Town/Govt

P&Z APPROVES ZONING CHANGE 

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The application seeking a change of zone for a portion of properties located at 91 and 85R Salmon Brook Street was approved at the February 14 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Voting in favor of the change from Residential 30 (R30) to Planned Development Multifamily (PDM) were Paula Johnson, Jonathan Boardman, Christine Chinni, Charles Kraiza, Mark Lockwood and James Sansone. Margaret Chapple opposed.The commission noted that the approval of the zone change is in compliance with th […]

Town/Govt

SOLAR HEAT

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By Shirley MurthaAt the February 6 Board of Selectmen meeting, Kent McCord and Barry Avery presented information on the Solarize CT Campaign, intended to encourage state residents to aid in energy conservation through the use of solar power. Along with David Desiderata, McCord and Avery are members of a subcommittee of the Conservation Commission assigned to do due diligence regarding this program. Attempts to interest residents in solar in the past have not resulted in much participation, but i […]

Town/Govt

CHALLENGES EXIST AS BUDGET PROCESS BEGINS

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By Shirley MurthaThe annual Three Board Meeting took place on January 23, 2017, following a review by Blum Shapiro CPA Nikoleta McTigue of the three annual Town of Granby financial reports: the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the State Single Audit Report, and the Federal Single Audit Report. Each covers the fiscal year from July 1 to June 30. McTigue noted that all was in order and that the town, as always, was cooperative and helpful in allowing her access to the necessary materials.Fir […]

Town/Govt

GOVERNOR’S BUDGET PULLS FUNDING FROM TOWN

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By Michael B. Guarco, Jr.,Chair, Board of FinanceIn early February, the governor sent his biennial budget proposal to the legislature. Facing a $1.7 billion dollar gap in each of the next two years—even after the historically massive tax increases over the past four years—his proposal shifts a significant burden onto the towns. While closing the state budget gap and bailing out the cities, the change hurts the towns financially and is influenced by the belief that the towns are fisca […]

Town/Govt

P&Z PUBLIC HEARING JAN. 24

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The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on a resubmitted application seeking a change of zone from Residential 30 (R30) to Planned Development Multifamily (PDM) for properties located at 91 and 85R Salmon Brook Street. The proposal was unchanged from a previous application. Brian Smith, Attorney with Robinson and Cole, represented Upstream Properties, LLC. Smith used a PowerPoint presentation to review maps and the Plan of Conservation and Development objectives and goals relate […]

Town/Govt

ATHLETIC, MUSIC, LANGUAGE PROGRAMS COULD SUFFER UNDER GOVERNOR’S PROPOSAL

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By Kim BeckerGovernor Malloy, in an effort to revive the sinking teachers’ pension fund, has proposed that school districts statewide contribute $400 million to the State. Granby’s share amounts to $1.5 million plus the loss of $224,000 from other grants. The board of finance reacted to this news by demanding that the boards of selectmen and education keep their budgets flat, resulting in a 3 percent mill rate increase. If the governor’s proposal is adopted and the boards recei […]

Town/Govt

CABE recognizes Granby BOE

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The Granby Board of Education received the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Board of Distinction Award – Level II at the CABE/Convention in November. The award was given for exhibiting a unique ability to work collaboratively and supportively with the community and town officials in a non-partisan fashion as strong advocates for students and education. In addition, the board was also recognized for its successful completion of district building projects, high return on educa […]

Town/Govt

Potential cuts in services and increase in taxes, town manager warns

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By Shirley MurthaAs the town prepared for the annual Three Board Meeting (Education, Finance and Selectmen) on Jan. 23, Town Manager Bill Smith noted that with the state budget in deficit, aid to towns will be greatly curtailed. For example, mid-2016 saw $50,000 worth of cuts to the Educational Cost Sharing program. Similar cuts will be seen across the board; towns will have to make up the differences by increasing local taxes and/or by cutting services.In preparing for the development of the Pl […]

Town/Govt

State uncertainty clouds FY18 budget picture

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Michael B Guarco Jr., Chairman, Board of FinanceOnce again Connecticut faces a $1.5 billion deficit in each of the next two fiscal years. How it is handled with respect to state aid monies allocated to the municipalities will have a significant impact on local operations and taxation. The reluctance on the part of the state to tackle real structural budget reform continues to just kick the can down the road. Every two years, the state legislature’s majority party leadership and the governo […]

Town/Govt

BOS student liaison a girl for all seasons

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By Shirley MurthaThis year’s student representative to the Granby Board of Selectmen is Kelly-Anne Moffa, a senior at Granby Memorial High School. Having attended the school for three-plus, she felt she could do a good job bringing the student perspective to the board while becoming more connected with the Granby community in general. She intends to become involved with government in the future, planning to study both environmental science and political science in college. Being the liaiso […]