MINUTES
PUBLIC HEARING
BOARD OF FINANCE
AND THE BOARD OF COUNCILMEN
MAY 12, 2005
A PUBLIC HEARING WAS HELD BY THE BOARD OF FINANCE AND THE BOARD OF COUNCILMEN on Thursday, May 12, 2005 in the City Hall Auditorium on the proposed city budget for the fiscal period July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006.
Those in attendance included Mayor Owen J. Quinn, Jr., members of the Board of Finance Daniel Farley, James Zeller, Joseph Nader, and Bruce Cornish, members of the Board of Councilmen Thomas Jerram, Paul Samele, Marie Soliani, James McKenna, Paul Summers, and Drake Waldron, and Comptroller Alice Proulx. Absent was Board of Finance member James Nichol.
Mayor Quinn called the public hearing to order at 7:10 p.m. on the proposed city budget for the fiscal period July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006.
Assistant City Clerk Joline LeBlanc read the legal notice.
Mayor Quinn explained that the proposed 2005-06 city budget was presently at the review level, and that further analysis by the City Council as well as the Mayor and the Board of Finance was still necessary. The state’s budget is yet to be completed, therefore, how much the city will receive is still undetermined. The good news was that the state had a surplus this year.
Mayor Quinn pointed out that the expenditure comparisons showed an 8.5% increase in the municipal portion of the budget and a 6.3% increase in the Board of Education budget. The municipal budget included the following two major projects:
1) The Bike Path - $1.5 million expenditure.
2) The Pinewoods Road - $1.5 million, reimbursable. The $1.5 million is a combination of public and private funds.
These projects will be paid by funds other than local property taxes. The end result of expenses, net of revenue, is an increase of $990,527,000.00 (sic $990,527.00 - per Board of Finance request of 6/21/2005) or 2.9% over the net budget of fiscal year 2004-05.
Brian Cornell, 287 Allison Drive, Fire Chief for the Torringford Volunteer Fire Department, on behalf of his department, said he supported the career Fire Department’s budget, and believed the funds they were seeking were appropriate. He said his department understands there is money put aside each year in the budget to replace all types of vehicles. He explained that the Fire Department was supposed to have begun their task of replacing an engine this year and it was his understanding that this will now be put off, and that by putting it off, the price of vehicles will continue to increase. The deferral of purchasing a pumper for the career Fire Department trickles downward to the volunteer departments because they were scheduled to purchase one of the back up pumpers from the city, thereby
replacing one of their older vehicles and not having to purchase it new. They were asking the Board of Finance to consider that in their everyday dealings and to allow some money to be freed up in the budget so they could get it going.
In speaking indirectly on behalf of the three volunteer departments, Chief Cornell indicated that it had been more than twelve years since they had received an increase in the stipend they get from the city. Each volunteer fire department receives $25,000.00 per year that goes toward their operating costs. The volunteer’s budgets, while not contractual, increase in insurance, utilities, equipment, training, etc. Torringford’s current budget is approximately $80,000.00, leaving quite a gap between the $25,000.00 stipend they receive from the city and the $80,000.00 in operating costs. With fund-raising money, Torringford purchased a $265,000.00 American LaFrance pumper last year, which is in full service and readily available to the City of Torrington at the push of a button. Their
down payment came from money they saved, plus a side fund of $15,000.00 from the city that is shared by the three volunteer departments. That leaves them with about six or seven years of funding at $25,000.00 a year. They can’t pay for the purchase of the truck without raising additional money.
Chief Cornell commended Commissioners Telman and Pucino for making a motion to add another $2,500.00 to each volunteer department which would raise the stipend to $27,500.00, and thanked the entire board for approving the motion. The volunteers would take whatever the Board of Finance and City Council would see fit to pass along to them; however, they needed thousands more. On behalf of his department and indirectly for Drakeville and Burrville, he asked the board to consider increasing the amount even more so they could continue to serve the people of Torrington.
Councilwoman Soliani inquired whether all three volunteer departments had the same budget.
Chief Cornell indicated that their budgets were within $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 of each other. It depended on how many vehicles they were supporting, how many firefighters they were putting through training, how much the insurance bills were, etc. All three departments dramatically exceeded the $25,000.00 annual stipend from the city.
Bill Mastriano, 143 Blake Street, spoke in support of the Volunteer Fire Departments and an increase to their stipend. He pointed out that the training for a new firefighter cost more than $400.00 and his turnout gear cost more than $700.00. He commended all three departments for operating on so little money and also for all their fund-raising efforts throughout the year. As a former chief in a department not too far from Torrington during 1984-85, he pointed out that his budget was twice as much as the volunteers in Torrington. Membership may actually increase if those who were contemplating joining knew they could spend the time on training, maintaining equipment and responding to calls and not have to work weekends on fund raisers. Some planning had to be in initiated in order to replace the
high cost apparatus.
Mike Domat, 119 Kinney Street, stated that taxpayers should get a break this year after going through a significant increase last year. He stated that the board should try harder to cut everything, including education. He didn’t think they were doing enough to cut the fat in the budget to get it down, and didn’t believe that taxes should increase every year. He compared a police officer’s pension with his mother’s pension and saw no comparison at all.
Mr. Cornish thanked everyone for attending the public hearing and for their comments.
Mayor Quinn stated how grateful he was for those who took time away from their busy lives to attend and comment on the city budget. He also thanked the department heads for being available to answer any questions that might have come up.
ADJOURNMENT #850
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Summers, the boards voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:34 p.m.
ATTEST: JOLINE LeBLANC
ASST. CITY CLERK
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