Minutes of the Board of Finance meeting held on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall.
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Present:~~~~~~~~~~ Regular Members:~ Andrew Russell, BJ Bernblum, H. P. Garvin, III,
David Kelsey, Janet Sturges, David Woolley
Alternate Members:~ Adam Burrows, Judith Read, Anna Reiter
Bonnie A. Reemsnyder, ex-officio
Mary Jo Nosal, Selectwoman
Nicole Stajduhar, Finance Director
Timothy C. Griswold, Town Treasurer
Absent:~~~~~~~~~~~ Regular Members:~
~Alternate Members:~~
Guest: none
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Mr. Russell called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Election of Board of Finance Chairperson
Mr. Russell asked for nominations for Chairperson of the Board of Finance.
A motion was made by Mrs. Sturges, seconded by Mr. Kelsey to re-elect Mr. Russell as Chairman of the Board of Finance. There were no other nominations. Motion carried.
Approval of November 21, 2017 Minutes
The minutes of November 21st were reviewed.
There being no corrections noted, a motion was made by Mr. Kelsey, seconded by Mrs. Sturges to approve the minutes, as written. Motion carried.
Review of Monthly Financial Reports
Mrs. Stajduhar outlined the Financial Report Notes for November 2017. Under Revenues, the Property tax, total tax collections were $213,623, 55.4% collected. Parks and Recreation program revenue reflects summer program fees received prior to June 30, 2017 for FY17/18. Interest income collected $15,900. State funds was $51.362 – ECS; Pilot (college) was $1,176; DUI is $4,400 (July – September 2017). Under Other Funds, Sound View Improvement Project received $3,600 of Grant reimbursement.
Board of Finance Meeting December 19, 2017
Expenditures included Treasurer – Contracted Services line paid $17,700 to the audit firm. Under Insurance – LAP line paid $4,873 to CIRMA (deductible for case related to Social Services). The Land Use – Engineering line paid $2,503 to Metcalf related to the gas station on Halls Road. Public Works – Tree Removal line paid $4,000 to Wilcox for Bus Barn and Cross Lane Park. OLFD – Apparatus Inspection line paid $12,380 to Eric’s Towing and Repair for nine vehicles (for annual inspection/service). Under Capital – the Cross Lane Playground paid $5,900 deposit to Sullivan Paving. Other funds include Road Improvement Fund paid $72,150 to Pasteryak for Pine Road.
The percentage of general government budget spent to date is 39.25% and does not include Capital or RSD#18.
Hains Park Boathose Project: Mrs. Stajduhar highlighted the budget sheet for the Boathouse project. There is $36,898 available for the bathhouse renovations with the boathouse project completed.
Sound View Improvements Project: Mrs. Stajduhar highlighted the Sound View Improvements project. The amount approved at Town Meeting is $911,100, with $709,465.07 spent to date with $177,635.27 unspent, or 71% of the budget spent thus far.
Cross Lane Playground: Mrs. Reiter updated the board on the progress of the Cross Lane Playground. The project should be completed by the beginning of January, 2018.
Old Business
Mrs. Reemsnyder commented that the below items will be encompassed within the Selectman’s Report in the future and not necessarily carried forward in Old Business. Mrs. Reemsnyder updated the board on the following items.
Mile Creek Road Bridge Replacement: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that there is discussion on moving this project to June 2019 to be able to fund $600,000 over the next two years since the town isn’t anticipating much in the way of State funding. The cost of bridge repair with lead abatement versus bridge replacement work out to be the same. An inspection will be done to determine if this is prudent.
Monthly Facilities Manager’s Report: Mrs. Reemsnyder distributed a report put together by Phil Parcak, the Town Facilities Manager. The report highlighted work completed and scheduled for the Town Hall building, Senior Center, Police Station, Public Works, Transfer Station, Fire houses, as well as the Mile Creek Road Bridge project.
Halls Road Improvements: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that all board and commission members are invited to a presentation about the future plans of Hall Road this Thursday evening at 7:00 pm., in the Town Hall. The Committee is still doing many presentations and is looking for community feedback. An application for a TOD grant for federal funds has been submitted but the committee has not heard back on it yet.
Board of Finance Meeting December 19, 2017
WPCA Sound View Sewer Project: The Coastal Wastewater Management Plan (report from Woodard & Curran) has been re-submitted to the DEEP. DEEP is currently working on approval of the EIE (Environmental Impact Evaluation), which was also submitted. Once approved by DEEP, it will be posted for 30 days for comment, and then finalized. After the EIE is done, with all comments addressed, the DEEP would either approve the Coastal Wastewater Management Plan or recommend changes. Once it is approved, they will give an order to implement the plan. The lease for the pump house was also discussed, with some changes being made by the Selectmen. The new draft was just received and those changes will need agreement from the beach communities. It is also being reviewed by WPCA
Chairman Richard Prendergast. Once a “final” draft is completed, it will be available for review and a Public Hearing and Town Meeting are required. Currently, the Ordinance and Lease are still in the process of being reviewed and finalized.
Trash/Recycling Contract: The RFP that was used for vendors when the town went out to bid on the Single Stream Recycling is being reviewed and will be used as a starting point to develop the RFP. A committee will be formed soon. After extensive discussion on the various future scenarios for the town’s trash and recycling, Mrs. Reemsnyder asked if there was a conflict of interest on having an OL Sanitation representative on the committee. The town’s contract with Old Lyme Sanitation expires June 2019.
Evaluating Ledge Light for Renewal: Mrs. Reemsnyder reported that the town is obliged to stay with Ledge Light Health District until November 2018. At that time, the town could then give notice that they are no longer interested in being part of the district. Effectively, the town could be part of the district until at least June 2019.
Contract Negotiations (Police/Public Works): Mrs. Reemsnyder reported that the town’s contract attorney has reached out to the Union in an effort to extend the old contract until June 30, 2018. This is still being worked on.
New Business
White Sand Beach Catch Basin: Mrs. Reemsnyder received an email from Pat Fay, Chairman White Sand Beach Association explaining that there is a road drain/catch basin located at the end of White Sand Beach Road with sump pumps to remove water that collects during storms. The vast majority of the water comes from the Town parking lot, and from the Town Beach when storm surge tops over the beach. When this happens, a small lake forms making White Sand Beach Road impassable, and access to the Town beach impossible for Town residents. About a month ago, there was a storm that totally overflowed the Town beach into the parking lot. The pumps failed and they had to call in Wind River to pump out the road and inspect the pumps; one of the pumps needs replacing due to the amount of
debris washed into the drain. The invoice from Wind River is for $1,400 and the three quotes to replace the pump are approximately $2,500. Assuming the Town will pay 50% of the total bill, the amount to be split is $1,950. Mrs. Stajduhar stated that after talking to Mr. Adanti, $1,950 can be used from the Public Works Catch Basin line to assist in this expense.
A motion was made by Mr. Kelsey, seconded by Mr. Woolley, to approve using $1,950 from the Public Works Catch Basin line. Motion carried.
Board of Finance Meeting December 19, 2017
Mr. Russell stated that he spoke with Mr. Adanti who told him that the brakes just went on one of the trucks and he wanted to let the board know in advance before the vehicle repair invoices come in. Mrs. Stajduhar stated that CIRMA sent $4,100 to the town for insurance claims and those funds have been applied to various repair line items.
Other Business:
Mr. Russell distributed the preliminary Schedule of Meetings and Budget Specialist Assignments for board member review and discussion. At last month’s meeting, he asked that everyone review the previously passed out list, and make changes and revisions before the December meeting. The new Schedule of budget meetings was distributed and new assignments were discussed. A final Schedule will be emailed to members shortly and specialists can start meeting with their contact individual to discuss upcoming budgets.
Selectman’s Report
LED Light Conversion: Mrs. Reemsnyder reported that the LED light conversion is essentially completed. She will be signing the maintenance contract which will cost $390 a month for maintenance. The first bill for the LED streetlights has been received in the amount of $930 as opposed to approximately $3,000 the previous month.
Police Services Options: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that the Board of Selectmen discussed forming a committee to look at the option of forming Police Services with East Lyme, list the pros and cons of both models and research any other options that might be available to provide the best police services for the town. So far, five applicants for the committee have been received and she would like to solicit more applicants. She will keep the board posted.
Blight Ordinance: Mrs. Reemsnyder reported that she has received the final draft of the blight ordinance. The Selectmen were hoping to get this included in the January Town Meeting in January. However, in order not to rush the process, it mostly likely will not be ready for the January meeting. She is anticipating having a Special Town Meeting sometime in March to propose the ordinance and any other matters that may come up within the next couple of months.
Annual Town Meeting: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that the Annual Town Meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, January 22, 2018. The agenda will include accepting of the Annual Town Report, Citizen of the Year, and approving $200,000 for Public Works Overlay.
Retirement Luncheons: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that there will be a luncheon this Thursday at 1:00 pm in the Meeting Hall for Ruth Roach of the Information Technology department who has retired this month. There will also be a luncheon on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 for Town Clerk, Eileen Coffee. She believes it will be around 12 noon, but the official time has not been set.
Board of Finance Meeting December 19, 2017
Mrs. Reemsnyder distributed the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation Long-Range Transportation Plan. The draft Plan will be available for public review and will be holding two public information meetings to present the draft Plan and receive comments on it. A final Plan will be published in the spring of 2018.
Mr. Russell stated that the next meeting of the Board of Finance will be Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:30 pm. Mr. Russell wished everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
A motion was then made by Mrs. Sturges, seconded by Mr. Woolley to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele E. Hayes
Secretary
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