Cheshire Town Council Approves Fire Cabinets, School Roof Grants and Hears Traffic Camera Pitch

Town Council · Meeting of May 27, 2026

Cheshire Town Council approves six measures at special meeting, hears pitch for traffic cameras. The council voted unanimously Wednesday on all five action items at a special meeting chaired by Peter Talbot, including a $30,000 contingency appropriation for fireproof voter-record cabinets required under Connecticut General Statutes Section 9-23, three school construction grant resolutions covering roof projects totaling $4.165 million at Cheshire High School, Highland Elementary, and Doolittle Elementary as part of the town's already-approved $55 million Energy Performance Contract 2.0, and a three-year contract with Everbridge to replace the troubled Code Red emergency alert system at approximately $9,800 per year — about $1,500 less than current costs. The council also authorized a $1 million FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant application, with a $100,000 municipal match if awarded, to replace self-contained breathing apparatus units nearing their 2027 NFPA serviceability expiration.

Following regular business, Sightstream representative Andrew Noble presented the company's automated red-light and speed camera system, drawing pointed skepticism from council member Gregory Wolff, who called it "another tax on residents," while Police Chief Kastner framed the technology as a force multiplier for a department covering 33 square miles with three vehicles per shift.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,311 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of May 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

CHESHIRE — May 27, 2026 — The Cheshire Town Council unanimously approved four spending and grant measures at a special meeting Wednesday, then heard a detailed presentation from automated traffic enforcement vendor Sightstream on a potential red-light and speed camera program for the town.

The council, meeting with seven of nine members present, authorized up to $30,000 in contingency funds to replace aging voter-record storage cabinets, approved three school construction grant resolutions tied to roof projects worth a combined $4.165 million, authorized a $1 million federal grant application for new firefighter breathing equipment, and agreed to a three-year contract with emergency alert company Everbridge at roughly $9,800 per year — about $1,500 less than the town currently pays for its existing Code Red system.

The Full Story

Town Manager Sean Kimball opened the substantive business by walking the council through the request to spend up to $30,000 from the fiscal year 2025-2026 contingency account on four Fire King fireproof cabinets for the Registrar of Voters office. The current cabinets are 45 years old and out of compliance with Connecticut General Statutes Section 9-23, which requires voter records to be stored in fireproof containers. Kimball said the original budget estimate for the purchase — $12,000 set aside in the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget — proved insufficient once actual pricing came in at just over $28,000. He added that the timing of an August primary created urgency: the registrars need installation completed in June and July. The $12,000 already budgeted for fiscal year 2027 will lapse into fund balance rather than be applied to the purchase. The council also learned that Public Works will build a platform to elevate the cabinets — each weighing roughly 600 pounds — above floor level in the first-floor office as both an ergonomic and flood-mitigation measure. A. Fiona Pearson moved the resolution; Jim Jinks seconded. The vote was unanimous among members present.

The council then approved three resolutions authorizing the Cheshire Board of Education to apply to the state Department of Administrative Services for school construction grants covering roof projects at Cheshire High School ($365,000), Highland Elementary School ($1,150,000), and Doolittle Elementary School ($2,650,000). Kimball explained that the resolutions involve no new appropriations — the projects are part of the already-approved $55 million Energy Performance Contract 2.0 program — but that the specific resolution language is required verbatim by the state grant process. The Board of Education was formally designated as the school building committee for each project, consistent with past practice on school construction grants. Deb Manke moved each of the three resolutions; Pearson seconded each. All three passed unanimously among members present.

Council member Lou Todisco moved the authorization for Fire Chief Kastner and Town Manager Kimball to apply for a federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant through FEMA's Resilience Grant Program. The application seeks $1 million to replace 82 existing self-contained breathing apparatus units — which lose NFPA serviceability certification in 2027 — with 72 newer units. The town would provide a 10 percent municipal match of $100,000 if the grant is awarded. Kastner noted the town had explored a joint application with Southington but the two towns' combined populations exceeded the program's eligibility threshold. The grant is highly competitive, with roughly $320 million available nationally. The council approved unanimously.

The Everbridge contract drew the most extended discussion. Kimball described a series of failures with the town's current Code Red system, which was absorbed into a platform called Crisis 24 after a parent company change and sent a non-emergency community alert at 1 a.m. instead of 1 p.m. last spring — even with a Code Red technician assisting. Everbridge, he said, serves as the backbone of the state's CT Alert system and is used by most Connecticut municipalities. The three-year contract costs approximately $9,800 per year, about $1,500 less than the town currently pays. Everbridge will activate the town's account at no charge until the existing Code Red contract expires.

"When I went on to do the infamous call with a technician from there, they have us listed on Pacific time." [00:00:00] — Emergency Management Director Jack (first name only in transcript), describing the Code Red system failure

The Sightstream presentation, delivered by company representative Andrew Noble, covered the mechanics of automated red-light, speed, and school-bus-arm enforcement cameras now in use or being deployed in Wethersfield, Stamford, Stonington, Hamden, and Winchester. Noble said the program requires no capital investment from the town; Sightstream installs, operates, and maintains the equipment and recovers its costs from a share of paid citation revenue. State law sets fines at $50 for a first violation and $75 for subsequent offenses within one year.

Council member Gregory Wolff was openly skeptical, calling the system a potential "tax on residents" and questioning whether it was truly safety-driven rather than revenue-driven.

"I feel like we're — this is another tax on residents and another trap, another generator of revenue for the town." [00:00:00] — Gregory Wolff, Town Council member

Chief Kastner, however, endorsed the concept as a force multiplier for a department that fields three vehicles per shift across 33 square miles. He identified potential camera locations including Route 10, Marion Avenue near the new Barnum School, and Bethany Mountain Road. Kastner noted school bus cameras, in particular, were a priority given that only three of the town's school buses currently carry them.

"All our municipal partners are going to some models, so at some point we're going to end up here anyway." [00:00:00] — Fire Chief Kastner (first name not provided in transcript)

No formal vote on the Sightstream proposal was taken. The council also referred the creation of a wastewater treatment plant maintenance manager position (EW7) to the Personnel Committee for review and recommendation.

Why It Matters

The Everbridge switch ends an 18-year relationship with Code Red and gives the town a more reliable channel for emergency notifications to residents. Town staff said a test alert, with advance public notice, is planned once the new system is fully configured. The overlap period means Code Red remains available in the interim at no additional cost.

The Sightstream presentation was informational only, but it signals that automated traffic enforcement is actively under consideration. Any program would require state Department of Transportation approval for each camera location and a mandatory public information process before cameras could go live. The council's next step, if it chooses to proceed, would be directing staff to pursue a contract and begin the state justification-report process.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Resolution 052726-1 — Authorization to appropriate up to $30,000 from FY 2025-2026 contingency for purchase of four Fire King cabinets for the Registrar of Voters Office Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Resolution 052726-2A — Authorization for Cheshire Board of Education to apply for state construction grant, establishment of BOE as school building committee, and approval of $365,000 funding for Cheshire High School roof project Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Resolution 052726-2B — Authorization for Cheshire Board of Education to apply for state construction grant, establishment of BOE as school building committee, and approval of $1,150,000 funding for Highland Elementary School roof project Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Resolution 052726-2C — Authorization for Cheshire Board of Education to apply for state construction grant and approval of $2,650,000 funding for Doolittle Elementary School roof project Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Resolution 052726-3 — Authorization to apply for FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant in the amount of $1,000,000 for replacement of self-contained breathing apparatus, with 10% municipal match of $100,000 if awarded Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Resolution 052726-4 — Approval of three-year contract with Everbridge for emergency community alert system Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Referral of wastewater treatment plant maintenance manager position (EW7) to the Personnel Committee for review and recommendation — Referred to Personnel Committee

Source

Cheshire's community access TV: Town Council meeting, May 27, 2026