Board of Selectmen Report is provided by Ted Hoffstatter

April 1, 2008

• BUDGET—BOS is coming in at 4.7%, we present our budget to the BOF later this evening… Many tough decisions were made here.
• CHARTER UPDATE—The BOS voted Bob Russell as Chair of the Charter Commission.  His nomination carried 3-1-1.  I voted NO because I felt strongly that the Commission should choose its Chair, as it has done in the past.  I am sure that Bob will make a fine Chair, but it is a decision that should have been made by the Commission, NOT the BOS.  The BOS votes for the Charter Commission members have been made public, so we are not in violation of the FOI Act.   We signed our ballots this past Wednesday evening. 
• DOG PARK—I met with AJ Lucas, and the dog park seems to be on hold for now…
• FAA— The Wilton Democratic Town Committee passed a motion in support of the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning’s efforts to reverse the FAA’s decision regarding the number and the path of flights that pass over our Town(s). Click here to sign an online petition supporting the Alliance.
• BROADWATER—FERC approved it, and the fight continues. 
• LAND USE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE— sponsored by Pace University

I am working with First Selectman Rudy Marconi from Ridgefield, and First Selectwoman Natalie Ketcham from Redding, along with Pat Sesto (Dir. Environmental Affairs), David Hapke (Chair, Conservation Commission), and Sally Poundstone (Chair, P&Z) from Wilton, and other board members from the Southwestern CT.  Their motto is “Diffusion of Innovation.”  They are convinced that actions taken on the local level are the key to preserving our environment. As local leaders, we are on the front lines. Each of us was asked to highlight a land use issue affecting our town. We focused on conflict resolution and the decision-making process boards go through when considering projects. "Smart Growth" is a main topic. A brief summary of the training program:

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in a land use leadership program this spring sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Long Island Sound Futures Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and The Nevas Family Fund of the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

The Connecticut Land Use Leadership Alliance training program is the extension of a program developed by the Pace University Land Use Law Center in the Hudson River Valley starting in 1995, where it has graduated more than 1000 local leaders and received the official support of over one hundred municipalities. In Connecticut, five training programs have been held since the program’s inception in 2005.  More than 100 local leaders have graduated from the Connecticut program.  The Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program teaches local leaders how to pursue land development and conservation strategies in communities where these interests are often in conflict. The Program teaches participants about land use law, consensus building, and community decision-making techniques.
The training program does not recommend any particular strategies nor does it teach or promote a particular point of view about how land should be developed or preserved.  Instead, it trains local leaders to develop sound and balanced local strategies to accomplish local policy objectives and to carry them out effectively.

The four-day program will be held on the March 28, April 10 (Thursday), April 25, and May 2 from 8:30am – 5:00pm.