tate officials warned First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker that delays in calling a referendum to raise the sewer project budget could cost the town a forgivable loan to help cover the work. On Aug. 15, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Emma Cimino emailed Shoemaker a timeline of milestones the town should meet and stressed the consequences of a delay. Tuesday’s meeting was a step toward, potentially, calling a second referendum to increase the project budget from the $9.5 million approved in 2019 to $17.1 million. The original borrowing fell well short of bids received earlier this year. The call for a referendum was delayed in early August while the Board of Selectmen sought additional information on costs and waited for the Miami Beach Association to receive bids for work on its portion of the project. Miami Beach bids came in above the anticipated cost, and a decision by the chartered beach community on whether to proceed is pending.

https://ctexaminer.com/2025/08/27/deep-threatened-pull-back-of-funds-in-old-lyme-after-referendum-delays/