AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
October 3, 2013
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 and Messrs: Evans and Pena.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairman Zacchio.
III. PUBLIC HEARINGS - None
IV. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: September 12, 2013 Regular Meeting
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the September 12, 2013 Regular Meeting as submitted.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and Evans voted in favor.
V. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE - None
VI. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mr. Pena reported that while at Healthtrax a few weeks ago he misplaced his car keys and decided to walk home from Healthtrax to West Avon Road. He noted it was during a busy time of morning. He commented the lack of sidewalks and the suggestion of tying in the center of Town going all the way up Route 44 to West Avon Road. He also spoke to Steve Kushner, Town Planner, and they discussed that there are more people walking and not much room to walk. He noted that we have to look at the budget and the whole picture that goes with it but it might be a good time as development happens at the center of Town that we would look at it as well too. He commented that he also did not text while he was walking due to the speed of traffic by him.
Chairman Zacchio reported that he and Mr. Pena met last night with a member of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD), a member of the business community, and Jamie DiPace. He added that the AVFD is very interested in reviving the partnership with the burn building in Farmington that they had been talking about the last couple years. He noted that Farmington owns the land and are considering raising funds. He reported that at a time there were four or five towns involved but all of them dropped out. Farmington is still moving forward with it and the AVFD is interested in also moving forward with it as they were in the past; the cost is a little bit higher. He noted that their meeting specifically was around how they could get started fundraising. He and Mr. Pena represented the
business side of what we would expect with how the ownership would work and what would we get from it and how the liability works. He noted that he volunteered some of the Town’s time through staff to help them come up with, as if it was a building plan for our own Town, how that might look and be presented to us and the Town in such a way that helps them with the fundraising and/or gets us involved with something behind it as well. He commented that Jamie and the team took a lot out of it and wants to move forward with it.
VII. OLD BUSINESS
12/13-64 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2013)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 12/13-64 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2013) to the November 14, 2013 meeting.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
13/14-18 Resignation: Board of Assessment Appeals
On a motion made by Mrs. Samul, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept with regret the resignation of Heather Maguire from the Board of Assessment Appeals.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
13/14-19 Appointment: Town Council
Chairman Zacchio reported that it brings up a memory of a friend who is missing here tonight but also in noting that appointment to the Town Council is something that is very rare. He noted that the last time they appointed somebody to the Town Council it was Bill Shea in 1993 and went on to serve another eighteen years here in Town. He reported that their nominee tonight has lived here for fifteen years, has a very long history of community service in that short period of time. He noted that he talked to folks who have worked closely with her, words he heard included, “willing to help from the day she moved in, likes to get involved and gets results, she is big picture oriented, she always wants to do the right thing for everyone, she is fair, she is firm, she is direct, she is always prepared.” He added that she has served as the Roaring Brook School PTO President for the last four years, she is a past President of the Junior Women’s Club, she is Vice Chair of the Avon
Education Foundation, she was a Girl Scout leader, she is involved with Avon Soccer, and she is involved with Avon Basketball. He noted that it is fair to say that she has a lot of involvement in our community and is someone who he thinks has the real leadership skills that we need on the Council. He added that it comes with a heavy heart that we have to appoint someone with Chris missing. He nominated Heather Maguire to fill Chris’ term on the Town Council.
On a motion made by Chairman Zacchio, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Heather Maguire to the Town Council.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
Ann Dearstyne, Town Clerk, swore in Heather Maguire to her new seat on the Council. Council members welcomed and congratulated Ms. Maguire. Chairman Zacchio reported that one of the important aspects is having five members especially with the number of events we have between now and the end of the year, the beginning of the budget cycles.
Ms. Maguire commented that she is honored and feels very privileged to accept this appointment. She noted that she does take it with a very heavy heart as Dr. Chris May was a very kind, dedicated family man, he worked very hard, he was a wonderful public servant and the Town of Avon was very fortunate to have him as a part of the Council for the last two years. She will continue to keep his wife Susan and his three sons in her heart and she is ready to carry on in his memory. Council thanked Ms. Maguire.
13/14-20 Review, Discussion, Set Public Hearing: Fisher Farm Lease (West Side of Tillotson Road)
Chairman Zacchio reported that the Town Manager has been engaged with the Town of Farmington for the last several months on a Sub-Committee looking for a new lease at Fisher Farm and have come to an agreement with a farmer and a family who will be joining him on the west side of Town as well as the Farmington property. He noted that the Town Manager has gone through the process of the lease update. The Town Manager reported that this process began just about this time last year. He added that we went through an RFP process working with the Town of Farmington, went through a series of interviews, and identified Phillips as the lessee for this property. He noted that once that was done we went ahead and started to negotiate a lease agreement and it really is more than just an update; this is a
complete rewrite of the original lease. He reported that the original lease with Ron Simmons which for Avon does not expire until the end of this calendar year was more of a letter of agreement and did not have a lot of detail. He noted that it was a team approach to put together the new lease with input from a risk management perspective, the Town Attorney’s office, and with Town staff that has been involved in the management of this property over the years that we have owned it. He added that we coordinated closely with the Town of Farmington to make sure that the leases were very similar in terms of the requirements of reporting to the towns and management responsibilities so we do not run into a situation where it is uncoordinated like it was with the last arrangement. He reported that the beginning dates and termination dates all line up. He noted that it is a thorough document and covers the Town’s interests. He added that one
feature of the lease that he is particularly pleased with is that the Phillips have agreed to provide 1% of the annual yield of the property to the Town in some capacity and while we have not formalized what that channel is going to be yet, he has already talked with the Superintendent of Schools about some kind of connection between the property and getting fresh produce into the schools. He also mentioned that he will talk to Jim Martino about the possibility of getting some produce into the food pantry at St. Ann’s. He is really pleased that the farmer is already beginning to integrate into the community. He recommended that Town Council schedule the public hearing for November, which is required by Town Charter because we are entering into a lease whereby the lessee will have an interest in the land. He also anticipate that next month he will have some results regarding the RFP process for the property on the east side of Tillotson Road and it also
includes property to the north of Old Farms Road. He noted that we have four of five bids that were submitted in response to an RFP and we are in the process of reviewing those and will report back.
Adam Lazinsk, 88 Deepwood Drive, questioned if the Town is not leasing the east side of Tillotson Road because the Town is reserving the right to do something with it. Chairman Zacchio responded that the farmer who is moving in does not have the capacity to handle the entire block of acreage. He added that the west side includes approximately forty-seven acres of tillable land that they will be using and the east side of the property we need to keep as open space as it was purchased through a federal grant for open space and has certain uses including farming. He reported that we are going to go out through an RFP for a farmer who would come in and plant a crop and continue to maintain it as farm land on our benefit for a nominal fee which can only be used for the betterment of the property and/or for
the betterment of open space that the Town owns. Mr. Lazinsk commented that because it must be maintained as open space the idea of increasing or building more playing fields is not an option. Chairman Zacchio responded that there is a specific area in which we can extend the playing fields which was part of the original agreement. He noted that in the current lease it was required that we give the farmer a growing season’s notice. He added that we are not moving forward with that option at this time. Another resident questioned if the new lease has any provisions about hunting rights which was an issue with the current tenant. The Town Manager responded yes.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council set a public hearing date to be held at their November 14, 2013 meeting to consider and authorize the proposed Fisher Farm Lease located on the west side of Tillotson Road.
Mmes: Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
13/14-21 Review, Discussion, Set Public Hearing: Town of Avon and Board of Education Retirement
Plans Restatement
Chairman Zacchio reported that we only maintain a closed, defined benefit plan on the Town side that has been closed for a number of years. He noted that the Board of Education has a small defined benefit plan that remains open and needed a number of small changes as well as an official restatement that we have to do periodically.
The Town Manager reported that it is a restatement that covers the Board of Education plan from a funding perspective because it changes benefit achieved through the collective bargaining process. He noted that the Town plans have no funding changes but just legal updates that have been recommended by our pension attorney. He added that we need to amend the ordinance to reflect the updated plan restatements and has to reference the plan year to the beginning of the calendar year in which the restatement occurred and that is why it indicates January 1, 2013. He noted that it is all technical and legal updates with respect to the Town plans. For the Board of Education plan it is to reflect an actual funding change as well as legal updates. Mr. Evans questioned what is meant by funding change
for the Board of Education plan. The Town Manager responded that for the Board of Education plan for some of their bargaining units new employees going forward they have phased out the defined benefit plan so that has to be referenced in the plan restatement.
On a motion made by Mrs. Samul, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council set a public hearing date to be held at their November 14, 2013 meeting to consider and permit all interested persons to speak on the plan of the Town Council to restate, as required by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 during calendar year 2013, and amend the Retirement Plan for the Board of Education of the Town of Avon and the Retirement Plan for Police Officers, Non-Organized Employees, Public Works Employees and Dispatchers of the Town of Avon, as defined in the Town of Avon, Connecticut Code of Ordinances.
Mmes: Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
13/14-22 Avon Volunteer Fire Department-Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP)
Chairman Zacchio reported the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) is a small defined contribution plan that the Avon Volunteer Fire Department started years ago in terms of a retention type program for retirement. He noted that Bud Desmond has done an outstanding job of putting together the background on this and will talk to us about their recommendations. Mr. Evans commented that he read the materials and everything seems like it is a good idea. He questioned how come this requires Council approval. The Town Manager responded that the reason is that when you look back at when the plan was initiated the Town took great pains to ensure a level of separation between the Avon Volunteer Fire Department having primary responsibility and the Town however at the end of the plan document it does
require that the Town approve any funding changes to the plan and this qualifies. Mr. Evans questioned if there are other components about how the AVFD spends their money that we make decisions on. The Town Manager responded that aside from the operating budget, grant-in-aid, and capital budget whenever you think about administrative staff for instance they are not covered in the operating grant that goes to the department so for general wage increases for their full-time secretary and part-time administrative assistant then yes as part of the budget process.
Bud Desmond reported that he joined the AVFD in 1970 and was AVFD Treasurer from 1974 until he retired in 2010; he has retained a few items and LOSAP is one of them. He noted that there is also tremendous value to looking at all of the incentives to keep people in the AVFD which would include the expense reimbursement, tax abatement, as well as LOSAP. He added that LOSAP is a relatively small part of it with practically no cost. Mr. Desmond explained LOSAP (power point presentation is attached and made part of these minutes). Chairman Zacchio commented that if Council wants to act on this as a group tonight that is fine but he thought there would be tremendous value in seeing the greater picture of recruitment and retention tools that are currently available to the AVFD and as a board consider the
group of them if they are in fact effective or not effective instead of looking at just one slice of it. He noted that this might be the smaller slice but if our goal is to help the AVFD in terms of retention and recruitment it might be beneficial for us to hear the whole picture and act on it in whole to determine if that is the best use. He added that there is no rush to do this as we can adjust the retroactive nature of it and would love to see the bigger plan and do it all in one meeting.
Mr. Desmond commented that the Town Council or AVFD can terminate this program at anytime; if it was terminated they would request the pension consultants to do a calculation at that time and aside from the cost of that calculation there is no liability to the Town. He reported that each member gets a statement from the pension consultant of what they have each year. He noted that it has been learned that quite often the spouses are not even aware that this money exists; they will address this issue. Chairman Zacchio questioned if we would have to set a public hearing to change the vesting period in the program. The Town Manager responded no, it is not established by ordinance; it is just a plan document. Chairman Zacchio questioned that we are not the plan sponsor. The Town Manager
responded that the AVFD is the plan sponsor so all that Council would have to do is approve the change in the vesting period and we would go back and amend the plan document without further action.
Mr. Desmond reported that they did agree with the Town Council when they started this he estimated $35,000 per year for $175,000 over five years which came out to $179,500 but they made an extra payment out of the other parts of the AVFD budget so that would stay intact. He added that other incentives of concern are the expense reimbursement and the tax abatement. He noted that the tax abatement is at the head of the list. He reported the AVFD needs to discuss as a whole the implications to what IRS thinks of the plan. He noted that expense reimbursement is not taxed and the former Town Manager had the outside auditor that looked at their books each year look specifically at that issue. He noted that the IRS does accept averages on miles traveled to/from the firehouse. He added that
this needs to be looked at again.
Mr. Pena questioned if the other towns looked at were compatible to our Town size. Mr. Desmond responded yes; the pension consultants generally concentrate in the Farmington Valley and west of Avon. Mr. Evans commented that the only real change that we are talking about making is the reduction in the vesting period from fifteen to ten years. Mr. Desmond responded yes. He added that there is value to wrapping that into a package of any incentives to keep volunteer firemen. Chairman Zacchio commented that based on the presentation he does not see any reason not to act on it tonight but would invite the AVFD back to look at the rest as a whole. He does want to see the rest of the incentive program; we are trying to help you recruit and retain people and in doing that this is a component of
it we could act on tonight or wait for the rest of it and act on as a whole. He noted that going from fifteen to ten years would be the right thing to do. Mr. Desmond commented that there are two other people that are bordering on going out, one had been President of the corporation for several years and had to go back to work as a nurse and another one had been in the top five of the people showing up for incidents for at least five years and has significant heart trouble and has not been able to do anything. He added that this is why he is pushing for this program to be retroactive to the last fiscal year that ended June 30, 2013. Mrs. Samul suggested that we make a decision on this tonight and then have everything else together at one time. Council agreed. Mr. Evans commented that if it is a defined contribution plan and each member is getting the benefit of their own investments he does not understand the negative numbers on the chart.
He questioned if that suggests that in any given year you are running in a deficit between the total amount of your fund and how much you have to pay out. Mr. Desmond responded that definitely can happen and did happen in 2002 and 2008 when the market fell apart. Mr. Evans questioned that if someone retires at that period of time you may take less than what you put into it. Mr. Desmond responded yes. Chairman Zacchio commented that in this case they are not making a contribution as you would in a standard 401K plan. Council thanked Mr. Desmond for his presentation.
Chief Mike Trick commented that all of the things as part of the incentive program have been a continuing internal conversation within the AVFD. He added that they just had a study done and some of the conclusions showed some of the things that they are taking steps to remedy and to increase the recruitment retention programs. He noted that they are going to have conversations very soon about the budgetary impact of increasing our point reimbursement program. He added that there has always been the background conversation of more of a menu proposal for other benefits in the Town, i.e. free dump passes, free pool passes; all of those things have been looked at, considered, and are always coming forward for presentations. He is glad to hear that the Council is willing to look at that again as a
program; it gives incentive and motivation to get on the people who are working on those committees to step up their game and get these proposals in to the Town Manager and forwarded to Council for their consideration. He asked the Town Council to consider making a decision this evening as it would be going a long way in showing the volunteers of our community that we do care. Chairman Zacchio encouraged the AVFD to work with the Town Manager in terms of the package and looking at other incentives in the scope of recruitment and retention is important and caution that with knowing that the budget process has priorities. He noted that it is a good thing for us to hear and understand even if we are able to make some effect now and some effect in the next years so that strategy and planning will help us a lot. Mr. Desmond questioned if Council pictures that as part of the budget process or as a separate vote altogether. Chairman Zacchio responded that
Council could have consensus to move LOSAP tonight and hear other ideas at future meetings.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve changes to the Length of Service Program (LOSAP) for the Avon Volunteer Fire Department as proposed and retroactive to July 1, 2013.
Mmes: Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
13/14-23 Approve Resolution for Application of 2013 CT-OPM Intercommunity Capital Equipment
Grant
Chairman Zacchio reported that this constituted a grant that we were working with other towns on to purchase equipment including an asphalt recycler as well as two message boards that we could use around Town. He noted that other towns have since dropped out and the cost for Avon has drastically changed and might drastically change the way we approach this.
The Town Manager reported that the benefit of the asphalt recycler is that you can put waste material into this machine and it generates hot asphalt on the other end which is particularly helpful in the colder months because you have to use cold patch which does not adhere as well. He noted that these items have been talked about before by the Director of Public Works but have never risen to the level of being a priority in capital. He reported that when we saw this ICE grant come through at OPM the Director of Public Works started having conversations with other Public Works Directors in the area and all felt that these were important pieces of equipment but individually hard to justify it on a town by town basis. He noted that as the conversation evolved a couple of the towns dropped out and that
results in our contribution being much higher and gets to the point that the cost benefit analysis does not hold up. He suggested that we take a pass on this program. Mr. Pena questioned if we know why the other towns dropped out. The Town Manager responded that he did not. Mrs. Samul questioned if there was any likelihood that other towns will step up. The Town Manager responded no. The Assistant Town Manager reported that last Christmas time we had submitted an application under the regional performance grant for an asphalt recycler and would have borne 100% of the cost and in the midst of yet another budget season at the Capitol they pulled back all of the available funding for that program; they just recently announced that they are accepting applications again this December 31st so that may explain why some towns are pulling out. Mr. Evans commented that we could try to apply for the grant again.
13/14-24 Supplemental Appropriation: State of CT Department of Education Youth Services Bureau
Grants, $20,172
Chairman Zacchio reported that this is an annual grant that pays for some of the salary of the Youth Services Bureau employees.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council hereby recommends that the Board of Finance amend the FY 13/14 Budget by increasing:
REVENUES
General Fund, Intergovernmental, Youth Services Bureau Grant, Account #01-0330-43383 in the amount of $20,172.00
and increasing
APPROPRIATIONS
General Fund, Human Services, Service & Consultant, Account #01-4203-52184 in the amount of $20,172.00 for the purpose of funding expenditures, which will be reimbursed through approved State of Connecticut Department of Education Youth Services Bureau Grants.
Mmes: Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
13/14-25 FY 14/15 Budget: Approve Capital Budget Review Schedule
Mr. Evans reported that he is out of town on November 7th. Council decided to reschedule the November 7th meeting to November 14th.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the following FY 14/15 Capital Improvement Budget schedule as amended:
Thursday, November 14th Regular Town Council Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
7:00 p.m. Board of Education
7:30 p.m. General Government
Wednesday, November 20th Special Town Council Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
7:00 p.m. Recreation and Parks
7:30 p.m. Fire Department
Thursday, December 12th Regular Town Council Meeting (7:00 p.m.)
7:00 p.m. Secret Lake Association
7:30 p.m. Engineering
8:00 p.m. Public Works
Mmes: Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
13/14-26 Approve 2014 Meeting Schedule
On a motion made by Mrs. Samul, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council adopt the following schedule of meetings in accordance with P.A. 723 of the 1967 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly, the following list of scheduled meetings for 2014 and January 2015:
Thursday, January 9, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, February 6, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, March 6, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, April 3, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, May 1, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Monday, May 5, 2014 7:00 p.m. – AVON SENIOR CENTER
ANNUAL BUDGET MEETING
Thursday, June 5, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, July 10, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, August 7, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, September 4, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, October 2, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, November 6, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, December 4, 2014 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Thursday, January 8, 2015 7:30 p.m. – Town Hall
Mmes. Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and Evans voted in favor.
13/14-27 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-27 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2015) to the November 14, 2013 meeting.
Mmes: Samul and Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
Chairman Zacchio commented that at a future Council meeting he wants to talk about the Natural Resources Commission in general. He noted that some of its activities have been taken over by the Inland Wetlands Commission for a number of years and they were pretty active during the Rails to Trails conversion but we might want to discuss whether or not the Natural Resources Commission continues to stay together or we are able to repurpose it or disband it.
IX. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
Misc. A: Purchasing Update: The Assistant Town Manager reported that we received four bids for the balance of the farm that is not being used by the Phillips and we are in the process of determining who to bring in for interviews and ultimately make a recommendation. He reported that HVAC Services is bid out every three or four years; we bid it jointly with Canton; the bids came in and the current provider was again the low bidder with actually a discount due to familiarity with the systems. He noted that it is town wide which includes the fire departments, police department, town hall, library, etc. Chairman Zacchio commented that the Town Manager and the Superintendent of Schools have had discussions around the Matrix Study that recommended some shared services
around Town and one of those items was the buildings and grounds maintenance. He noted that there is an interest in the Board of Education’s part in talking to us about combining services. He added that they have an HVAC person on staff as well as a licensed electrician that could help with some of the smaller pieces of that. He questioned if that benefits us in future contracts for HVAC service, is there a way to take some of the easier maintenance that we could potentially do in house off the table from that service contract in future years. The Town Manager responded that we have a meeting scheduled with the Superintendent of Schools next week to talk through some of these issues. He noted that so far in terms of coordination they have talked about getting the Town involved earlier in their capital planning process and we have already had a meeting to talk about what they are going to be recommending for capital budgeting. He added that
the next meeting is to talk about it more on an operational level. The Assistant Town Manager added that the value of the HVAC Service contract is approximately $7,000 to $8,000 per year.
The Assistant Town Manager reported that the Roaring Brook School RFP has concluded; we worked very closely with Ms. Maguire. He noted that we had some great proposals come in and we met recently to identify a preferred vendor. Ms. Maguire reported that Kompan is a great company out of Seattle, WA; we looked at Creative Playgrounds and Landscape Structures and liked their presentations but felt that Kompan would give us great customer service and a different type of playground equipment that will be able to encompass a lot of kids and very willing to work with us. She noted that all prices came in similar but feels that we will get a big bang for our buck with Kompan and have a little something different. She added that we are working with the Director of Public Works to determine when we would
like to have our ribbon cutting and work backwards to demolition of the playground. She noted that Kompan works with a local company so a lot of the construction will take place in the company’s warehouse in Connecticut and bring things over pretty well assembled so the actual setup of the playground won’t be that long, within a week. She reported that from the day of ordering to the actual installation of the playground approximately nine weeks and that is weather permitting. Mr. Evans questioned the estimated start date. Ms. Maguire responded that we would like to order the equipment December 1st to take advantage of end-of-year pricing and to give them time to have the equipment shipped. She noted that will give time for Public Works to clear the area. She added that everything is going in the back playground but we are talking about keeping the swings just as a way to cut cost. Chairman Zacchio questioned where
the old equipment goes. Ms. Maguire responded that came up for Blazers’ Trail, our outdoor classroom, and it will be reused. Ms. Maguire thanked the Assistant Town Manager and the Director of Public Works as they have been so helpful with their insight.
Misc. B: Construction Update: The Assistant Town Manager reported that drivers have experienced interference from the Route 10 sidewalk project as well as the water main replacement on Woodford Avenue. He added that the sidewalk project should be completed before the end of the construction season. He reported that the school security project is wrapping up. He noted that the locking hardware was a very complicated bid and doing testing to be sure that what they are ordering is correct. Mrs. Samul commented that the fire department locks are slightly over budget and questioned whether the school security project is over or under budget. The Assistant Town Manager responded that we are well within budget, maybe $20,000 to $30,000 below budget. The
Town Manager added that we are also getting approximately $43,000 back from the State. He commented that it is likely that he will request a supplemental appropriation from Council and Board of Finance, add that to the remaining money in the original appropriation and continue to move forward with these projects to reduce the requirement on the fiscal year 2014/2015 capital budget. Chairman Zacchio reported that he asked the Town Manager to begin thinking about policies around the security systems specifically to cameras as they are town owned buildings; what is our retention rate, privacy policy, etc. Mrs. Samul questioned if that is ours or the Board of Education. Chairman Zacchio responded that they are owned by us and we also have cameras at Town buildings, so an overall policy would be good and determine if it has to be adopted by the Town and/or Board of Education. Mr. Evans commented to ask the Board of Education to join those discussions.
The Assistant Town Manager reported that within weeks the Deepwood drainage project should be in process. He reported that with the ADA compliance at the high school we budgeted $140,000 in last year’s CIP to address the punch list items that remain from the 2008 audit; it is worth noting that the Board of Education has taken care of within their operating budget a lot of the smaller items. He noted that the other items that are left should go out to bid this winter with the intent of doing the work during the summer next year. Mrs. Samul questioned if KBA is still involved, as consulting only. The Assistant Town Manager responded yes. He added that KBA prepared a report in response to the State’s audit and that report was reviewed by Murtha Cullina to help us pick out items that could be accommodated rather than constructed. Mrs. Samul questioned if we are being charged for their services at this point. The Town Manager
responded that there is, but it is fairly diminimus. Mrs. Samul commented that the school has an electrician and questioned if they have the skills that could perhaps do some of this work. The Assistant Town Manager responded that Mr. Peter Gaski has been involved in the conversations and to the extent that they can those are the things that they have been taking care of.
Misc. C: Revaluation Update: Harry DerAsadourian, Town Assessor, reported that we are doing our 2013 revaluation this year effective October 1st as mandated by State law to be done once every five years. He added that we have not asked for any waivers as there are penalties with such. He reported that the data has maintained in the same electronic system that has been used for over twenty years which has also been refined over a period of time. He noted that the information is also available on the internet which has many benefits including less foot traffic, property owners can validate the information at home and notify the office with any problems which will be corrected, and the realtors and appraisers are notifying us where there is an error.
He reported that this process has reduced the need to go and visit every property. He noted that they do look at the houses in the process of the revaluation but it is not as invasive; additionally they do get permits from the Building Department on a constant basis and reviewing them in the event a service is upgraded. He added that there are a lot of permits being issued for work done without a permit and that is coming forward from the realtors and appraisers. He reported that the data collection portion is ongoing year after year. He noted that the other portion is the recalibration of the value models, the cost, the depreciation, and the land tables; those are being recalibrated for October 2013 as they were recalibrated for October 2008 and put into the electronic system. He noted that the estimated values are tested against sales. He reported that PBS Systems was hired and goes out and looks at each property with the propose street
card and new value in hand to make sure that the data is correct, the values proposed make sense and that their knowledge of sales in the area and the proposed value are consistent. He noted that PBS Systems was the same company that performed our 2003 revaluation. He reported that this portion of the revaluation process has been completed. He added that they have recalibrated the tables, looked at the residential properties and come up with estimated values which have been compared with sales that occurred over the past twelve months. He noted that we currently are reviewing the commercial properties and should be done sometime next week. He reported that then they are going to sit idle for a couple of weeks, look at the sales at the end of October and see how we stand; if there are any last minute changes that need to be made either in land value, depreciation or in the case of Farmington Woods location adjustments, and we will make those. He
anticipates that the change notices will go out in the second week of November at which time those residents will receive a letter indicating their 2012 assessment and the proposed 2013 assessment; there will be a phone number should they have any questions or feel the value is inaccurate, make an appointment, meet with a representative of the company, and go over the information; in addition they can also contact him. He noted that all changes that the company proposes after the hearings will be reviewed by him. He added that there might be a situation of a property that he is aware of that the revaluation company may not be or does not understand the situation and he will override their value and come up with what is correct.
Chairman Zacchio questioned if there is an outlier report. Mr. DerAsadourian responded yes. Chairman Zacchio questioned how many residences fall onto the outlier report and what the effort is around checking it. Mr. DerAsadourian responded that they are looking at it first to see where they are; it is a very small percentage. He noted that as far as where there is an error they will probably be looking at approximately four dozen properties. Chairman Zacchio questioned if they go in both directions. Mr. DerAsadourian responded yes. He reported that once that is completed they will run a final report. He noted that a printed report will be made available to the public in the Town Clerk’s Office and the Library, as has been done in the past, showing all the properties by
address, old and new assessment, and percentage change. He added that they also plan on putting the information out on the internet using avonassessor.com. Chairman Zacchio questioned when this all wraps up. Mr. DerAsadourian responded that we should be on track to file the grand list at the end of January as they typically do. He has not experienced any glitches in this process. Chairman Zacchio questioned the impact to the levy and what it is going to do to the mill rate as we go through the operating budget process. Mr. DerAsadourian responded that there are three components to the grand list: real estate, motor vehicles, and personal property. He noted that at this point, as they still have a few outliers and commercial properties to look at, we really are not expecting a lot of changes in the commercial properties. He added that the best he can offer is what we have experienced in the past and that is in 1999 we conducted a
revaluation coming off the recession of 1989 and the values had still not come back to where they were; the overall grand list went down 2% from 1998 to 1999. He noted that he sees a lot of similarities to that and we will not know for sure until January 2014.
Mrs. Samul questioned if Mr. DerAsadourian has seen any shift in values from one segment to the other, single family versus condominiums versus land versus commercial. Mr. DerAsadourian responded no, no dramatic, noticeable or alarming shift. Mrs. Samul questioned if there is one segment that is being dampened more. Mr. DerAsadourian responded no, not in a significant manor. He noted that you might have Farmington Woods where certain sections have dropped a little bit more than others. Mrs. Samul commented that we have had some new construction including the new CREC School on Waterville Road. She questioned without the revaluation would there be any kind of change in our grand list. Mr. DerAsadourian responded yes, we would probably see our typical less than 1/2% to 1% increase. Mrs. Samul commented that there have been a lot of reports that people are buying cars now. She questioned if we can anticipate some increased revenue due to that. Mr. DerAsadourian responded that
we can only go by the published reports; we will not get the supplemental list from Department of Motor Vehicles until the end of October and the regular list comes out sometime in November. Mrs. Samul commented that without our grand list we might have had a 1/2% to 1% increase without revaluation; with the revaluation and the general market we are looking at an approximate 2% based on history. Mr. DerAsadourian responded yes. He noted that given discussions on how values dropped ours never really dropped that much.
Emergency Response: Lt. Kelly Walsh gave a brief overview on the how the Police Department responds to medicals and what happens if you call 911 as well as insight to the variables that come into play depending on their staffing levels. She reported that if a resident calls 911 it comes into their dispatch center which always has one dispatcher and sometimes a second depending on the shift and if someone is out sick or day off. She added that when the call comes in the dispatcher takes basic initial information (where is the location, description of what is going on at the incident – very brief because they actually transfer the call to AMR who EMDs our 911 calls. She reported that we have a dedicated ambulance stationed in Town through AMR and our contract. She noted that
the problem with that sometimes is if there is a medical call that they are already on, there is our dedicated ambulance which is now out of town. As a result that means we get ambulances from Hartford, Waterbury, Farmington, whatever is available. She reported that we dispatch two officers to each medical call and as the officers respond sometimes it is at a healthcare facility and when they get on scene AMR is already there or it has turned into something that they can cancel the second officer. She noted that the sergeants typically overhear all of the transmissions and decide if they are going to a medical call or if they are just going to do any of the other background information that has to go on such as if it is a serious call, if we have a serious accident Lifestar gets dispatched and we work with the Avon Volunteer Fire Department for a landing zone. She noted that if we need another paramedic service which is our supplemental paramedic service
through UCONN, AMR contacts UCONN and then everybody signs on the same radio. She added that they are first responders and they carry oxygen, first aid kit, and AEDs. She noted that there are times that they can be on one medical call at a healthcare facility and somebody else gets dispatched and that basically takes all of our officers on days. She added that per policy you have to send two officers to a medical call so sometimes they have other officers from other towns coming in to back our officers up.
The Town Manager reported that there is a lot of management and coordination that goes on behind the scenes with these contracts. He noted that the Town has a contract with AMR for both ambulance and paramedic services; all of those response calls are reviewed to ensure compliance with the contract as they are required to respond in “x” amount of minutes, there are some exceptions that apply for instance if there is more than one call that they have to respond to within a couple of minutes so that it is logistically impossible. He added that the exceptions have to be documented and reasons given for why they could not make it in time. He reported that that on top of AMR we have a Medical Control Officer, Dr. Kaman through UCONN, who ensures that not only are the response times appropriate but
the medical care that is given is appropriate. Mr. Evans commented that a call comes into dispatch and it is identified as a medical related emergency and questioned that it gets transferred to AMR here in Avon. Lt. Walsh responded no, it gets transferred to their dispatch center in Waterbury. Mr. Evans commented that their dispatch knows where our AMR representative is at any one time so if they are already on a call it goes to the next person in line. Lt. Walsh responded yes, they find the closest available ambulance.
Chairman Zacchio commented that we were incredibly fortunate when we negotiated the contract in the first place to have Dr. Adam Corrado who is part of the Avon Volunteer Fire Department help us in understanding the moving parts, setting up some of the oversights that the Town Manager mentioned as well as what was appropriate for our size town from a coverage perspective. He asked that we have this presentation just around the logistics of how it works based on some contemporary events where we have had some medical emergencies for people that we all know and have worked with and response times. He noted that for himself having recently been involved with a response time issue it feels like forever as you sit there waiting helplessly with someone who you know. Lt. Walsh commented that she often gets
phone calls from people that went through a medical and they say that it seemed like it took fifteen to twenty minutes to get to them but she looks it up and it has been six or eight minutes. Mrs. Samul commented that every month we receive correspondence from people who are very appreciative of what the Police Department does; you are very well trained, both medically and skilled for keeping people calm; and the Department represents the Town well.
Chairman Zacchio questioned what our follow up is with people who have made cuts in the roadway. He commented that we let them settle for a period of time and then they go back and do the final. He noted that prior to our Cut Policy the gas company crossed over when the sidewalk process was being completed in front of the Library. He commented that it appears to have sunk particularly hard if you are traveling in the westbound lane, not quite as bad as the eastbound lane. He questioned what our timeframe is between the first pave going down and once it settles they come back and do the final pave. The Town Manager responded that he would take care of this.
Mr. Pena commented that the Town Manager, Town Planner, and Town Assessor presented at a recent Chamber of Commerce business meeting which he attended and everyone did a great job.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Land Acquisition/Real Estate
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 9:20 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
The Town Manager and Town Clerk attended the session.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council come out of Executive Session at 9:50 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, and Pena voted in favor.
XI. ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
Attest:
Ann L. Dearstyne, Town Clerk
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