BOARD OF FINANCE
MINUTES
June 28, 2010
I. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Harrison called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, Selectmen’s Chamber. Members present: Margaret Bratton, James Speich, Catherine Durdan, Thomas Gugliotti, and Brett Eisenlohr.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Speich.
III. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE
There was none.
IV. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETINGS: May 12, 2010 Special Meeting
Several edits were made to the minutes.
On a motion by Mr. Harrison, seconded by Mr. Speich, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Board of Finance approve the minutes of May 12, 2010 as amended.
Messrs. Harrison, Eisenlohr, Gugliotti, Speich and Mmes. Bratton and Durdan voted in favor.
V. OLD BUSINESS
There was none.
VI. NEW BUSINESS
09/10-24 Supplemental Appropriation: DEHMS ETE-79 Emergency Operations Center Equipment Reimbursement Grant, $4,685.43
Mr. Robertson stated that Town Council did approve this item at their last meeting.
Mr. Gugliotti questioned if these purchases would be replacing things that the Town already owns or if new things were being purchased. Ms. Colligan stated that these were new items that are being purchased.
On a motion by Ms. Bratton, seconded by Mr. Eisenlohr, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Board of Finance hereby amends the FY 09/10 Budget by increasing:
REVENUES
General Fund, Intergovernmental, DEHMS ETE-79 Emergency Operations Center Equipment Reimbursement Grant, Account #01-0330-43394 in the amount of $4,685.43 and increasing:
APPROPRIATIONS
General Fund, Emergency Management, Geographic Information System, Account #01-2501-52207 in the amount of $522.00; General Fund, Emergency Management, Photo, Account #01-2501-52233 in the amount of $1,511.43; General Fund, Emergency Management, Radios, Account #01-2501-53313 in the amount of $2,652.00, for the purpose of recording the grant funding to be used for purchasing equipment for the Emergency Operations Center and the Engineering Department.
Messrs. Harrison, Eisenlohr, Gugliotti, Speich and Mmes. Bratton and Durdan voted in favor.
VII. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT
Administrative Services Study Committee Update
Mr. Robertson introduced Steve Bartha, Assistant to the Town Manager.
Regarding the Matrix study, Mr. Robertson stated that the Study Committee met on June 10th. At this meeting, there was discussion regarding the implementation of the recommendations. There has been a Staff Committee formed who is now reporting to the Administrative Committee.
Mr. Bartha stated that he attended this June 10th meeting. The Board of Education gave their updates at this meeting. On the Town side, the upgrades from the ADMINS, which is a two phase project, should be completed by the end of the calendar year. The upgrade will be more user friendly, which should ease the burden on the people in the Finance Department.
Mr. Bartha stated that another recommendation was regarding time and attendance software. The Town was able to get this at a discounted price. The hardware is in place at public works and they are currently using this new system parallel with the existing system.
Mr. Bartha stated that there is a recommendation that the Town and Board of Education jointly prepare and schedule athletic fields throughout the Town. He stated that they are in the process of gathering data to look at ways to better utilize equipment and time.
Mr. Gugliotti stated that the Matrix report also showed things that could be done easily as well as things that would be more costly. When certain things are implemented, there is a payback. He stated that the bottom line is, when this study was done, people wanted to make sure things were implemented. He stated that this is exactly what is happening.
Quarterly Financial Report Summary
Ms. Colligan reviewed the summary of the quarterly financial report. She questioned if the Board of Finance members would like to see this summary along with the report or if just the summary would be sufficient.
Mr. Gugliotti questioned if time and money would be saved if they received the summary only. Ms. Colligan stated that it would save both time and money. She stated that she would like to put the full report online for review, but just hand out the summary. Mr. Gugliotti stated that he liked the idea of the summary. The Board members agreed.
Ms. Colligan discussed the summary with the Board members. The Town’s conveyance has been doing well. Also, the building structures and equipment has exceeded what was budgeted for. She stated that they also had unanticipated revenues come in, including the CL&P rebate. Also, the middle school roof should be reimbursed soon. Ms. Colligan stated that collections are at the same level, which is 99.81.
Anticipated Future Requests for Supplemental Appropriations
Mr. Robertson stated that there will probably be a request for a supplemental appropriation on the August agenda. He stated that it will be a pass through. The Town Council will possibly be accepting a $140,000 gift from two sources, which will be for the playground. The Town Council should be approving this at their next meeting. Regarding this project, Mr. Robertson stated that the basketball hoops will be replaced with adjustable poles and there will also be an upgrade to the benches.
Mr. Robertson stated that there is an investigation regarding the Police union. He feels that this can be funded through the current budget; they are managing the costs fairly well.
Mr. Robertson stated that the Legislature adjourned without authorizing the conveyance tax increase, although it did get through. He stated that this is important because Avon has already budgeted for the increase.
Regarding the library project, Mr. Robertson stated that the Bond Commission has canceled their June meeting. The State grant was awarded but funds have not been appropriated yet. The Town Council did authorize moving forward with the development of the construction documents. Regarding the next steps, Mr. Robertson stated that the architect and construction manager will continue to meet. In august, construction documents will be completed and the Town Council will have to decide if they will go out to bid.
Regarding the Severni property, Mr. Robertson stated that the appraisals have been done. He stated that he has discussed this matter in Executive Session with the Town Council. Mr. Schenk did go to Ms. Severni with a proposal, although that proposal was refused. The Town Council will continue to discuss this matter regarding how to proceed.
VIII. OTHER BUSINESS
Discussion concerning more regular reports on town and school revenues and expenditures and use of funds
Mr. Speich distributed a handout regarding the Board of Education. He stated that he would like to get a snapshot of where the school system is today and then again what it looks like in the fall when school starts regarding what cuts have been made. He feels that this will help the Board of Finance members when going into the budget next year. He stated that he would also like to get a snapshot for the end of the school year. They can then look at the same metrics to find out what was lost and what was gained. He feels this would help the Board of Finance to be more knowledgeable when the budget process gets underway. This is a proactive suggestion. He feels it is important to be more knowledgeable and better prepared.
Ms. Bratton stated that she feels this will help take a lot of the emotion out of the budget process, which is what happened this year. She feels this will also solve some misinformation that people may have; it will clarify the facts without emotion. Ms. Bratton stated that she would also like more details regarding what courses were eliminated and the reasons why they were eliminated. She would also like more information regarding the size of courses and how many students enrolled and how many were turned away.
There was some discussion between the Board of Finance members regarding pay to play. Ms. Colligan stated that this is not appropriated as part of the budget process. It goes into a revolving fund for the Board of Education. Regarding the cafeteria, she stated that this goes into a special revenue fund. The cafeteria fund is self sufficient; capital expenditures come out of this fund.
Mr. Speich stated that he would be willing to work with the Board of Education in order to get these questions answered. The Board members agreed.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION
There was no need to go into Executive Session.
X. ADJOURN
On a motion by Mr. Gugliotti, seconded by Mr. Speich, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Board of Finance adjourn at 8:45 p.m.
Messrs. Harrison, Eisenlohr, Gugliotti, Speich and Mmes. Bratton and Durdan voted in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas A. Gugliotti, Secretary
Attest: Alison Sturgeon, Clerk
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