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The Sole Consequence

On July 21, I filed a written FOIA request with First Selectman Carl Fortuna, Jr., seeking “one copy of the town’s written policy that results in the town filing a letter in the land records documenting non-compliance with the order issued by the Connecticut River Area Health District on July 18, 2013.”

On July 26, he wrote back, “In response to your FOI request dated July 21, 2016, a two page document is available in the Selectman’s office for your review; any copies you request will be charged at $.50 per page.”

What does this mean?

Were the town’s secret policy generally known, who would voluntarily upgrade their septic system, or pay the town to upgrade, when the sole consequence of being a refusnik is a letter in the land records stating the obvious and the cost of the upgrade remaining in the owner’s pocket?

The town, not individual owners, agreed to upgrade septic systems according to the [Department of Energy and Environmental Protection] consent decree. Upgrades are solely the town’s problem, not owner’s problem.

Joel Anderson

Old Saybrook