Goshen Board of Selectmen Meetings
2/17/26, 5 PM
Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, and Selectmen Scott Olson and Dexter Kinsella
Following the approval of both the minutes from the prior meeting and the payroll and warrants for the week, the First Selectman updated the community about the addition of office staff in the coming weeks: “We’ve been working with Barb (Breor) and the tax collector, and are excited to announce some new hires — that’s good news.” Breakell then congratulated the Wamogo (Lakeview) Ag Department for the grant it recently received for $622,000, saying “great job getting that money.”
The Selectman’s Report was followed by a short budget review where Breakell ran down a list of impacts to the budget. He stated that the fiscal office budget increased by $4,500 due to accountant fees and computer supplies. Additionally, the budget for professional services, which includes engineering and town attorneys, increased by $5,000 — this takes into consideration catching up for late payments on some of the town’s legal fees. The final increase was in the town clerk’s department for $4,400 due to election printing costs, which are state mandates. Breakell said, “we didn’t have a choice in the matter.” The Board also needed to make an adjustment in the Assistant Town Clerk’s wages, as that is a position being brought back to town hall.
Next on the docket was a revisit to the lake and weed discussion. Breakell said “it’s been a few weeks and we are all in concurrence, as well as the [Board of Finance], that the lakes are one of our biggest assets.” The BOS went back and looked at the budget against other constraints, and they were able to make a small adjustment from $10,000 per lake to $12,000. “It’s a reasonable compromise” based on discussions and needs of the town at this time.
In new business, it was mentioned that there’s been trouble getting commission clerks, so Breakell has rearranged their rates for meetings from an hourly rate to a flat rate of $80. That is inclusive of minute taking and clerical needs for each meeting. This calculation will save money in the long run and makes more sense for the scope of the job when it comes to minute taking for meetings.
There needs to be a new appointment to the former Region 6 Pension Board of Trustees — Breakell nominated Paul Collins from the Board of Finance, and it was passed unanimously.
In other financial news, the Region 20 Board of Education has decided to create an ad-hoc finance committee to include one member from each town to sit in, listen to, and advise on budget discussions. They will not have voting powers. Bob Valentine will represent Goshen on that committee. The first meeting of the ad-hoc committee will be at the end of March.
During public comment, Simon Ellis, who is the treasurer of Friends of West Side Pond, thanked the BOS for the increase in the lake grant. He said, “We wanted the full $15,000 and would ask as the budget comes around next year to increase it accordingly. Especially since the grant has remained the same for the last 10 years.” Breakell noted the request, and supported additional increases in the coming years and will work on it going forward. The other Selectmen are supportive of increasing the investment in lakes in the future. Olson reminded Ellis that the BOF makes the final decision on the increase being approved.
Patrick Flynn also thanked the BOS for their support and consideration, and reiterated how important it is to have the support of town leadership to protect and preserve the town lakes.
The meeting adjourned at 5:18 p.m.
2/24/26, 5 PM
Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, and Selectmen Scott Olson and Dexter Kinsella
Following approvals of the Feb. 17 minutes, along with payroll and warrants, the Selectman’s Report was brief. Breakell mentioned that the most recent snow storm was a doozy and said “thank you to Public Works for the great job with the roads.” He then announced that the Selectman’s Aid and Zoning Enforcement Officer positions have both been filled, along with a replacement for the Assistant Town Clerk and Tax Clerk. All new hires will be starting in March, and they are now fully staffed at town hall.
There was only one budget item to review, as the Board of Finance has turned in its budget. Breakell said the budget “basically stayed flat, as there was a $600 increase due to the audit contract and printing of the annual report.”
Breakell then brought up the Ethics Drafting Committee review that was submitted a few weeks ago. The BOS had asked the Committee to go back and review its proposal one more time. Upon completing a final review, the Committee submitted its proposal without changes. The BOS will now review the proposal, make recommendations, and send them to the town council to review it.
The meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
3/3/26, 5 PM
Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, and Selectmen Scott Olson and Dexter Kinsella
The meeting began with approvals of the Feb. 24 minutes, as well as the payroll and warrants. Breakell then updated the community that two of the hires are officially on board. Alyssa Fabbri is the new Selectman’s Aid and Marissa Wright is the Land Use Enforcement person for Inland Wetlands and Planning and Zoning. Michelle Pannullo will be the Assistant Town Clerk and Tax Collector’s Clerk — she was slated to start on March 9.
In the budget review, Breakell shared updates that the Conservation of Health Department line item increased $1,500 due to the volume of 911 calls. He also stated that the town newsletter decreased by $5,300, and is intending to make changes and updates to Town Topics, as well as the town website.
Additional updates included an increase of $1,200 to the Board of Assessors for computer support, a decrease of $53 to the Conservation Commission and Economic Development Commission, and the Tax Collector expenses increased by $1,730 for computer support and required continued education. Finally, capital expenditures for the Tax Assessor are $15,000 to go against the next 10-year evaluation.
The BOS then gave an update on the mowing bid for the Recreation Department. The town received two bids for the mowing: one from All American Lawn Care and the other from Knox Property Services. The bids were comparable in pricing: $300 for mowing and $100 to $125 for rink mowing. The recommendation from the Recreation Department is to award the bid to Knox Property Services, to which the BOS agreed.
Breakell then added an item to the agenda to discuss the road evaluation system. He said that Public Works has performed the initial inspections and forwarded its findings to engineer Hayley Ward. Ward issued a bid not to exceed $12,000 on an annual basis to evaluate the roads. The BOS voted to move the $12,000 to the proper account in order to pay for that expense.
During public comment, Cindy Barrett reminded the community that appliance, scrap metal, and tire pick up is the first Friday of every month. If you have anything for pick up, you can call USA hauling to schedule a pick-up time.
The meeting adjourned at 5:17 p.m.
3/10/26, 5 PM
Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, and Selectmen Scott Olson and Dexter Kinsella
The BOS meeting began with the unanimous approvals of the March 3 meeting minutes, as well as payroll and warrants.
Breakell then discussed upcoming events happening in town. He let the community know that Goshen Community Care would be hosting a free community dinner on March 25 at Parish Hall, located at 5 Old Middle Road. Community Care will also be hosting grief support group sessions. The sessions will be held on seven consecutive Mondays, beginning April 6 running through May 18. The next update was that the Fire Company would be hosting two CPR classes on Thursday, March 19, and Saturday, April 4. The courses are free and $30 suggested donations are encouraged. Information for these events can be found on the Goshen Community Care (goshencommunitycare.org) and Goshen Fire Company (goshenctfire.com) websites.
In the budget review, Breakell mentioned the line items that would be impacting the budget, starting with street lights, noting that the budget stays the same as last year at $14,000. The Water Pollution Control Authority increased by $223 for clerical wages. The Treasurer line item decreased by $300 from postage. The Fire Marshal increased by $50 for a new batch of burn permits to be printed. Land Use Enforcement increased by $10,000 for renewal of the ZEO contract.
During public comment, Audrey Blondin made another request for the Zoom link for the Board of Assessment Appeals link. Breakell promised to send it so she can attend virtually.
The meeting adjourned at 5:07 p.m.
3/17/26, 5 PM
Present: First Selectman Seth Breakell, and Selectmen Scott Olson and Dexter Kinsella
The meeting began with the approval of the March 10 minutes, and payroll and warrants. Breakell then began by congratulating the Lakeview High School girls basketball team on their impressive achievement in making it to the semi-finals. He said, “Great job to those girls! That’s a pretty good deal for Region 20 athletics.”
Breakell then shared that the town had identified a potential buyer in the Dominican Republic for the old fire truck. He then addressed some recent complaints about dirt road conditions. Breakell explained that the recent weather has contributed to the issues, but “improvements are expected as conditions change. Public Works has been doing the best they can.”
It was also shared that the Emergency Operations Center team has been actively pursuing grant funding. The department recently secured a $25,000 grant and is awaiting a final $1,600 award, which would bring the total grant funding for the Emergency Operations Center to nearly $40,000 for the current fiscal year: “Congratulations to the team, that’s a lot of hard work.”
Budget updates began with the Fire Commissioners budget increasing by $1,156 for clerical wages. That was followed by the Board of Assessment Appeals increasing by $469 for clerical wages, the Zoning Board of Appeals increasing by $621 for clerical wages, and the Inland Wetlands Commission increased by $2,224 for clerical wages. It was also mentioned that Planning and Zoning increased by $919 for clerical wages. Some of this is due to pay scale changes for clerks and should balance out for future budget cycles.
The meeting adjourned at 5:06 p.m.
