Notes from the Board of Aldermen (Feb. 5, 2024)
The Feb. 5 Board of Aldermen meeting was truly a testament to how civic engagement can change local policy. But more on that in a few moments.
To begin, Mayor Tony Giannattasio presented proclamations to the Milford Eagles Pop Warner Junior Varsity and Tiny Mites teams for representing the city at the Pop Warner Cheer and Dance national competition in Orlando, Fla. In fact, the Tiny Mites won their division, and crowned national champions. And as News 12 explained in a Dec. 8 article, “Not only did the team win their division, they also posted the highest score in the entire competition.” The Junior Varsity team placed sixth in the same competition.
A big congratulations to both teams!
After the cheerleading teams were recognized came Public Comment. Now, as I mentioned in the caption above, most of the attendees present spoke on three areas: to reduce the Milford Community Gardens’ fee increase; to support Scott Monforte for the Parks, Beach & Recreation Commission; and how the appointment portion went at the prior Board of Aldermen meeting (see my comments on that here).
To the first matter: On Jan. 8, Bill Garfield — Director of Recreation at the Milford Recreation Department — informed the Milford Community Gardens members of raising the annual fee from $50 to $100 for this year (prior to 2023, the fee was $35, according to information I’ve received from the gardeners). In Garfield’s letter, the Recreation Dept. had “incurred some major costs” in the gardens’ maintenance including:
$2,000 for the port-o-potty service
$5,000 on grass cutting and landscaping services
$5,250 on a current project of clearing out the back of the gardens and reseeding the area
$1,000 on miscellaneous expenses
For context, the Community Gardens has existed since 1968, and there are 100-plus plots that participants maintain (if you’re a Milford resident, the site is adjacent to Eisenhower Park). The program gives residents a “chance to meet new people, exercise, learn new skills, enrich the environment, and grow healthy accessible food for themselves, food banks, shelters, local charities, and schools,” according to the Recreation Dept.’s website. In 2020, more than 1,500 pounds of food was grown and donated to local food banks, including St. Gabe’s, St. Mary’s, Beth-El Shelter, Milford Senior Center, Home for the Brave, Milford Christian Academy, and Grace Baptist Church.
The worry, as expressed by the gardeners, was that the second price hike in consecutive years would be too much — and may discourage people from participating in the program. As residents told me, many gardeners are seniors or retirees on fixed incomes. Meanwhile, per public testimony, the average fees of similar community gardens in other Connecticut cities is $35. There are some with $75, but those gardens have “structures, electricity, & raised beds,” according to a resident I corresponded with.
In short, the gardeners showed up en masse to the Board of Aldermen meeting to express their dissatisfaction with the proposed increase. In response, Chairman Phil Vetro announced the Community Gardens would be on next month’s agenda — however, I talked with the Mayor on Feb. 8, and he assured me the fees will not be increased.
There are also rumblings of possibly applying for a grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but I cannot confirm if that has been submitted at this point.
This episode is similar in some ways to last spring when parents and community members voiced their opposition to the possibility of closing a middle school. Civic engagement matters; and local politics matter. It’s cliché, but these issues shape our daily lives more than those debated in Washington, D.C. My hope over these next few years is that I see the same passion and back-and-forth between the Aldermen and residents. As you can see, the powers that be listened and acted.
Regarding appointments, Scott Monforte was unanimously voted to be on the Parks, Beach and Recreation Commission. For those who don’t know Monforte, he is highly involved in the local baseball community (which may be an understatement). One of my neighbors told me how Monforte, through a program he founded, inspired his son to play baseball. I was proud to vote for Monforte — I know he’ll do a great job.
The only appointment that did not pass the other night was Vincent Averaimo for the Fire Commission to replace Kevin McGrath — whose term has expired. Prior to the vote, Mayor Giannattasio highlighted how these appointments have, in the past, been generally accepted unanimously by the Board of Aldermen. He shared how his involvement in the Milford community was launched by his appointment to a commission; his point being that perhaps someone could have a similar trajectory, all one needs is a chance to serve. The mayor also noted how the nominees were part of a “compromise” — and that if Averaimo was voted in, he would appoint someone the Democrats preferred for another commission. The Democrats countered that the Mayor was inviting a “quid pro quo” regarding these appointments, yet the conversation did not devolve into a long debate like the Jan. 8 meeting.
If the “compromise” is true, then one would believe that the Mayor, the Board Chair, and the majority and minority leaders agreed upon the nominees during the Leadership Meeting — meaning that both Republicans and Democrats came to the table in order to avoid publicly embarrassing Milford residents (as what happened in the last meeting). So, by their no vote, the Democrats would have reneged on that agreement. I don’t personally know Averaimo or McGrath, but I’m sure neither one wants to be at the center of this political row; no one should be. The Leadership should actually come to an agreement and stick with it to show the community both parties can work together in good faith.
Later in the evening, the Board of Aldermen considered two ordinances, one of which that banned electric vehicle (EV) chargers in underground parking lots. Representatives from the Milford Fire Department drafted the ordinance for public safety reasons, saying that one-third of EV-related fires are directly linked to the chargers; the other two-thirds are caused by accidents or malfunctioning/damaged batteries. They highlighted how rapidly EV fires spread (due to the extreme heat the cars emit) and their longevity (caused by how the fuel cells in the batteries undergo a chain reaction). Per the Fire Dept., a gas-powered car fire takes approximately 500-1,000 gallons of water, while an EV fire takes more than 20,000 gallons. Meanwhile, EV fumes are more dangerous, and would be especially so in underground garages. The Deputy Fire Chief even admitted (to a question I asked) that parking EVs in underground parking lots might be hazardous.
Two things to note on the issue:
Milford has a mandate that “any new development with more than 30 parking spaces will have to make 10 percent of those spaces EV charging capable.” So this ordinance will not ban EV parking spaces above ground.
The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) had a proposed mandate that would ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles after 2035.
The Milford Fire Dept. did draft the ordinance with DEEP’s proposed mandate in mind, but my instinct is that the Board of Aldermen — in the future — may have to readjust this language to comply with state law (if the General Assembly approves DEEP’s mandate), since more Connecticut residents will be driving EVs.
Ultimately, I voted for the ban over safety concerns. The final tally was 14-1. The other approved ordinance was concerned about fire apparatus access and water supply. The Board of Aldermen also voted to approve $17,719.55 in refunds.
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In the days since the Feb. 5 meeting, Mayor Giannattasio released his proposed budget, which you can read here.
Meanwhile, the Board of Education also passed its budget — but that still needs to be approved by the Board of Aldermen. You can look into the education budget here.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
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