charge their devices. He stated the crews were working to install the USB Solar Chargers at
the selected locations; (2) Streetlight Banner Brackets have been installed in Ledyard
Center and the new Banners were now in place. Mayor Allyn stated because the wreaths
that they were previously using for the Holiday Season do not fit the size of the brackets
that the Beautification Committee was considering winter/seasonal banners; (3) Blight
and Zoning Issues - Mayor Allyn stated the new Zoning Enforcement Officer Mr. Alex
Samalot was working to address blighted properties under the direction of Land Use
Director Juliet Hodge. He stated the top 5 - 6 offenders have received Registered Letters
regarding Citations. He stated one property owner has already contacted him and that they
would be meeting tomorrow; (4) Retirement - Pension Fund - Mayor Allyn stated since the
Retirement Board’s last report they saw an improvement noting that the Ledyard’s
Retirement - Pension Plan was funded at 87.4%. He stated Ledyard’s Discount Rate was
6.25; which was the same as the States’ Discount Rate. However, he noted to provide some
perspective that the State’s average for all Municipal Retirement Plans were funding at
73%; He stated Ledyard was more conservative with their and better funded than the state’s
average; (5) Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget Referendum - May 16, 2023 - Mayor Allyn
stated the proposed $64,540,940 Budget (General Government: $28,632,572; Board of
Education: $35,908,368) was approved: 147- Yes to 55-No noting that only 2.1% of the
voters turned out to cast their ballot. He expressed disappointment with the turn-out noting
the town advertised the Annual Town Meeting and Referendum by placing two legal notices
in the New London Day Newspaper, it was posted on the Town’s Website, Ledyard
Community Resource Page, Ledyard News Facebook Page, his Facebook page and some
Town Councilors shared the posting on their Social Media pages. It was in the Events
Magazine that was mailed to every household in Ledyard, 20-foot Banners were hung in
Ledyard Center and in Gales Ferry. He stated residents could sign up for Email Alerts on the
Town’s website, which would inform them of events such as the Budget Referendum. He
stated Ledyard does not have a reporter from the Day Newspaper. He stated next year they
would have the LED Signs in front of the Town Green in Ledyard Center and in front of the
Gales Ferry Fire Department on Route 12, where they would advertise the Referendum. He
stated he was working with the State Department of Transportation (DOT) to obtain
permission to place the LED Signs. He stated the following ideas were suggested to inform
residents about the Budget Referendum: (a) Use the Everbridge Emergency Reverse 911
Alert System - Mayor Allyn stated he did not support using the reverse 911 system because
the intended use was for emergencies; (b) Postcards to every household - Mayor Allyn
stated that he also did not support the postcard idea because of the Events Magazine already
goes to every household and because of the cost to print and mail. He stated he did not know
if the low voter turn-out was because people were choosing not to engage, or whether they
viewed the Budget Vote as a non-starter because there were no issues; (6) Nathan Lester
House - Mayor Allyn stated the Historic property (House and Barns) were staged for the
filming of a portion of the Fog of War Movie starring John Crusack, Brianna Hildebrand and
Jake Abel. He stated the spy-thriller movie was a story about an injured World War II
American pilot and his OSS agent fiancée who retreat to a remote estate in
Massachusetts and involved top-secret documents related to the D-Day invasion. He
noted that he had a cameo part as a doctor but that did not know if the scene would make
the movie. He stated the film company made a $13,000 donation to the Nathan Lester
House for the use of the property. He stated he met with Historic District Commissioner
Doug Kelley, noting on Memorial Day they would begin to provide tours of the property
for the public to see how the property was stagged for the World War II era film and to
talk about the actors and actresses that were in scenes that were filmed in the Nathan
Lester House. The movie was expected to be in theaters in March-April 2024; and he