AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
April 5, 2012
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, in the Selectmen's Chamber by Chairman Zacchio. Members present: Mrs. Samul, Messrs. Pena and May.
II. PUBLIC HEARING - None
III. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: March 1, 2012 Regular Meeting
March 22, 2012 Special Meeting
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the March 1, 2012 Regular Meeting as submitted.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the March 22, 2012 Special Meeting as submitted.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Pena and May voted in favor. Mr. Zacchio abstained.
IV. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE - None
V. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mrs. Samul reported that the Valley Community Baptist Church had another work day and helped with Recreation and Parks cleaning up down by Fisher Meadows and requested that if we have not already sent them a letter of appreciation that would be in order.
Chairman Zacchio reported that he was involved with some communication regarding a committee for the high school trying to raise money for a press box which has been sorely needed for the football team; their time table is very aggressive and would like to get something done by this coming football season. He reported that an e-mail went out stating that they had talked with the Board of Education and Town Council and they had support for one-third of the fundraising coming from the Town Council which we know is not the case and we had not even had a conversation about this item. He noted that there were some internal communication issues and it has since been corrected. He talked to the committee and stated that we have traditionally tried to support public projects when we have the opportunity to do
it; with this one, timing was the biggest consideration and we are already in a fiscal deficit this year from the October storm and are lucky to have such a light winter and starting to accumulate some dollars to put back into that deficit as we work through the year so the dollars would be very difficult for us this year, however that does not preclude them from coming to us when they are raising funds but did let them know that it would an issue from a dollars perspective in addition to being in the throes of doing our operating budget and capital budget and an item that was not a priority and would be hard to at this time to push something off the capital side. He noted that the committee will be doing some very aggressive fundraising and as a football parent have his support.
VI. OLD BUSINESS
11/12-06 FY 12/13 Budget Development
The Town Manager reported that there are some key dates coming up: the Board of Finance will hold the public hearing on Monday, April 9th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center, followed by a Board of Finance Budget Workshop on Wednesday, April 11th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center, and if a second budget workshop is necessary it is scheduled for Monday, April 16th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center; the Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 7th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center and the referendum is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16th.
11/12-58 Appointments: Natural Resources Commission (D – 12/31/2013)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 11/12-58 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (D – 12/31/2013) to the May 3, 2012 meeting.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-59 Appointment: Town Council Representative – Senior Citizens of Avon (12/31/2013)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 11/12-59 Appointment: Town Council Representative – Senior Citizens of Avon (12/31/2013) to the May 3, 2012 meeting.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
11/12-65 Redistricting – a map is attached and made part of the meeting minutes.
Ann Clark and Laura Hunt, Registrars of Voters, reported that every ten years the State forms a reapportionment commission for redistricting of the State Senate and House of Representatives. Ms. Clark reported that this year our State Representatives was affected and that means the 17th and 19th Districts which affects the people who vote at the high school and Town Hall. She reported that District #17 (high school polling place) is going to lose approximately 1,100 voters and they will be sent to Town Hall. She added that District #19 (Town Hall polling place) is going to gain that 1,100 voters and lose a very small portion of approximately 140 voters on Harris Road, Coventry, and Somerset and will go back to the high school polling place. She reported that Tim LeGeyt covers
District #17 and Brian Becker covers District #19. She noted that we are going to have approximately 3,300 people, normally voting at the high school, now at Town Hall we are required to find a new polling place. She reported that we have been welcomed at Company #1 firehouse and will relieve Town Hall especially on a presidential election as it gets pretty busy. This will become effective in the August Primary and on from there. The Registrars of Voters will notify all residents affected by these changes with a letter. She added that there will be slight cost with this as they have to move their phone line for their handicapped voting to the firehouse and postage for the letters. She is quite sure that they will be able to work it out within their own operating budget. She reported the notification to affected residents needs to be done by May 1st. Chairman Zacchio questioned that it has been ten years since we did this. Ms. Clark responded that we were forced to do it
ten years ago because the State divided Avon and we got part of the West Hartford deal and that is why we had two districts and then around 2004 the State decided to split the high school because we were putting 8,000 people through there and we added Roaring Brook School on our own. Mr. Pena asked if the Registrar of Voters will be at Town Hall on Election Day. Ms. Clark responded yes. Mr. Pena asked if Presidential ballots will be handled by the Town Clerk. Ms. Clark responded yes.
11/12-66 Unplugged Learning Project Initiatives – a presentation is attached and made part of these minutes
Susan Rietano Davey reported that she is a 25+ year resident and co-founder and chair of the Unplugged Learning Project and co-found it with Larry Sparks. She gave a brief history on the project which began beside an empty bike rack at Roaring Brook School. She and Larry were lamenting about how children can no longer walk or bike to school or do not seem to and it digressed into a larger conversation about how we see as a community and a country to be very disconnected from the land; they formed a group to talk about an initiative that might help change that and that is what the Unplugged Learning Project is. They launched three years ago at a community wide with approximately 400 attendees and discussed the idea of how we unplug in both the literal and metaphorical sense. From that meeting they
came up with three major pillars for their initiative: one is creating outdoor learning opportunities, the second is opportunities for outdoor recreation, and the third is pedestrian travel and clearly the one initiative that seemed to resonate with most people. She reported on the group’s successes over the last three years and events to help people enjoy the outdoors and spaces that we have here in Avon. She added that on the pedestrian travel side it has been harder because there is only so much that volunteers can do; most of what they want to do has to be controlled from folks like the Town Council which is why they are here. She noted the extension of the Scoville Road sidewalk and a small fix like that really satisfied so many residents. She reported that as they moved further they realized that they needed information to know where people want them to go from here so they conducted a survey. She shared the survey results with Council.
Chairman Zacchio questioned how they let people know the survey was out there. Ms. Davey responded they had it in press releases in all of the newspapers, “Community News” through the Town’s web site, shared through the schools, and hard copies were dropped in multiple locations. Mr. May asked if any consideration was given to the businesses along Route 44. Ms. Davey responded no, the idea was polling residents to find out what they wanted for pedestrian access and safety. She added that you could certainly argue that it is not a statistically valid survey, to make it fully statistically valid it would have to have been done with a demographic study and submitted to certain amounts of people but nonetheless the existing survey is certainly compelling.
Ms. Davey noted that initial talks about Rails to Trails were not well accepted by everyone in Town but it is really popular now. She reported that many people that like Rails to Trails but would rather not drive their car to utilize it. She noted that she is a board member on the Avon Land Trust and there is currently an Unplugged Learning Project with a local recently retired resident and partnered him with an Unplugged Learning team from the high school and they are creating new trail maps. Chairman Zacchio commented that Country Club Road was part of the sidewalk study in the 1970s. Ms. Davey responded that Country Club Road is the one road that impacts everyone in Town as it connects east and west and provides access to virtually all of the school. Sue Durant, Unplugged Learning Project
committee member, also mentioned Old Farms Road which was not mentioned on the survey because at the time they had been in touch with the Town and knew there was something going on; clarification was made that it was in regards to the intersection near Fisher Meadows.
Ms. Davey reported that the other compelling part of the survey were the comments, a total of fifteen pages, several hundred comments. She noted one from senior citizen advocating for sidewalks and/or bike lanes to the Town Council in 1979; they formed a sidewalk committee and decided they would rather bus kids to school than use sidewalks. Another comment from a senior citizen who said they are too old to bike but I wouldn’t anyway as there are no safe lanes for it, except the Rails to Trails area; they could walk but walking is not much of an option either. Another comment was from a resident living on Country Club Road very close to the library and son’s preschool and would love to be able to walk there and tried several times but each time their kids are scared and feel it is too unsafe. Another comment was from a resident near Roaring Brook School and her grandchildren live across the street from Roaring Brook School and they have to be walked across the street both ways
every day as there are no crosswalks and cars do not stop for them; she hoped to have that completed when her granddaughter started Roaring Brook School in kindergarten; she is now going to the Middle School (three years ago) and nothing has been done. A final comment from a newer resident stated that basically there is no pedestrian infrastructure in Avon so it seems rightly overwhelming right now; moved here five years ago from a Chicago suburb which was laid out with sidewalks usually on both sides of the street and completely walkable and many kids rode bikes to school or walked; it resulted in a completely different feel in that town, much more open and friendly; they think Avon is friendly but they only see people at events and while running errands, you do not run into them outside because we are all in our cars.
Ms. Davey noted that 156 of the respondents volunteered their personal information to be contacted so that says a lot. She noted general observations including communities that have been successful in creating bike/walk access and safety programs have had an advocate at the top and became very clear when committee members went to a statewide bike/walk summit in November 2011 at Yale where she also spoke and shared the survey with them. She mentioned South Windsor, Simsbury, and New Haven who have a mayor that is very active and provides leadership and focus that the Unplugged Learning Project group cannot get just as volunteers. She reported that the group is coming before Council for that kind of support. There seems to be a disconnect because they get all of this information about living
healthier and initiatives on a national level to make bike/walk accessibility a priority in towns yet we have not been able to do it at a local level.
In terms of general conclusions, she reported that it is imperative on the safety because of this national and statewide encouragement to get out and bike and walk people are doing it and whether it is safe or not. She added a comment from a resident who stated that if nobody does it than drivers don’t think about it. The group thinks there is a big opportunity to include community relations; we have a great town however are a disconnected community and the beauty of having bike/walk access is that it is one place where people of all ages can pass each other and engage in conversation. She reported that there are community funding options and Ms. Durant will speak about them. The group would like to offer their services to continue to research best practices that are happening in other
communities, to attend summits, and to support the Town in moving forward with a pedestrian friendly agenda and can provide community awareness. She added that from a Town perspective we have to thank the Town Manager, Town Planner, Town Engineer, and Planning & Community Development Specialist who have met with the group to talk about these initiatives and they do agree that the first step is to do an official traffic study to have professionals come in and look at how our roads are being used right now. She reported that there was a study done at Thompson Brook School and they have grown their bike/walk population because of it. She added that the group totally understand and appreciate that progress will be slow but hopefully steady. She reported that there are some inexpensive projects that can happen quickly that require paint or maybe crossing guards but they would like to look from a traffic study perspective at those that are inexpensive and can
be done quickly so residents see that the Town really does care about this and listening and plan for the long term to raise funding to do some of the larger infrastructure projects. Chairman Zacchio commented that funding is one of the parameters to look at and the other is what size are the right-of-ways which are on the major roads and cutting through homeowners’ properties so there is a lot on the planning side as well. Mr. Pena thanked the group for doing the survey and certainly reinforces what he has heard from residents. He commented on the need to engage in conversation with the State Department of Transportation as some of the roads that would be utilized are state roads and the Town would need permission and then we can get a better understanding of what is involved. Ms. Davey responded that looking at things that don’t cost money, if you look at Old Wheeler Lane, what if it was made one-way from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:00
p.m. every day; what would that do?
Sue Durant, reported that she recently attended the National Bike Summit with over 800 attendees and rode a bicycle down Pennsylvania Avenue which is an eight lane road on a bike dedicated lane and the infrastructure that they have put into Washington, DC in the last year and a half has already been outgrown and hoping that these legislators and senators are going to see this especially when they are passing the new transportation bill. She added that part of it was geared at teaching them how to lobby for this and sharing information on what is going on nationally. She reported that the biggest federal place for money right now is nowhere until the budget goes through because we are just doing an extension of the budget but as soon as this new budget goes through there should be a fresh pool of money and will
be the same as it was which is 1.6% of the transportation budget. She used a school as an example and they have mini grants which might pay for signage and paint for crosswalks and then there are larger grants for major fixes by schools. She reported that you have to have everything in place to apply for these grants, like a town-wide committee dedicated to the project requiring someone from the Town Council, preferably the Town Manager, Town Planner, Town Engineer, and Town volunteers. She distributed funding information to Town Council and the Town Manager. She added that since she was on Avon Education Foundation, this is a new program that even if federal funding could not be achieved grants might be applied for through the Foundation. Ms. Davey reported that AEF has been really supportive of the Unplugged Learning Project with the outdoor classroom at Roaring Brook School and they just awarded a grant at the Avon Middle School to do picnic tables
in an outdoor eating area.
Ms. Davey commented if you couple a new sidewalk grant with economic development or looking at environmental protection when putting in a new bridge and if you could go to the Department of Environmental Protection for the money instead of the Department of Transportation it is other funding sources so it is being creative and by talking to different people in these organizations they help you to be creative with funding besides just getting federal transportation dollars. Chairman Zacchio clarified that you would really have to do a lot of work upfront; there are clearly a number of funding sources available once you have gone through the process of planning, zoning issues, traffic authority with the Police Chief from a feasibility perspective; the first steps are to go through those processes and not the funding
piece. Ms. Durant responded that there are two pieces: the short-term and the long-term; you have your long-term strategic plan which is probably going to take a few years to develop and then there is the short-term, critical issues that people feel strongly about that are easy, quick fixes, the community sees a success story and they get onboard. Chairman Zacchio commented locally that moves along fairly quickly but realize that it takes the State three or four years to put a light in at an intersection where it is clearly needed. Mr. May commented that one has to consider that you have 18,000 people in Avon and you have a non-scientific study about the 600 responses; that is a large number and we do not know if they are all taxpayers or not, we do not know if they are land owners alongside the proposed sidewalks so it would be interesting to have a scientific study with statistics before we start going for grants. Ms. Davey responded that their intention
is not to say to go for grants but to say that they cannot do anymore, we have no authority, we are volunteers who have a passion that represent a large percentage of this population that shares that passion and they are hoping that the Town Council will take on the mantle of this. Ms. Durant added that if individual employees have an idea, they cannot implement if there is nowhere for them to take this idea; they need to have someone to give them the authority to proceed. She commented that this is a long-term fix, five, ten, twenty years down the road. She reported on “complete streets” which New Haven is implementing and the Governor and DOT Commissioner were so impressed that they are in the process of implementing “complete streets” throughout the State; it would nice to have a model that fits into what the State is already doing. Ms. Davey added that the idea behind “complete streets” is that a street is not just for
a car but for any method of transportation and meant to be shared.
Chairman Zacchio reported that the group has definitely made their point and have done a lot of good work. He suggested to the Town Manager that we should put together a small committee of Town staff including the Town Manager, Chief of Police, Town Planner, and whomever else he thinks is appropriate and take a look at some of the short-term fixes and maybe look at what are the right next steps for us in terms of how we move forward. He added that there is some really good work here and obviously a call for it. Ms. Davey asked if a member of Town Council could be on the committee as it would help. Chairman Zacchio responded that he was sure someone would be available to do it, but the first steps would be for Town staff to report back to Council around where they think the right next steps are. He added that there is support overall to look at this and does not think that anyone does not want to be more pedestrian friendly however there are barriers to that and if we do not
start looking at them and talking about them and dusting off our old sidewalk study to understand what was in front of us then and the reasons why we moved in the directions we moved, coupled with this good work and perhaps even some more work on our own from a survey perspective to start talking a little more about it. Mr. Pena volunteered to help with the committee.
11/12-67 UCONN Health Center/Jackson Labs Presentation – a power point presentation is attached and made part of these minutes
Thomas Callahan, Interim Chief of Staff, UCONN Health Center, gave a brief presentation and overview regarding the proposed planned expansion for the Health Center and the Jackson Labs project. The Town Manager and Mr. Schenck met with Mr. Callahan and his team in January 2012 to get a better understanding of the project and also to raise some concerns that the Town of Avon has regarding the project and some of the impacts it may have on our community. He noted that there are a lot of very positive impacts here from an economic perspective in particular we had some concerns about how the expansion and the location of Jackson Labs may stress that Old Farms Road transportation network. He attended the public hearing where UCONN received public comment on the proposed EIE document and shared those concerns. He also advised Council that earlier today we had a meeting with State Department of Transportation staff and received some guardedly very good news that it appears that DOT is
going to do two things with respect to our projects. He reported that with respect to the bridge and the intersection DOT has verbally committed to taking us through and assuming the responsibility for the completion of the design and permitting for those projects and the funding for those projects; we do not yet know the funding source. He added that within the next three weeks we will be receiving a letter to that affect.
Mr. Callahan reported that he was also named Vice President for Bioscience Connecticut in October 2011 so he has responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the program as we move forward. He provided a quick update to Town Council.
Mr. May questioned why the medical/dental school expanding by a third in a state where the population is even or decreasing. Mr. Callahan responded that if you look at the demographics of the physician and the dentist population it is aging out and they are going to need to replace that population over the course of the next ten years. Mr. May noted that he is a dentist. He questions why we are increasing the population of healthcare professionals when it is very difficult right now to hold onto our population. Mr. Callahan responded it is supply and demand; the argument is that demand is decreasing because the population is not growing as quickly as it did, however if you look on the supply side in terms of what the physician and dental force look like ten years out there is a significant aging
out of that population. Mr. May asked if you can attract new people to the State. Mr. Callahan responded that one of the objectives of this is if the bet is that the State will make a public investment in the infrastructure on something like the Health Center, to increase the amount of federal and sponsored research that is done and commercialize that research, monetize it through the commercialization process, incubate it and spread it that will essentially grow jobs and help the economy. He added that Jackson Labs’ decision to locate in Connecticut is the first data point to say that is an interesting result as a result of the Bioscience Connecticut piece. He reported that there are other calls coming into the State and Health Center that have noticed this and has gotten national and global notoriety, Jackson Labs has that kind of cache associated with it.
Mr. May questioned when Jackson Labs comes to Connecticut how many people do they forecast coming into this area. Mr. Callahan responded that their initial target is to meet their State requirements at 661 jobs. Mr. May asked that of those 661 jobs if most are white-collar jobs. Mr. Callahan responded most of them are. Chairman Zacchio commented that leads to the question around the impact analysis that was originally where a lot of questions were raised around the corridor at Old Farms Road and cuts through our recreational area and clearly an impact from a traffic perspective if some of those 661 people live in the Valley. Chairman Zacchio asked if UCONN is addressing those concerns as there were a number of concerns raised during the environmental impact study when this program was going
on that UCONN was going to address. Mr. Callahan responded that UCONN responded to comments that came in from Avon in the EIE and they will need to procure a State traffic commission certificate going forward; they have been working diligently through the EIE which basically says there are ten intersection areas that would be affected by the growth at the Health Center and many of those intersections are already deemed to be failed intersections as we sit here today so any improvements that we will make, we may be able to take care of those. He added that the discussion becomes how far out is this project going to carry the ball on improvements that are going to need to be made? He commented that part of the discussion in January 2012 with Town staff was to show the area that can be demonstrated at this point in time to be affected by the construction that they are going to undertake; those are the things that they need to focus on going forward in terms of
offsite impacts. He noted that they recognize that this particular project with respect to the Old Farms Road bridge and intersection is important to the Town and they made a commitment that rhetorically when they move through, they meet regularly with the Governor’s staff, the State DOT and DEEP staff and make the point with respect to this project as being a high priority for this community in each of those forms going forward. He thinks part of this is the good work that the Town has been doing and the advocacy that both the Town, State representatives and State senators are doing and also UCONN lending a voice saying this is an issue out in Avon, it is getting attention and they all need to pay attention to it as they go forward. The Town Manager reported that there has been a lot of feedback from the State, particularly the DOT, that Mr. Callahan and his team has raised those concerns so it has been a great help.
Mrs. Samul commented that there has been significant bio-scientific work done out at the Storrs campus over the last several years, quite a bit of cloning going on, etc. She questioned if there has been any discussion of bringing some of that research work from the Storrs campus to Farmington. Mr. Callahan responded yes; when you look at personalized medicine there is not only the actual research in terms of what is going on between the chemistry and the biology in the cell itself in terms of understanding the genes and the inner connection of genes but the genetics is so complicated that you need big time computer capability in order to figure that out, see the patterns and the connections fairly quickly. He commented that the School of Engineering in terms of biostatistics plays a significant role in
this. He noted that the collaboration between the campuses around this issue has been quite robust in a very short period of time and will only grow as we go forward. Mrs. Samul commented that may exacerbate our situation even more so we cannot emphasize that we are very interested in affects that Jackson Labs may have on that Route 10/Old Farms Road intersection. She added that as a point of pride on her part Mr. May is a dentist, her daughter does bio-research so she is kind of familiar with what you are doing and the support staff that contributes to what you are doing and can see further expansion and need for more room and the only thing mushrooming so there is concern. Mr. Callahan responded that he is not trying to suggest any reason not to keep paying attention to what is going on by any stretch of the imagination and does not want to be trite but there are good problems to have and there are bad problems to have and some good problems are having to
wrestle with the issue of growth and some bad problems are having to wrestle with the issue of contraction. He added that in terms of the Storrs piece the notion is that there will be collaboration between Storrs and Farmington and that is going to result in more traffic and more people living in Avon he is not sure that he is going to predict how that is going to work because at the same time they are talking about this project being undertaken here, there is a $175 million project that is being built out at Storrs; a lot of this stuff is being done virtually, telecommunications wise so the notion of where people actually have to be to conduct their work and where they are going to live is something hard to tell with authority tonight; there is and should be synergy.
Mr. Pena commented that the economic impact can be tremendous for the area and questioned who at UCONN makes the Town aware of the needs of the people coming in whether they are looking for temporary housing or other needs. Mr. Callahan responded that if they are relocating people through their human resources department they will have people that will connect them with resources in terms of realtors and a variety of other resources in order to help them with their physical move as they go forward. He added that if there is someone interested in information regarding school systems some of that is done informally in terms of people who work that have kids but if need to pick up the phone and call the town managers and ask for assistance.
11/12-68 Eagle Scout Proclamations: George Lachlan Kostal & Garrett William Roell
Chairman Zacchio recognized George Lachlan Kostal and Garrett William Roell for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. He noted that there have been quite a few in the last few months and glad to see that scouting is alive and well in Avon and a lot of kids achieving the highest rank of Eagle Scout. He reported that Mrs. Samul would be in attendance for presentation of the proclamations at their Eagle Court of Honor ceremony to be held on April 22, 2012. He noted that George’s project was the Avon High School (AHS) shrubs on the mound and Garrett’s project was blazing the trail across the covered bridge at Countryside Park and cleared the area where the picnic table is that he also built and donated. He read one of the proclamations aloud.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Avon Town Council present to George Lachlan Kostal and Garrett William Roell the following Proclamation:
April 5, 2012
Permit the Town Council to join your many friends in offering our heartiest congratulations upon your achievement as an Eagle Scout.
This is indeed an appropriate honor for the many years you have spent as a Boy Scout. As a Boy Scout you have had to show qualities of leadership, integrity, loyalty and service to your troop, community, school, church and your friends.
The high standards of the Boy Scouts of America are well known and your elevation to Eagle Scout most certainly attests to your fulfillment of their high standards.
Congratulations on your outstanding achievement!
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-69 Health Insurance Sub-Committee Report
Chairman Zacchio reported that sometime ago we appointed a Health Insurance Sub-Committee to study both the Town and Board of Education’s process for setting the limits in terms of our self-insurance fund but also the process that we go through in order to determine whether that limit is appropriate or within standards of best practice.
The Town Manager reported that the Sub-Committee was appointed by the Town Council in October 2011 and the membership included Tom Gugliotti (BOF), Pam Samul (TC), and Bill Stokesbury (BOE) and various staff members attended each of the meetings including Gary Mala, John Spang, Bill Vernile, and himself; they met three times to address the charge that was adopted by the Town Council. Steve May, Health Insurance Consultant, also attended each meeting. He reported that the charge was fairly broad and the Sub-Committee methodically worked through and addressed the various issues. The “white paper” serves as a guide for elected officials and talk through some of the issues that we encounter when we deal with health insurance, talks about the uncertainty of budgeting for health insurance, what
stop loss coverage is, etc. He noted that it is fairly general and the reason for that is Milliman liked the idea so much that they decided to put something together that they can provide to other clients who have the same issues and concerns and some minor modifications were made to make it Avon specific where it needs to be.
The Town Manager reported that they reviewed the methodology that is used to budget for health insurance costs both on the Town and the Board of Education side; both are budgeting at an 8.5% renewal going into fiscal year 2013. There was talk about stop loss coverage at the meetings; there are going to be some loose ends that are going over into future years as we talk about health insurance and with stop loss coverage it will be left at $120,000 per employee going into fiscal year 2013 but they know that in the future it is something we may take a look at in future budget years and something that staff is going to be working on well in advance of preparing budgets for the next year. He noted that the regulatory environment with respect to health insurance is very flexible right now, especially as it relates
to pooling cooperative arrangements for purchasing health insurance and talked a lot of about but not in a position to make a decision on yet and something that will continue to be worked on to know what is happening both with respect to healthcare coverage and prescription drug coverage and if something that comes down the pike that makes a lot of sense and might benefit Avon it will be brought forward to Council.
The Town Manager reported that the recommendation now is to leave stop loss alone; at the staff level we will take a look at it, talk with our consultant as we head into the next budget development cycle. Chairman Zacchio questioned if there is a ratio between what our stop loss coverage is and the reserve account, any kind of scale if you raised it to $150,000 or an actuarial table that you follow. The Town Manager responded that it was not looked at from that perspective and there may be some math that depending on the level of stop loss that may dictate some reserve requirement; of course the higher the stop loss coverage you have the higher the reserve you want to have. Chairman Zacchio added that it also depends on where your employee base is in age and actuarial bracket. The Town Manager
commented that the important thing is and the reason that we do have some flexibility is that the balance in the Internal Service Fund, we are self insured and have a separate fund that is used to pay for health insurance costs, the health insurance fund has a fund balance in excess of 10% so it is healthier and that gives us flexibility on a going forward basis so that to the extent we want to assume some more risk there may be enough in there for doing that but a lot goes into that calculation. Mrs. Samul commented that would have to be buffered by what we set aside each year if we increase from our stop loss we might want to increase the ratio of funding whereas now we are funding 100% we may need to increase it to 102% or 105% so any savings that we might save by raising our stop loss would also be counterweighted by the additional funds that we would need to put into our reserves and the additional risk that we would be potentially exposed to.
Mr. Stokesbury noted that it was a pleasure for members of all three boards to work together with Town staff to address a common issue. He thinks that many people misunderstand that health insurance is a single item town wide; it is not a Board of Education fund and a Town fund that are run together and we are trying to have better projections so we are using the same increase earlier on the budget and make it more presentable to the taxpayers. Mrs. Samul personally thanked Mr. Mala, Mr. Spang, Mr. Stokesbury, Mr. Gugliotti, and the Town Manager as you all brought different aspects and disciplines and thought processes which contributed a lot to the sub-committee.
Chairman Zacchio reported that it sounds like the Charge has been addressed and we have a good understanding in document and process to follow in terms of determining if we change stop loss and at what times. The recommendation is to disband the sub-committee at this time with letters of thanks on behalf of the Council for their work and at such time we need to pull them back together we may have to call on them.
11/12-70 Review, Discussion, and Set Date for Public Hearing: Acceptance of Title
to Open Space Parcel in Weatherstone Subdivision
The Town Manager reported that the conveyance of this property to the Town was a condition of the approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission. He added that the location of this property bridges the Foundland property with the open space off of Huckleberry Hill so when put together that corridor will 422 acres of continuous open space. He reported that the developer has also agreed to install a parking lot to allow for enhanced trail access.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council schedules a public hearing to consider the acceptance of a 22-acre parcel of open space land in connection with Section III of the Weatherstone Subdivision to be held at the May 3, 2012 meeting.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-71 Approve Resolution: Explanatory Text for Annual Town Meeting, May 7, 2012
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Clerk be, and she hereby is, authorized and directed to prepare and distribute an explanatory text with respect to the proposed budget for the Town for the fiscal year July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013, as recommended to the Town by the Board of Finance, in accordance with the requirements of the Charter of the Town and Section 9-369b of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-72 Set Poll Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Town Meeting Referenda
May 16, 2012, June 6, 2012 (if necessary), June 27, 2012 (if necessary)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the extension of the Polling Hours of the Town Referendum from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on May 16, 2012, June 6, 2012 (if necessary), and June 27, 2012 (if necessary).
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-73 Request for a Supplemental Appropriation-Board of Education, $163,000
Mr. Mala and Mr. Spang presented this item. Chairman Zacchio thanked them for taking the time to put this information together; these won’t come all that often but Council is the gatekeeper in terms of making sure the due diligence is done and the research is done as they recommend items to the Board of Finance. Mr. Spang reported that this request is to use $163,000 for budget lines that were unencumbered in their school budget on June 30, 2011. He added that after a unique year-end accounting process closed out their revolving account these monies were used and became unavailable to the Board of Education. He reported that they are incurring unbudgeted expenses this fiscal year for events that happened last fiscal year. Mr. Spang walked through each item with Council.
Chairman Zacchio questioned that if the $58,000 was to be paid through the healthcare reserve account and have no effect to the Board of Education budget is that suitable. Mr. Spang responded that he thinks it would. Chairman Zacchio reported that Council’s goal is to make sure that the Board of Education’s operating budget for FY 11/12 is not compromised by things that you had committed to from the previous year. He added that it is the proper way to spend it.
Chairman Zacchio questioned the installation of the LCD panels and smart boards and if the Board of Education anticipated at one time that they were going to hire a vendor to install them versus utilizing two Board of Education employees. He was trying to justify how we give money into the Board of Education operating budget for normal course of business work associated to these items. Mr. Spang responded that their rationale was that if there was more time before June 30, 2011 and they had the manpower it would have been done prior to then. Chairman Zacchio clarified that this is an exchange of salary dollars from one year to the next year and still has no impact on the budget rather an opportunity cost.
Chairman Zacchio clarified that the only item not done regarding the repairs to floor and ceiling tiles in Avon Middle School is the sump pump. Mr. Spang responded that they would like to install the sump pump this fiscal year. Mrs. Samul commented that cost for the sump pump is an estimate and what happens if the estimate is off. Mr. Spang responded that it would be the same as any other repair that we start; when digging underground you can find things that you do not expect; and any extra expense would have to be taken from elsewhere in the Board of Education budget. Mrs. Samul questioned what if it is less than $5,250. Mr. Spang responded that he was not sure of the process but if it were conditioned and Council wanted it returned any extra they would arrange that. Mr. Pena
questioned if the mold has been taken care of if there was any. Mr. Mala responded that it has been tested and there is no mold.
Chairman Zacchio commented that these are all either commitments that were made prior to the end of the fiscal year and assumed to be paid for through the $163,000 forecasted surplus and as the revolving account closed and that was swallowed up with the transfers the commitments were still there and the dollars are flowing out of this year’s fiscal budget. Mrs. Samul commented that this is the most complete presentation that she has seen from the Board of Education on things that they are doing.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council favorably recommends to the Board of Finance an appropriation not to exceed $85,370.00 from General Fund, Other Financing Sources, Undesignated Fund Balance, Account #01-0390-43913, to General Fund, Board of Education, General Service, Account #01-9401-52185, for the purpose of (per Board of Education memo from Mr. John Spang to Mr. Brandon Robertson, dated January 20, 2012 with the exception of $58,108 for health insurance for teachers taking June 2011 retirement package, and $20,000 for labor cost to install 54 LCD panels and smart boards purchased in FY 10/11), covering incurred unbudgeted expenses during FY 11/12, for events that either occurred, or first became known, after the new budget was prepared and before the end of FY 10/11.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-74 Board of Education-Supplemental Appropriation Request $1,557,496
(non-tax revenue)
Chairman Zacchio reported that these are receipts for all of the different funds that the Board of Education collects outside revenue for it, if you raise the amount of the approved budget for the fiscal year you must make a supplemental appropriation to do so, therefore making those revenues available needed to pay for those expenditures in the Board of Education. He noted that next year’s gross budget will eliminate this issue. He commented that the omnibus idea was a good one so we would not have to do this whenever the Board of Education wanted to come before Council, however the Town Charter precludes us from doing it; we have to do it on an individual basis each time we do this by line item.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council hereby recommends that the Board of Finance amend the FY 11/12 Budget by increasing:
REVENUES
General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Miscellaneous Receipts, Account #01-0340-43506 in the amount of $56,416.33; General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Interdist Tuition Valley Alt Academy, Account #01-0340-43512 in the amount of $30,000; General Fund, Intergovernmental, Education Program Grants, Account #01-0330-43343 in the amount of $1,267,978; General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Student Parking Fees, Account #01-0340-43511 in the amount of $38,778.00; General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Employee Bnft Contrib, Dent/Life, Account #01-0340-43505 in the amount of $94,136.93; General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Cafeteria Rent Receipts, Account #01-0340-43510 in the amount of $49,786.40; General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Tuition Receipts- Parent Paid, Account #01-0340-43507 in the amount of
$20,400.00, for a total of $1,557,495.66.
and increasing
APPROPRIATIONS
General Fund, Board of Education, General Service, Account #01-9401-52185 in the amount of $1,557,495.66, for the purpose of recording unbudgeted revenues received to cover Board of Education operating expenditures.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-75 LoCIP Authorization
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council authorize the Town Manager to apply for a LoCIP grant in the amount of $106,650.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-76 Appointment: Avon Clean Energy Commission (R – 12/31/2013)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Robert Bullis to the Avon Clean Energy Commission with a term to expire on December 31, 2013.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
11/12-77 Appointment: Avon Clean Energy Commission Chairman
Chairman Zacchio reported that Bernie Zahren has been standing duty as the interim Chairman and is a great person to do this and noted that he has a fantastic house on the mountain with a windmill and really sets the example of clean energy, renewable energy sources and energy efficient housing; he has won an award for it and a real charge on the Commission in terms of looking at how the Town moves forward with different energy items.
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Bernie Zahren as Chairman to the Avon Clean Energy Commission with a term to expire on December 31, 2013.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Shea, and Pena voted in favor.
X. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
Misc. A: Purchasing Update: The Assistant Town Manager provided an update on purchasing activities. Mrs. Samul questioned if the Avon Middle School floor covering replacement could commence prior to July 1st.
Misc. B: Construction Update: The Assistant Town Manager provided an update including the Avon Free Public Library project. He noted that we should be able to return a modest amount from the Library project budget when all is said and done.
Misc. C: East Coast Greenway: The Town Manager reported on this item regarding the installation of markers along the Rail Trail as part of the East Coast Greenway.
Misc. D: Freedom of Information Act “FOIA”/Document Retention: The Town Manager reported on this item; an update on retention of documents by public officials and FOIA. He added that we are looking into the possibility of providing e-mail accounts to elected officials in Town; it is something that other communities have done. Mr. Stokesbury reported that Board of Education members now have their own e-mail addresses forwarded to their personal e-mail addresses and has been seamless.
Misc. E: Clean Energy Plan: The Town Manager reported that the Clean Energy Commission is working on completing their Plan and anticipate that it will be presented to Council at the next meeting.
Misc. F: Dispatch Study Update: The Town Manager reported that a draft report has been developed by Intertech Associates and the three Police Chiefs are in the process of vetting the report and working with the consultants and should be ready for presentation by late spring or early summer.
Misc. G: FEMA Reimbursement Update: The Town Manager reported that with Storm Irene we have six applications, four have been approved and two are pending; we have received approximately $90,000 to date. He added that with Storm Alfred we may or may not have the reimbursement before the end of the fiscal year and all other communities are facing the same issue. He noted that in the Valley we have the same auditors and partners in charge and there have been discussions about getting an award letter by the end of the fiscal year on an accrual basis can we count that in fiscal year 2012.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Pending Claim / Litigation – Tree Cutting on Public
Property / Collective Bargaining
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 9:53 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
The Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, and Clerk attended the session.
Mrs. Samul remained in the Executive Session for discussion regarding Collective Bargaining; however she recues herself regarding Pending Claim/Litigation – Tree Cutting on Public Property because of a possible conflict of interest. Mrs. Samul left the meeting at 10:15 p.m.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council come out of Executive Session at 10:20 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and May voted in favor.
XI. ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m.
Attest:
Caroline B. LaMonica
Clerk
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