Salisbury joins trash authority, reviews finances at town meeting

SALISBURY — At the annual town meeting Wednesday, Feb. 11, voters in Salisbury approved an ordinance allowing the town to join the fledgling Northwest Regional Recovery Authority.

The authority was founded by the City of Torrington in 2025 in an effort to maintain a public municipal solid waste solution in northwest Connecticut. Towns have until June 30, 2027, to secure hauling contracts following the 2022 closure of the trash-to-energy plant in Hartford.

The Northwest Hills Council of Governments, representing 21 towns, is helping to organize the initiative. Salisbury joined Torrington and Goshen in the authority, with many other municipalities planning to vote on the ordinance in the near future.

The immediate goal of the authority is to take over operations at the Torrington Transfer Station.

Voters also approved receipt of the audited financial statement for fiscal year 2025. Board of Finance chair Pari Forood said the town remains “in a very healthy financial position,” with total assets and deferred outflows of $53 million and total liabilities of $9 million, leaving net assets of $44 million.

At the end of FY25, the general fund balance was $6.68 million, with $4.03 million reserved. The remaining $2.65 million is unreserved and represents 13% of the town’s annual operating budget.

Forood noted that the state Office of Policy and Management recommends that towns maintain between 10% and 15% of their general fund in surplus for emergencies.

Forood said that state law limits the amount of general obligation debt a government entity may issue to seven times the total tax collections for the prior year.

The voters approved the receipt of the town report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The report provides department updates and municipal data.

The report is dedicated to Jean McMillen, the town’s official historian from 2014 to 2024. (For info on the town report, see Town report highlights active year for municipal services in Salisbury.)

First Selectman Curtis Rand thanked McMillen for her service as historian and in numerous other roles, including her work on overseeing the town’s cemeteries and the extensive oral history project, which now has some 430 interviews in text and audio formats.

And the voters approved an ordinance granting a limited real property tax exemption for residents who are veterans and have a service-related total disability that prevents employment. Rand said the ordinance applies to two individuals in town and was included at the request of assessor Kayla Johnson.

There were 23 electors present at Town Hall. The vote of those present was unanimous on all four agenda items.

There were a handful of voters online, but the information on how they voted was not available at press time.

Mark Capecelatro was the moderator. He thanked everyone for coming.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport.”