Your City at Work: From the Mayor’s Desk

Read below to hear about upcoming events, important city and state information, and resources for Stamford residents.

MAYOR’S UPDATES

This past Wednesday night I presented my proposed budget to our local boards. To learn more, visit here.

My budget supports my vision of creating a more inclusive, equitable, affordable and vibrant City, that prioritizes a fiscally responsible budget that aims to ease the property tax burden on residents by mitigating the effects of the 2022 property revaluation.

Some highlighted areas that include further information and resources:

• Pedestrian & Bike Safety
  •  We are investing in the priorities of residents, local businesses, employees, and visitors to our city and to make our community safer for those that walk our streets, ride bikes on our paths, and spend time in our neighborhoods – this will make our city safer, more livable, and improve our collective quality of life.
  • This budget includes new investments and initiatives to improve pedestrian safety. This year I signed the “Vision Zero Executive Order” which convenes stakeholders and takes action with an eye toward ending all fatalities by 2032.

• Investing in our Public Schools:
  •  A strong public school system is necessary to offer children the education they deserve, attract new families to our community, and create the pipeline for our workforce; but for too long we have left our school infrastructure behind, the literal buildings where our children spend each day of the school year.
  • This budget makes record city capital investments to execute our Long-Term Facilities Plan and improve our school facilities because if our students don’t have safe, usable, and functional buildings – we cannot expect them to realize their full academic potential. This builds on the work we did with our state delegation secure historic levels of funding for school construction.

• Expanding Access to Affordable Housing:
  •  Access to quality housing provides individuals with dignity and a sense of stability, improving the health and welfare of families, and acting as an economic development engine for our city – transit-oriented development, attracting young people, and building out workforce housing to meet the demand of new businesses.
  • This budget recognizes that affordable housing is a crisis in our city and across the adds outreach staff to connect with critical populations to make certain that my administration is devoting energy to listening and delivering resources to those in need, we will also be working with other boards to create more opportunities for residents to find housing that works for their budgets.

• Parks & Sustainability
  •  We are fortunate to have over 56 parks in our city, as well as beautiful beaches and trails, and my goal is to ensure every resident has access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of where they live. As a coastal city, it’s critical that we are prepared to weather the impacts of climate change and have a roadmap for making Stamford a more resilient and sustainable community.
  • This budget prioritizes these goals and invests in an array of sustainability projects including a city-wide tree inventory, tree replating, and tree pit remediation, which will complement the Parks Strategic Plan being conducted by our Operations Department.

• Public Safety, Health, and Welfare
  •  Providing essential public safety and emergency services is foundational to the responsibility of city government. My administration is committed to ensuring our first responders have the modern, up-to-date technology needed to protect our community daily and in moments of crisis.
  • The investments in this budget reflect the critical and expanding public safety needs we have, especially as Stamford’s population continues to grow.

CITY NEWS 

• Elderly/Disabled Homeowner Tax Relief Program: As approved in the 2022-2023 budget, the City of Stamford offers biennial tax credit programs for totally disabled homeowners (with proof of disability from the Social Security office) or seniors who have been 65 years of age as of December 31st, 2022. Applications are due May 15^th for seniors to apply. Learn more here.

   

• Mayor’s Youth Employment Program: We are looking for hosts and sponsors of this incredible program which offers students access to paid employment in the private or non-profit sectors. This initiative provides Stamford’s youth with a “real world” perspective before they go to college, improves their skills to make them better workers both for this current job and future workforce opportunities they will pursue. To learn more, click here.

   

• Mothers and Babies Health Class: The Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a FREE six-week stress management course for new and expecting moms. The course will be held at First Presbyterian Church (1101 Bedford St) on Fridays 9-10:30 from April 14 to May 19. Participants will learn stress management techniques and connect with other moms who can relate. Anyone who identifies as a mother and is either pregnant or had a baby in the last year is welcome to join! To register in advance, please click here: bit.ly/stamfordmb.

• Winter Weather Advisory: The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Stamford, click here for more information. 

• Cedar Heights Bridge Replacement Project: Click here to learn more about the Cedar Heights Bridge Replacement Project.

• CTDOT Stamford Station Construction.

• The center island platform between Tracks #3 and #5 is closed. This platform will remain closed through Thursday, May 11, 2023.
• Passengers can find the updated train schedule here.

• Revaluation: The state of Connecticut’s mandatory revaluation process has been completed. More information about the revaluation process can be found here.

• The Stamford Department of Health Flu Vaccine Clinic: The flu vaccine clinic is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm every Wednesday until April 30^th, 2023. The clinic is located at 137 Henry Street, no appointment needed.

• Stamford Senior Center Survey: The Stamford Senior Center has released a survey, please consider taking a moment to fill it out here.

RESOURCES FOR RESIDENTS

Traffic & City Events

• Residents and visitors are able to view upcoming Stamford Downtown events here.
• Additionally, view upcoming Stamford concerts, in-person, and virtual events here.
• Register for the CT State Small Business Seminars here.

COVID-19

All information about Stamford's response to COVID-19, including our case numbers, please visit: www.stamfordct.gov/covid19

• Covid Testing Sites
  • For information on the St. Mary’s Church (566 Elm St): Click here
• Vaccination Sites: 1st and 2nd doses are available to all, booster shots for ages 5+ (Pfizer) and 18+ (Moderna/J&J))

  On Saturday March 11^th, 2023:

• Westover School: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• 137 Henry Street: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Child Guidance Center (401 Shippan): 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

  On Sunday March 12^th, 2023:

• Child Guidance Center (401 Shippan): 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

  From 3/13 to 3/17, free vaccines are available without an appointment for all ages:

• 137 Henry Street Clinic: Tuesday & Friday – (Appointment Preferred 9:00 am to 3:00 pm), Call (203)-977-5385
• 137 Henry Street Clinic: Thursday - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• B1C Vaccine Clinic (401 Shippan): Monday - Wednesday & Friday – 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  • Thursday: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• Ferguson Library (Main Branch): Tuesday – Friday 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

   

• Other COVID-19 Resources
  • If you are unable to leave your home or are uncomfortable traveling to a vaccine site, please call the Stamford Department of Health at 203-977-4378 or 203-977-4369 to
  • Please visit the State of Connecticut's Vaccine Portal for information on how to request a new copy of your card.

CLICK HERE FOR LEGISLATIVE DIGEST

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CITY

• Join the City of Stamford, view open positions here.

WANT TO HEAR MORE?

• Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
• Follow the City of Stamford on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
• Send me an email at mayorsoffice@stamfordct.gov and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

If you have information that should be included in this newsletter — or believe some information is incorrect — please contact the Mayor's Office. 

To subscribe to the Mayor’s Weekly Newsletter and other city notifications, please click here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mayor Caroline Simmons