TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
WORK SESSION MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013
COUNCIL CHAMBERS TIME: 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Delnicki called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor Thomas Delnicki
Deputy Mayor Gary Bazzano
Councillor M. Saud Anwar
Councillor Cindy Beaulieu
Councillor Ed Havens
Councillor Kevin McCann
Councillor Cary Prague (arrived at 7:47 p.m.)
Councillor Janice Snyder
Councillor Keith Yagaloff
Also Present: Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager
3. Public Participation
None
4. Communications
Mayor Delnicki reported that he attended an Eagle Scout ceremony for Zachery Bellis on Saturday, January 19, 2013.
Councillor Anwar stated that there was a letter in the Town Counci’s packet from the Planning & Zoning Commission regarding the South Windsor Food Alliance. Councillor Anwar explained that the Planning & Zoning Commission is supportive of the South Windsor Food Alliance. This is a worthwhile program and the Town Council should fully support this program.
Councillor Anwar then explained that in The Hartford Business Journal it was reported that the State of Connecticut’s unemployment rate is about 8.6% and for the Town of South Windsor it is about 7%. Another aspect mentioned in the report is that about 1/5th of all industrial real estate in South Windsor is available, so there is an area of opportunity to grow in South Windsor.
5. Town Manager’s Report
Mr. Galligan reported on the following:
- Attended FEMA courses which consisted of FEMA guidelines in Hazard Mitigation, guidance in applying for grants, pertinent information to provide to FEMA and the detail that is necessary for reimbursement for certain projects.
ITEM:
5. Town Manager’s Report (Continued)
- Will be meeting with the Superintendent on Thursday, January 24, 2013 to discuss health insurance.
- The memo regarding budget shortfalls can be discussed after health insurance issues have been resolved.
- Received a letter from the South Windsor Ambulance Corps. regarding the Town going out to an RFP for Advanced Life Support, see attached Exhibit A.
- Received a copy of the projected grand list for next year. These numbers are estimates at this time.
- The Council received a summary of the Police Departments’ budget.
- The Council will receive correspondence from Connecticut Studios regarding a budget for public improvements. This information can be emailed to the Council.
6. Items for Discussion
- Police Department’s Budget Presentation
Chief Reed came forward to present the Police Departments proposed budget for the 2013/2014 fiscal year. The budget was prepared with the mandate of no increase, therefore the proposal maintains spending at $5,564,504. It was necessary to reduce expenses by $131,823 in order to offset contractual salary increases. The Police Department continues to operate with reduced staffing. The impact of these reductions include the elimination of half position so instead of two full time School Resource Officers, the Police Department is operating with one and a half School Resource Officers. The Special Enforcement Unit and the Canine Unit have been eliminated and the Criminal Investigations Unit has been reduced from three Investigators to two.
Answering questions from the Council, Chief Reed explained that next year’s budget will include 41 sworn officers and all of the dispatch positions. The history of the overtime expenditures shows that the Police Department is in line with what has been spent in the past five years even though salaries have continued to increase each year.
Mayor Delnicki recessed the Work Session at 7:15 p.m. in order to call the Public Hearing to order. The Work Session reconvened at 7:22 p.m.
Answering further questions, Chief Reed stated he feels it is cheaper to hire new personnel with benefit because there is a very limited amount of individuals that can fill the dispatch position. If overtime is not covered by a dispatcher, then a trained officer will have to sit in for that dispatcher. The trained officers make more than the dispatchers which will create more use of overtime dollars.
The Town has a full time School Resource Officer at the High School. The full time School Resource Officer at the Middle School has been reassigned to work part time at the Middle School and part time as a Victim Services Officer and Youth
ITEM:
6. A. (Continued)
Services Officer. Chief Reed stated that he would like to restore the School Resource Officer to full time. It would be great to have another School Resource Officer that would service the elementary schools.
Chief Reed explained that the two items that were projected to be over budget were operations overtime and support services overtime.
Councillor McCann questioned if the Canine Unit could be an area that would be conducive to shared services among Towns in the area? Chief Reed explained that the reductions have already occurred. There is enough mutual aid support with canine teams that the Police Department felt it could survive without a Canine Team for a period of time. The reduction of the Canine Unit and Special Enforcement Unit and the reduction in the Investigation Unit have not impacted the ability of the Town to provide the safety services that are expected. When it becomes necessary the Police Department reaches out to neighboring police departments for assistance.
Councillor Yagaloff stated that he would support filling the two police officer positions.
Mayor Delnicki requested that the Town Council be provided with a detailed accounting of the $131,000 reductions. Chief Reed provided that information in attached, Exhibit B.
Councillor Havens stated that the safety of the community is what interests him the most and working with a bare bones budget could be difficult.
Mayor Delnicki stated that the preservation of the two School Resource Officers is a necessity, not a luxury.
7. Executive Session
None
8. Adjournment
At 8:00 p.m. Deputy Mayor Bazzano 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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