Council Pushes WPCA Hearing to Nov. 24

Town Council · Meeting of October 27, 2026

East Hampton Town Council rewrote sewer authority oversight rules and reset its public hearing to Nov. 24. Council Member Richard Knotek pushed for language clarifying the Water Pollution Control Authority "serves the users of the sewer system," while Ted Hintz Jr. argued proposed spending thresholds as low as $25,000 would "handcuff" the authority given its multimillion-dollar budget. Members settled on raising thresholds to $50,000 for professional services and $100,000 for unbudgeted capital projects.

The council also voted to shift $200,000 of a $361,000 year-end surplus, $100,000 to road capital and $100,000 to a newly created Transfer Station Operating Fund, which Hintz said would cut through "a lot of misinformation" about transfer station costs. Members separately endorsed the town's 2026 Plan of Conservation and Development on a vote with one dissent, approved an $82,000 EPA-funded brownfields contract increase, and created a shared Director of Human Resources position with the Board of Education.

In the full story:

• Minutes Approval and Record-Keeping Procedure
• Clean Energy Task Force and Sustainability Committee Update
• Conservation Lake Commission Update
• WPCA Ordinance Amendment and Public Hearing
• Plan of Conservation and Development Endorsement
• End-of-Year Budget Transfers and Transfer Station Fund
• Board of Education Funding Letter
• VHB Contract Amendment for Brownfields Assessment
• Director of Human Resources Position
• Town Manager's Report, Appointments, Tax Refunds and Public Remarks
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,648 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of October 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.

The Full Article

Minutes Approval and Record-Keeping Procedure

Before taking up substantive business, the council spent about seven minutes debating how it documents revisions to its own meeting minutes. Member Karen Wanat said corrections approved at a prior meeting, intended to identify which council member made which statement in the minutes of an October 22 meeting, had not been incorporated into the originally posted minutes but instead filed as a separate "revised" version, leaving two documents in circulation. "That's not what we were told last month. We were told that all the corrections were in," she said. Town Manager Dave explained that going forward, revised minutes will be filed with a notation referencing the original meeting date rather than requiring readers to cross-reference a later meeting's motion. The council approved the October 13 minutes and agreed informally to adopt that notation practice without taking a separate vote on the procedure itself.

Clean Energy Task Force and Sustainability Committee Update

Russ Kaplan, chair of the Clean Energy Task Force, told the council the town achieved a Sustainable CT Bronze certification effective through the end of 2029, to be recognized at a November 10 award ceremony at the Wadsworth in Hartford. The town's application earned 290 points across 20 actions in 13 categories, 90 points above the 200-point minimum threshold, drawing on work documented by the Brownfields Redevelopment Agency, the Conservation Lake Commission, the library and other town bodies. Kaplan said the task force is now considering a run at Silver certification, which requires 500 points, and a separate "Climate Leader" designation. Kaplan also announced he is stepping down as chair at the end of 2026, with David Price, who leads the task force's sustainability subcommittee, taking over January 1, 2027.

Price delivered updates on two initiatives. The HeatSmart program, aimed at reducing residents' energy bills through home energy assessments, was supported this year by a roughly $14,000 Community Partnership Initiative grant and produced two mailings, in November 2025 and October 2026, plus four public events including a Senior Center presentation and a collaboration with the Interreligious Ecojustice Network and the Congregational Church of East Hampton. Price said 33 residents signed up for assessments in the eight days after the October mailing, on top of more than 100 earlier signups, and credited partnerships with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments and the towns of Chester, Deep River and Portland for securing the grant.

On electric-vehicle charging, Price said the town secured two locations and four free chargers, out of only 60 available statewide, through a Public Utilities Regulatory Authority pilot program with vendor Volt Post, identified through the EV Club of Connecticut. He reported that the two chargers in the village center had come online that day, the final piece of an effort the council authorized by resolution in September 2025. A council member asked whether the task force had coordinated with East Hampton's counterpart in neighboring East Haddam; Price said the two groups talk frequently and attend each other's events but have not yet coordinated joint activities.

Conservation Lake Commission Update

Jay Hartling, chair of the Conservation Lake Commission, and Vice Chair Chuck Yanker presented an end-of-season report on Lake Pocotopaug. Hartling said the commission documented a successful nesting pair of eagles at the lake this year, one of only about 55 such pairs statewide, but also recorded a cyanobacteria bloom that began in mid-to-late August, earlier than the typical late-September pattern, and led the Health Department to close the Sears Park Swim Area.

Hartling attributed the bloom to a combination of warm water, available nutrients and intense, short-duration rainstorms that increased runoff rather than soaking into the ground, while cautioning the commission does not believe storms alone caused the decline. He said no hydrilla was found in the lake this season, though a planned follow-up treatment did not occur, leaving the invasive species status "unknown." He also noted the lake's longtime treatment vendor, Everblue Lakes, has gone out of business; commission member Bob Hart is drafting a new vendor RFP this winter.

"Aeration is essentially, at this point, life support for Lake Pocotopaug."Jay Hartling, chair, Conservation Lake Commission 00:28:38

Hartling said the lake itself covers about 550 acres while its watershed covers roughly 2,300 acres, meaning land far from the shoreline drains into and affects the lake. He said the commission's current watershed management plan dates to 2009 and needs updating to guide priorities and support grant applications, a request he said the council should expect to discuss further in the future. The council asked no follow-up questions and took no vote on the report.

WPCA Ordinance Amendment and Public Hearing

Background: The council had previously met in a special session to rework the town's Water Pollution Control Authority ordinance, producing a draft with substantially expanded financial-reporting and spending-threshold requirements for the WPCA. Tuesday's meeting was the first opportunity for the full council, including Council Member Richard Knotek, who had missed the earlier session, to review the revised draft before setting a public hearing.

The question before the council: Whether to accept further amendments to the draft ordinance and formally advance it to a public hearing required before adoption.

Knotek proposed two categories of changes. First, he wanted explicit language stating the WPCA's "primary" obligation is to sewer-system users rather than the town, arguing residents reading the ordinance might otherwise assume the authority answers to the council. Town Manager Dave and other members agreed with the underlying point but debated where such language belonged without contradicting the Connecticut General Statutes sections, 102 and 103, that the ordinance already references. Member Ted Hintz, Jr. said he was "okay with that as long as it doesn't change the meaning or part of the statute," and the council directed the town manager to work the language into the ordinance's opening section.

Second, Knotek argued that dollar thresholds in the draft, which would require WPCA officials to seek council approval before certain expenditures, were set too low given the authority's multimillion-dollar operations and the likely effects of inflation over the ordinance's expected five-to-fifteen-year lifespan. "I'm trying to prevent a WPCA from every time it wants to make a move that might cost, you know, that amount of money, to have to come back every time," Knotek said. Hintz, who said he had previously served on the WPCA, agreed the figures could be "a bit constraining" but said the town manager had found the original numbers, developed during the earlier special session, reasonable based on prior spending patterns.

After line-by-line negotiation, the council raised the threshold for "professional services" contracts from $25,000 to $50,000; set a $100,000 trigger, up from an initial $50,000 proposal, for capital projects not already in an approved capital plan; set a $75,000 threshold for installment financing and lease-purchase agreements for equipment, while clarifying the council must still approve any borrowing that requires a town guarantee; and kept a $25,000 threshold for legal settlements, matching the town's insurance deductible. The council also softened language requiring WPCA officials to appear before the council on request from "shall appear" to "may be asked to appear," and changed quarterly financial reporting to semiannual reporting. It removed the words "may reject" from a sentence describing the council's authority over the WPCA's budget, after members noted the WPCA retains final statutory approval authority regardless of council comments, similar to the Board of Finance's role.

Outcome: The council voted unanimously to approve the amended ordinance and send it to a public hearing, initially set for the council's November 10 meeting. Member Karen Wanat then asked whether the date might conflict with another matter and whether residents would be available the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. After brief discussion, the council voted unanimously to reconsider and reschedule the public hearing to November 24, 2026.

Implications: The revised thresholds and reporting requirements, once adopted after the November 24 hearing, will govern how independently the WPCA can spend money and how often it must report to the council going forward, a framework members said has essentially not existed in the current ordinance.

Plan of Conservation and Development Endorsement

Town Manager Dave told the council the Planning and Zoning Commission, not the Town Council, holds final statutory authority over the 2026 Plan of Conservation and Development, and that the council's role at this stage is limited to an optional endorsement or comment before the plan proceeds to a Planning and Zoning Commission review and public hearing.

Vice Chair Jack Solomon moved to endorse the plan, calling it "very professionally done" and praising the team that produced it. Member Karen Wanat objected that the Planning and Zoning Commission itself had not yet substantively discussed the plan as a board, saying she understood it had only appeared on that commission's agenda in July or August. A staff member identified in the discussion as Julie, addressing the council, said the Planning and Zoning Commission had taken the plan's goals section home for review and was waiting to hear the council's and the public's comments before its own discussion. Member Ted Hintz, Jr. and others noted the sewer-service map included in the plan reflects a 2006 map update with one small area of expansion, and that the plan does not propose major sewer expansion. The motion to endorse passed with one dissenting vote. A council member asked that the minutes note a person identified as Joellen had separately submitted approval of the plan in writing, though it was noted this individual does not have a vote on the council.

End-of-Year Budget Transfers and Transfer Station Fund

Finance Director Jeff Joka presented three year-end items ahead of the town's fiscal-year audit close. First, the council voted unanimously to close out $139,825 in transfers needed to zero out departments that ran deficits during the fiscal year, and authorized Joka to make further adjustments up to $5,000 as the audit is finalized, reporting back to the Finance Committee rather than calling a special meeting.

Second, Joka said the town ended the year with net income of about $361,000, and the Board of Finance recommended returning $100,000 to road capital projects and directing $100,000 to the transfer station, leaving roughly $161,000 added to the town's fund balance. Member Karen Wanat questioned whether singling out the transfer station for separate fund accounting, as opposed to other revenue-generating departments like the police department or land records, set an inconsistent precedent. Joka and Town Manager Dave said the transfer station's more business-like, fee-supported operation made it a reasonable candidate, and that showing its net cost, rather than only gross revenue and expense figures buried in the general fund, would respond to public confusion.

"There's been a lot of discussion about the transfer station in the public, in social media, a lot of misinformation, that sort of thing. For no other reason, I think it would be a good move because it would be crisp."Council Member Ted Hintz, Jr. 01:45:11

The council voted unanimously to approve the $200,000 transfer and separately voted unanimously to adopt a resolution creating a Transfer Station Operating Fund.

Board of Education Funding Letter

The council considered a joint letter to state lawmakers on education funding, drafted by a Board of Education member identified as Matt and endorsed the prior week by the Board of Finance. Town Manager Dave said the intent is to send the letter after the November election results are known, signed by representatives of the Board of Education, Board of Finance and Town Council. Council Chair Dean Markham is expected to sign on the council's behalf. Members debated a single word choice, "persisting" versus "persistent," before voting unanimously to endorse the letter as revised.

VHB Contract Amendment for Brownfields Assessment

Town Manager Dave presented a sixth amendment to the town's environmental consulting contract with VHB Inc., covering testing and monitoring of a significant environmental hazard identified during assessment work funded by a $500,000 EPA grant covering four village-center properties, including sites at Walnut, Watrous and Summit streets. The $82,000 increase is covered entirely by the EPA grant. The council voted unanimously to approve the amendment.

Director of Human Resources Position

Town Manager Dave presented a new job description creating a shared Director of Human Resources position, to be split between the town's general government and the Board of Education, alongside a second generalist position also shared between the two sides. The employee currently serving as the Board of Education's HR staffer would move into the new director role. Dave said the change is funded within existing budgeted positions on both sides and aims to create consistent HR processes and "bench strength" across the organization. After some confusion over one member's recorded vote, which was clarified as a yes, the council approved the position unanimously.

Town Manager's Report, Appointments, Tax Refunds and Public Remarks

Town Manager Dave's written report covered ongoing early voting and absentee balloting, Recreation Department and Senior Center activity, and Public Works progress on driveway paving in the Abbey Road and Cone Road area. He also described ongoing work to renegotiate the town's agreement covering a Crown Castle-owned cellular monopole at the Public Works facility, saying the town is working with a consultant to pursue direct agreements with three cellular carriers that could increase revenue compared with the current arrangement, originally negotiated roughly 20 years ago.

The council voted unanimously to appoint Kevin Reed, recommended by the Republican Town Committee, as an alternate to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term ending November 30, 2029. The council also voted unanimously to approve $1,153.08 in tax refunds to four taxpayers. During public remarks, resident Rick Wanat of 35 Long Crossing Road thanked the police department, Public Works and the library for a well-organized drug take-back event held that evening.

WHO WAS THERE

• Dean Markham, Chair, Town Council
• Jack Solomon, Vice Chair, Town Council
• Tim Feegel, Member, Town Council
• Ted Hintz, Jr., Member, Town Council
• Richard Knotek, Member, Town Council
• Joelyn Leon, Member, Town Council
• Karen Wanat, Member, Town Council
• Cathy Sirois, Executive Assistant to the Town Council
• Town Manager Dave (surname not given in available sources)
• Jeff Joka, Finance Director, presented year-end budget transfer items
• Russ Kaplan, Chair, Clean Energy Task Force, presented sustainability update
• David Price, Chair, Sustainability Subcommittee and incoming Clean Energy Task Force chair, presented HeatSmart and EV charging updates
• Jay Hartling, Chair, Conservation Lake Commission, presented lake update
• Chuck Yanker, Vice Chair, Conservation Lake Commission, attended presentation
• A staff member identified as Julie, addressed Planning and Zoning Commission review status for the POCD
• Kevin Reed, appointed as ZBA alternate; not present as a speaker
• Rick Wanat, resident of 35 Long Crossing Road, public comment

ORGANIZATIONS AND DOCUMENTS REFERENCED

• Sustainable CT: statewide certification program; East Hampton achieved Bronze certification discussed in item 5
• Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments: regional partner in the HeatSmart grant program
• Volt Post: vendor for the EV charger pilot program referenced in the Clean Energy Task Force update
• Everblue Lakes: former lake treatment vendor, now out of business, discussed in the Conservation Lake Commission update
• Republican Town Committee: recommended Kevin Reed's appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals
• VHB Inc.: environmental consultant whose contract amendment No. 6 was approved for brownfields assessment work
• Planning and Zoning Commission: holds final statutory authority over the Plan of Conservation and Development, discussed in that item
• Board of Finance: recommended the $200,000 year-end transfer allocation and endorsed the Board of Education funding letter
• Board of Education: co-signatory on the proposed letter to state lawmakers and partner in the new shared Human Resources Director position
• Connecticut General Statutes, Sections 102 and 103: cited repeatedly as the statutory basis for WPCA authority discussed in the ordinance amendment item
• 2026 Plan of Conservation and Development: document under council endorsement discussion in item 8