ADMINSTRATION COMMITTEE
OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
March 31, 2010 Meeting
The Administration Committee of the Legislative Council held a meeting on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, in the Municipal Board Room in the Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, CT
Present: Chair Gary Davis, George Ferguson, Ben Spragg
Absent: Jan Andras
Guests: First Selectman Pat Llodra, Legislative Council Chair Jeff Capeci
The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No one spoke during public participation.
COMMITTEE MINUTES
The Committee minutes from the meeting on March 17, 2010, were amended at the request of Mr. Ferguson as follows:
Mr. Ferguson reviewed the proposed budget for Fairfield Hills. He indicated that the proposed budget had been reduced by $100,000 by the Board of Finance. Mr. Ferguson indicated that he thought the budget was fair as presented but that there were two line items where some additional clarity could be sought … “professional contracts and services” and “contingency for building and leasehold improvements”. He agreed to seek additional information on these items.
The minutes, as amended, were unanimously accepted by the Committee.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Budget Review: The Committee members continued their discussion of the findings from their assignments to review specific portions of the town budget.
Mr. Davis reported that Mrs. Andras, via email, had informed the Committee that she had discussed the value of paying association dues for the Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST) and the National League of Cities with First Selectman Llodra. She said she was satisfied that it was reasonable for the town to continue participating in these organizations. Mrs. Llodra commented that she found value in working with COST, noting that it was the organization with which the town worked to obtain STEEP grants. She said she was not finding much need for involvement with the National League of Cities at the current time, even though she recognized that Mr. Rosenthal, when he was First Selectman, had been more involved and had found value in from his involvement. Upon further discussion, Mr. Davis
suggested that the $1,861.00 for dues for the National League of Cities funds be retained in the budget, but if Mrs. Llodra chose, could be earmarked for possible use in supporting town government efforts to videotape government meetings on an ongoing basis for broadcast on Channel 17. The funds could be used to complete modifications to equipment in the A/V room, and to fund part-time personnel to record the meetings. Mrs. Llodra noted that she was considering hiring someone to videotape the Board of Selectman meetings on a regular basis. Mr. Davis said he wanted to look at other options as well, such as creating a group of adult volunteers, to assist in videotaping local government meetings to augment support from the high school Tech Team. Mr. Capeci said that the high school Tech Team had recent technical issues videotaping the Council’s public hearing in the high school lecture hall because of equipment issues.
Mr. Ferguson updated the Committee on his review of the Fairfield Hills budget, reviewing how the professional fees in the budget are being expended. He found the fees to be reasonable. Mr. Davis asked what Mr. Ferguson learned about the Police Department taking over security for Fairfield Hills to eliminate the need for a private security group to patrol the campus at a cost of $82,560. Mr. Ferguson deferred the question to Mrs. Lllodra. She indicated that the campus needed a 24/7 security presence because of the many empty buildings. There was a constant need to monitor for trespassers who, for various reasons, would try to break into the buildings. She indicated break-in attempts were routine. She noted that police had started patrolling the campus roads since they were
dedicated to the town. However, in speaking with the Police Chief, he noted several modifications he felt needed to be made to the campus to make it feasible for effective patrols, such as security fences around each empty building and the need to construct roadways behind the buildings so patrolman could surveil the buildings from their police vehicles. Mr. Davis asked if these changes would cost more than continuing the private security service, and Mrs. Llodra said she thought it would.
Mr. Ferguson and Mrs. Llodra then addressed the issue of snow clearing at Fairfield Hills. Mrs. Llodra noted that town Public Works crews now plowed the roads and parking lots, but that a private contractor was needed to shovel the sidewalks and walkways. She noted that the $12,500 budgeted for this expense would only be used if weather required. If not used, it would be placed in the General Fund.
Mr. Spragg reviewed his proposal that 10% of the town’s budget allocation to certain non-profit agencies be dependent on matching funds being raised by the individual organizations as a way to gauge public support for these organizations (see attachment).
Mr. Capeci said this proposal might require legal review. Mrs. Llodra was unsure if such a requirement was necessary as part of the budget process, and suggested it might be implemented some other way. She suggested that the 10 percent match include both cash and in-kind contributions. Mr. Davis said he was comfortable moving Mr. Spragg’s proposal forward to the Council’s Finance Committee if the rest of the Committee members were in agreement. The Finance Committee could then address some of these issues.
Mr. Spragg discussed his review of health insurance costs in the budget. He said moving from working with a private insurer to self-funded insurance had its share of risks, but also had many potential rewards. He noted that claims paid by private insurers would continue anywhere from 10 weeks to three months after the town switched over to self-insurance on July 1, 2010. He said he felt that there were sufficient funds for the town to cover claims for the first year of the self-insurance program. However, he cautioned that it was important that the town build a reserve fund so it would be adequately covered if it received a larger number of claims than anticipated in any given year. Mrs. Llodra said that there was an element of risk in the town becoming self-insured, but she believe the
rewards of reduced costs outweighed the risks. Mr. Spragg noted that the last time the town was self-insured, the Legislative Council raided the reserve fund to minimize tax increases. He said when the town then faced increases in claims, it was unable to meet its obligations and had to contract with a private insurer to take over the program. Mrs. Llodra said it was her intention to create a group to monitor the insurance program, similar to the group that reviews the town pension plan, to ensure that it was appropriately funded.
Upon completion of discussion, Mr. Spragg offered a motion that the Committee accept the recommendations of the Board of Finance for the sections of the budget reviewed by the Administration Committee. Mr. Ferguson seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.
Mr. Davis then made a motion that the agencies identified by Mr. Spragg be required to raise by cash or in-kind contribution from Newtown residents an amount equal to 10 percent of the amount appropriated by the town to that agency in order for it to receive the final 10 percent of the budget allocation in the town budget, consistent with the proposal put forward by Mr. Spragg . (See attachment.). Mr. Ferguson seconded the motion. It was approved by a unanimous vote.
Communication Update: Mr. Davis reported that two Board of Finance meetings and the Legislative Council public hearing on March 25 have been videotaped. Mr. Davis said that Mr. Capeci indicated there were equipment problems at the public hearing, and he was unsure of the quality of resulting videotape of the meeting. Mr. Capeci said that the Schools Superintendent assured him that these issues would be addressed before the Council meeting on April 7 in the high school Lecture Hall. Mr. Davis said he would follow-up with the Superintendent to address any potential issues.
Agenda Items for Future Meetings: Mr. Davis said he had collected the Strategic Plan for the Newtown Public Schools. Mr. Ferguson attended a recent meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission to review the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development. He said P&Z Chair Lilla Dean indicated the plan review could take up to two years. The Committee reiterated that its role in long-range planning was to gather information to inform the process, and that it was not the group responsible for developing or carrying out creation of a comprehensive long-range plan for the town.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No one spoke during public participation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mr. Davis said the next meeting of the Committee would be on Wednesday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m.
Having no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Gary Davis
ATTACHMENT
When the Agencies listed below have raised by cash or in-kind contributions from Newtown residents an amount equal to 10 percent 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 45,000.00
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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