 |
MINUTES
PUBLIC HEARING
CITY COUNCIL & WPC AUTHORITY
May 18, 2015
A PUBLIC HEARING was held by the City Council & WPC Authority in the City Hall Auditorium on Monday, May 18, 2015.
Those in attendance included Mayor Elinor Carbone, Corporation Counsel Raymond Rigat, City Councilors Paul Cavagnero, Christopher Anderson and Gregg Cogswell. Also present were WPCA Administrator Raymond Drew, Deputy Police Chief Christopher Smedick, Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Pepler, Public Works Director Gerald Rollett, Comptroller Alice Proulx, Deputy Comptroller Gina Crowley, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation Brett Simmons, Economic Development Director Erin Wilson, and Board of Finance members Bill Lamoin and Joshua Ferreira.
City Councilors Anne Ruwet, Paul Samele and Drake Waldron were absent.
Mayor Carbone opened the Public Hearing at 6:42 p.m.
Recording Secretary Maurette Wall read the Legal Notice.
Sewer Use Charge
Mr. Drew presented the WPC operation and capital budgets for FY15/16, reflecting operation and maintenance costs, debt service costs, and fund transfers and repayments for capital infrastructure improvements for a total operations and maintenance budget of $4,168,532. He said his recommended sewer use charge increase to $212 would generate a revenue of $4,197,993, leaving an estimated surplus of $29,461, whereas a zero increase would leave a deficit of $146,340, to be compensated in the following fiscal year. Mr. Drew said the increase was caused by the reapportionment of the investment into the defined benefit employee pension plan, along with an increase in workers compensation and liability insurance. He said contractual increases represent a $237,000 increase, and non-contractual obligations have decreased by just
over $4,000. Mr. Drew updated the Council on current, on-going and future capital improvement projects and said that the WPCA’s only increase is in their annual operations and maintenance costs.
Mr. Drew reported the state average for sewer fees is $406 per household, and said that Torrington has raised the rates a total of $65 over the past 16 years.
Mayor Carbone closed the Public Hearing at 7:10 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC CITY CLERK |
|
| |
