MeetingWatch
Your area Not set — showing everywhere
Meeting report · Board of Directors
Creating this report cost real money. Help fund coverage →

Board of Directors — March 19, 2026

The meeting was characterized by high-stakes financial discussions and strong public opposition regarding water safety and municipal spending priorities.

Date Thursday, March 19, 2026 Duration 2.7h Speakers 18 Public comments 3 Decisions 3 Contentious
▶ Video

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Proposed Water and Sewer Rate Increases

15% increase for water and 10% for sewer phased in over three years Affected: All municipal water and sewer customers
fee change
02

FY27 Municipal Budget/Mill Rate

8.66% proposed increase in the mill rate Affected: All local property owners
tax increase

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Appointment of Director Lentini as Acting Secretary
Motion by Vice Chair to appoint Director Lentini, seconded by Director Polin.
Passed 7-0
Adjournment of the Water and Sewer Workshop
Motion to adjourn by Vice Chair Jones, seconded by Director Boland.
Passed
Adjournment of the meeting
Motion made by Secretary Lentini and seconded by Director Frey.
Unanimous (Aye)

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 04:05 Appointment of Acting Secretary

The board moved to appoint Director Lentini as the Acting Secretary for the duration of the meeting.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker, SPEAKER_Polin
▶ 04:50 FY27 Water and Sewer Budget Workshop

A detailed presentation on the budget requests for FY27, focusing on regulatory compliance, infrastructure challenges, and proposed rate increases.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 08:50 PFAS and Lead/Copper Compliance

Discussion regarding the costs and timelines for treating PFAS in water wells and replacing lead service lines to meet federal mandates.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 15:44 Infrastructure and Meter Replacement

Overview of meter replacement programs, water/sewer main replacement, SCADA systems, and dam maintenance at Buckingham Dam.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 35:01 Staffing and Human Capital

Discussion on high turnover, an aging workforce, and the difficulty of recruiting specialized technical roles in municipal government.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 43:00 Proposed Water and Sewer Rate Increases

Presentation of a proposed three-year phase-in of rate increases (15% for water and 10% for sewer) to fund capital and operational needs.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 93:10 FY27 Manager's Recommended Budget Public Hearing

The presentation of the overall municipal budget, noting fiscal headwinds such as inflation, decreasing state aid, and loss of tax revenue from non-profits. The Town Manager presented a proposed mill rate of 43.27 (an 8.66% increase from 39.82) to address rising costs, decreasing state aid, and loss of tax revenue from nonprofit transfers and commercial property devaluations.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 98:00 Fiscal Challenges and Revenue Loss

Discussion on the financial impact of Hartford HealthCare's nonprofit status (approx. $2.7M annual loss), the declining value of Buckland Hills Mall, and the effects of state-mandated vehicle tax depreciation schedules.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 104:00 State Aid and Unfunded Mandates

The Town Manager highlighted that flat state funding for education and Alliance grants, combined with unfunded mandates like veteran tax exemptions, shifts the tax burden onto local property owners.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 150:40 Public Comment: Water Quality and Infrastructure

Residents raised concerns regarding PFAS contamination in the drinking water and the need for prioritized investment in aging sewer and wastewater infrastructure over commercial real estate.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

FY27 Water and Sewer Rate Increases

The proposal includes significant multi-year rate hikes (15% for water and 10% for sewer) to address infrastructure and PFAS compliance, directly impacting household utility costs.
Board position: The board is reviewing the proposal, with the Town Manager presenting it as a necessity to fund capital needs and regulatory compliance.
high concern
02

FY27 Municipal Budget and Mill Rate Increase

The Town Manager proposed an 8.66% increase in the mill rate (to 43.27) due to declining state aid, loss of non-profit tax revenue, and commercial property devaluation.
Board position: The board is currently in the workshop phase; the Town Manager cautioned that this is a starting point for negotiations.
high concern
03

PFAS Contamination

Residents expressed fear regarding cancer risks and water safety, while the town faces massive new costs due to EPA mandates.
Board position: The board is focused on the fiscal and logistical challenge of meeting federal remediation mandates.
high concern

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Explore additional PFAS lawsuits on the wastewater side.
Assigned: Water Department
Conduct an I&I (Inflow and Infiltration) study for the sewer system.
Assigned: Water Department
Investigate the possibility of issuing longer-term debt to potentially lower immediate rate increases.
Assigned: Water Department/Town Manager
Adopt the municipal budget
Assigned: Board of Directors · Due: 2026-05-12
Provide budget reduction options totaling at least 3% of their operating budgets for consideration in workshops
Assigned: Department Heads

Notable ⁠statements

Once [the EPA] set that limit in 2024, we went from only having to do remediation at one site to all of our sites, so four. — Unidentified speaker · Explaining the increased cost and complexity of PFAS compliance. ▶ 13:33
To me, the biggest challenge in local government management right now is human capital. — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the difficulty of staffing specialized municipal roles. ▶ 39:06
The proposed mill rate increase that I'm presenting is much larger than has been the historic norm. — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the fiscal pressures facing the town budget. ▶ 97:10
The manager's recommended mill rate increase will not be the final mill rate number. — Unidentified speaker · Clarifying that the proposed 8.66% increase is a starting point for board workshops and negotiations. ▶ 111:00
I would voice opposition to increasing the risk to our fund balance... these are structural issues. — Unidentified speaker · Addressing the option of using the 'rainy day fund' to cover the budget deficit. ▶ 172:12
I am going to recommend we adopt [the budget] on May 12th... we'll be able to see if there's more state aid coming in. — Unidentified speaker · Setting the target date for budget adoption to coincide with the release of the state budget. ▶ 160:00

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
3
Total speakers
0
Addressed
1
Partial
2
Not addressed
Jennifer Lombardi
▶ 245:34
Not addressed
The speaker expressed deep concern regarding PFAS contamination in the local water supply and its potential health risks, such as cancer. She requested more studies to understand the source of the contamination and expressed a desire to be able to purchase MDC water if it provides better quality. Key concern
Water quality and PFAS contamination risks.
The speaker finished her comment and the board moved to the next speaker without providing a direct response to her specific concerns about PFAS or MDC water access.
Steve Allard
▶ 252:03
Not addressed
The speaker criticized the town's fiscal priorities, arguing that money should be spent on infrastructure like sewers and drainage rather than 'visionary' projects like the new library. He also suggested the town should be more aggressive in selling acquired properties and managing revenue losses from the mall. Key concern
Misaligned fiscal priorities and lack of focus on essential infrastructure.
The board did not respond to his criticisms; they simply thanked him and moved to the next speaker.
Bonnie Pataki
▶ 260:57
Partial
The speaker urged the town to prioritize wastewater treatment and aging infrastructure over commercial real estate development. She also expressed concern about the addition of new town positions and the potential strain on water and sewer systems due to housing developments. Key concern
Prioritizing infrastructure/wastewater upgrades over commercial development and managing staff growth.
Board response
The Town Manager corrected her regarding the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in the Town Manager's office, stating they have actually seen a reduction.
The Town Manager addressed her concern regarding new positions in his office by providing specific data, but did not address her broader points regarding real estate development or infrastructure priorities.
Support coverage

Creating this report cost ⁠real money.

MeetingWatch attended, transcribed, and analyzed this meeting on its own dime. If this work is valuable to you, chip in to keep covering Manchester.

Report composed by grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4-fast, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-05-30.