Litchfield Seeks Residents Feedback on Speed Cameras
Attended: First Selectman Denise Raap, selectmen John Bongiorno (R), Jeff Zullo (D), Jodiann Tenney (D). Absent: Dan Morosani. (R)
The Town of Litchfield is considering installing speed monitoring cameras at heavily trafficked parts of town, and in the spring, it will hold a public hearing for resident input.
“Our intention is to have another hearing, hopefully more widely attended than the last one,” Litchfield First Selectman Denise Raap (D) said after a Jan. 21 Board of Selectmen meeting, referring to a 2024 public hearing on the topic.
The town wants to know what people think about using these cameras as a resource to curb speeding, Raap said, especially in school zones and roads with high accident numbers, like the intersection of Routes 118 and 254.
Town Selectman Jodiann Tenney (D), in the board’s Jan. 21 meeting, suggested creating for residents an informative presentation about possible vendors, what the cameras do, how much it’ll cost and how they’ll help enforce speed limits. Tenney was chair of the subcommittee that looked into speed cameras about four years ago.
“Now the obligation to move forward or not is with the Board of Selectman,” Raap said. Raap said she wants to hear more from Litchfield residents.
Raap stated, in the Town of Washington, voters accepted a speed camera ordinance, but in Kent, voters rejected it.
The town has already implemented some speed reduction measures, Raap said. It got approval from the state to reduce some speed limits, and last year the town added $40,000 to its budget so its resident State Troopers can dedicate more time to speed enforcement.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a contract for Marcus Communications to upgrade the East Litchfield Fire Department antenna system at a cost of about $60,000. Another motion on this topic approved the use of American Rescue Plan funds for the work.
The selectmen made appointments and reappointments to several boards, including Jeff Corning to the Social Services Board and Keith Shortsleeve as an alternate to the Water Pollution Control Authority.
A vote was called and passed to accept a state grant worth $500,000 for the reconstruction of Wigwam Road. The Board approved the Capital Improvement Committee’s 2025/’26 budget of about $3.9 million, about $3.38 million after grants and other funding.
The Board will address in a future town meeting a town ordinance requiring insurance and indemnification in leases and rental agreements of town property. A unanimous vote approved the lease between the Town of Litchfield and the Litchfield Ambulance Association.
The final agenda item was a 30 minute executive session to discuss a personnel matter.
