During a special meeting February 26 following a weather-related postponement the week before, the Legislative Council approved a proposal to modestly expand the amount of tax relief being granted to qualifying local seniors and totally disabled residents.

Council members also voted to send a capital spending authorization on a Hawley School boiler project to taxpayers, to be included with other measures already approved for the April 23 budget referendum.

On February 6, council representatives postponed a decision about a ballot question on a boiler and lighting replacement project for Hawley Elementary School until they were scheduled to meet next so they could discuss the issue further.

Discussion on that issue leading up to the postponed vote centered around whether the school district could complete the boiler and lighting work as planned this summer if the authorization to bond the requested $744,239 was not approved at referendum, making the funds available in late April.

Later in the meeting, the council approved a proposal by First Selectman Dan Rosenthal to proportionately increase maximum allocation allowances under the town’s benefit for seniors and those who are totally disabled. Council members Judit DeStefano and Kelley Johnson voted against the measure.

The first selectman said previously that he had noticed a significant portion of the $1.6 million in budgeted benefits had been going unclaimed. He hoped the council would fast-track the proposed adjustments, as the application period for this year’s tax relief program was beginning March 1.

The council obliged.

Read the full feature in this week's print edition of The Newtown Bee - on local newsstands or subscribe by calling 203-426-3141 [naviga:u]or by clicking HERE[/naviga:u].