Minutes of the Board of Finance meeting held on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 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 S. Burrows, Judith Read, Anna Reiter
Bonnie A. Reemsnyder, ex-officio
Nicole Stajduhar, Finance Director
Mary Jo Nosal, Selectwoman
Timothy C. Griswold, Treasurer
Absent:~~~~~~~~~~~ Regular Members:~
~Alternate Members:~
Guest: Tom Riggio, CT Computer Service, Inc.
Melinda Kronfeld, Assessor
John Curtis, RiverCOG
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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. Woolley, to re-elect Mr. Russell as Chairman of the Board of Finance. There were no other nominations. Motion carried.
Approval of November 20, 2018 Minutes
The minutes of November 20th were reviewed. There is a correction on page 3, 5th paragraph, 3rd sentence, delete the word “Capital”. On the next paragraph, 1st sentence, delete the word “Capital”. On the same page, last paragraph, 3rd sentence, add the word “Town Buildings” before “Improvement Fund”. Next sentence, add “Buildings” after “Town” and delete the word “Hall” from that sentence. On page 4, 1st sentence, delete the words “passed unanimously” from that sentence. Correction to 6th paragraph, change the title to “Halls Road Improvements Committee”.
Same paragraph, delete the last sentence.
There being no further corrections noted, a motion was made by Mrs. Sturges, seconded by Mr. Bernblum, to approve the minutes, as modified. Mr. Garvin, Mr. Kelsey and Mrs. Sturges abstained as they were not present at the meeting. Motion carried.
Board of Finance Meeting December 18, 2018
Approval of 2019 Board of Finance Meeting Schedule
Mr. Russell distributed the 2019 Meeting Schedule for the Board of Finance meetings. He stated that the meeting dates are being approved and not the specialist assignments, which may change.
A motion was made by Mr. Kelsey, seconded by Mrs. Sturges, to approve the 2019 Meeting Schedule as presented. Motion carried.
Financial Reports
Mrs. Stajduhar highlighted the November 2018 Financial Reports.
Under Revenues, total property tax monthly revenue of $217,133, 56.1% year-to-date collected. Investment Interest – CD maturing earning $30,000 in interest and reinvested in a 12 month CD at 2.57%.
The percentage of general government revenue budget received to date is 55.4%.
Mrs. Stajduhar reviewed the Expenditures: Under the Information Technology (IT) line, the Consulting line is over budget, however, expected to be paid with unused IT Salary line item. Land Use – Legal Zoning line is over budget, however, the expense is shared with Planning/Zoning, therefore, expected to be covered. Public Works – Catch basin cleaning totaled $18,000, and $9,000 from carry over. Public Works – Vehicle Repair and Maintenance paid out $5,425 for the 1997 International for the annual repair/maintenance/testing. Parks and Recreation Repairs/Maintenance is over budget due to damage to facilities from plumbing issues. Transfer Out included Open Space in the amount of $75,000 for potential upcoming purchase ($800,000 in Open Space/Land Acquisition Fund).
Capital expenditures include the Lyme Street Fire Station Insulation project to Anchor Insulation for $25,280, and OLFD motor for Zodiac boat from Reynolds Garage in the amount of $3,559.
The percentage of general government budget spent year-to-date, without capital or RSD#18 included, is 38.8%.
Other funds include Building Improvement Fund ($5,000) for Sked Electric for Lyme Street Fire Station furnace project (approved at the Board of Finance meeting on 11/20/18).
Carryover Expenditures include the following: WPCA testing – ($4,037) for Environmental Consulting and Meeting Hall upgrades ($6,197) to Sennheiser.
Mrs. Stajduhar briefly outlined the Harbor Management Dredging Grant stating total expenditures of $1,557,496.96 with $256,577.04 being returned to the State. The Hains Park Boathouse project has $31,675 remaining, and there is $150,000 already approved for the Bathhouse building. The Sound View Improvements total is $911,100 with $735,948.32 paid, and $11,581.20 in unpaid retainage for a total of $747,529.52 of expenditures. Mrs. Stajduhar highlighted the Mile Creek Road Bridge and Grassy Hill Road Bridge projects as of November 30, 2018.
Board of Finance Meeting December 18, 2018
Old Business
CERC Proposal: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that the Board of Selectmen approved $44,000 for the Economic Development Commission request to support the CERC proposal. The components funded would include the following:
Survey Existing Businesses - $4,500., to develop the survey, gather information, track responses, analyze the data and make recommendations for action.
Feasibility Study - $27,500., to survey local businesses, analyze industry strengths, challenges, and opportunities.
General on-site Economic Development Support - $12,000 (year), starting when Feasibility Study is complete.
The CERC Proposal was discussed in detail. The board expressed concern about rushing the process of funding another study without having a definitive plan. Mr. Griswold stated that before commencement and funding of such an undertaking, the Land Use departments should be completely behind the project beforehand. Mr. Kelsey stated that although it may be a good project, until Land Use gives their approval to change, it would be another study with an uncertain path. He commented that when the time comes, he would like to see this possibly funded through the budget process, and that it’s premature to send it to Town Meeting.
After further discussion, a motion was made by Mr. Bernblum, seconded by Mr. Woolley, to recommend approval of $44,000 for the CERC proposal to Town Meeting that is scheduled on Monday, January 28, 2019. Mr. Garvin, Mr. Kelsey and Mrs. Sturges opposed the motion. Motion failed.
Resolution for Library Bond/Note: Mrs. Reemsnyder distributed the revised resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds and notes in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $1,250,000 to finance an appropriation for the renovation of the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library.
A motion was made by Mr. Garvin, seconded by Mrs. Sturges, to approve the resolution as presented. Mr. Kelsey abstained from the vote. Motion carried.
New Business
Technology Upgrades: Mrs. Reemsnyder reported the need for upgrade to the Town’s server and network infrastructure. Mr. Tom Riggio, of CT Comp who provides our managed IT services, and Ms. Kronfeld, the Town Assessor explained that CAMA upgrade to Vision 8 is required due to the end of life of the Oracle Program that drives the current version. This is not an optional upgrade and the timing is escalated because the Town is scheduled for Revaluation on 10/01/2019. Mr. Riggio described the challenges of this upgrade with the current infrastructure and gave an overview of the recommended infrastructure upgrades. The Board discussed cloud services versus infrastructure at Town Hall.
Board of Finance Meeting December 18, 2018
In addition, Mr. Riggio discussed Phase II of the upgrades, which would address creating a true domain for all work stations, and standardize the machines and operating systems. All of this would provide the best security for our IT infrastructure and would be in keeping with Best Practices of today.
Mr. Riggio outlined the course of action recommended to complete the upgrade of all the Town’s servers (Town computers, Public Works, Landfill, Animal Control, Police and Senior Center) to rectify the size issues and end of life as outlined within Phase I and Phase II of the project.
A motion was made by Mr. Kelsey, seconded by Mr. Garvin, to recommend up to $46,000 to go to Town Meeting for Phase I of a two-part server and network infrastructure project. Motion carried.
Other Business
Nothing to report.
Selectman’s Report
Solid Waste/Recycling Contract: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that she had a meeting today with the new contractor. The committee reviewed the contract and CWPM will be signing a contract shortly. The good news is that recycling pickup will be offered weekly instead of bi-weekly as it’s presently picked up.
Historic Survey Committee: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that Heritage Consultants is currently working on the Historic Survey of areas of the town, focusing on characteristics and history of historic properties. Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that the work is still ongoing and hopes to identify approximately 175-200 properties in town.
Hains Park Bathroom: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that the Hains Park Bathroom Committee is currently working on the logistics of changing the orientation of the Hains Park Bathrooms for security purposes and will provide updates on this ongoing project.
Halls Road Improvements Committee: YUDW -2nd presentation: The Halls Road Improvement Committee has been developing design options based on the community meeting held this past July. The committee held a community workshop/meeting with the introduction of design concepts on Thursday, December 6th. The YUDW (Yale Urban Design Workshop) presented their recommendations and options and then conducted a design workshop with the 60+ attendees in order to stimulate feedback from the public. There were mixed reviews, but quite a bit of positive feedback by email after the presentation. There were concerns about cost and drastic changes. Working presentations will continue to get feedback from the
community in the future.
PGN Library Project: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that the bond commission approved the funding of the $1 million grant on Tuesday, December 11th. Memorandum of Agreement should be completed in January and is still working with the Library on finalization.
Board of Finance Meeting December 18, 2018
RFQ on Grassy Hill Road Bridge Replacement: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that she is going to be publishing an RFQ for the design.
Grant for Valley Shore Communications: Mrs. Reemsnyder reported that Valley Shore received a grant of $1,250,000 for upgrades to radio dispatch system.
Crown Castle: Mrs. Reemsnyder was contacted by Crown Castle, the owner of the Cell tower located at Boston Post Road and Boughton Road. They would like to extend the tower 25 feet up and add another carrier (AT&T) to their tower. This would mean an Amendment to lease, increasing the monthly amount from $1,597 to $2,250, with $15,000 sign-on bonus, and extending the lease through 2045.
Changes to the Town’s Website: Mrs. Reemsnyder stated that she has been speaking with Virtual Town Hall, our website provider. The Town is investigating changing the website platform to an internet based platform, which is ADA compliant and be more user-friendly. The current website, first class, is an email based website with many limitations that will be corrected within the new platform.
Mr. Russell stated that the next Board of Finance meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Meeting Hall. He wished everyone a happy, healthy and safe holiday.
A motion was then made by Mr. Garvin, seconded by Mrs. Sturges, to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele E. Hayes,
Secretary
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