Council sets hearing on dissolving WPCA

Town Council · Meeting of March 24, 2026

EAST HAMPTON — The East Hampton Town Council voted 6-0-1 to set an April 7 public hearing on dissolving the town's Water Pollution Control Authority and absorbing its powers. Town Legal Counsel Richard Carella said the council "don't serve as a WPCA until the ordinance is adopted." Members also voted 6-0 twice to schedule an April 7 town meeting on a $105,000 purchase of 292 West High Street for open space buffering, and 7-0 to award Belltown Motors a towing and repair contract. Vice Chairman Jack Solomon said of a stalled 30 Long Crossing sewer extension, "my recommendation is that we not approve at this point." More than a dozen residents, including Robert Baer, pressed the council over the firing of former Public Utilities Administrator Anthony DeSimone.

The council also approved a pension amendment 6-1 and $3,998.12 in tax refunds.

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Source: the Town Council meeting of March 24, 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

EAST HAMPTON — March 24, 2026 — The East Hampton Town Council voted 6-0-1 Tuesday to schedule an April 7 public hearing on an ordinance that would formally dissolve the town's Water Pollution Control Authority and shift its powers to the council itself.

Chairman Dean Markham presided over a meeting dominated by public anger over the recent firing of former Public Utilities Administrator Anthony DeSimone and the collapsed deal with Griffin Residuals to build a biosolids processing plant. The council also voted 6-0 twice to schedule an April 7 town meeting on a $105,000 appropriation to buy 292 West High Street for open space buffering around the town's wastewater treatment plant, and voted 7-0 to award a one-year towing, maintenance and repair contract to Belltown Motors.

The Full Story

The council's move toward dissolving the WPCA follows its March 12 special meeting, at which members voted to terminate the authority's board and return its powers to the council, the same night DeSimone's departure from the town was announced. Tuesday's 6-0-1 vote, with Council Member Karen Wanat abstaining, set a public hearing on amendments to Chapter 146 of the town code. Town Legal Counsel Richard Carella told the council it cannot yet act as the WPCA. "At the moment, you don't serve as a WPCA until the ordinance is adopted," Carella said, explaining the change would not take legal effect until roughly 20 days after an April 7 vote.

"At the moment, you don't serve as a WPCA until the ordinance is adopted." [00:46:10] — Richard Carella, town legal counsel

Council members also debated a proposed sewer extension for the 30 Long Crossing development, with Wanat recusing herself from that discussion. Vice Chairman Jack Solomon said the council should not act on the extension without a completed developer's agreement. "My recommendation is that we not approve at this point," Solomon said, adding that the developer should be invited to brief the council on his understanding of prior conversations with DeSimone.

"My recommendation is that we not approve at this point." [00:42:45] — Jack Solomon, Vice Chairman

More than a dozen residents used public comment to press the council on the DeSimone matter and the town's handling of the now-abandoned biosolids project. Robert Baer, of 108 Middletown Avenue, told the council it needed to take further disciplinary action. "We're not going away and I'm not going to have somebody that takes bribes crooked." [00:32:18] — Robert Baer, resident. Peter Pach, of 59 Middle Haddam Road, asked the council to answer a list of questions about how Griffin Residuals was selected and whether officials knew of a 2024 letter of intent, calling for "a full public post-mortem and clarification." Gregory Bajek, of 27 Salmon Run, a disabled veteran, asked the council to apply a newer state property-tax exemption retroactive to October 2024.

On the 292 West High Street purchase, the Board of Finance approved a resolution March 16 authorizing the sale using General Fund reserves; the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to conduct a second statutory 8-24 review April 1. The council voted 6-0 to set an April 7 town meeting on the purchase and 6-0 to approve the acquisition resolution, with Wanat out of the room for both votes.

In other action, the council voted 7-0 to approve three Police Department general orders covering misconduct complaints, family violence response and automatic license plate readers, as outlined by Police Chief Dennis Woessner. Members voted 6-1, with Ted Hintz Jr. opposed, to approve Amendment 2026-1 to the town's pension plan, implementing contract changes for the police union including a reduced 20-year retirement eligibility and a 1 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment beginning at age 62. The council also read a retirement proclamation for longtime Public Works chief mechanic Henry Tarryk, appointed three new members to the Arts and Culture Commission, elevated Stephen Hardenburg to full membership on the Conservation-Lake Commission, reappointed Town Manager David Cox to the Chatham Health District Board, and approved $3,998.12 in tax refunds, all by unanimous votes. The council closed the meeting by voting 7-0 to enter executive session on attorney correspondence and a potential property purchase.

Why It Matters

The council's shift toward becoming its own sewer authority will determine who controls rate-setting, development agreements and where sewer lines can extend in East Hampton, a question residents packed recent meetings to weigh in on. The April 7 public hearing and the companion town meeting on the $105,000 purchase of 292 West High Street are the next dates residents can act on directly. Continued public pressure over DeSimone's prior dealings, including the 30 Long Crossing sewer extension, could affect how quickly the new authority takes shape and what projects move forward in the meantime.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Award towing, maintenance and repair contract to Belltown Motors Tally: For: 7, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: Set April 7 public hearing on WPCA ordinance (Chapter 146 amendments) Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7 - Vote: Set April 7 town meeting on purchase of 292 West High Street Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Approve resolution for acquisition of 292 West High Street Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Approve Police Department General Orders 4.9, 5.5 and 5.30 Tally: For: 7, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: Approve Pension Amendment 2026-1 Tally: For: 6, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: Appoint three members to Arts and Culture Commission Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Appoint Stephen Hardenburg to Conservation-Lake Commission Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Reappoint David Cox to Chatham Health District Board Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve tax refunds totaling $3,998.12 Tally: For: 7, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: Enter executive session for attorney correspondence and potential property purchase Tally: For: 7, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 7

Source

Town of East Hampton Connecticut: Town Council meeting, March 24, 2026