ADMINSTRATION COMMITTEE
OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
March 17, 2010 Meeting
The Administration Committee of the Legislative Council held a meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in the Municipal Board Room in the Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT
Present: Chair Gary Davis, Jan Andras, George Ferguson, Ben Spragg
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No one spoke during public participation.
COMMITTEE MINUTES
The Committee minutes from the meeting on March 3, 2010, were unanimously accepted.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Budget Review: The Committee members discussed the findings from their assignments to review specific portions of the town budget.
Mrs. Andras reviewed the town department budgets. She believed the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance had done a good job of reviewing these budgets. She said there were two areas she might recommend for reduction regarding association dues for the Connecticut Council of Small Towns and the National League of Cities. The committee encouraged her to meet with First Selectman Llodra to discuss the value of the town being involved with these organizations.
Mr. Ferguson reviewed the proposed budget for Fairfield Hills. He indicated that the proposed budget had been reduced by the Board of Finance. The Committee discussed costs associated with contractors, specifically security and snow clearing. Chair Davis asked why the Police Department could not take on security for Fairfield Hills. Mr. Ferguson was asked to look into these two areas to see if there might be further potential cost savings.
Chair Davis reviewed the proposed budget for the Legislative Council and the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers. The Committee members agreed with his recommendation that these budgets should remain as recommended by the Board of Finance.
Mr. Spragg was assigned budgets for donations to non-profit organizations. He felt the budget amounts were reasonable, but questioned whether all the non-profit organizations were well supported by Newtown residents. He proposed that 10% of the town’s budget allocation be dependent on matching funds being raised by the individual organizations as a way to gauge public support for these organizations (see attachment).
Chair Davis said the Committee should meet once more to finalize a formal recommendation to the Finance Committee on its budget review assignments. This would give Mrs. Andras and Mr. Ferguson adequate time to do further investigation in their respective budget areas and allow the Committee members to further consider Mr. Spragg’s proposal. The Committee decided to meet on March 31 at 7 p.m.
Communication Update: Chair Davis provided an update on the videotaping of budget meetings. Two Board of Finance meetings had been videotaped and would be broadcast on Channel 17 prior to the Legislative Council’s public hearing on the budget on March 25.
NEW BUSINESS
Agenda Items for Future Meetings: Chair Davis said he believed the Council at tonight’s meeting would take up the Committee’s recommendations on additional objectives it should pursue. In the area of long-range planning, Chair Davis asked the Committee members if it made sense to reach out to the various boards to ask for their long-range plans and what long-range planning processes they might be already undertaking. He felt that this would be a good way to determine what long-range planning was already taking place. He noted that Planning and Zoning had started its review of the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development. The Committee members were in agreement with this approach.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No one spoke during public participation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chair Davis said the next meeting of the Committee would be on Wednesday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m.
Having no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Gary Davis
ATTACHMENT
Motion: That the appropriations for the Social Service Agencies are conditional appropriations. (C – Below)
The condition would be as follows: The Agencies get 90% of their grant from the Town and the other 10% is conditional as a matching grant from the residents.
When the Social Service Agencies have raised by contributions from Newtown residents an amount equal to ten-percent (10%) of the amount appropriated to their agency, and have certified to the First Selectman’s satisfaction the same, the Finance Director is required to pay to the Social Service Agency the matching amount appropriated by the Town.
The agencies see an increase in revenue, as they will be required to seek contributions from Newtown residents. An additional motivation to contribute to the agency would be that every resident’s contribution would be doubled, (to the maximum appropriated). And it will tell us which agencies the residents support (a question that the town has wrestled with for years) thus the policy works both ways.
This will bring the residents into the process of selecting which agencies to fund with their money both personally and through the Town.
Acct # Title Amount
400 Kevin’s Community Center 55,000.00
419 Regional Hospice 5,500.00
428 Danbury Reg Child Advocacy 2,750.00
429 Women’s Center 10,000.00
431 Ability Beyond Disability 4,500.00
433 Youth & Family Services 265,600.00
435 Amos House 3,300.00
436 Literacy Volunteers 1,000.00
438 Shelter of the Cross 2,500.00
439 WeCahr 1,000.00
441 The Volunteer Center 1,000.00
443 Newtown Parent Connection 20,000.00
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