North Stonington Board of Finance
Draft Meeting Minutes
of
Wednesday May 9, 2012
Elementery School Library
North Stonington, CT
1. Call to Order: Chairman Dan Spring called the meeting to order at 7:33 P.M. Emile Pavolvics, Peter Nimirowski, Mustapha Ratib and Brent Woodward were present. Elwin Bresette was absent.
2. Public Comments and Questions: Numerous citizens made comments on recent activity to reduce the budget by cutting Town hall employee hours/compensation. The following, attempts to capture the essence of these comments.
· Maryanne Ricker requested the Board to reconsider any change in Juliet Leeming’s (P&Z ZEO) hours because of her involvement in the ongoing Affordable housing project and P&Z changes.
· Bill Ricker also spoke on behalf of Juliet Leeming, as well as, Nick Mullane (First Selectmen). Cutting hours from either would not benefit the Town as he considers them essential to the Town’s successful operation.
· Van Brown stressed the importance of having a strong P&Z element in Town government and that each position should be evaluated vice an across the board reduction. He suggested a better way of saving money might be to reduce debt payment.
· Louis Steinbrecher felt the savings was small compared to the overall budget and created a negative atmosphere among employees.
· Elaine Boissevain noted that in other towns Juliet Leeming’s job was done by two people. Elaine asked the assessor, Darryl DelGrosso, what the impact of not being in the office one day a week would be? He felt that the assistant assessor could for the most part provide adequate coverage and if not, he would be in the office the next day.
· Juliet Leeming stated her disappointment in not being informed/involved with the decision making process.
3. BOS: Budget Prep FY 2012-13/Updates:
Brian Elias, President of the NS Ambulance Association and Charlie Steinhart, Town Fire Marshal briefed the Board on new FCC mandates for converting VHF communication equipment from wideband to narrowband effective January 1, 2013. Although the switch increases the number of available channels, it results in a significant decrease in performance which would mean areas of Town would not have radio coverage. To obtain the desired coverage, equipment upgrades are needed. Tactical Communications, Inc. provided a quote of $194,525.44 for the upgrades. This cost would result in an increase to the proposed FY2012-13 budget.
First Selectmen Nick Mullane reported the following on select Town projects.
· Main Street Bridge – Water diversion is in place but recent rains are impeding progress.
· Tennis courts – Asphalt is down but needs final sealing and the fence needs installing.
4. Profit & Loss Report: No issues or action needed.
5. Draft Budget FY 2012-13: Numerous changes were made in order to create a balanced budget.
Dan Spring moved to bring the following FY 2012-13 budget to a Town hearing on May 14, 2012.
Govt Operating
|
$ 6,379,625
|
Capital
|
$ 453,227
|
Debt
|
$ 1,334,370
|
Education
|
$ 12,523,087
|
Total
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$ 20,690,309
|
The motion was seconded by Peter Nimirowski and carried 4-1-0. Emile Pavolvics voted against the motion.
6. Tax Report: The tax collector has begun issuing notices to delinquent tax payers.
7. BOE: Discovery Audit: The audit, being performed by J. H. Cohn LLP, commenced on May 4, 2012. The cost for this effort has been limited to $2,500.
8. Previous Minutes: Dan Spring moved to approve the minutes of May 2, 2012 as amended. The motion was seconded by Mustapha Ratib and passed 5-0-0.
9. Calendar: Budget Hearing and Town Meeting: The budget hearing is scheduled for May 14, 2012 at 7:00 PM in the multipurpose room of the Elementary School. Details of the Town meeting scheduled for May 29, 2012 are forthcoming.
10. Adjournment: A motion was made by Emile Pavolvics to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Dan Spring and carried 5-0-0. The meeting was adjourned at 01:06 AM on May 10, 2012.
Respectfully Submitted,
Brent Woodward
Secretary, Board of Finance
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