The What

The What: This Week in Southwest Connecticut

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of March 20.

Hope you have a great week! Photo by Kelly Prinz

Monday, March 20

Happy Monday!

This week, we’re diving deep into the Fairfield County Community Wellbeing Index 2023, from CT DataHaven, which aims to help measure the quality of life in the county, which “has been marked by some of the sharpest disparities in the country in terms of the well-being of its population.”

Highlights from the report’s findings include:

Overall, residents of Fairfield County have a higher quality of life than many across the state and country, but disparities exist based primarily on location, race, and income level. For example, the report’s community index (which includes data points on housing, education, economics, and more) was 881 for Greenwich, 707 for Stamford, 996 for Darien, 740 for Norwalk, 983 for Westport, and 952 for Fairfield.
The county is one of the fastest growing in Connecticut, particularly due to growth in Stamford. However, with housing prices and rents rising dramatically, finding affordable housing is a challenge for many families.
The report found that “Fairfield County now has the second-highest income inequality among all metropolitan areas in the country,” with the median income in the county’s six wealthiest communities (which include Darien and Westport) up 60% since 1980, while Bridgeport saw its median income only increase by 9%.
Achievement in schools is also very varied by race, school district, and if the student is in special education or a multilingual learner. For example, 85% of Westport students scored a passing rate on their English Language Arts Grade 3 test, compared to 71% of Fairfield and Greenwich students, 38% of Stamford students, and 34% of Norwalk students.
Health disparities exist across the region, often by race and location, particularly when it comes to environmental impacts. For example, “between 2018 and 2021, 3 percent of children in Bridgeport tested positive for elevated blood lead levels, compared to about 1 percent in Stamford and just one quarter of 1 percent in Greenwich.”

Check out our full story on the report.

Many communities are also in the heart of budget season, with important public hearings taking place this week in Norwalk and Fairfield. Check out our budget coverage so you know what’s happening in your community.

Let’s see what’s going on around the region.

Stamford

There will be multiple public budget presentations this week including:

Monday, March 20 at 7 p.m.: Board of Finance Budget Meeting featuring school district officials
Tuesday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. Fiscal Committee Budget Presentations
Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m.: Board of Finance Budget Meeting.
Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m.: Joint Board of Finance/Fiscal Committee Budget Meeting featuring the fire and police departments

Learn more about Stamford’s budget proposal and how you can participate in the process.

Also this week, the Board of Representatives is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, March 22 at 8 p.m. to discuss and vote on a resolution “against white supremacy, bigotry, and racism” after white supremacist literature was placed on residents’ driveways in the Pepper Ridge-Springdale area of Stamford last week.

Other meeting this week include:

Monday, March 20: WPCA Board at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 21: Harbor Management and Shellfish Commission at 6:30 p.m. | Board of Education Fiscal & Operations Committee at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 22: Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee at 7 p.m. | State and Commerce Committee at 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 23: Public Safety and Health Committee at 6:30 p.m.

Norwalk

On Wednesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m., the Board of Estimate and Taxation is hosting a public hearing on the proposed budget, which is your chance to weigh in. Take a look at Norwalk’s budget proposal ahead of time to be prepared. Ahead of the public hearing, on Monday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m., there will be a Board of Estimate & Taxation Budget Review which will allow for any discussion on open items.

Also on Wednesday, March 22, starting at 6 p.m., the Planning and Zoning Commission is continuing its public hearing on plans for 1 Cemetery Street. The proposal calls for a 77-unit mixed-use development within two (2) buildings, 98 parking spaces and other on-site and off-site improvements. We’ve been covering this story with NancyonNorwalk, where the vast majority of residents have spoken out against the proposal. Check out the previous coverage on round 1 and round 2 of the public hearing.