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Two months ago I was informed about an Easton Planning and Zoning ("P&Z") Special Meeting and Public Hearing that I might want to attend. Public Hearings are not the typical, run of the mill meetings, as is known by those who follow the work of town governments in Connecticut. Elected Selectmen, Boards and Commissions must follow statutes, with exceptions for local ordinances and policies.
The May 28th P&Z Special Meeting began at 6:30 pm and the Public Hearing was slated to start at 7:00 pm. The Public Hearing Agenda indicated that the Lisci property and 18 new ordinances would be discussed.
As of this date, I have not been able to locate a Public Hearing notice about the meeting, other than an announcement that was posted on May 28, 2024, at 3:24 pm, the same day as the meeting:
About a week after the meeting, I sent a note to determine why the minutes weren't posted. Later in the day, I called the P&Z office and spoke with Justin Giorlando, a hired consultant on Easton Land Use and Planning, who informed me that I could come to Town Hall to see that the minutes were posted.
I gathered my things and headed to Easton Town Hall to copy the minutes which were literally thumbtacked to the board next to Mr. Giorlando's office!
I asked Mr. Giorlando why these minutes weren't posted online, when all previous P&Z meeting minutes had been posted online. But I just got a song and dance, not a real answer.
Here are the "minutes" I found posted on the wall at Town Hall:
Why do I call on First Selectman Bindelglass for transparency?
Well, his July 5, 2024, "Friday Fireside Chat" -- think what was FDR pushing to the people -- added a point that seemed to resonate with people who had concerns over the P&Z minutes not being available online.
Bindelglass decided to get an opinion from Russell Blair, our new FOIA regional educator who unfortunately is on vacation this week.
"A few residents have raised concerns over the posting of minutes for the planning and zoning commission. Statutes regarding board and commission meetings have evolved over the past few years in response to the pandemic. Please see the email below from Russell Blair, the regional FOIA commission member:
Hi Dave, that is correct. By the law, no local board or commission is required to post its minutes online. In my experience most local boards do post minutes, but if they are not posted it would not be an FOI violation. Political subdivision of the state is the way the statute refers to towns or taxing districts, etc.
Best,
Russell Blair
Director of Education & Communications
Freedom of Information Commission
860-256-3968
[email protected]
Was Mr. Blair unaware of the part of Connecticut General Assembly Statute 1-225 which says that "not later than seven days after the date of the session to which such minutes refer, such minutes shall be available for public inspection and posted on such public agency's Internet web site"?
Notice that Planning and Zoning minutes have not been recorded since May 7, 2024, on the Eastonct.gov website.
I checked online for the Public Hearing notice but came up empty-handed. Nor did I see a public notice of the meeting posted in the Easton Courier.
It's just further evidence of gaming of the citizens of Easton, which seems to have reached new heights thanks to Bindelglass' paid consultant, Mr. Giorlando, and his gaffe of posting a hard copy of the minutes to a wall instead of posting the minutes online where they belong.
Does he also make his own decisions about whether a concern should go to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), like the messy "Sport Hill Rd - Easton Village Store, Emergency Medical Service EMS, and Lisci's house-come-cabinet shop" situation?
Where's your transparency, Dr. Bindelglass?
Please attend the Zoning Board of Appeals, ZBA meeting at 5:30 tonight, Tuesday, July 9th.
