Old Lyme Board of Selectmen - Unapproved
Regular Meeting Monday, May 5, 2008
The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting at 7:38 A.M. on Monday, May 5, 2008 at Christ the King Church. Selectman Skip Sibley and Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder were present. First Selectman Tim Griswold was delayed in Dallas.
1. Approval of Minutes: 21 April 2008 Regular Meeting
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to postpone the review of the 21 April 2008 minutes until the next meeting. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
2. Communications: Resident Richard Sagan e-mail request
Selectman Sibley reported that Dick Sagan sent an email requesting Regional School District 18 form a committee to evaluate de-regionalizing District 18. Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to add this to the Agenda as item 4a. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Selectmen Sibley moved to add the following to the agenda item under New Business: To recommend the appropriation of $50,000 to the fiscal year 2009 budget, under the Capital Project Fund – Open Space line, thereby making the budget a total of $75,000, as recommended by the Board of Finance. This amount would come from the Town’s surplus account. Selectman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED. Selectman Reemsnyder suggested the de-regionalization item be considered under item 5, New Business, as well, instead of as item 4a on the Agenda.
3. Appointments: None
4. Old Business:
a. Town Hall Expansion – Recommend Approval of $195,000 Appropriation to Board of Finance and to the Annual Town Budget Meeting
Selectman Sibley reported that the Board of Finance concluded that $195,000 is needed to finish the Town Hall project, rather than the $250,000 recommended by the Board of Selectmen.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to recommend to the Annual Town Budget Meeting the appropriation of $195,000 to complete the Town Hall Renovation. The amount would come from Surplus. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
b. Transfer Station – Status
The paving has been completed and the transfer station should be functioning within the next 30 days. The date will be publicized and notices will be sent to residents. After the landfill closes, residents will be charged by the pound to dispose of bulky waste items at the transfer station. Eligible recycle items will still be accepted free or at modest charges.
c. Landfill Closure – Material from Blinkers – Has Been Removed!
All of the material has been removed.
d. Church Corner – Status
The town has been approved for a $425,000 STEAP Grant to fund the project. The anticipated start date for the work should be the summer of 2009. The project will improve traffic flow and preserve the attractiveness of the street. There will be public meetings before the project is started.
e. Police Staffing Committee – Update
After the retirement of an officer last summer, police staffing levels were analyzed by the Police Staffing Committee. It concluded that proper staffing should be 2 resident troopers, 6 police officers and 2 part- time officers. A temporary duty trooper has been hired until the new officer(s) can be hired, probably in the fall.
f. Elderly Tax Relief Committee – Update
The Committee has met once and is reviewed elderly tax relief programs provided by the State of CT, as well as those provided by the towns and cities themselves. Over the next few meetings, the Committee will evaluate potential tax relief plans for our elderly citizens and make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen.
g. Flood & Erosion Control Board – Update
The Board has met twice and is focusing on three problem areas: Sheffield Brook, Swan Brook and Mile Creek. The Board will evaluate what professional help is necessary and make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen.
5. New Business:
a. Regional District 18 Petition
A petition was presented requesting the Board of Selectmen place a resolution on the Town Meeting agenda requesting the Board of Education of Regional School District 18 form a committee to investigate the dissolution of District 18, in accordance with CT Statute CGS 7-1. If the resolution passed, the Board of Education would be required to form an investigatory committee within 30 days, as specified by the statute.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder read the petition and looked at the signatures, which must be verified by the Town Clerk. If the signatures are valid, the resolution would be presented for a vote at the Annual Town Budget Meeting on May 19.
Selectman Sibley stated that the first step is for the Town to decide if it should move forward with the process (by vote at the town meeting). If so, the District 18 Board of Education would create a Study Committee. Then the State Department of Education Commissioner would appoint a consultant to work with the committee and call the first meeting. The Study Committee would prepare a written report for the State Board of Education within 1 year of the first meeting. The Board of Selectmen must now decide whether to add the resolution to the Agenda of the May 19 Annual Town Budget Meeting.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder recognized Board of Education Chairwoman, Sue Fogliano, to speak.
Ms Fogliano stated that her personal opinion is that de-regionalization is not a good idea for Old Lyme. It would be very expensive and would have to be approved by both Old Lyme and Lyme. Old Lyme would have to pay Lyme for its equity in District 18, i.e. buy them out. She stated that the District 18 Board of Education would cooperate fully with any committee formed to study the issue, but recommends that it be studied informally first, to keep costs down. The town that initiates the dissolution is responsible for whatever costs are incurred. The Town of Lyme would not be responsible for any of the expenses.
Dr. John Whritner, District 18 Interim Superintendent, also spoke, stating that the timing of this discussion is difficult. The Board of Education has been interviewing candidates for the Superintendent and this process is nearly complete. The prospect of de-regionalization might discourage good candidates from accepting the position.
The District is also awaiting a recommendation from the High School Building Committee about renovating or building a new High School. All of the calculations are based on the assumptions of a regional district. The High School is in terrible condition and needs to be upgraded as soon as possible. If the Town decides to move forward with the dissolution, he recommends it take Sue Fogliano’s advice and study the issue informally first. The State Board of Education does not encourage dissolution of regional school districts. However, it would prefer to see some consolidations of school districts.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to add the de-regionalization resolution to the agenda of the Annual Town Budget Meeting on May 19. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Selectman Sibley moved to recommend the appropriation of $50,000 to the fiscal year 2009 Capital Project Fund - Open Space line to bring the total up to $75,000. The funds would come from surplus. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
The Board of Finance approved $25,000 for this item instead of $75,000 because the Board believed the balance of $450,000 in the Land Acquisition account will be adequate (between $300,000 and $500,000). There is a Town ordinance that requires the town set aside money every year for the Open Space Acquisition. The amount was reduced to $25,000 without advising the Open Space Committee.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she would like to have a formal process to inform Boards and Commissions when the budgets they have requested are cut by the Board of Finance, so that they know well in advance of the Annual Town Budget Meeting. She stated that too often they are not informed until the last minute.
Selectman Sibley outlined the Agenda of the Annual Town Budget Meeting as follows:
b. Annual Town Budget Meeting – Agenda Items
· Adopt Budget for FY 2009, as recommended by the Board of Finance
· Tax Payment Procedure
· Appropriate $195,000 from Surplus for the Town Hall Expansion Project
· CCM Municipal Service Certificates – Employee Recognition
· Resolution to evaluate the Dissolution of District 18
· Appropriate $50,000 from surplus to the Capital Project Fund - Open Space
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to approve the Annual Town Budget Meeting Agenda. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
c. Petition Concerning Color of Town Hall
Selectman Sibley discussed the color of the Town Hall, which right now is two-toned because of the contrasting primer. Ralph Griffin spoke, stating that there is a petition asking that the two-toned color be kept, instead of painting it all white. Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that it can be put on the Agenda for the Annual Town Meeting on May 19.
6. Public Comment:
Ted Kiritsis, member of Open Space Commission, asked about the budget process and how a budget is created. Selectman Sibley stated that, after the Board of Finance discusses a budget request, sometimes its vote is delayed. There should be a process to include a notification to the spending agency about the amount approved. Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she does not want to tie the hands of the Board of Finance because it is responsible for preparing the budget. She recommends that a representative of a spending agency attend the Board of Finance meeting at which his/her budget is discussed. All meetings are open to the public.
Tom Kahrl commented on the petition to dissolve the Regional School District. This is not the first time this has come up and he has been in touch with Don Harris of the Office of Legislative Research.
Dick Sagan stated that there are over 200 signatures on the petition, which is a lot for a town the size of Old Lyme.
Dick Blair stated that it should be made plain to the Board of Finance that it is setting up an atmosphere that is contrary to everything that has been going on in our community for the last 50 years. Open space and conservation easements have been strongly supported by donations, etc. from many townspeople over the years. Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that there is a high regard for Open Space by the Board of Finance. She believes that the budget was cut because of the relatively large balance in the account.
Steve Ross asked about the school district issue and the fact that Old Lyme would have to pay Lyme for its equity in the District. He wanted to know if Lyme paid into the District when it was regionalized. Selectman Sibley stated that he is not sure, but that the current 80%/20% split is based on student population. The matter will be discussed further at the Annual Town Meeting.
Diana Atwood Johnson, Chair of the Open Space Committee, thanked the Selectmen for adding the Open Space budget item to the Annual Town Meeting Agenda. She is sure that it will be passed because she has a survey which states that over 98% of the respondents favor Open Space. She distributed copies of the Open Space ordinance to the Selectmen while stating that everything that could fail, failed. The Open Space Committee submitted its budget and did not hear anything more. When she tried to track down where the failure was, she found that it was at each notification step; from Land Use to the email notification process. She would prefer to work on Open Space issues instead of struggling with process and computer problems. In the 10 years since the Open Space Ordinance was passed,
over 900 acres have been protected, at an average cost of $1,336 an acre. The Town has partnered with the Old Lyme Conservation Trust, the Nature Conservancy and the State in order to spend taxpayer dollars wisely. The Selectmen thanked Ms Atwood and the Open Space Committee for their hard work and will ask the Technology Committee to investigate the email notification problems, which they have experienced also.
Marilyn Ossmann commented on the District 18 dissolution process also.
Ralph Griffin wanted to know the pros and cons of the District 18 Dissolution issue before the Town meeting and he would like to see something published about it. At the suggestion of First Selectman Griswold, he also has a message for local residents. He will do free tax returns for seniors and would like to make sure that all the relevant town agencies are aware that Title 19 recipients and people who have not filed tax returns are eligible for the economic stimulus package. Selectwoman Reemsnyder suggested that the information be published and will speak to Sherry Meyer, Social Services Coordinator, about it.
Sabine O’Donnell, Board member of the Old Lyme Conservation Trust, thanked the Selectmen for acting on the Open Space budget issue. The Trust has partnered with the Open Space Committee in the past and is fully supportive of its work. Ms. O’Donnell lives on Rose Lane, near a parcel of land preserved as open space, and enjoys the trails very much.
Mary Jo Nosal said she agrees with Ralph Griffin about getting the pros and cons about the District 18 Dissolution issue before the Annual Town Meeting.
Selectman Sibley agreed that it would be a good idea to have the pros and cons clarified before the town meeting. Time is short with only 2 weeks before the meeting.
Charlie Delinks reminded everyone that the vote at the Town Meeting is only a vote to start the process to study the dissolution of District 18.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder agreed and stated that the Selectmen will do their best to get as much information as possible to the people so they can make an informed decision about whether to start the study process, which is a big undertaking.
Mary Stone spoke, pointing out that land preserved as open space requires less tax money than if a house was built and occupied by a family with children who attend school.
Another citizen spoke about the school district dissolution issue. He thinks it is simple to get the pros and cons out. Thee petition creators already have the information in favor of it and the Board of Education has the information against it.
Evan Griswold, a member of the Open Space and Inland Wetlands Commission, stated that he is happy to see the money restored and thinks it should be doubled. Over the next 10 years, he thinks the town has the last best opportunity to preserve open space. He also believes that everyone should be aware that there is a connection between the amount of open space preserved and the flooding mentioned earlier. The environmental issues in the town are affected by the amount of open space preserved. The issues are more widespread than the number of children in the schools or enjoying the woods. Old Lyme has good watershed protection but has neither sewers nor town-wide water supply. Residents depend on wells and septic systems. In order to protect that, we need more open
space. Because of the current real estate market we have a great opportunity to acquire even more open space.
Selectman Sibley stated that all open space parcels that are purchased must have Planning, Finance, Selectmen and Town meeting approval. With a balance of between $300,000 and $500,000, the Land Acquisition fund can purchase smaller parcels for cash. Larger purchases will require financing.
8. Executive Session
a. Personnel Matter
Deferred until Tim Griswold returns.
9. Adjournment
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to adjourn at 8:56 AM, Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Hansen
Recording Secretary
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