MINUTES
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF FINANCE &
BOARD OF COUNCILMEN
MAY 26, 2005
A SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE BOARD OF FINANCE &
THE BOARD OF COUNCILMEN was held on Thursday, May 26, 2005 in the Council Chambers to vote on the city budgets.
Those in attendance included Mayor Owen J. Quinn, Jr., members of the Board of Finance Daniel Farley, James Zeller, Joseph Nader, James Nichol, and Bruce Cornish, members of the Board of Councilmen Thomas C. Jerram, Paul F. Samele, Jr., Marie P. Soliani, James F. McKenna, Paul W. Summers, and Drake L. Waldron, and Comptroller Alice Proulx.
Mayor Quinn called the meeting to order at 4:20 p.m., immediately following the regular Board of Finance meeting.
Mayor Quinn presented the city budget by first defining his mission statement as follows: To bring quality into every aspect of Torrington by developing economic growth, promoting fiscal responsibility, encouraging pride in the community, and improving municipal services by using high ethical standards and leading a responsive local government.
Mayor Quinn directed department heads to present their budget with zero growth plus contractual, he has increased shared services with the Board of Education, and has reduced employee costs by implementing alternative health care plans and by increasing the cost sharing.
As a result of asking his department heads to “think outside of the box,” the solid waste removal procedures have been amended, saving the city $2.4 million, despite the fact that tipping fees continue to increase. Additionally, the city has saved $234,000.00 a year by taking over the management of the street lights. This began during the Gryniuk administration and continues today.
Mayor Quinn felt the quality of life was very important to a community. He has talked about it as a “Renaissance,” creating new memories for today’s generation of families. Torrington’s logo, “Torrington Renaissance, Restoring Pride” is being achieved by doings such things as renovating Coe Park, having citizens clean up their property and creating the Mayor’s Dirty Dozen.
Mayor Quinn said his administration has taken steps in securing the Machuga property, 30 acres of unspoiled, natural resources with natural streams and native trout, so the next generations can have passive and active recreational activities here in Torrington. After fourteen years of absence, Heritage Days have returned to celebrate the ethnicity of this city. The city has taken over the leadership of the Sue Grossman’s Still River Greenway Bike Path between Torrington and Winsted. The Tour of Connecticut, a world class race, begins and ends in downtown Torrington. The 4th of July celebration, including fireworks, has been reinstituted. The city celebrates numerous holiday festivities.
Mayor Quinn stated that economic growth was absolutely imperative to the City of Torrington. The commercial / industrial base needs to be expanded. The State of Connecticut has an aggressive tax situation whereby towns are over reliant on the personal property taxes. After thirty years of debating where the new court house will be located, three sites have finally been chosen in the City of Torrington. Downtown revitalization, a $30 million project, is still alive and well and presently being studied by the state legislature. Several local businesses like Borgeson, Wittmann Robotics, Seitz, and Dymax have either expanded or are looking to expand in Torrington. A new industrial park off South Main Street is also in progress.
Mayor Quinn pointed out that his directive of zero growth plus contractual had resulted in a 2.9% increase, net of revenue, on the city side. With a hold of non essential expenditures, the city was able to offset the increased costs from fuel, mandatory building modifications, health insurance, wages, advertising, utilities, and Heart & Hypertension.
Mayor Quinn assured the taxpayers that the city was going to continue to do “more with less.” Dr. O’Brien had already assured him that she and her team could put some innovative ideas to use in the future. The following changes have already taken place:
1) The vehicle inventory was reduced by extending life expectancy of the vehicles.
2) The Board of Education was placed on shared services for vehicles and equipment.
3) The Social Services Department was eliminated.
4) The Treasurer’s Office was consolidated with the Comptroller’s Office.
5) The restructuring of Police dispatch.
6) The Parking Authority was consolidated with the Traffic Department.
7) Telephone equipment.
8) Shared services for software support.
Mayor Quinn stated that the following amendments will have to be made to the budget:
1) $21,030.00 for a lump sum payout due to a retirement in the Assessor’s Office.
2) Increase for fuel.
The Mayor’s proposed amendments:
1) 0% increase in Boards & Agencies’ stipends.
2) Eliminate a new vehicle - Engineering (Will use a police vehicle, but assured the Police Department that they could use the vehicle in emergency situations.
3) Reduce the ambulance service fee.
4) Reduce official wage increases - Police Department.
5) Reduce pension contributions to actuarial level - a savings of $888,000.00.
Mayor Quinn is waiting for the State of Connecticut to settle its budget. The expected surplus would give municipalities a one time windfall. If that’s the case, he will come back to the Board of Finance and the City Council and ask to replace the contributions to the Pension Funds.
City Budget $47,348,095.00
BOE Budget $52,594,758.00
Estimated Income ($38,267,686.00) **
Surplus $ 1,200,000.00
Budget Balance $60,475,977.00
Net Grand List $1,807,696,778.00
Mill Rate 32.76
**Includes BC/BS Surplus
He was not recommending cuts to the Board of Education budget in the next fiscal year because they set a budget last year that they thought was responsible, a budget which the Board of Finance did not cut, and six months into the fiscal year, they found themselves in a fiscally difficult position by being $600,000.00 in the red. He has met with Superintendent O’Brien and her staff to talk about budgetary corrective actions that will give us some ability to know what the hard costs are. He was asking the Board of Education to listen to those who spoke during the public hearing about prioritizing the Board of Education goals and objectives. He wanted the Board of Education to go to work if they received this money, to make sure they retooled, re-prioritized, and put that money toward the
children, the textbooks, and the places where it belonged. He was confident the Board of Education could do a better job than it has in the past and eliminate the situation where the Board of Education presents the Board of Finance with unrealistic numbers only to be cut at the eleventh hour making no one happy with those decisions.
Mayor Quinn said he wanted to continue the path of fiscal responsibility and quality of life, continue to build our schools, encourage pride in economic development. It was important for the City Council, the Board of Finance, the Board of Education, and all boards and agencies to continue the trend of fiscal responsibility. He thanked department heads for their hard work and effort in using lean, manufacturing techniques on the municipal government, which allowed him to present a budget with no increase to the city of Torrington. He recognized Comptroller Alice Proulx for her hard work, and Board of Finance member Bruce Cornish who acts as liaison to the Board of Education and works tirelessly to make sure they are understanding the directives of the City of Torrington and its Mayor.
Ms. Proulx stated that the Level 1 review figure was $101,059,306.00.
The Mayor’s review was $99,941,663.00.
MOTION TO APPROVE BUDGET #1375
Councilor McKenna made a motion to approve the City budget as presented by Mayor Quinn. Councilor Soliani seconded the motion.
Councilor Jerram applauded Mayor Quinn for his hard work in presenting a budget with a zero mill increase, however, he and Councilor Waldron had identified other areas that they would like considered.
The first was to have a conversation with the Assessor on how she could restructure the office to reflect five employees rather than six. (Due to one retirement.) They were proposing a bottom line for the Assessor’s Office at $373,285.00.
They would also like to see how the Public Works Director and the Superintendent of Streets could prioritize their work in the Street Department with 26 employees versus 28, because of retirements
Councilor Jerram proposed changing the vehicle replacement account from being a line item in every department to allocating a separate line item within the city budget funded initially at $250,000.00 a year versus the $610,000.00 in the current budget.
In conjunction with Mayor Quinn’s budget, the proposed changes would actually reduce the mill rate to possibly 32.26.
The bottom line number for what he and Councilor Waldron had put together was $47,330,000.00, which was an increase of $2,669,000.00 over the current year. Included in those figures was the $3 million for the Still River Greenway Bike Path and the Pinewoods Road project.
Councilors Jerram and Waldron supported the education of Torrington’s children, they only recommended a 3% increase in the Board of Education budget as compared to Mayor Quinn suggestion to keep the Board of Education budget level at what they had requested. A 3% increase would create a budget of $50.95 million for the Board of Education, which is an increase of just less than $1.5 million from the prior year. The net effect would be a $98.28 million budget. The mill rate would then be 32.68.
Mayor Quinn pointed out that they were now at the end of the budget process which began in February. He thanked Councilor Jerram for his presentation that called for a severe reduction of the vehicle replacement account, which was not a priority in his personal view. He stated that Councilor Jerram should have presented his suggestions prior to today when there were ample opportunities to do so. Mayor Quinn stated that his budget produced zero growth, had no increase in the mill rate from last year, and included no reduction in education, the Police Department, the Fire Department, and the Street Department. A further reduction in the mill rate would cause a hole that would have to be made up in subsequent years. He didn’t think it was fair to ask for further reductions from
department heads who had already helped him craft a responsible budget that will keep the mill rate the same as last year for the people of Torrington. It was his belief that they were within splitting hairs of where everyone wanted to be in terms of a budget, and the budget presented today was the culmination of hard work and effort by the City Council, the Board of Finance and departments heads.
Councilor Jerram indicated that they fully supported the Board of Public Safety budgets and that his plan merely reduced the vehicle replacement account in the Police Department by $77,892.00.
Likewise, the suggestion to amend the Fire Department’s budget was only to reduce the vehicle replacement account by $144,000,00 and $11,000.00, and the reduction in the Street Department included not replacing two employees who were retiring, as well as a cut in their vehicle replacement account.
Councilor Jerram indicated that they were attempting to make certain the taxpayers were only taxed for what was absolutely necessary while making certain that the city is operating as efficiently as possible.
Councilor McKenna stated that further cuts to the budgets would only mean shoving the potential problems with the vehicle replacement account off to some other point in time. It didn’t make sense to cut back on what has proven to be a viable and responsible program and he strongly recommended not making any cuts to the vehicle replacement account.
Councilor Jerram said he thought the theory of the vehicle replacement account was a great idea, however, the funding level for today is higher than it should be.
Mayor Quinn said he didn’t want to minimize the hard work that he and Councilor Waldron had done, however, questions, comments, or concerns should have been placed on the table earlier during the budget process. There had been ample opportunities to discuss these recommendations. It is the responsibility of the Mayor and the department heads to formulate a budget and deliver it to the legislative body for their review, comment, and debate. It is not necessarily the responsibility for one board or agency to try to crack the budget at the same time the Mayor is presenting his. Councilor Jerram’s comments were germane to the budget process; however, they were a bit late.
VOTE #2410
On the same motion, the Board of Councilmen voted unanimously to approve the City budget as presented by Mayor Quinn.
Mr. Cornish indicated that some of his former colleagues on the Board of Finance were very interested in efficiencies and improvements in the city’s operation and that many discussions had taken place on how to go about reviewing and analyzing city services and city operations with the intent that future budgets would have well thought out and well-coordinated decisions. He stated that the time spent in doing that may be worthwhile in the future. If the Council had concerns over the efficiencies, the operations, or the organization of government, they had the power to compel efficiency studies and craft a budget that may incorporate some of the ideas that were brought to the table at this meeting.
ADJOURNMENT #2500
On a motion by Councilor Samele, seconded by Councilor McKenna, the boards voted unanimously to adjourn at 5:25 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
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