Council votes 7-0 to table police contract

Town Council · Meeting of January 27, 2026

East Hampton's Town Council tabled a proposed police union contract 7-0 to let residents review pension and wage changes first. Town Manager David Cox said the deal, covering 12 officers, cuts the final-earnings pension calculation from 60 to 48 months, restores 20-year retirement eligibility and raises wages 3 percent annually, changes meant to fix years of recruiting shortfalls. "We still save well over $30,000 on that one move," Cox said of hiring already-certified officers.

The council separately voted 6-1, with Ted Hintz Jr. opposed, to amend town by-laws and to reclassify the fire chief's vehicle for broader personal use. The Senior Center and Services Task Force, presented by Vice Chair Kim Crabbe, recommended adding a full-time staff position, saying, "We need it." The council also approved $600.89 in tax refunds.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,050 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of January 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

EAST HAMPTON — January 27, 2026 — The East Hampton Town Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to table a proposed police union contract, delaying action on pension and wage changes so residents can review the agreement before a final vote.

Chairman Dean Markham presided over the meeting, where Town Manager David Cox outlined the three-year contract with the police union. The council also voted 6-1 to approve updated town council by-laws and 6-1 to reclassify the fire chief's take-home vehicle for broader personal use, with Council Member Ted Hintz, Jr. opposed on both. Separately, the council heard the year-end report of the Senior Center and Services Task Force, which recommended hiring an additional full-time staff member at the Senior Center.

The Full Story

Town Manager David Cox told the council the proposed agreement with the police union, whose current contract expires June 30, 2026, is meant to address years of staffing shortages in the 12-officer department. The contract lowers the final-earnings calculation used for pensions from 60 consecutive months to 48, returns retirement eligibility to 20 years of service, adds a 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment beginning at age 62, and raises wages 3 percent annually. In exchange, officers would pay 2 percent more of their salary toward pensions and, in year three, pay 15 percent of their health insurance premium, up from 14.5 percent. Cox said allowing the chief to hire already-certified officers at higher starting pay, rather than paying nine months of academy and field-training costs for a new recruit, would save the town money.

"If we can hire one individual who is a fully certified police officer, even if we pay them at the top of the range, we still save well over $30,000 on that one move." [00:47:19] — Town Manager David Cox

A motion by Council Member Joelyn Leon, seconded by Vice Chairman Jack Solomon, to approve the contract did not come to a vote. Council members then voted 7-0 on a motion by Solomon, seconded by Council Member Karen Wanat, to table the matter so residents could see the proposed changes before a final vote at the council's February 10 meeting.

Kim Crabbe, vice chair of the Senior Center and Services Task Force, presented the task force's final report, which found the center's single full-time director oversees a caseload of more than 25 at-risk residents while also serving as the town's municipal agent. The report recommended adding a full-time staff position, reconfiguring the task force for a new phase of work, and hiring a consultant by September 2026 to study staffing, parking and space needs. Several residents, including Senior Center Director Holly Marrero and members Lynn Wilkes and Mary Bentley, urged the council to fund the new position.

"How many times can I say how much we need it? We need it." [00:30:25] — Kim Crabbe, Vice Chair of the Senior Center and Services Task Force

Council Member Leon presented proposed updates to the town council by-laws, the first comprehensive review since 2020. Debate centered on how the council handles emailed public comments versus recorded video comments, and on a provision letting the council chairperson, in consultation with the town manager, decide when to seek a legal opinion from the town attorney. Hintz argued the chair should not have more authority than any other member.

"The chair does not hold any more power than any one of the other seven members." [01:07:00] — Council Member Ted Hintz, Jr.

The council voted 6-1, with Hintz opposed, to adopt the by-laws after striking language that gave the chairperson sole discretion on legal consultations, leaving that decision to the town manager alone, subject to council override.

Later, Cox asked the council to move the fire chief's vehicle from Use Category 2 to Use Category 3, allowing broader personal use so the chief can respond to emergencies without first returning home. The Fire Commission recommended the change in December. The fire chief, identified in the meeting only as Rob, said he already uses the vehicle for trainings and events and wants a pickup truck to keep contaminated gear separate from his family.

"My wife does go in the car. So just like all my firefighters, I would like a cancer-free household. I want to protect my family and myself." [02:06:16] — Fire Chief Rob

Hintz voted against the change, citing unresolved questions about whether the personal use could trigger IRS reporting requirements since the chief is a volunteer, not a salaried employee. The council approved the change 6-1. In other business, the council unanimously approved a trademark sublicense agreement allowing the town to use official America 250 branding for 250th-anniversary events, approved $600.89 in tax refunds, and received an informational update on the 2025 grand list showing residential values rose an average of 53 percent, with no action taken.

Why It Matters

The tabled police contract means residents get a two-week window to review pension and wage changes before the council's next vote, though Cox said the delay will not push back the contract's effective date, which is tied to a separate pension-plan amendment the council expects to take up within weeks. The agreement is aimed at fixing a shortage that has left the department down four officers for roughly two and a half years.

Separately, the Senior Center task force's finding that one full-time director manages a caseload of more than 25 at-risk residents sets up a budget-season debate over funding a second staff position, a cost task force members said is small relative to the center's less-than-half-of-1-percent share of the town budget.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Adoption of the meeting agenda Tally: For: 7, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: Approval of January 13, 2026 minutes Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 7 - Action: Police Union Contract — Tabled to February 10, 2026, meeting - Vote: Town Council By-Laws amendments Tally: For: 6, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: Fire Chief vehicle reclassified to Use Category 3 Tally: For: 6, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 7 - Vote: America 250 trademark sublicense agreement Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Tax refunds totaling $600.89 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjournment Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town of East Hampton Connecticut: Town Council meeting, January 27, 2026