Minutes

Public Health & Safety · from the Town's website · 1 page · 122 KB
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Public Health, Safety and Public Works Commitee 
April 29, 2026, Harvey Hearing Room, 4:30-5:50 
Commitee Members: 
Paul Riordan, Vice Chair 
Marty Finn 
Suzanne Swope, Chair 
Atendees: 
Lt. Sarko Gergerian 
Chief Goodwin 
Director Meredith Hurley 
Town Manager, Tony Marino 
Guests: 
Carl Eckstein 
Jack Dowd 
The Public Health, Safety, and Public Works Commitee mee�ng focused on accountability and
transparency in public services, with presenta�ons from the Public Health Department and 
Police Department. The Public Health Director discussed their five strategic priori�es including
core services, public health and safety integra�on, and advancing social determinants of health,
while highligh�ng challenges with fluctua�ng grant funding, par�cularly the loss of the 
Equitable Purchase to Public Safety Grant. The Police Department presented data on crime 
trends, staffing challenges, and various funding sources including the Urban Area Safety
Ini�a�ve (UASI) program, which provides approximately $400,000 annually for equipment and 
training. Key discussions centered around drug- related incidents, domes�c violence sta�s�cs,
and the department's community outreach programs including the CLEAR team ini�a�ve that
connects officers with public health services for individuals in crisis. The conversa�on ended 
with discussions about performance metrics, community awareness of public health services, 
and the need for beter communica�on about the department's achievements and ini�a�ves. 
One recommenda�on was to hold a Strategic Planning Session for Town Council to dra� writen 
goals and discuss current issues. Also, to have more Directors come before the Council and the
public to share their, goals, improvements, concerns and future plans.