Litchfield Board of Selectmen

7/15/2025

Present:  Denise Raap, Dan Morosani, John Bongiorno, Jeff Zullo, Jodiann Tenney (arrived six minutes late).

The board discussed the financial challenges facing Region 20. Raap indicated that she, along with the other Region 20 officials and selectmen, were meeting with the state in-person to “bring to their attention in person all the things that we have been dealing with over the last two years.”

“Like we have said before,” Rapp said, “To think that there could be a creation of a new region without a budget is completely unrealistic. And given very few guidelines, that I could see, to the superintendent – who was trying to run two districts and create a third – would appear to be overwhelming financially and administratively.”

Part of the discussion, Rapp said, will be over the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would add a 2.7 million deficit from last year to this year’s budget. Every town except for Goshen is on board with signing the MOU – with a member of Goshen’s Board of Finance saying it should go to a district meeting.

“The superintendent and (CFO) are planning to attend (Goshen’s next BoF meeting),” Raap said. “And hopefully can explain to them why it's important to go this route, at least for the towns. The superintendent has said it's better for him if he gets the appropriation and increases his MBR (minimum budget requirement), but he wants to work with the town. He wants to do what's in the best interest of the towns.”

Northfield residents Donna and Earl Daniels raised an issue during public comment that many municipalities face: Airbnb’s. They read a letter that implored officials to consider more measures to monitor short-term rentals – pointing to discomfort it places on neighbors.

“Our granddaughter had three riding lessons since these last guests arrived,” Donna Daniels said. “The patrons sat there glaring at her as if she was trespassing. If guests are uncomfortable with neighbors looking at them, perhaps it's time for the host to put up a fence.”

The issue was discussed during the old business portion of the meeting. Connecticut does not tax Airbnb directly, Morosani said, rather Airbnb “has taken it upon themselves to add a 10% fee to every rental in the state of Connecticut and just send it to Hartford.”

“We certainly should be getting that money back,” Morosani said. “That money should be going to law enforcement, should be going to emergency services. It should be going to some kind of inspection regulation.”