $67,000 "Toro Reel Master" fairway mower for the golf course that he said had survived prior budget cycles partly because golf operations deferred other capital requests during course improvements. Federici agreed capital could absorb a cut but warned against shrinking the capital line permanently.

"Keeping that the advantage of keeping the capital line item level, if not even tiny increases every year, is that that becomes a baseline... once we shrink it, we create a pressure on a subsequent budget." — Louis Federici, Selectman

The board agreed to forgo an $8,000 increase to the selectmen's own stipends, authorized earlier for this fiscal year, splitting it $4,000 toward OPEB and $4,000 toward police overtime. After extended real-time recalculation with Mary Jane, the board settled on a final allocation: OPEB fully restored with no cut; the EMS cut held at $88,160; the police overtime cut reduced to $20,689; and a new $58,151 cut from capital projects, with specific line items to be determined later by Mary Jane in consultation with department heads rather than locked to the mower purchase.

"Myself, the finance director... and looking at those types of positions and where they would fall in relevance to other towns." — Human Resources Director Mitch, describing compensation-setting authority during an earlier manual discussion

Procedural steps and outcome: Approved unanimously on a motion and second once the final figures were confirmed.

Implications and what is next: The capital reduction is not yet tied to specific projects; Mary Jane said she would return with department-head input. The EMS staffing program is expected to begin in January 2027, with its full annual cost landing in the fiscal year 2027-2028 budget.

Appointments, Resignations and Property Requests

The board approved Jeffrey Becklin as the Planning and Zoning Commission's representative to the Land Acquisition Committee, term expiring February 28, 2028. Hoey reported several other pending volunteer matters without board votes: Steliana Golets had been nominated to the Board of Assessment Appeals; Carlos Pena had applied for the Affordable Housing Committee but no vacancy currently exists; and John Jurgalski had been proposed for a sustainability-related task force, with Terry Cain arranging an interview.

The board separately approved, without discussion of substance, a Dudley Farm Market request to place a sign on the Green and an Economic Development Commission request to place a sign advertising the town-sponsored America 250th celebration event on July 5, after Ruoff asked staff to confirm the sign would promote only the town-sponsored event rather than affiliated but non-town-sponsored activities.

Committee Reports and Correspondence

Hoey reported that the Affordable Housing Commission recently met with Erin Boggs, executive director of the Open Communities Alliance (OCA), a nonprofit that has previously sued other Connecticut towns over zoning practices affecting affordable housing. Attorney Fred Shorter of the law firm referenced as Halperin and Sage had sought a conflict-of-interest waiver for an OCA-affiliated attorney to do pro bono zoning code review work for the town, tied to a state-mandated regional housing plan requirement from legislation passed in November. Hoey said he personally approves such waivers and could refer them to town counsel if needed.

Separately, Trotta raised recurring resident questions about finding town budget documents online. Mary Jane said the current budget document, reflecting the latest approved cuts, is posted on the town website and will be updated to reflect Monday's changes; Hoey suggested routinely reminding residents at selectmen meetings where to find it.

Public Forum

Resident Deb, of 18 Sugarloaf Road, urged the board to post public-hearing sign-up information further in advance of votes and raised Board of Ethics term-limit questions involving two members, including one she said now lives in Hamden; Hoey said one member is in a health care facility and he would not seek her removal before her term expires, and that state statute allows officials to serve until replaced despite a town charter provision referencing two-term limits. Resident Gary McAleney, of 411 Norton Town Road, urged party officials to have prospective board appointees attend a meeting before taking a seat.

Executive Session

The board voted unanimously to enter executive session, ending the public portion of the meeting.

WHO WAS THERE

Matthew T. Hoey III, First Selectman, presided for the full meeting. Susan Renner, Selectman, present; departed before item 11 due to a prior commitment. Louis Federici, Selectman, present for full meeting. Sandra Ruoff, Selectman, present for full meeting. Jonathan Trotta, Selectman, present for full meeting, participated partly by phone during later agenda items. David Murphy, consultant, Resilient Land and Water, presented the draft POCD. Victoria, staff, Resilient Land and Water, assisted with the presentation. Pat Gallagher and Mike Zuba, consultants, MP Planning, assisted with the POCD. Ann Archan, Town Planner, absent on vacation. Abby, Zoning Enforcement Officer, Planning and Zoning Department, presented the Benton's Knoll item on Archan's behalf. Kevin, town staff member, presented on the tree removal contract and answered questions on Benton's Knoll and conservation acreage. Janice, town staff member, presented the WasteZero contract item. Mitch, Human Resources Director, co-presented the personnel policy manual update. Sam, town staff member, co-presented the personnel policy manual update. Mary Jane ("MJ"), town staff member handling budget and finance matters, presented the FY2026-2027 budget adjustments. Karen, town staff member, assisted locating document pages during the personnel policy discussion. Christopher, participant in the budget recalculation discussion; role unclear from the transcript. Deb, public commenter, resident of 18 Sugarloaf Road. Gary McAleney, public commenter, resident of 411 Norton Town Road.

ORGANIZATIONS AND DOCUMENTS REFERENCED

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) — received the draft POCD for referral comment and funded the WasteZero co-collection grant. South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRAG) — received the draft POCD for referral comment. Resilient Land and Water — consulting firm leading the POCD update. MP Planning — consulting firm assisting the POCD update. State Conservation and Development Policies Plan — cited as the basis for consistency of Guilford's future land use plan. Towns of Stonington, Clinton and Waterbury — cited by David Murphy as comparative examples of recent POCD processes and local adoption procedures. WasteZero — contractor for the town's food scrap co-collection pilot program. Milliman — actuarial firm advising the town on OPEB discount rate assumptions. Guilford Employees Association (GEA) — union contract governing Darlene Menard's vacation carryover request. Open Communities Alliance (OCA) — nonprofit, represented by Erin Boggs, engaged in affordable housing zoning review with the town. Law firm referenced as Halperin and Sage — providing pro bono legal assistance to OCA; attorney Fred Shorter sought a related conflict waiver. Board of Finance — ordered the $175,000 town-side budget cut discussed at length. Pickering v. Board of Education — U.S. Supreme Court case cited regarding balancing public employee speech rights against government operational interests, raised during the personnel policy debate. Hatch Act — federal law referenced regarding restrictions on political activity by government employees, cited as possibly underlying existing manual language. Town of Guilford Charter — cited by a public commenter regarding Board of Ethics term limits.