• Social Services helped a record 175 families with holiday gift cards this year while Fairfielders stepped up with a record number of donations. 
• The Bigelow Center delivered nearly 10,000 hot lunches to Fairfield homebound seniors, residents with disabilities and those impacted by COVID.
• In partnership with Operation Hope, CERT and Salvation Army, Social Services delivered nearly 400 bags and boxes of groceries to families unable to get to the pantry.

• In response to the pandemic and the challenges faced by small businesses, the Town’s Office of Community & Economic Development launched a small business assistance program, through which mini-grants of up to $5,000 to help with the cost of personal protective equipment, physical modifications and other operating costs for our small businesses. 
• Economic Development launched the new Buy Local campaign with the Chamber of Commerce an e-gift card program to support local businesses. Consumers have purchased nearly $30,000 in gift cards since its' launch in October which is a lot of dollars staying within our community.
• The Town expedited and streamlined its permitting processes to assist Fairfield restaurants who wanted to expand or create outdoor dining opportunities.  Representatives from Planning & Zoning, Health, Fire Marshal, Building Official and Economic Development met quickly to review and approve applications submitted under the program. The Town approved 50 outdoor dining locations under this program, including 27 sites that had not previously had outdoor dining, in an effort to assist our restaurant community. 
• The Town permitting departments pivoted to a drop box system to keep permits flowing virtually for our residents and businesses to sustain economic activity moving in town. 
• The Town created a COVID Relief Fund, that has received more than $112,000 in donations to assist those in need in our community. The fund has supported 47 households with mortgage and rental assistance, along with utilities, car payments and other living expenses. I am so proud of how the community rallied around those who needed help the most. 

• Established a robust contact tracing operation under the Health Department, which provided invaluable information and resources to the community during a new global pandemic and made thousands of contact tracing calls.
• The Fairfield Emergency Management Team, and the three subcommittees of Planning, Operations and Public Information, were the critical component in keeping residents safe in 2020. Made up of critical department heads throughout the Town, these teams acquired PPE, carefully reviewed protocols for public & private events, the safety of town employees and effectively communicating with residents regarding CDC guidance, state guidance and town policies.
• The men and women of the Fairfield Police Department provided uninterrupted public safety services to the residents of Fairfield. They also stepped up to assist the town in many unconventional ways as a result of the pandemic. They also conducted a full audit of our policies and procedures to ensure that we are in compliance with all federal and state mandates and best practices related to the delivery of law enforcement services.
• The Fairfield Fire Department served in multiple leadership roles in the Emergency Management Team and continue to lead the recovery efforts with partners from across the government and the community. We are very grateful for all their hard work.

• The Parks & Recreation Department upgraded the Jacky Durrell Pavilion, nearly completed the H. Smith Richards Golf Clubhouse, maintained the parks, beaches, golf courses and open spaces with an unprecedented number of visitors, began new programs in response to the pandemic like the weekly bell ringing and Rec the Curve initiative, provided summer camp to children grateful for the experience albeit different, helped execute two successful outdoor high school graduations, responded to over 1,000 letters to Santa, and pivoted to provide virtual programing including the tree lighting. 
• The Fairfield Public Libraries adapted to fulfill community needs virtually through creative new ideas and learning new skills. Highlights include the curbside service model, virtual story times, book clubs, scavenger hunts and cooking classes, in addition to continued programming over the phone or online. 
• The Conservation Department had a record year for Shellfish permits (the perfect socially distant activity), acquired 3.6 acres on Pine Creek marsh, and worked with Scouts to install GPS trail posts at Lake Mohegan which is an ongoing project. 

• Passed the first zero percent tax increase in our town's history in the FY 20 budget.
• The IT Department jumped to action to set up virtual meetings, conference calls to help town boards meet safely. They reprogrammed lap tops and phones for some employees to work from home when Town Hall wasn't yet fully equipped with COVID safety protocols. IT provided online appointment system for certain town departments and worked over the last year with town departments to create and execute an RFP for an online permitting software system that will help streamline services in 2021. 
• The Tax Collector's office was able to provided live support for residents to pay taxes online and DPW installed an outdoor payment window outside town hall so residents can safely pay in person when the weather allowed. 
• Department of Public Works (DPW) worked through the pandemic to maintain services throughout the town and went above and beyond to keep our towns and beaches clean and open at the height of the pandemic. 
• The Finance Department successfully refunded $18.865 million in bonds in April which lowered the Town's interest costs by $1.7 million, and through the annual bond issuance, the Town received AAA bond ratings from all agencies. 
• The Town Clerk's office staff processed an unprecedented 16,000 absentee ballot applications and ballot packets for the 2020 election with the help of wonderful volunteers. (click to link) 
• The Finance Department also successfully requested reimbursement for COVID expenses for the Town through FEMA and the State. The Town received $150k from the CARES Act for unemployment costs; $127k from the Corona Relief Fund administered through the State; and $279k from FEMA which helped strengthened our fund balance for Fiscal Year 2020. 
• The men and women in the Water Pollution Control Facility remained vigilant in making sure all 205 miles of sanitary sewer collection systems and 8 pumping stations, and the 8 million gallons a day of wastewater is treated to the highest quality possible before being released back into Long Island Sound as clean water.

Get alerted about emergencies and other important community news from the Town of Fairfield, CT, by signing up for the Fairfield Alert system. This system enables us to quickly provide you with critical information in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods and other emergency situations.

You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, mobile or business phones, email address, text messages and more. You pick where, you pick how!

If you were previously registered with us on the CodeRed system, you must sign-up again by following the instructions below, in order to continue receiving Emergency and Community alerts from the Town of Fairfield.

How to sign up? Click here.

GoNetspeed has announced their intention to expand to Fairfield in the first half of 2021. This is welcome news for residents who have struggled with internet interruptions. You can read more information here.