TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
WORK SESSION MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011
COUNCIL CHAMBERS TIME: 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Pelkey called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor John Pelkey
Deputy Mayor Ed Havens
Councillor Saud M. Anwar
Councillor Gary Bazzano
Councillor Tom Delnicki
Councillor Janice Favreau
Councillor Kevin McCann
Councillor Cary Prague
Councillor Keith Yagaloff
Also Present: Town Manager, Matthew B. Galligan
Dwight Johnson, Town Attorney
3. Public Participation
None
4. Communications
None
5. Town Manager’s Report
None
6. Items for Discussion
Mayor Pelkey made a motion to suspend the rules in order to go to Item 6. D. first. Councillor Delnicki seconded the motion; and it was approved, unanimously.
D. Police Department Budget
Chief Reed came before the Town Council. He explained that one of his first tasks upon being appointed as Chief was to finalize negotiations between the Town and Police Union and as a result of those negotiations there were changes in the bargaining agreement which have reduced costs in the day to day operations of the Department. There have been a number of other steps taken in the Department to try to reduce costs. Overtime costs have been monitored and so far the Department has spent $284,000 on operations overtime. Last year at this time the Police Department had spent approximately $360,000. Officers have been moved
ITEM:
D. Police Department Budget (Continued)
from specialized assignments back to patrol in order to reduce costs further. The Police Department has been fortunate enough to have received grants in the amounts of $350,000 and $200,000. The grant in the amount of $350,000 was used to replace the entire public safety police radio system with an all new digital system. The grant for $200,000 was through a STEAP program from the State of Connecticut which is being used to rehabilitate a part of the building that was recently vacated by the South Windsor Ambulance Corp. Presently the Police Department is operating with 41 sworn officers, scheduled 39 officers and the other two officers are in training. Chief Reed requested that the Council consider restoring the funding for two more officers in order to return the Police Department to its
previously authorized strength of 43 sworn officers. Captain Tom Hart has notified the Town of his intention to retire at the end of June after 42 years of service. Presently, South Windsor has 5 officers that are eligible for retirement and over the next five years the number of officers with more than 25 years of service will increase to twelve. Replacement of an officer is a long process and not having the required amount of officers can decrease the ability to provide the services that this community has come to expect. The budget before the Town Council tonight reflects a 2.5% increase or $135,386 over the current years operating budget. This budget has already been reduced $309,000 by the Town Manager. Restoring the two officer positions would require an additional $106,000 to the proposed budget.
Answering questions from the Council, Chief Reed stated that the salary for a new officer is currently $53,000. The officers will still need uniforms and benefits. The benefits come out the Centralized management budget.
Mr. Galligan stated he would get the Council information regarding the cost for benefits.
Chief Reed told the Council that there will be a new law that will go into effect which will require the Town to pay the surcharge for officers to go into the Academy which is between $2,500 to 3,000.
Answering further questions from the Town Council, Chief Reed stated that in the last five years retention of police officers has been good. New police officers begin to get paid from the Town when they enter the Academy. They are at the Academy for 20 weeks. The offer of employment is conditional when they are in the Academy and after passing the Academy they remain a probationary employee for 18 months. Also after the Academy, police officers are in field training for another 16 weeks.
Mayor Pelkey recessed the Work Session in order to bring the Public Hearing to order at 7:15 p.m. the Work Session reconvened at 7:18 p.m.
ITEM:
D. Police Department Budget (Continued)
Chief Reed stated that if there was more money available to the Police Department he would like to fully rehabilitate the part of the building where the Ambulance Corp. just vacated; redo the communications center; and update the security cameras and surveillance around the Police Department building.
Answering questions from Councillor Anwar, Chief Reed explained that the Board of Education security and the Police Department are separate issues. Chief Reed also explained that the number of calls for service have climbed up towards 40,000 mark steadily over the past decade.
Chief Reed stated that the items that have been put off until next year are the radio shed, the key card upgrade and the security camera upgrade. It these items are put off too long systems will collapse and they will stop working. Chief Reed then stated that there is nothing that was taken out of the budget by the Town Manager that would impact the Police Department’s ability to provide police services to the Town this year.
Mr. Galligan explained that presently the Town is reviewing the ability to allow outside companies to take over the tower lease for future dollars. If the Town is able to do this, funds can be given back to the department to do different things that they need to do.
Answering further questions from the Council, Chief Reed explained that when Captain Hart retires he is planning on promoting one of the Lieutenants to the Deputy Chief position and then moving a Sergeant up to Lieutenant. The only cost savings will be that the department will have another position to fill and that position will be making $53,000 per year.
A. Town Council Budget
Town Manager, Matthew Galligan explained that the bulk of this budget increase is due to the fact that originally the Metro Hartford Alliance was not budgeted until mid way through the year and it is recommended that this item stay in the upcoming budget. The increase is 5.9%.
Answering questions from the Council, Mr. Galligan stated that the Town used to print e-mails that they wanted to safe because e-mails would be deleted within 30 days. The Town now has a permanent archive that saves the e-mail. This reduced the paper load and uses technology.
ITEM:
B. Town Manager’s Budget
Answering questions from the Council, Mr. Galligan explained that originally the Town Manager’s Office had four positions. As individuals left, job descriptions changed and people where moved to fill different positions. The Building Department used to have a full time and part time position. The full time person left and was replaced with the individual who was working part time. The part time position was then not filled and the part time position was moved to the Town Manager’s Office in order to help in the Town Manager’s Office which went from four positions to one full time position and one part time position. Human Resource items have also been moved to the Town Manager’s Department.
C. Boards and Commission Budgets
Mr. Galligan explained that there has been a 12% decrease from last year. There has only been $30,000 budgeted for all Boards and Commissions.
7. Executive Session
At 7:54 p.m. Councillor Favreau made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss the goals and objectives for the Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager. Mayor Pelkey seconded the motion; and it was approved, unanimously.
At 8:12 p.m. Councill Bazzano made a motion to adjourn Executive Session. Deputy Mayor Havens seconded the motion; and it was approved, unanimously.
8. Adjournment
At 8:13 p.m. Councillor McCann made a motion to adjourn the Work Session. Councillor Yagaloff seconded the motion; and it was approved, unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah W. Reid
Recording Secretary
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