Minutes of the Board of Finance meeting held on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ the King Church Parish Center.
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Present:~~~~~~~~~~ Regular Members:~ Andrew Russell, Wayne Devoe, Mark Diebolt,
H. P. Garvin, III, David Woolley
Alternate Members:~ Ruth Roach, Janet Sturges
Timothy C. Griswold, ex-officio
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Absent:~~~~~~~~~~~ Regular Members:~ Christopher Kerr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Alternate Members:~ Judy Read
Guest: Ann Brown, Zoning Enforcement Officer
Bonnie Reemsnyder, Selectwoman
Skip Sibley, Selectman
John Forbis, Town Hall Building Committee
Bob Pierson, President, Old Lyme Fire Department
Harry Smith, Purchasing Agent, Old Lyme Fire Department
Fire Marshal,
William Paradis, Treasurer, Lymes’ Senior Center
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Mr. Russell called the meeting to order at 7:12~p.m. Mr. Russell stated that Mr. Kerr will not be present this evening, therefore, a motion was made by Mr. Garvin, seconded by Mr. Devoe to have Mrs. Sturges vote for Mr. Kerr. Motion carried.
Zoning Assistant Pay Grade
Mrs. Brown explained the functions of her two assistants’ job positions. She stated that she didn’t know that her two employees have different job classifications and pay grades. She affirmed that the two positions have the same job responsibilities and functions and didn’t know that their pay grades were different. Therefore, she is requesting that sue Bartlett’s pay grade of N-5-7 be made equal to Kim Groves grade level of N-6-7. Mr. Griswold explained the step program and how the years, several job descriptions have changed and that the administrative positions need re-evaluating overall. He has contacted Mr. Swords to meet with the six administrative employees in order to assess the various job classifications and make a recommendation within the next couple of
weeks.
Town Hall Renovation Update
Mr. Forbis explained the two phases of the Town Hall renovation project. Phase I is scheduled to be completed on May 8th and is running on schedule. The different departments that have been relocated are scheduled to return in two waves.
Mr. Forbis distributed a spreadsheet dealing with the Town Hall Expansion budget. He said the project budget is $4,400,000 and, as of March 25th, a total of $3,141,085 has been spent. Certain expenses are or will be over their budgeted amounts so, in order to keep the project within budget, certain items have been identified to be eliminated or deferred.
Board of Finance Meeting April 8, 2008
The principal reasons for overbudget items include:
1. Asbestos mitigation $ 25,000
2. Note & Bond Transaction Fees 36,500
3. Rent During Construction 10,400
4. Outside Consulting 27,100
5. Relocation Costs 6,000
6. Change Orders 74,000
7. Legal Advertisement Notices, etc. 8,000
Legal 2,000
Speirs 3,000
$192,000
In order to provide funding for these items, the following eliminations and deferrals are planned.
Eliminations
Construction Allowances $29,500
Change Order Reduction 5,600
$ 35,100
Deferrals
Construction Allowances $72,500
Change Order Reduction 3,000
$ 75,500
$110,600
Prior Reductions
Speirs Demolition $11,300
Cost Estimates 15,100
Architect’s Reimbursable 6,800
Contingency 45,700
Sitework & CL&P 2,500
$ 81,400
$192,000
Mr. Forbis then outlined deferred items and other items that should be considered for funding outside of the $4.4 million project budget.
Deferred Items
Landscaping $ 37,000
Photovoltaic 20,500
Signage 10,000
Projection Screen 5,000
(3) Built-in Cabinets 3,000
$ 75,500
Board of Finance Meeting April 8, 2008
Other Items
American Legion Niche $ 5,200
Emergency Generator 23,000
Audio Visual System 10,000
Photovoltaic 31,500
Storm Panels 4,000
Art Restoration 12,000
Meeting Hall Shades 8,000
Meeting Hall Acoustical 8,200
Lobby Tiling 5,500
Contingency 10,000
$ 117,400
$ 192,900
The Building Committee will present this information to the Board of Selectmen. The Committee hopes the Selectmen will recommend to the Board of Finance on April 21st and to Town Meeting on May 19th the approval of $193,000 (to come from surplus) to complete this work.
Old Lyme Fire Department
Mr. Pierson spoke about the $165,000 capital request to purchase and equip a fire/rescue boat. This boat would provide fire suppression in the waters surrounding Old Lyme and structures along the shore. In addition, the fire/rescue boat would be configured and equipped to respond to a variety of marine search and rescue missions.
Mr. Smith explained the marine risks in Old Lyme’s shore. He reviewed the major marine emergencies that have occurred over the last few years. The key point is that while the call volume is low, the threat to life and property is high. There have been more fatalities in the waters surrounding Old Lyme that on I-95.
The boat that is being proposed is a 25 ft. Munson Packman with twin 115 hp outboard motors. There would be normal marine electronics and supporting fire/rescue equipment. The total cost for this boat is $165,000. The estimated operating cost for the fire/rescue boat is estimated at $5,790 per year, which would also provide a reserve to replace the outboards in 12 years and to repair the electronics, as needed. The boat is estimated to have a 25-30 year life. The request will be handled at the next Board of Finance meeting.
Board of Finance Meeting April 8, 2008
Salaries
Mr. Griswold stated that the salary sheet reflects a 3% general wage increase and 3% step increase for eligible staff. Other increases include hiring a Finance Director, full-time status for the Administrative Assistant in the Selectman’s Office, a Public Works project coordinator position for twelve months through April 2009, a $6,000 increase for the Health director, and a Transfer Station Gate Tender.
Mr. Diebolt, seconded by Mr. Devoe to approve $2,297,132 for salaries, made a motion. Motion carried.
Insurance
Mr. Griswold detailed the Medical Insurance line and said that there is an attached spreadsheet outlining the cost. The Insurance group includes medical insurance, life insurance, property/liability insurance, workman’s compensation, fire department insurance and bonds for the Officials (Tax Collector, Town Clerk and Treasurer).
A motion was made Mr. Diebolt, seconded by Mrs. Sturges and passed unanimously to approve $727,900.
Special Deductions
Mr. Griswold highlighted the Special Deductions, which includes social security, unemployment insurance, pensions (8% of the full-time compensation) and vacation/sick leave buyback.
A motion was made by Mr. Devoe, seconded by Mr. Diebolt and passed unanimously to approve $332,710 for Special Deductions.
Treasurer
The Treasurer’s budget includes salaries, office supplies, postage, dues, contracted services, telephone and other miscellaneous. Mr. Griswold stated that Kostin, Rufkess has increased substantially, however, he is going to meet with Ron Nossek and request if they can hold their price to $25,000 for next year. It will give the Town time to identify a new accounting firm.
A motion was made Mr. Devoe, seconded by Mr. Garvin and passed unanimously to approve $32,190.
Board of Finance Meeting April 8, 2008
Mill Rate Calculation for Fiscal Year 2009
The total grand list has increased by $9,104,050 or 0.61%. The net taxable grand list increased by $8,985,697 and net property tax requirement increased by $1,276,761 (4.68%). The mill rate calculation includes Tax Relief Elderly ($40,000), Volunteer Tax Abatement ($45,000) and Lymewood Tax Abatement ($21,400). Therefore, gross property tax requirement increased by $1,253,404 or 4.67%. The impact on the mill rate is an increase of 0.8, increasing the mill rate to 19.0%. As a point of interest, one mill equals $1,499,444.
Minutes of March 25, 2008
Minutes of March 25th were reviewed.
A motion was made by Mr. Devoe, seconded by Mr. Garvin and passed unanimously to approve the minutes as written. Mrs. Sturges and Mr. Diebolt abstained as they were not present at the meeting.
Mr. Russell stated that the next Board of Finance meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15th Monday,
April 19th, before the Budget Public Hearing scheduled to be held at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Library at 7:30 p.m.
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Mr. Russell stated that the next Board of Finance meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Christ the King Church Parish Center.
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A motion was then made by Mr. Diebolt, seconded by Mr. Devoe and passed unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele Hayes-Finn
Secretary
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