Author: Sue Frisch

An information session to explain the details of why the existing 50-year-old fire house needs to be replaced has been set for Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 p.m. at Botelle School. The meeting will also cover what’s included in the new firehouse and how much it will cost.

Members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, the architect, First Selectman Matt Riiska and representatives from the fire house building committee will all be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

A vote to approve the fire house, including the plan for funding it, will take place in conjunction with the annual Town Meeting in May.

An information booklet about the new fire house is going out in the mail to everyone in town.To get the latest updates online, visit the town website at norfolkct.org and click on “New Fire House Updates” at the top of the home page.

—Webmaster

A Zoom information session on how to apply to become a homeowner of one of nine homes currently in process as part of the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program will be held on April 10 at 7:30 p.m. Homes are being built in Cornwall, Norfolk and Washington, Conn. The first two new three-bedroom homes will be for sale on Perry Street in Lakeville. Click HERE to register for the Zoom meeting.

Click HERE to read more about the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program.

—Webmaster

Talented writer/reporter wanted to report, write and produce a weekly town newsletter for the town of Norfolk, Connecticut.  Freelance position.

The mission of the Norfolk, Conn., weekly newsletter is to keep the citizens of the community well informed about significant events, the workings of town government, and any larger issues that town citizens may wish to follow.

Job Description

The Newsletter Editor is responsible for identifying relevant news items, attending and reporting on occasional town meetings and events, and writing succinct, accurate descriptions for the weekly newsletter and the town website, norfolkct.org.  The Editor also produces the newsletter by adding the week’s content to the website and sending it every Friday to subscribers (currently 550) via MailChimp.

The average newsletter contains a mix of about 10 articles along these lines:
3 to 4 event descriptions (selected from those written by the Events Editor)
3 to 4 community news articles 
1 or 2 occasional reported pieces in the series “How Our Town Works”
A list of the forthcoming week’s municipal meetings
A photograph may accompany one or more of the issue’s articles

The Newsletter Editor works with the town Website Committee to set strategy for the newsletter.  The newsletter is the communication of the town’s official website and, as such, articles must be unbiased, without identifying any one point of view; accuracy is vital.

Requirements:

Excellent writing skills
Demonstrated interest in investigative journalism, reporting
Attention to detail, copy editing skills
Reliable; able to meet deadlines consistently

The following are a plus:

Norfolk resident, familiar with Town Hall
Previous experience with WordPress and/or Mail Chimp
Ability to take photos to illustrate news stories

The Position:

This is a freelance position, requiring approximately 10 hours per week of time.  Compensation is a  monthly fee; the amount depends on skills and experience.

Interested?  If you’d like to see samples of past newsletters, please contact the webmaster here.  To apply for the position, please email cover letter, resume and writing samples to the same address.

—Webmaster

The state Department of Transportation has released minutes for its 8/6/24 virtual public information meeting about the permanent replacement for the Smith Road bridge. Click here to read or download them.

— Webmaster

Congratulations to Assistant Town Clerk Deborah Nelson, who just passed her exam to become a Certified Connecticut Town Clerk. Nelson has been assisting Norfolk Town Clerk Linda Perkins while taking the required courses.

—Webmaster

The pet parade scheduled for tonight (Friday, 8/14) has been postponed due to bad weather. Watch for a new time to be announced.

After answering a handful of questions, the Board of Finance approved the $9.1 million town budget proposed for the 2024/25 fiscal year. There will be a Town Meeting at Botelle School on Monday, May 13, at 7:00 p.m., for townspeople to vote on whether or not to accept the budget. A special meeting of the Board of Finance, to set the mill rate, will follow immediately.

Susan MacEachron

The Board of Finance approved a 2.5 percent increase in the mill rate for the fiscal year 2024/2025 budget at its special meeting on April 23, a move expected to bring in $8,016,209 in property taxes. To keep the tax increase below 3 percent, the significant increases in the education components of the budget were partially offset by a larger than usual infusion from the town’s positive balance fund balance, no allocation of funds to the capital reserve and a projected savings of about $135,000 from retiring the defined benefit plan. Norfolk residents are urged to attend the final budget hearing Tuesday April 30 at Botelle School at 7:00 p.m. before voting on it at the town meeting to be held May 13.

The total cost to run the town will exceed $9 million in the next fiscal year, a significant increase over prior years due to education expense at Botelle School and Northwestern Regional School Number 7. Generally, about 50 percent of the town’s budget is devoted to education and 50 percent to town government and the public works department. In the upcoming year education expense will account for 53 percent of the total budget. The education budget is $4,795,573, which is a $572,380 increase. Botelle’s budget was impacted by the need to send a special education student to a private school at a cost of $185,000.  

Norfolk’s budget allocation for Regional School Number 7 increased by 19 percent due to the increase from 69 to 75 Norfolk students, as compared to a decrease in numbers from Colebrook, New Hartford and Barkhamsted. The cost sharing among the four towns fluctuates from year to year based upon the student population from each town.

A more detailed article on the budget will appear in the May issue of Norfolk Now.

—By Susan MacEachron