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AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
NOVEMBER 5, 2007
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Library, Alsop Community Room, by Chairman Carlson. Members present: Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Shea, Woodford and Zacchio.
II. PUBLIC HEARING: None
III. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: October 4, 2007
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the October 4, 2007 minutes as read.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
IV. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE - None
V. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mr. Zacchio reported he was able to attend the Avon High School football game on Saturday night, there was a nice turnout, and as expected the under the lights game was well attended, and our team did a fantastic job and it was really well done. The lights issue has been tabled and is not a matter for this Board at this time on this venue, but he wanted to thank everyone who was involved in creating it.
Mrs. Hornaday reported she represented the Council and the Community at the Eagle Scout Awards a couple of weeks ago, which is always a pleasure. She had a couple of people register some concerns to her about the skate boarding in the general area of “LUKES”, and in the parking lot the children come in and out between the cars. She is not aware if there is anything that can be done about that, as it is private property, but people have registered some concern. Chairman Carlson reported we can have the Police take notice.
VI. OLD BUSINESS
06/07-41 Youth Services Bureau
Review and Approval: Contract with Town of Farmington: Youth Services Bureau Staffing
Chairman Carlson reported we have a contract with the Town of Farmington Youth Services. The Director of Social Services, Alan Rosenberg, reported he would like to provide a brief update. The State has advised us of the grant award to establish the bureau, we have finalized the preparation of the Contract for the Contractual Services for the Youth Services Professional, to be provided by the Town of Farmington. At this time he would like to present Nancy Parent, Director of Community and Recreational Services for the Town of Farmington, and Kimberly Pikor our Youth Services Professional who will be providing the services to Avon. Nancy will provide a brief summary of the types of services she provides and answer any questions.
Nancy Parent reported she is the Director of Community and Recreation Services for the Town of Farmington. We provide a wide variety of services for our elderly as well as our youth and family services. About a year or so ago she and Mr. Rosenberg started talking about the Youth Services and Farmington which has a fully functioning youth services that has been in existence 17 years, and provide a variety of services, such as individual and family counseling, assistance, and youth programming. We have several different dances and functions for our youth, our biggest we had 500 teens in attendance at our Community Center. We are going to be helping to provide some of those services in Avon, focussing predominantly on outreach education, parent education, some youth advisory, planning some activities.
We are looking forward to doing something solely for Avon and as well as doing some collaborative programming, education, parent education. Kimberly Pikor will be providing the services and will develop a resource guide and will be available to Avon parents should they need anything.
Chairman Carlson questioned how we get the word out to Avon parents, what is the communication plan on this, we are spending this amount of money and we want to make sure that they take advantage of it. Ms. Pikor reported we will probably try and mimic some of what we do in Farmington, that would be reaching out through the schools, through the guidance counselors, getting to meet all of them, could be reaching out to the Clergy by letting them know we are available. Perhaps doing some sort of program where we are actually having people come in, maybe doing an education program about a certain topic, that is going to bring the parents in to find out about that topic. We will try all of them, one may work well for some groups, another may work better for other groups, it is just going to be a hit or miss
type thing to try to get as much questions and answers out there as possible, to be able to provide that resource.
Mr. Zacchio questioned whether there is any opportunity for us to piggy back that off of any other program, like DARE, as we already would have a program in place, with opportunities to marketing through them. Ms. Parent reported in Farmington we have a good reputation of working with the Board of Education and the Police Department, we have an advisory board, and all that is just in the infancy stages here, so she would imagine that those relationships will take some time to develop and we will be networking. She further reported Ms. Pikor will be the primary person here in Avon but there could be some large events that we need to bring in all of the troops from Farmington to help, and there may be things in Farmington that we would provide to be able to welcome in the parents from Avon as well. We are going
to try all of the different things that have been successful, recognizing that they are two different communities, and some things may be more successful here. We will try to make as many contacts with people that are already in Town as possible, and continue to do that. Now that we have received the approval for the grant, we will move forward.
Chairman Carlson stated from a contractual standpoint, our contract runs 11/01/07 through the end of the fiscal year, have we already been engaged with Farmington on some services, we are paying for the full year up front. Ms. Parent reported yes, we certainly have, we have been doing behind the scenes, a whole resource booklet we have been developing to be able to hand out to people, we have been meeting and greeting people in Avon already, so while it perhaps has not been as much, over the times that it is busier is during school vacations and summer, so you will be making up for some of that loss. Mr. Rosenberg reported by June 30th, we will make sure that we get our money’s worth out of the money we have been putting in, in additional programs and services. Chairman Carlson
questioned whether on an annual basis you will have to apply for the grant funds from the State. Mr. Rosenberg reported that is pretty much automatic, it has been in place for many years. Ms. Parent reported in fact we received ours about seven years ago, and it automatically rolls over, we never receive our approval until about this time of year, but once we start the momentum we are not going to slow down during the off months after we have finished it, we are just going to keep going.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the contract, as presented, with the Town of Farmington to provide Contractual Services for the Avon Youth Services Bureau, and establish the Youth Services Bureau Advisory Board.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
b. Appointment: Youth Services Advisory Board
Mr. Rosenberg reported he provided a list of three residents interested in serving on the board, staff liaisons which includes two school staff and one student, as required, and the Police Department recommended a Police staff person for the Committee of seven.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Ellen Gobell and Suzanne Goldberg as Parent/Community Members, Lori Stanzyc as Parent/Community Member Youth Services Professional, James Papa and Laura Porter as School Staff, Andrew Ray as Student Representative and Ronald Welch as Police Staff, to serve on the Avon Youth Services Bureau Advisory Board for a term to expire December 31, 2008.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-06 Appointment: Inland Wetlands Commission
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Martha A. Dean to serve on the Inland Wetlands Commission for a term to expire December 31, 2009.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-08 Appointment of Avon Free Public Library Renovations/Additions Building Committee
Accept Resignation: Bill Eschert, Chairman
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept with regret the resignation of William E. Eschert as Member and Chairman of the Avon Free Public Library Renovations/Additions Building Committee.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
Appointment: New Member/Chairman
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Diane S. Hornaday to serve as a Member and Chairman of the Avon Free Public Library Renovations/Additions Building Committee.
Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor. Mrs. Hornaday abstained.
c. Brief Committee on their Charge
The Town Manager reported generally in the past the Town Council has seen fit to see if the members of the Committee had any questions, and review briefly the charge, in terms of what your expectations are and sending them on their way. Chairman Carlson reported the first major item is the recommendation of the architect, and report back to the Town Council by January 1st, 2008. Ms. Robinson reported that would be a bit of a challenge, given the month delay by a resignation we will fall back to the first plan which was by February 1st.
Mr. David Goldsholl reported he noticed from the material that we received that it referenced the original proposal to the Town Council, the statement of needs be accepted, and not being familiar with the full process, he was not sure if that meant upon acceptance by the Town Council that they accept all stipulations made in the needs document to the point of budget graphs. What he has seen is very specific, in terms of build out plans and estimates, and he was wondering if the Town Council accepts that, does that tell us that we know exactly how high the bar is, in terms of how much is reasonable to spend. Mr. Shea reported he does not think that we know yet what the cost of the project is, he would imagine in the process, that working with your Architect and your construction manager, there would be some value
engineering by the four bodies, Management of the Library, the Building Committee, the Architect and the Contractor in an effort to try to tighten up the project, while not compromising what your need assessment is, as we do not have a number yet. Chairman Carlson reported he would certainly want to see there being some different options coming in, we do not want to have ourselves locked in unavoidably as we have in the past. He would rather see some options, so that we can explore those, and we are under a phenomenal amount of fiscal pressure going forward, especially from a debt standpoint, we are trying to manage a debt so that it stays to a level.
Mr. Eagan questioned should the project, upon approval of the referendum, that our services may be to seek the services of a construction manager, is that the intent of the Town to seek the services of a construction manager at that time, is it eluding to that or to the use of a general contractor still an option. Chairman Carlson reported we are not locking in one or the other, certainly we did specify it in here only because we have had good experience right now on the high school project and on the Building 5/6 project, but if the Committee in their discussion with the Architect feel that a general contractor is a better way to go for some reason we certainly would want to understand the reasons and the rational, but we would all be open to it.
07/08-12 FY 08/09 Budget: CIP Budget Presentation
Chief Mark Rinaldo reported before he begins the CIP presentation, he would like to give an update on what has been happening inside the Police Department the past three months which have been extremely busy. We had a truck crash through Nassau Furniture, about the same time we had a UPS and some of our computer services crash, due to a lightning strike, in the Police Department. The cooperation we received from the other Town agencies was phenomenal - - - the Building Department, Public Works, Finance and his competent staff, they were able to get through the issues and get through this with relative ease. “I just want to thank the Town Manager for his leadership and the Town Council for their support with some of the things that we had to do on an emergency basis.”
He introduced Chick Langone, our radio consultant since 2001, he is an expert in radio consultation, he has put together programs in Boston and New York, and before we get into the communication section, he will give an update on our global communication ventures that are coming down the pike. Mr. Langone reported he appreciates the opportunity to work with the Town for six plus years, in trying to improve public safety communications. We were able to with the Town Council, Town Manager and the Chief over the early years redefine the public safety communications that improved reliability and kind of moved forward into a plan that allows us to replace some of the radios and get the Town on a course to continue improvements, and one of those the Chief will be talking about shortly. From a standpoint
of what is the big picture in public safety communications, there is really two things that you hear a lot about, one of them came about on September 11th, one that is called interoperability, the ability for many public safety agencies first responders to communicate amongst each other, and be able to provide a coordinated response to incidents. This Town has taken a step forward in that, and tried to improve that both within the Town communication system, as well as outside the town, whether it is with communication systems such as RAFS, regional around the Hartford area, or some of the other communication systems that the Town has linked up with to improve the interoperability. Another pending ‘unfunded mandate’ is January 1st 2013, which is what has been called a refarming deadline and that basically is where all equipment has to be capable of being what term is used ‘narrow banded’ and that is primarily to
increase the available frequencies for public safety agencies. The FCC, Federal Communications Commission, has set a deadline that says as of that date everybody has to shrink what available spectrum they are using, basically cut it in half to make other new spectrum available to other agencies. From the standpoint of this community pretty much all of your equipment is ready to do that, and so you are ahead of that game, and that is important to know. The Town has put itself in a good position to move forward with vertical communication systems. Mr. Woodford questioned the Town Manager, is the cellular tower up at the landfill transfer station area? The Town Manager reported the tower is up and being used, we are getting checks in on it, we have space on there that is reserved for us which we have not used, but that tower has been erected and Verizon and Sprint are using it.
7:45 p.m. Police Department
Chief Mark Rinaldo reported the Capital Improvement Program for the Division of Police covers Fiscal Years 2008/2009 through 2017/2018. He reported in the FY 08/09 Capital Improvement Program Budget, we are requesting the complete replacement and upgrade of the communication center. The Towns of Canton and Farmington have decided against the regional communications center initiative. The replacement and redesign are recommended by our communication consultant. The estimated cost of $549.560, has been split with $274,780. in 2008/2009 and in 2009/2010.
The second project is renovations to the police annex building. Since acquisition of the annex and renovations in 1995-1997, we find that enlargement of the Sergeants’ office and replacement of existing wallpaper and flooring, as well as security measures, are necessities at this time. The estimated expenditure of $50,000 has been put into the 2008/2009 budget. Chairman Carlson questioned is it possible if we were not able to find the $50,000, to take care of the security issues in the locker rooms at a lower cost just to address that particular issue. Chief Rinaldo reported we have to work on the entrance of the locker rooms, per CIRMA recommendations last November, we have to close that off, and that certainly can be done for less, but the other issues also have to be addressed, but there is a
period of time for us to work on it.
The Police Department 2008/2009 to 2017/2018 Capital Requests, along with the 2008-2009 Capital Improvement Project Presentation are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Mr. Woodford reported this is not part of the capital budget but is the Police Department fully staffed at this point. Chief Rinaldo reported no, we are down five officers, right now we are going through a recruitment process, we have oral boards Wednesday and Friday of this week. We joined a consortium with five other communities, 170 people took the test, and there are 112 that are still on the list. Mr. Woodford reported he believes our priorities are messed up, we should not pick up another stick, build another classroom, build a library, buy a truck, or do anything, until our Police Department gets to full speed and full staff. In this day and age, with all of the nonsense that is going on, it is just unacceptable. I think our priorities have to be devoted to that. I do not want to hear why it
is tough, or difficult, we cannot do it, it takes a long time, there are not enough recruits or whatever. I want to hear yes you are right, we have to do that. It is important for this town. Chief Rinaldo reported his hope is that they will have the background checks done in two weeks, then they will go through physical and psychological exams, those take a while because of setting up appointments. We have slots held in the academy class for March and June, so we should be in fairly good shape. Chief Rinaldo further reported the roads are covered, although we are understaffed we cover that with overtime.
8:15 p.m. General Government
Assessor
The Assessor reported his Capital Improvement Program covers estimated expenditures for FY2008/09 through FY2012/13, for the 2008 Revaluation project for an estimated $300,000, with $100,000 in 2008/2009 and $125,000 in 2009/2010 out of General Revenues. Legislative changes in the frequency of revaluations have caused Avon to adopt a five-year cycle starting with the 2003 Grand List. He stated the past year’s revaluation was performed with the assistance of a Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal System which allows the Assessor’s Office to maintain information on each property on an annual basis, as well as the cost tables needed to complete the revaluation. A Consultant was hired to assist in the development of the needed tables and to handle information hearings and formal appeals as needed. Our 2008
revaluation project will be handled in a similar manner, in addition, we will be working with the Town of Canton on a joint Revaluation similar to 2003, we do the reassessment to take advantage of the economies scale. In terms of the funding last year $75,000 was provided, he is requesting $100,000 in this coming budget cycle. The actual notices will go out in October, 2008, in the second year of funding, and the $125,000 in 2009 will be used to take care of all of the cleanup bills, litigation or whatever else. The split of Avon’s portion and Canton’s portion is roughly 60/40, Canton’s commercial base has grown, they have a number of complex properties, that mirror ours, so it is pretty much an even split, it is pretty much going to remain the same. It represents a reasonable distribution of the costs. A lot of the things we are doing in house versus sending them out, we feel that if we control them we can control quality and the time
lines.
Chairman Carlson reported the legal fees are about 20% of your overall cost, is that contingency or is that a hard cost. The Assessor reported that is a contingency, based on past experience, if things change then we will have a savings there, we have learned a little from litigation in the past. Mr. Shea questioned how many bidders were there for the consultant. The Assessor reported in 2003 there were two bona fide bids, three people responded, one without a price. Mr. Shea questioned whether there are possibly more consultants in the area, other than the two. The Assessor reported the numbers appear high but it is a number, it may end up being high, but he did not want to put a low number in to find out that things fall apart with the current consultant, then he will be coming back for
additional funds. He would much rather have a true budget based on market experience of other towns, if we are successful in getting something that is lower we can always adjust down. Mr. Shea reported he should have asked whether you think you will get two bids. The Assessor reported we hope to get something to finalize and present to you, something in writing. We also want to see what their experience has been in Simsbury where they are currently doing a project.
Mr. Zacchio questioned why would you not bid the project. The Assessor reported we had a provision in the contract last time that said if we wish, they did a good job last time, he does not see the need to. They were substantially lower, $145 versus $195, that is quite a savings. Mr. Woodford questioned whether there are potential bidders out there. The Assessor reported two, the same two that bid in 2003, PBS Systems and Colier Trumble. Mr. Woodford reported we should go out to bid, why would you not do it? The Town Manager reported we will be happy to go out with a formal bid package, we had that option in the 2003 contract which is what the Assessor was exploring, if you are uncomfortable with it, it is not a problem at all. Mr. Woodford reported you are talking about a $300,000 job, and
you are talking about just on one person’s evaluation going ahead with the contract, somehow that does not seem to fit in with what we have been talking about. The Town Manager reported the idea was to be able to, if you have the same vendor come back that is familiar with the community and built: with prior tables, theoretically they should be low, but they should be low on a bidding process too.
The Assessor reported we will be happy to get prices, if you would like a formal bid process we will be happy to do that. Mr. Woodford reported you should at least get an estimate from them. Mr. Shea reported it would be wise, when you talking about this kind of money it is going to get a lot of attention, if someone was to question us about the consultant and the process, it would be beneficial to everyone, especially the Assessor, to say that we went out to bid, got some bids, and, it is the successful bidder from last time and these are the savings. The Assessor reported in December or January he will be back with a general contract for approval, with the requested information.
Mr. Woodford asked a technical question - - - how do you factor in this computerized revaluation, is an upgrade to a home factored based on permits, how do you put those changes into your process, how do you know? The Assessor reported if it was a non revaluation year, if a permit is taken out, we go out to inspect it, and we would add it on. We do not use the permit cost, as a base. During times of reassessment we establish tables that indicate what the value is. During the year he and his staff go out to look at it to see what the completion is, add it in based on the reassessment figure, and carry it forward, at time of reassessment we simply recalibrate the tables.
Mr. Shea questioned the project management process, who does that? The Assessor reported the project management is a fee that we earn from the Town of Canton, for managing their reassessment, that is doing what he is doing now presently.
Mrs. Hornaday reported she does not disagree with what the Assessor has suggested for the 60/40 breakdown, but would like the Assessor to prepare Canton for the fact that next time around it might be a little bit different. They are experiencing the greatest growth in the Hartford area, and she is assuming that ratio is based on number of assessed properties. The Assessor reported it is, they have had quite a growth, they too, as Avon is, are running out of developable land and approved building lots. So there is a slowing down, as ours is slowing down. Mrs. Hornaday questioned if they would end up with a population as great as ours, they have land available, she does not disagree for now. In the future they need to be prepared that it is not always going to remain 60/40. The Assessor reported but it is
a very good point. Mrs. Hornaday questioned we have the non inspection revaluation every two years. The Assessor reported the inspection portion of this is ongoing, the way we handle it is to make it ongoing. We could just do a blank inspection every other revaluation year or cycle, but it becomes very costly and the odds of getting in each house is getting less and less, the entrance ratio used to be 93%, but we are lucky if we can get into 40%. We find two things, one if we are out doing the permits we are at the house, so we are walking around it and make sure all of the information is correct in the house, we talk with the property owner. We go out on roof permits, even though they are just replacing a roof it is an opportunity to revisit the property. Mrs. Hornaday reported she liked the article in the newsletter about the permits was wonderful, and a lot of people might have been surprised about that.
Mr. Woodford questioned whether there were other options to the five year plan, like in West Hartford? The Assessor reported most every town is doing the five year plan, but there was one blip in the cycle where the state gave everyone an option to have a three year reprieve. The Town Manager reported they are doing a phase-in, which is allowed, we have never gone ahead and done a phase-in in Avon because usually the phase-in you can set the time, and most take the five year phases, but you would continually be in the sense of revalue all the time. We have between a 15% and 18% turnover rate in Town on property so the chances in five years of having people remember why we chose to do the phase-in, a lot of them are no longer in the community. Mr. Woodford reported this is just an educational question
because a lot of people ask about this. The Town Manager reported right, but essentially prices have not moved too much in the last year or two, we are about 15% below value, running about 55% instead of 70%, so if things stay the same or relatively the same for another year, you are going to see an adjustment of about 15%, that does not take into account the difference in class of properties and other things. Essentially the retail office commercial levels have not really significantly changed overall, there is not going to be much of a change from 2003 to 2008 on those, and residential mainly 15% on average.
The Assessor reported this is the time line, notices will go out in the middle of November 2008, the turnover for the Town, with signing of the grand list mid January. The Board of Assessment Appeals will meet in March to do their duties.
b. Town Clerk
The Town Clerk, Ann Dearstyne, presented her FY2008/2009 Capital Improvement Project, the Vault Expansion Project, which includes expansion of the vault from 400 square feet to 1,000 square feet to meet state requirements and to meet our built-out population in 2015, the replacement of the building entranceway, installation of a fire/security alarm system, and included in the request are the repair/paint of the existing buildings #1 and #2 roofs, for an estimated total project budget of $810,958.
The Town Clerk reported this request is to expand the Town Clerk’s vault, which is currently at 400 square feet, with our population the State requires that we have a vault no smaller than 800 square feet, but to meet our built-out population by 2015 we are requesting a 600 square foot increase to 1,000 square feet. If we are going to do this within the next year or two, it would be wise to build it to population capacity, otherwise we would be under State regulations and required to increase the vault again. Back in 2004, the Public Records Administrator visited the Town Clerk’s office, and cited us for not meeting the State’s vault regulations. The Town Clerk reported that she has been in touch with them, the State is aware we are working on the project, and will come out to look at our
plans and specifications to make sure they meet State Guidelines. One of her biggest concerns is that we store right now 566 land record volumes, and the shelving for the volumes by the end of next year will be at capacity, there is no room to add additional shelving. We have maximized and are utilizing every inch of space we can in the vault. Currently we store the land records, grantor, grantee indexes, maps, vital records including births, marriages and death certificates, election records, veteran discharges, tax records, grand lists and meeting minutes. Right now we have stored in the vault, Town Council, Board of Finance and Town Meeting minutes, however we really need to have every board and commission’s minutes stored in the vault but we do not have space. The Town Manager reported they are in fireproof safe cabinets within Departments. The Town Clerk reported they should all be in one location. Another immediate need, not long term
storage as it is not considered permanent storage, but with the new voting technology that everybody will be using tomorrow comes with paper ballots, and the paper ballots require storage for certain periods of time, municipal elections and referendums are not an issue they are only six months, but when you get to federal offices it is 22 months. You are always going to have ballots, even with a State Election there are usually Federal offices on that ballot, 22 months is a long time and it is a lot of paper. Fortunately, the Library has allowed us to use some of their vault at least for the short term, but it is not a lot of space, it will be enough to get us through this year’s election. Next year we have three federal elections, two presidential primaries and the Presidential Election, there are going to be a lot of ballots. Mr. Zacchio questioned whether you have ever considered any outsourcing capabilities, Iron Mountain for less access. The Town
Clerk reported we have storage there, and we also have it in our storage area, but this is all permanent records that have to be in the vault open to the public, on site, and they are under the Town Clerk’s control. She would not have control if they are stored off site. She said ballots are not permanent, but they do have to be stored in a facility that will have protected storage, but the majority of what we have will have to be in the vault, available to the public, open to inspection. The vault needs to be constructed of 8 inch thick concrete walls, with a four hour fire rating. Visual control of the vault must be achieved, currently the vault door is too close in proximity with the entrance and exit which the State feels has the potential of somebody removing documents and records, we have to move it into a position more visible, with temperature and humidity environment controls, presently we adjust the heat or cooling in the office. Mr. Zacchio
questioned whether all of those records have to be maintained in their present format. The Town Clerk reported we have many of them on computer, we have a map computer, we are constantly going back to older maps and getting them on to a map computer, but we still have to have the original maps in the vault, computers make it easier to look up by the public, and saves on the life of a map as it is less handled. Some of our legal documents that are in the volumes, their image can be viewed on computer, but we still have to have the books.
The Town Clerk reported the total project cost is $810,968, that includes the expansion of the vault which is 600 square feet, replacement of the building entranceway, not connecting to building one, strictly to come into the office, and installing fire and security alarm systems. We have a fire alarm type system, it is not connected to the police department, located in the outside office, not in the vault. Our concern is that we need to have some type of connection to the police department in the event of fire, with a sprinkler system, especially in the outer office, not in the vault as all power is shut off to the vault when we are not at work, and we also need to repair the paint in the existing building. Ms. Robinson reported we are trying to get all of the buildings on campus into good shape and
this roof also needs to be done, while we are doing work in the building we thought completing roof work for buildings one and two would be an extra step.
Mrs. Hornaday questioned whether expanding the vault is going to change the existing parameters of that building. The Town Clerk reported presently there is another entrance that leads to the Police Department from the Town Clerks office, that would be closed, the exterior wall of that building would be extended, leaving enough room for a sidewalk. Mrs. Hornaday agreed it is small in the vault, but she would like to say that our vault is as well maintained as any in this State, she used to do title searches. She realizes why the State got involved but ours is very well maintained, and you can find what you need in our vault.
Ms. Robinson reported if we do not begin the project in the 2008/2009 FY, we need to include an inflationary factor of 2.5% a year to spread out the costs over two years or possibly longer. Mr. Woodford questioned whether the State provides any grant money. The Town Clerk reported no, the only thing that they will provide us some money for is the equipment that will go into the vault, like map files or shelving, but they do not give us any money for the actual construction of the vault. Mr. Shea questioned the construction management fee, which is an estimate, does that include the architectural fee which is at 4%. Ms. Robinson reported it would be on top of that. Mr. Shea reported it is at 4%, $23,500 roughly, what would the construction management estimate be. Ms. Robinson reported about
$70,000, which will include the architect completing the drawing stage, and the structural engineers work. Mr. Shea reported as we get close to this project, those are areas that should be looked at and that contingency at 10% might be a little high, this is not going to be a project that should have many complications. He also questioned when they would go out to bid for the Architect. Ms. Robinson reported we do not have to go out to bid for an architect, Glenn Arbonese has done the preliminary design work, and got us to a point where we got a price to present tonight.
The Town Manager reported he is anticipating this is going to have to be split into two years. The other thing we can do, as we did when we built the swimming pool, is to put it out to bid with the idea that they get their second payment, July 1st of 2009, the only other way to do it is to bond it, but you would be adding more to it. Mr. Shea reported he would imagine the Building Committee would be the Town Clerk, Blythe Robinson and someone else, an internal committee, it is not a big project nor will it take a lot of time, but he believes further scrutiny of the Architect and the Contractor is merited. Ms. Robinson reported the only one we would have assumed to continue to use was the Architect who had already done the preliminary design work. Mr. Shea reported this is a small project, this is
going to be quick and small, however is best, he trusts the building committee will be able to look at that and determine what is the best route. It might be appropriate to discuss what the Architects fee would be.
The Town Clerk’s FY2008/2009 CIP Vault Expansion Project, and the General Government Capital Budget Presentation FY08-09 Requests are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Social Services
The Director of Social Services reported his Capital Improvement Program Project presentation for FY2008/2009 to 2012/2013, contains a request for a new 7-12 passenger, lift-equipped vehicle for Avon elderly/disabled transportation, for General Dial-A-Ride service. The estimated expenditure is $50,000 scheduled in FY2010/2011. The addition of a new vehicle is for our general Dial-A-Ride service, which provides transportation to local senior and residents with a disability. The contractor would continue to cover all vehicle operating costs, including maintenance, insurance, fuel, and related costs. Also, our growing senior population would benefit from the use of a new, modern, fully equipped vehicle. Chairman Carlson reported given the price of fuel, at the time that this comes up, he
would like alternative options, such as hybrid to be considered. The Director reported they do allow an option for a diesel engine, which probably increases the price by $4,000 to $5,000, but would eventually save on fuel. Mrs. Hornaday questioned whether this vehicle would be available through the Neighborhood Assistance Grants. The Director reported we would certainly put it on the list, for any group or foundation that would want to help.
The Social Services 2008/2009 Capital Requests, and the General Government Capital Budget Presentation FY 08-09 Requests dated November 5, 2007 are attached and made a part of these minutes.
07/08-15 Appointment: Town Representative: Plainville Area Cable Television Advisory Council
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table the appointment to the December meeting.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-20 Appointment Natural Resources Commission
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Woodford, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Barry Rydberg to serve on the Natural Resources Commission for a term to expire December 31, 2009.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
07/08-23 Authorization to Apply and Accept Annual DUI Enforcement Grant: $23,000.
Mr. Woodford reported he would not be in favor of the use for check points. The Town Manager reported though the grant application process allows for that, the Chief would be happy to not have check points, we have never done them in the past. Chief Rinaldo reported that is State language that they put in there, we are not going to do check points. Our DUI program is the same as we have done in the past, we are just going to put extra patrols out, there will absolutely be no check points in the Town of Avon. Although it is part of the language of the grant, we are not going to participate in that part of the program. The difference between this grant and some others, this grant goes for a year, traditionally in the past at each holiday season we have to apply for the grant funding, this time the
Department of Transportation changed it over for us to administer it for the entire year, which is actually more convenient. Mr. Zacchio reported this is the same language as last year, and questioned how the $23,000 compare to the separate grants in the past, up or down. Chief Rinaldo reported about the same, it is usually just one officer out there, we do not have the manpower to do four or five, so the best way to satisfy the State and get the grant money is to put an officer out to do some preventative options, but again we would have to have probable cause to make a stop.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council authorize the Town Manager to apply for and accept the Annual DUI Enforcement Grant in amount $23,100.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-24 Review, Discussion and Approval: Updated Purchasing Policy
Blythe Robinson, Assistant to the Town Manager, reported that after working with the policy over the past year she is recommending that the policy be updated. She came to this conclusion having discussed it with user departments, the finance department staff, reviewing changes in applicable state and federal law, and comparing it to the practices in communities similar to Avon. There are several reasons why she recommends an update: the thresholds for purchase orders, quotes and bids should be raised to a limit more reasonable for a town of our size, language should be added to the policy to have it define a process when we hire professional services, the policy should also clarify that employees and elected officials should not bid on Town work, and lastly the policy ought to reflect the actual
practices of the Town and make amendments to show how we do business today versus how we have done it in the past. Included in the packets is a copy of the policy showing all the changes tracked.
She reviewed her reasoning behind the changes, regarding making changes to reflect our actual practices. With regard to thresholds, she suggests that the minimum amount required to issue a purchase order should be raised from $1,000 to $2,000, and the threshold for sealed bids ought to increase from $5,000 to $10,000. Mr. Woodford questioned why we ever buy anything with an oral quote. Ms. Robinson replied sometimes we simply get a quote over the phone and then capture it ourselves in writing, rather than having somebody actually mail, fax or e-mail us back a quote. Mr. Zacchio questioned whether we then confirm that back to the vendor. Ms. Robinson replied some departments have actually developed a form for this purpose. Part of the reason for the purchase order is that it goes back to the
vendor as confirmation that they provided us the lowest responsible quote we received for the amount originally quoted. The purchase order is their guarantee that we will pay that amount for that particular item.
The Town Manager clarified that the Accounting Department also will not pay a bill that falls into one of these categories without the back up documentation to show the appropriate procedures for expenditure of funds. Mr. Woodford questioned that in this day of electronic media, he cannot imagine why we would ever do anything with an oral quote. Ms. Robinson reported we are trying to simplify smaller purchases for which more process may not be cost effective. Mr. Woodford reported sometimes simple is not always the best. Ms. Robinson reported another reason for changing the threshold, particularly for sealed bids is that the way we buy things in this day and age has changed significantly. We buy a lot of things off of the State’s bids. CRCOG does collective purchasing for a lot of
commodities that we would otherwise have to bid ourselves, but is not offered by the State. This option lessens the work that we have to do and it provides us with the responsible means of getting the best price. We have also found that sealed bids are onerous for some businesses who do not do public work to respond to. A number of forms are required to address issues such as non-collusion and anti-discrimination laws. We feel this process is best utilized for only our larger purchases.
Mr. Shea reported as he read this, he did not see where it indicates how we would bond a project, referring specifically to the projects of $25,000 or higher. Granted you might have a fire truck, you do not need to bond or a piece of equipment, but when we perform a project for $100,000, sidewalks or whatever, how does the Town determine when we bond a contractor and when we do not? Ms. Robinson reported usually we require bonds if it is something that we are building and we want to make sure that their performance is satisfactory. Mr. Shea questioned what is the number? Ms. Robinson reported we have not assigned a dollar threshold for that, it is a project by project basis. Mr. Shea questioned who makes the determination? Ms. Robinson answered she and the department head usually, or
the Committee if that is relevant, then of course there are State laws that come into play when talking about prevailing wages. Mr. Shea reported he was just curious because whoever you choose, if you come back to this body, they can ask if there was a bid or performance bond involved.
Chairman Carlson questioned you do now require an insurance certificate to file. Ms. Robinson reported we have been requiring them but it was never listed in the purchasing policy. Any time that someone is doing work on our property we require a certificate evidencing coverage.
Ms. Robinson reported that professional services is an area where we can spend quite a lot of money, depending upon the service, and we did not have a procedure that covered how we did that. We added some language that is fairly flexible, because we may spend anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000 depending on the service. She recommends including a rating form that we have utilized to rank those firms when they apply, and use the results to provide a fair defensible process as to why we chose the firm for the service. It will assist us to determine the firm best able to work for Avon that meets the criteria we put in the RFP then.
Ms. Robinson reported the last significant area of the policy, is the addition regarding restrictions on contracting with town personnel. She recommends adding this because there have been situations in the past where employees that wanted to contract with the Town, and we do not feel this is appropriate. This language was drafted by the Town Attorney would make it clear that that is not acceptable. If it is acceptable to the Town Council we would cross-reference this in the employee manual, and then look to bring forward to you, as well as similar language to the Policy Governing the Conduct of Public Officials. Mr. Woodford stated he cannot believe we did not have that all along. Mr. Zacchio reported he wonders if there should not be an item, for an employee who has recently left the
service of Town Employment and/or public officials, to wait a period of time, such as a year before being able to bid on public work. Ms. Robinson reported that is something that could go into the Employee Manual, more than here. Mr. Zacchio reported it should be in this document because it includes public officials. Chairman Carlson reported if we are all comfortable with a year, we could vote to accept this with that amendment noted - - - a year for both employees who leave the service of the Town as well as public officials who are no longer public officials.
Mrs. Hornaday reported after we approve this, she would like staff to forward a copy to the Board of Education and to the Board of Finance, so that they are clear on what we did and where we are. Ms. Robinson reported that the Board of Education has their own purchasing policies. Mrs. Hornaday reported yes, but sometimes they tailor their procedures also to our recommended policies for the Town, and it is nice for them to know what the Town’s policy is.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the “Town of Avon Policy Memorandum, Subject: Purchasing Procedures No. 3.1”, as presented, and to include, after Town Attorney review, a provision under “XIV Restrictions on Contracting with Town Personnel”, regarding town employees or town officials leaving town employment or service, should not be eligible for one year to bid on public work.
Ms. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-25 Approve Proclamation: 100th Birthday Greeting: Ms. Charlotte Bennett
Chairman Carlson reported we have been advised that one of our residents is celebrating her 100th birthday, a proclamation has been prepared for her on behalf of the Town Council and the community. He reported we should have information put in the Newsletter for residents to let us know of any other milestone birthdays.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council, in recognition of Charlotte M. Bennett’s 100th Birthday, authorize the following greeting be presented to her on behalf of the Town Council:
“GREETINGS
Congratulations Charlotte M. Bennett on your 100th birthday.
On behalf of the Town Council and the Community of Avon
we would like to extend to you pleasant thoughts
and heartfelt wishes for a happy day.
Your 100th birthday is a great day for celebrating.
YOUR 100TH BIRTHDAY
IS A WONDERFUL MILESTONE,
A SPECIAL TIME FOR ENJOYING
ALL THE MEMORIES OF
SO MANY YEARS WELL-LIVED.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY”
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-26 Resignation: Ed Borkoski, Natural Resources Commission
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept with regret the resignation of Edmund S. Borkoski from the Natural Resources Commission.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-27 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Woodford, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Steven P. Samul to serve on the Natural Resources Commission for a term to expire December 31, 2007.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-28 Supplemental Appropriation: $6,500 Replacement Fisher Meadows Irrigation Pump
The Town Manager reported this is the payment for the pump that was installed, the bill was delayed due to the untimely death of the owner of the company, we received the bill only recently.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council hereby recommends to the Board of Finance an appropriation not to exceed $6,562.00 from Fisher Meadow Maintenance Fund, Other Financing Sources, Undesignated Fund Balance, Account #12-0390-43913 and Transfer Out from Fisher Meadow Maintenance Fund, Other Financing Uses, Interfund Transfer-out, Account #12-8700-58000 and Transfer In to General Fund, parks, Materials – Other, Account #01-5201-52239 and General Fund, Other Financing Sources, Interfund Operating Transfers In, Account #01-0390-43918 in the amount of $6,562.00 for the purpose of replacing the 30 HP Pump Motor & Pump End for the irrigation system at Fisher Meadows.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-29 Supplemental Appropriation: $20,000 Preliminary design Verville Road Sewer Installation
Bud Usich, Inland Wetlands Commission, reported the Commission recently adopted a very broadband facilities plan. The Verville Road area is one of the top three problem areas in the Town. We feel sewers are appropriate to the area, Town Engineer, Tom Daukas, is here to add preliminary contact with residents in the area, and we are happy to say that homeowners appear happy with the sewer installation that we are considering. The sewer installation approval process is a public hearing, at the public hearing we have to have numbers to present to the public so that they know what the taxes and assessments might be. With that we are requesting a $20,000 appropriation, so that they can go out and do the necessary borings and site work to find out what is there, what the problems may or may not be as part of a
construction sewer design in this area, then come back with some numbers that are hopefully sensible for the scope of the project. It is a problem area with consistent failures, because of the age of the septic system, poor draining soil, high water table, small lot size and shallow depth to ledge. We would encourage you to approve the $20,000 appropriation from the Sewer Fund which assuming we do move forward with the sewers will be recoverable from the assessments. The area has about 20 homes, there have been recent failures in the area, the area is appropriately in need of sewers and we are addressing that.
The Town Engineer reported these sewers will go to Canton sewers along Smith Road. Chairman Carlson questioned how long the study would take and when would we expect to see the overall construction. Town Engineer Daukas reported we are trying to achieve construction this summer, that is why we are out of sync a little, we had it proposed last year in the CIP but we held back until these plans were finished, but it is a tough area to serve because of the rock. We need to have good numbers to present it to a public hearing. He did an estimate depending on the rock quantity it could go anywhere from $5,000 per unit to $10,000, he would like to pin it down specifically.
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mrs. Hornaday, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council favorably recommends to the Board of Finance an appropriation not to exceed $20,000 from Sewer Fund, Other Financing Sources, Undesignated Fund Balance Account #05-0390-43913 and transfer from Sewer Fund, Other Financing Uses, Interfund Transfers-Out Account #05-8700-58000 to Capital Projects, Fund, (Facil & Equip), Town CIP-Facilities, Verville Road Sewer, Account #02-4829-53385 and Capital Projects Fund (Facilities & Equipment), Other financing Sources, Interfund Operating Transfers-In Account #02-0390-3918 in the amount of $20,000 for the purpose of funding soil borings and an engineering survey for the Verville Road Sewer.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-30 Supplemental Appropriation: $18,000 Purchase of Fully Equipped New/Used Police Tahoe
The Town Manager reported we have the opportunity to purchase an almost new fully Police equipped Chevrolet Tahoe at a substantial discount. This would allow us to reduce the number of anticipated Police vehicles replacement in the FY08/09 budget.
Police Chief Rinaldo reported the dealer, Whelan, who bids directly with the State of Connecticut for police cars and the other state agencies, which explains why we are not doing business directly with Whelan, as we did in the past through a distributor. Mr. Zacchio questioned in the 08/09 budget you were to put three replacement cruisers in the budget, this would make two. Chief Rinaldo reported yes but if they were Tahoes’ they would be significantly more than this one.
On a motion made by Mr. Woodford, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council favorably recommends to the Board of Finance an appropriation not to exceed $18,000 from General Fund, Other Financing Sources, Undesignated Fund Balance, Account #01-0390-43913, to General Fund, Patrol Services, Vehicles, Account #01-2107-53311 and transfer of appropriation of $6,000 from General Fund, Patrol Services, Vehicles, Account #01-2107-52204 to General Fund, Patrol Services, Vehicles, Account 01-2107-53311, for a combined total of $24,000 for the purpose of purchasing a 2007 Tahoe for the Police Department.
Mrs. Hornaday, Messrs Carlson, Shea, Woodford and Zacchio voted in favor.
TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
The Town Manager reported copies of the quarterly financial report are included in the packet. The Director of Finance Peggy Colligan reported we are using the same format. Our revenues are in line with our 06/07 activity, and as you know we have had some issues with getting our school construction revenues. We should be seeing the wires coming in shortly for that. The recording and conveyance and the building permits are highlighted, which the Town Manager has touched on in the past. In terms of the expenditure side of the budget, as Police Chief Rinaldo pointed out, we did have a rough time in September, they did have some expenditures that were unanticipated, which on the short term basis, recovering the IT funds. We hope to get insurance proceeds from that, everything has been sent in for that,
and we are pretty positive they are going to cover everything, and we hope including any payroll costs that were associated with that. We also changed one other thing in our quarterly, you will also see the change in your upcoming budget in 08/09. In the services and supplies and capital outlays, we will use a $5,000 threshold, we have been using that for quite a few years. We decided to increase it up to $10,000, adjusted for inflation, we are actually about $9,500, so now in our quarterly we are going to disclose variances in excess of $10,000 and show them in the 08/09 operating fund budget. We have a section regarding the Board of Education in this report, and also on our defined benefit.
The Town Manager reported the only other thing I really have is the fact that he wanted to let the Town Council know that last Friday on November 2nd, he was asked to speak and testify as part of the arbitration proceedings between the Teachers Union and the Board of Education. That went reasonably successfully. The Town Manager reported there were over 100 teachers there, we were originally scheduled to hold it in the Board of Education Conference Room, however the meeting was moved to the Middle School Cafeteria/ Auditorium. It started at 4:00 p.m. Friday and the bargaining unit decided not to proceed after 8:00 p.m. They have the second meeting scheduled for November 12th, then briefs are due from both the Board of Education and the Bargaining Unit on November 20th
submitted to the Arbitration Panel. He, and Tom Harrison also was called to testify, we were the only two called to testify by the Board of Education. He reported mMembers of the Taxpayers Association also attended the proceeding. An initial decision had to be made as to whether it would be open to the public or not, the bargaining unit did not want it open to the public, the Board of Education did want it open to the public, and both the Board Attorney and the Bargaining Unit made presentations as to why it should or should not be open. The Arbitration Panel caucused in a private room, came back and said that it could be open, but only for people to listen not participate, and it would only be the evidentiary part of the process that would be open, not the main part, but they did not get to the bargaining units witness list, so that would be the first thing brought up on November 12th. It was very thorough a lot of people there,
very educational for a lot of people, this was the first time it had been to an arbitration proceeding on a contract, they went to arbitration proceedings on grievances and so forth but not on a contract. The teachers were very interested in the process as well as everybody else. Interesting things that came out of it, our teachers are the highest paid in Hartford County, the 5th highest paid in the State of Connecticut, they were 30th ten years ago they are now 5th. A lot of questions asked of him, were related to the financial background of the community, the debt load, how we structure it, what goes into the AAA bond rating, historical data, grand list growth rates, which we had all of the data on. A significant number of questions on the portion of the budget for the Board of Education as opposed to the Town, and the capital and debt service portions. It was more of a matter of giving facts to the record. Mr. Woodford
reported it will be a helpful process for the Town.
The Town Manager reported we are anxious as to how it will go tomorrow with the new voting machines, and the polling places and a new process for everybody. The Registrars and Town Clerk have worked hard to try to make it go smoothly.
The Town Manager reported Ms. Robinson has an issue about the guard shack at the Town Hall, across the bridge in front of buildings 5 and 6. It is a square building, we want permission to tear it down. Mr. Woodford questioned how much to tear it down? Ms. Robinson reported if you look at when you see the addition which will be a story above it, it will look a bit odd. Ms Robinson wanted to bring it before the Town Council before we either look for the funds, it was not included in the plan to fix it, or to have it torn down. Mr. Zacchio reported he has no sentimental attachment but it is part of the old Ensign-Bickford complex, its character. The Town Manager reported he would like to keep it. Ms. Robinson reported to fix it would cost at least $4,000, we cannot patch it we tried. Mr.
Woodford reported see if some group in Town would like to go there and bang a few nails and put a new roof on, to save the building. Mr. Zacchio questioned a Boy Scouts project? Mr. Woodford reported we would like to think about it for a month, maybe we can find a group. Mr. Shea questioned whether public works could put a roof on it for us. The Town Manager reported probably, we could do something to save it.
Mr. Woodford reported there is a building permit problem it is something that he deals with all the time. Maybe we can think of some way of making the contractor responsible to the Town - - - although it is the homeowners responsibility, if the contractor does not secure the permit he will be fined, it is a constant problem, put the financial burden on the contractors. The Town Manager reported he will check into that with John Willnauer, Building Official, to see whether we can go ahead with that. Mrs. Hornaday reported she believes most people do not know, even with the article in our newsletter, and when they hire a professional contractor they expect that person to have done the correct thing.
EXECUTIVE SESSION - None
ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Attest
Caroline B. LaMonica
Clerk
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