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The What

The What: Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport Approve $1.5 Billion+ in Spending; Conversation on Traffic Safety Project in Norwalk; and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of May 18.

The What: Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport Approve $1.5 Billion+ in Spending; Conversation on Traffic Safety Project in Norwalk; and more
It's feeling like summer this week! Hope you all can enjoy a bit of the weather. (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, May 18

Happy Monday! Many communities have finalized or are finalizing their budgets, so we dove into three of the biggest ones—Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport. In addition, one of the businesses we spotlighted a few weeks ago has officially closed its doors (at least temporarily) due to ongoing development in the area. If you missed our reporting into this trend, now’s a great time to check it out.

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

Budgets for the three major cities—Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport—in Lower Fairfield County are officially set.

Ending what some officials called a “historic” budget season and one others called “a challenging year,” the cities adopted budgets that together combine for more than $1.5 billion in spending. The adopted budgets set the stage for the next year ahead—determining how much you’ll pay in taxes, what services are added or cut, and how your local government and school system run. 

Stamford adopted a $726.4 million budget, Norwalk adopted a $478.6 million budget, and Bridgeport adopted a $655 million budget.

In addition, each community received additional funding from the state after Governor Ned Lamont and lawmakers said they saw some of the challenges local municipalities were having. Stamford and Norwalk each received around $3 million in additional state funding combined for the schools and city, while Bridgeport received about $25 million from the state. 

“By closing funding gaps for our schools and municipalities, we can help communities avoid raising property taxes while keeping classrooms running and local services strong,” Governor Ned Lamont said in a statement. “Affordability is a top priority for this administration, and this investment delivers real relief where people feel it most.” 

Let’s look at each municipality’s adopted budget and what it means for residents. 

Rebel Daughter Cookies officially closed in Norwalk this past weekend. While the organization is currently looking for a new home, it’s one of many businesses that have been impacted by new development in our region. ICYMI: Check out our deep dive into this issue or watch our video spotlighting the challenges businesses have been facing. 

This Week at a Glance

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Featured Meeting: The City Council will meet on Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. and host a public hearing on a Land Development Agreement for 157 and 171 Golden Hill Street with the Douglas Allen Group for redevelopment purposes.

Stamford

Featured Meetings: The Board of Finance will meet on Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. to officially set the mill rates for the upcoming year. The Board of Representatives will host a special meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. to vote on setting an additional tax rate to provide funds for future capital projects. And the Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee will host a public hearing on the sale and future development of 41 Main Street (the former Midas site).

Norwalk

Featured Meetings: There will be a Community Conversation for the Gregory Boulevard Traffic Safety Project on Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m., where residents are invited to learn more about the proposed project, ask questions, and share feedback. The goal of the project is to update the roundabout, provide traffic calming measures, and make the roadway safer for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Wednesday, May 20 at 6 p.m. and review several applications including a request from the 314 Beer Garden to extend its operating hours and a potential adaptive reuse of the office building at 535 Connecticut Avenue. 

Fairfield

Featured Meeting: There will be a Representative Town Meeting Informational Meeting on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. where the members will review the proposed $400 million budget ahead of a vote. 

Greenwich

Featured Meeting: The Board of Estimate & Taxation will officially set the town’s mill rate at its meeting on Monday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. 

Darien

Featured Meetings: Multiple boards will review a request to increase the funding for the Noroton Heights Fire Department’s retaining wall project by $618,000. These include: the Board of Finance; the Board of Selectmen.; and the RTM Finance & Budget all on Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. 

Westport

Featured Meetings: The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Monday, May 18 at 6 p.m. and review an application for a 30-unit residential development at 455 Post Road East. On Wednesday, May 20, the Board of Education will host a community conservation on the town’s special education program at 7 p.m. 

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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