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Little did I imagine two years ago when I agreed to run for this job the challenges that would be faced by towns, cities, and states across the country during the past many months.~ Challenges that are as difficult for those who have years, even decades, of experience as they are for those of us who are recent arrivals to municipal government.
As you know, there are several aspects to the Town’s finances – adopting a budget is only the beginning at referendum.~ Maggie Cosgrove, our CFO, provides monthly revenue and expenditure reports which are reviewed at a Board of Finance meeting.~ In the interim, she and I work closely with department heads to ensure that funds are spent in accordance with the budget. Ms. Cosgrove has also provided a monthly report of how we’re “tracking” in revenues through a particular month this year as compared to the same month last year. Once budget “season” begins, in early January, projections are developed by each department of where both revenues and expenses are expected to end on June 30th. These are our “best educated guess,” knowing what we know at that moment in
time. Like every other municipality that information changes daily. This information is provided to the Board of Finance at the beginning of March as part of the First Selectman’s proposed budget.
So, where do we stand? In response to the community, the budget was cut significantly last year in order to bring it in with a zero mil increase. As of Thursday, April 2nd, we are anticipating a potential shortfall of $535,000 primarily from unpaid taxes, special education costs, and investment earnings. Also, as can be expected considering the current economy, $116,000 of the $535,000 projected shortfall is due to a decrease in building fees, taxes received when homes are sold, and a variety of Town Clerk fees. On the expense side, snow expenses are $169,000 over budget with more than thirty snow “events” this year. The $64,000 over budget in vehicle maintenance is due to the age of the fleet and the need to keep vehicles running long past their intended years of use.
One additional area we are watching closely is legal fees. Through February, we are at $145,000 of the $160,000 budget. I did a projection of $185,000 in order to account for the outstanding billing for March services and anything that might arise in the next three months. Legal cost expenses for union negotiations, including arbitration for two unions, are included in this amount.
I’ll continue to share the budget process with you in upcoming columns. I know there are lots of questions about “how” and “when.” My goal is to make the process as transparent as possible so that you can all take part in it. If you have questions, please let me know. In the meantime, mark your calendars for April 20 & 21st at 7:00 p.m. in Town Hall to attend the budget hearings. These times are not easy for any of us – individuals or towns/cities, but together we will get through them.
On a final note, a recent inquiry of the Ethics Commission to determine whether a filed complaint constituted a conflict of interest revealed a contradiction between the town charter and the member requirements as listed the conduct of the Code of Ethics. The charter appoints the First Selectman as an ex-officio member of all boards and commissions. However, as some citizens aptly pointed out, having the First Selectman participating on the Ethics Commission can lead to the appearance of undue influence and create in itself a conflict of interest. To ensure that there is no doubt that the Ethics Commission operates independently from the Selectman’s office, I will remove myself from all deliberations of complaints and executive sessions of the Ethics Commission and will be recommending to the next Charter Revision Committee that
the charter be updated to reflect this change during the next charter revision.
Linda M Hodge
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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