Board of Selectmen Report provided by Ted Hoffstatter
Budget FY2011
The BOS just passed the FY2011 Budget. While departments came in flat or below, the budget will increase by a little over 2% due to contractual obligations, retirements, etc.
My Take: 
I voted for the budget, as proposed. I believe it is especially prudent to be fiscally conservative at a municipal level as it affects our capital bond rating. We have just been approved again, by Moody’s, as a AAA rated town. Once a town loses this ability to borrow for capital projects at a low rate, it almost never gets it back. At the same time, we will not compromise on public safety. I will reiterate that any overall increase is due to contractual obligations and retirements, not for increases in other areas.
Plastic Bag Ordinance
Only 1% of plastic bags are recycled
Jonathan Cunitz, who was the mastermind behind the plastic bag ordinance adopted in Westport earlier this year, gave a very well received presentation at our BOS meeting on Feb. 1
st. At our March 1st meeting, I attempted to hand out sample drafts of what such an ordinance could look like here in Wilton. The documents were simply meant to be discussion starters – food for thought – not specific proposals..
My Take: I am very hopeful that over time, this initiative will be passed in a form that best suits Wilton. While China and most of Europe have long decided that retail checkout bags – plastic or otherwise – are a detriment to the environment and a waste of resources, old habits die hard! Businesses can be proud that they have plastic bag return bins, but the unfortunate reality is that the recovery rate is hovering at 2% in the United States. You can bet that the lobbyists will be sending their minions to upcoming BOS meetings; your public support in the form of letters to the editor and comments at our meetings will be most helpful in furthering this crucial grass roots environmental effort!
Dog Ordinance/Town Playing Fields
Parks and Rec. still wants a stronger ordinance concerning dogs near playing fields. They have adjusted their fifty feet ban of dogs near playing fields to twenty five feet – with exceptions for paths that cross near a field, such as with Merwin. The driver is that there has been too much dog excrement on fields, some altercations between dogs, and the concern that players may crash into dogs.
My Take: The concern is, again, legitimate. Unfortunately, the current ordinance is not effectively enforced; dogs are already prohibited from fields. While I agree dogs should not be on fields, I still feel that even twenty five feet is too harsh for all fields. The stadium and Lilly Field may be legitimate, but I do not want to burden good owners with good dogs from attending all sporting events. We are still working on this!
Troop Boxes
Trackside is now also helping with the troop box drive. They were featured recently on News 12 for their efforts!
My Take: This is great, because the drive needs help! Our troops are working hard for us, far away from home. Please grab a flat rate box that I have put at the entrance of town hall, along with a list of items needed. Boxes can be filled and returned to Town Hall – just let us know what you put in them! We can also accept donations for shipping (checks can be made payable to the Wilton Town Hall Troop Box Drive). FYI, at present we do have money to ship, but no boxes to ship, so please, take a box!
Contact Selectman Ted Hoffstatter any time with comments or questions via email or phone at (203) 451-5049.
