Greenwich Selectmen approve outdoor dining fees, opioid settlement
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of April 9, 2026
Greenwich Selectmen lock in Oct. 4 dining season end, join $97.6 million opioid settlement. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the 2026 outdoor dining fee schedule, with Selectwoman Rachel Khanna favoring the earlier close so DPW can pivot to leaf pickup and Selectwoman Lauren Rabin going along despite preferring Oct. 18. Town Administrator Kate Buch called new barrier covers "a big plus" for restaurants.
The board also voted to join a national opioid settlement worth approximately $97,625,000, of which Greenwich will receive a 0.0225 percent share, per Assistant Town Attorney Rosemarie Barretta. First Selectman Fred Camillo pressed to extend the "way too short" 10-day appeal window for speed camera tickets. The board held a lengthy hearing on resident Laureen Taylor's ADA grievance appeal, with a written decision due by April 24.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 989 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of April 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
GREENWICH — April 9, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday to set this year's outdoor dining fee schedule and season end date, and separately voted to join a national opioid settlement that will bring the town a share of nearly $97.6 million meant for combating the epidemic.
First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and Selectwoman Rachel Khanna also heard first readings on a proposed office lease for a longtime community nonprofit and a road closure request for a Memorial Day event, and took public testimony from a resident pursuing an Americans with Disabilities Act appeal, with a written decision due by April 24.
The Full Story
The board, meeting in Town Hall and by Zoom, unanimously approved the 2026 outdoor dining fee schedule after three prior meetings of discussion. Town Administrator and Chief Operating Officer Kate Buch told the board the Department of Public Works had notified participating restaurants about a new charge for covers designed to make the concrete traffic barriers used for outdoor seating less unsightly. She said only one restaurant had objected. DPW Commissioner Jim Michel said the number of restaurants in the program has declined over the years as fees were added, though he said the restaurant that complained had overestimated the cost increase, which he said would run only a couple hundred dollars once the barrier covers were included. The board settled on an Oct. 4 end date for the season rather than Oct. 18, with Khanna favoring the earlier date so DPW crews can shift to leaf pickup and Rabin saying she would go along with either date.
The board also voted to have Greenwich participate in a national settlement involving six opioid distributors and dispensaries, on a second read of the request. Assistant Town Attorney Rosemarie Barretta told the board the combined settlement totals approximately $97,625,000, with Greenwich slated to receive a 0.0225 percent share as a one-time payment. The deadline to opt in is May 4. Barretta said participation would waive the town's own claims against the six defendants but would not affect the right of any individual resident to pursue a separate claim. Commissioner of Human Services Demetria Nelson will oversee disbursement of any funds Greenwich receives.
In new business, Town Director of Parks and Recreation Joe Siciliano presented a first read on a proposed five-year lease, with a five-year renewal option, for roughly 1,135 square feet of office space at the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center for the Old Greenwich-Riverside Community Center. Barretta said the base rent would be $4,800 for the first two years, rising 7.5 percent in year three and annually thereafter. Siciliano said the nonprofit has occupied space in the building under a rental arrangement since it opened a year ago. Camillo said the board would take a vote in two weeks. Separately, John Macri Jr. of the Byram Veterans Association asked the board to approve a temporary closure of Veterans Way on May 24 for an expanded Memorial Day observance, including a community block party. That request was also held for a vote in two weeks so the board can hear from a nearby apartment resident and the public.
The board's longest agenda item was a hearing on an ADA grievance appeal filed by Laureen Taylor, a former Greenwich resident who now lives in Arizona. Taylor, appearing by Zoom, read lengthy prepared remarks describing her efforts since 2014 to participate in town meetings related to Greenwich historical sites and her family's ties to Byram. She said a childhood incident in which a teacher required her to place tape over her mouth as punishment for talking in class contributed to a disability affecting her comfort with public speaking, and she asked that the board's review occur in a more private setting. Assistant Town Attorney Lisa Waller told the board she was addressing procedure only, not the merits, and that the board has 15 days from the hearing, or until April 24, to issue a written decision.
"The 10 days we thought was way too short." — Fred Camillo, First Selectman, on the appeal window for speed camera tickets
"I think overall, adding those covers to the barriers is going to be a big plus." — Kate Buch, Town Administrator and Chief Operating Officer
"You can see temporary means 25 years in the Town of Greenwich." — Joe Siciliano, Town Director of Parks and Recreation, on the community center's rental history
Why It Matters
The outdoor dining vote affects every restaurant that puts tables on Greenwich Avenue and side streets each year, locking in an Oct. 4 close instead of a later date some restaurant owners preferred. The opioid settlement vote, while procedural, positions Greenwich to receive a share of a nearly $97.6 million national fund before the May 4 opt-in deadline, with spending restricted to remediating the epidemic's local impacts.
The ADA appeal is the more open-ended thread: the board must issue a written decision on Taylor's grievance by April 24, and the outcome could shape how the town's ADA complaint and appeal process works going forward. The Old Greenwich-Riverside Community Center lease and the Veterans Way closure both return for votes in two weeks.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of the 2026 outdoor dining fees and Oct. 4 season end date Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Town of Greenwich participation in the National Opioid Settlements involving the six remnant defendants Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Municipal improvement referral for Old Greenwich-Riverside Community Center office lease — Continued to the board's next meeting for a vote - Action: Temporary closure of Veterans Way for May 24 Memorial Day event — Continued to the board's next meeting for a vote - Action: ADA grievance appeal from Laureen Taylor — Written decision due by April 24, 2026, under the ADA policy's 15-day requirement
Source
Greenwich Community Television: Board of Selectmen meeting, April 9, 2026