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Board of Selectmen — March 26, 2026

While the board moved through routine business smoothly, the intensive public participation regarding the dispatch RFP and fire department leadership introduced a layer of scrutiny and pressure.

Date Thursday, March 26, 2026 Duration 2.0h Speakers 1 Public comments 1 Decisions 4 Mildly contentious
▶ Video

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Dispatch Study and Potential Outsourcing

High; involves potential long-term changes to emergency response structure and municipal budget allocation. Affected: All New London residents
other high impact
02

Fire Department Staffing and Leadership

High; leadership stability directly impacts public safety services. Affected: All New London residents
safety change
03

Land Use Change Tax Penalties

Significant individual penalties, including one of approximately $26,000. Affected: Owners of specific properties on Davis Hill Road
tax increase

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approval of land use change tax penalties for Secret Cove property.
The board members agreed to sign the documents for the land use change tax penalties, which will be recorded at the registry.
Approved
Approval of the Smemedley septic easement.
The Board decided to proceed with the easement to prevent septic failure, while noting the potential for future land swaps to expand the Elkins parking lot.
Approved
Appointment of Janet as the next Chair of the Board of Selectmen.
Janet was nominated and approved as the successor for the Chair position.
Unanimous
Approval of summer fireworks dates.
The restricted dates for resident fireworks displays were set from June 26th through July 5th.
Approved

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 00:21 Land Use Change Tax for Secret Cove

Chief Assessor Chris Mallister presented two land use change tax penalties regarding property on Davis Hill Road. One penalty involves land changes due to excavation/fire cistern installation (approx. $864), and the other involves a dock installation on non-waterfront property (approx. $26,000).

Speakers: Speaker A (Chris Mallister), Speaker A (Board Member/Chair)
▶ 05:20 Assessor's Report and Equalization Ratios

Discussion regarding the current equalization ratio of 79%, property appreciation trends, and the impact of specific area sales (e.g., Pleasant Lake) on overall ratios.

Speakers: Speaker A (Chris Mallister), Speaker A (Board Member/Chair)
▶ 14:39 Dispatch Study RFP Review

The Board reviewed a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for an independent evaluation of emergency communications and dispatching. Public comments focused on data analytics, cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing vs. keeping local dispatch, and future technology like NG911. The Board discussed revisions to the RFP, focusing on cost-effectiveness, technology opportunities, and data analysis from the new CAD system.

Speakers: Speaker A (Ashley), Speaker A (Chief Cobb), Speaker A (Board Member/Chair), Speaker A (Public Speakers/Rich/Tom/Colin), Rich Epstein, Chief Cobb
▶ 97:40 Smemedley Easement Request

Discussion regarding a request from a resident for an easement to install a new septic system. The Board considered potential land swaps to increase the Elkins parking lot before finalizing a decision.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 175:00 Board Leadership and Scheduling

The Board addressed the rotation of the Board Chair, summer meeting schedules, and upcoming holiday fireworks dates.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 195:00 Fire Department Interim Chief

An announcement was made regarding the appointment of Brandon Adams as interim Fire Chief for a 30-day period.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

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

Potentially controversial issues

01

Dispatch Study RFP Review

The decision to outsource vs. maintain local emergency dispatch involves significant financial implications and public safety considerations. Residents are concerned about costs and want professional, objective data rather than a consultant-led decision.
Board position: The Board is seeking an independent study to evaluate cost-effectiveness and technological opportunities (NG911) but is being pressured by the public to ensure the study provides analytics rather than a predetermined recommendation.
high concern
02

Fire Department Leadership

The department is in a leadership transition with an interim chief appointed. The public is questioning the timeline for a permanent hire and the decision to skip external candidates.
Board position: The board appointed an interim chief for 30 days and signaled they will not be seeking external candidates for the permanent role.
medium concern

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Sign the land use change tax penalty documents in the signing folder.
Assigned: Board of Selectmen · Due: After the meeting
Incorporate feedback and potential tweaks (regarding data specificity, cost modeling, and deliverables) into the Dispatch Study RFP.
Assigned: Ashley and Chief Cobb
Revise the Dispatch Study RFP to include 'technological opportunities' and ensure stakeholder interviews are explicitly noted as confidential to ensure candor.
Assigned: Staff/Administrative · Due: April 6, 2026
Highlight the most critical analytical and structural suggestions for the RFP for the Board's review.
Assigned: Rich Epstein/Staff · Due: Within 1.5 days
Post the revised RFP for a five-week submission period.
Assigned: Staff/Administrative · Due: May 15, 2026
Prepare a proclamation for the Elkins Fishing Game Club regarding their upcoming camp mission.
Assigned: Staff · Due: May 9, 2026

Notable ⁠statements

The property owner has probably about roughly 24.5 million invested over there. — Chris Mallister · Describing the scale of investment at the Secret Cove/Davis Hill Road property. ▶ 01:12
The overwhelming driving need here... is the cost. — Rich (Public Speaker) · Emphasizing that public concern regarding dispatch is primarily driven by financial impact. ▶ 38:22
I think it's better data... since we went to the new system in February 2024, we have just over two years of that data. — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the validity of using data from the new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system for the upcoming study. ▶ 111:50
The decision needs to be yours... We don't want an answer from the consultant. We want them to give us the professional objective analytics. — Colin (Public Speaker) · Advising the board not to let a consultant make the final decision on whether to keep or outsource dispatch, but rather to use the data to inform their own decision. ▶ 86:26
We have about 30 committee, commission, board members who have terms expiring. — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the upcoming mass reappointment process. ▶ 181:54
The interim designation will last for 30 days and the fire wards and Brandon will negotiate compensation... — Unidentified speaker · Providing details on the appointment of Brandon Adams as interim Fire Chief. ▶ 195:06

Member ⁠positions

5 issues · 0 explicit · 16 inferred
Present
Land Use Change Tax for Secret Cove YES ~
Approved the tax penalties for the Secret Cove property.
Smemedley Easement Request YES ~
Approved the septic easement to prevent septic failure.
Appointment of Janet as the next Chair of the Board of Selectmen YES ✓
Approved her own nomination for the Chair position.
Approval of summer fireworks dates YES ~
Approved the restricted dates for resident fireworks displays.
Richard Anderson
Selectman
Present
Land Use Change Tax for Secret Cove YES ~
Approved the tax penalties for the Secret Cove property.
Smemedley Easement Request YES ~
Approved the septic easement to prevent septic failure.
Appointment of Janet as the next Chair of the Board of Selectmen YES ✓
Approved the nomination of Janet as the next Chair.
Approval of summer fireworks dates YES ~
Approved the restricted dates for resident fireworks displays.
Bebe Hammond Casey
Selectwoman
Present
Land Use Change Tax for Secret Cove YES ~
Approved the tax penalties for the Secret Cove property.
Smemedley Easement Request YES ~
Approved the septic easement to prevent septic failure.
Appointment of Janet as the next Chair of the Board of Selectmen YES ✓
Approved the nomination of Janet as the next Chair.
Approval of summer fireworks dates YES ~
Approved the restricted dates for resident fireworks displays.

Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
1
Total speakers
1
Addressed
0
Partial
0
Not addressed
Unidentified speaker
▶ 94:35
Addressed
The speaker inquired about the status of a lawsuit with Continuum and asked if any shareable information was available. They also requested information regarding the timeline and external candidate prospects for the Fire Chief position. Key concern
Information regarding the Continuum lawsuit and the process/timeline for hiring a new Fire Chief.
Board response
The board stated they could not share information regarding the lawsuit. Regarding the Fire Chief, they explained that an interim chief (Brandon Adams) has been appointed and that the department decided not to look for external candidates.
The board directly answered both inquiries, providing the reasoning for why they could not discuss the lawsuit and explaining the internal hiring decision for the fire department.
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Report composed by grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4-fast, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.