MINUTES
BOARD OF FINANCE
July 17, 2012
A REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Finance was held in the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday,
July 17, 2012.
Present were Mayor Ryan Bingham, Corporation Counsel Ernestine Yuille Weaver, Board of Finance members Bill Lamoin, Laurene Pesce, Mark Bushka, Brian Paganini, and Thomas Scoville. Superintendent of Parks and Recreation Brett Simmons and Comptroller Alice Proulx were also present.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m.
MINUTES
On a motion by Mr. Scoville, seconded by Mr. Paganini, the Board voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on June 19, 2012, as amended.
MINUTES
On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Bushka, the Board voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the Special Meeting held jointly with the City Council & WPC Authority on June 19, 2012.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
On a motion by Mr. Scoville, seconded by Mr. Lamoin, the Board voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public.
R. Crovo, Tax Collector updated the Board, saying the City has been paid, and that everything balances and is financially correct. He said he is in his 13th year as Tax Collector, that he doesn't think there are any issues to be dealt with and that he is open to any questions or concerns the Board of Finance may have. Mr. Crovo said the bonds are current, the credit line is intact, and the collection rate is second to none in the State. He repeated that the City has been paid in full and on time.
Speaking as a citizen, he said he doesn't see the Board of Finance having any hidden agendas, other than making the City whole and making sure things are done correctly in terms of the financial status of the City. Mr. Crovo said he knows a lot about the tax collection system that has been in place since 1874, and wondered what agenda people have when they are representing the people of Torrington, and want to change the Tax Collector position. He asked, as a resident of Torrington, what the members of the Board of Finance, being responsible for financial status of City, feel about that.
The Board asked him to return August 21st.
MAINTAIN RECREATION ACCOUNT BALANCE
On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Paganini, the Board voted unanimously to consider approving a balance of $125,000 in the Rec200 Recreation Account per Superintendent Simmons' Memorandum (Addendum 1) dated June 27, 2012, pending City Council Approval.
Mr. Lamoin asked for an explanation of the year-end balance.
Mr. Simmons said a month-by-month analysis was completed for a two-year period for this account.
In the last 24 months, the lowest that account has been was $159,908, with the highest point at $243,846 and the average at $196,131, dating back to the year 2000.
Reductions depend on program participation, he said, and this account was set up as a revolving revenue account to support programs that aren't funded through the General Fund Recreation Budget. Mr. Simmons said the subcontracted programs include tennis lessons, sports camps, and popular sports leagues like men's and women's softball leagues and the summer basketball league. He said those programs could have between 20 and 60 teams in their leagues, funded out of this account. The contracted programs receive payment from instructors, and make payments out of this account for their fees or supplies.
He said this account has grown over the years because there have been with no major expenses beyond program expenditures. Mr. Simmons explained that revenue could be received two months ahead of the time the program is actually being run. Summer programs, for example receive revenue between April and June and have expenditures go out between July and early September. Mr. Simmons said it's important to maintain a cash flow and he has nowhere else to draw from for those programs. He said these two components create the need to establish and maintain a balance within the Rec200 account.
A vote was taken and the motion to maintain a balance of $125,000 in the Rec200 Account was unanimously approved.
FUESSENICH PARK BLEACHER RENOVATIONS
On a motion by Mr. Paganini, seconded by Mr. Bushka, the Board voted unanimously to approve
Bleacher Renovations at Fuessenich Park per Superintendent Simmons Memorandum (Addendum 1) dated June 27, 2012, pending City Council Approval.
Mr. Simmons explained they maintain the bleachers annually by replacing broken planks, and having volunteers paint the bleachers. Unfortunately the structure is old, the wood is drying out, paint doesn't adhere, and it has become a maintenance issue, he said. They have been looking at this since 2008 and contracted Malone and McBroom to do a structural analysis a year ago. This determined that some structural improvements need to be completed when this project is undertaken. Mr. Simmons said this project is currently budgeted around $138,000 but he is hoping the competitive bid will come in lower than that.
Mr. Lamoin asked what the logic is behind the four-year payback. Mr. Simmons replied that he is trying to maintain a balance of $125,000, and is looking to commit half the funds fully from the account. Obviously if we commit the entire amount we're going to drop well below our $125,000 threshold, he said. Mr. Simmons said this money needs to come from somewhere, and he is proposing that it gets put in the Parks budget presentation on an annual basis over a four-year period to avoid increasing the budget significantly. He said he tries to keep his budget down as much as possible, and have a commitment to maintain this account at that $125,000 level.
Mr. Lamoin said he inspected the bleachers, and even the ones that appear to be good are pretty weak when you walk on them. They clearly need to be replaced, he said.
BUSINESS BY MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF BOARD OF FINANCE
On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Scoville, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and members of the Board of Finance.
No business was presented.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Mr. Paganini, seconded by Mr. Scoville, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 5:12 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
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