Town Office Building January 14, 2013
Lower Level Conference Room 5:30 P.M.
First Selectman Mailhos called the meeting to order at 5:30 P.M. with Selectmen Littell & Blessington, Business Manager, Donna Latincsics, Public Works Director, Lynn Nicholls and residents.
Representing Willington Fire Department #1, Inc. was Chief Tyler Millix and Emergency Management Director, Stuart Cobb.
Representing Willington Hill Fire Department was Assistant Chief Michael Makuch.
Representing the CERT Team was Kelly Trueb (also spoke for WHFD)
First Selectman Mailhos motioned to read the call of the public hearing:
TOWN OF WILLINGTON NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The Board of Selectmen, will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday January 30, 2013 in the Community Room at the Willington Public Library; 7 Ruby Road, Willington, at 6:30 P.M. for the following purpose:
- Presentation of a detailed Energy Audit/Report for Town owned buildings at a potential cost of over $10,000.
Selectman Littell seconded the motion.
First Selectman Mailhos stated this will be a similar meeting with Siemens as was held during the summer. She added that the last meeting was also held as a public hearing because it involved decision making of many of our Boards and Commissions. She added that a resident, Peter Latincsics questioned why this is being held as a public hearing, so she checked with the Town Clerk to see what would be the best way to proceed. The Town Clerk said either way to warn the meeting is fine (such as a board of Selectmen meeting, or a public hearing) but a public hearing will have more publicity as it will be warned in the paper. Selectman Blessington stated that the BOS had planned to hold a public hearing all along.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Littell & Blessington) 0 No.
- Willington Fire Department #1, Inc. and Willington Hill Fire Department
Donna Latincsics presented the budget requests for each of the Fire Departments, EMD and the CERT team.
First Selectman Mailhos stated that Willington Fire Department #1, Inc.’s request is for $120,600; a decrease of $1,300 or -1.07%; Willington Hill Fire Department’s request is for $108,198; with a $1,496 (+1.4%) increase - all together we are talking about $228,000 for fire service, noting that the ambulance service is separate from the requests.
First Selectman Mailhos stated that it looks like things are status quo as in years past. She added that we spent a lot of time to get the Emergency Services Efficiency Committee off the ground last year. The purpose of the Committee was to come up with ways that both Fire Departments could work together to reduce costs as well as improve service to the community. She added that she is disappointed that we weren’t able to come up with anything tangible for the short term or capital budget before the Committee fell apart. She asked the representatives from each department if they had anything to add.
WHFD Assistant Chief Makuch commented that this is something we have talked about for as long as he has been in the department. He added that WHFD does not have any salaried costs. As far as combining the two departments all he sees would be saving is management hours; (such as was discussed last week) and right now they are free for the town because they are all volunteer hours. WHFD has cut a few phone lines, cut back on their electric bills and removed the remote siren - they are small things but they add up. He did say on the other hand there is a jump in one of their line items for Rescue 149; it is showing failures on the annual DOT inspection. The rough figures show it is going to need a fuel tank, rear springs, rear breaks and tires, resulting in many thousands of dollars. He added that the
department had originally put in a CIP request for a refurbish for next year but now that it has shown failures, the fix needs to be pushed up in order to put it back on the road. First Selectman Mailhos asked if we as a town really need two rescue trucks. These are the things she thinks about when she looks at these numbers. There is a lot of maintenance on these trucks. What the departments are asking for in the CIP request is more money than our operating budgets. We have to find ways to save money and work together. She asked who is going to figure this out?
Chief Millix stated it is not going to be figured out until this administration either looks at the studies that the taxpayers already paid for years ago and implements the changes that were recommended; or just merge and say that we are going to have one department, one Chief and Board of Directors that will report to the Board of Selectmen. He went on to say as long as the two departments operate independently of each other, they are both going to have their own opinions of how to utilize their services to protect the town.
Chief Millix added that he has reviewed numerous consolidation recommendations and reports that document a consolidation of departments. After evaluating the documentation, he stated it is extremely rare for a merger to succeed based solely on money. You will probably not save anything from a budgetary perspective for the first five years, but will gain efficiencies. The long term savings is you won’t have two separate entities competing against each other. The other long term gain would be liquidating the redundancies. One of the biggest things is the operational efficiencies you gain under a single operation. He stated that currently the two departments duplicate efforts and split manpower and have been doing that since 1951. They compete for the same bodies in town and the same money.
We can both say that we (each department) have the best interest of the town at heart, and we probably do, but it is how you take those tax dollars and man power hours and utilize them in the most efficient manner that you can in the pursuit of public safety. That is where things start to go awry.
First Selectman Mailhos said we need to know how to use all the equipment we have – not just the apparatus that are housed in their own facilities and both departments should have keys to both departments. She added that it could be so less painful than it is (if they could just work together). Chief Millix agreed the relationships and cooperation could be better but it is not going to happen and we aren’t going to work together the way we should as two separate organizations unless we merge. WHFD Assistant Chief Makuch said it comes and goes; there have been times when both departments have submitted their capital and operations budgets together. Stuart Cobb clarified and said that they weren’t exactly planned together – WHFD handed us their budget and we handed them ours.
Mr. Makuch clarified we have sat in meetings before. Kelly Trueb added that they used to hold a ‘truck swap night’ where members of each department went to the other’s to train on the opposite apparatus. She added that it is not one side or the other’s fault why these things have failed.
Assistant Chief Makuch gave an example of the Town of Mansfield, when they combined their three departments, the costs actually went up because they added more paid people on and hired a full time paid Chief. He added that he doesn’t think they have reduced the number of trucks in their Town, either.
First Selectman Mailhos said from where she sits, she has to worry about the liability of the Town and make sure the administrative part is being done correctly at both departments and that the people are trained properly. There are OSHA requirements that need to be followed and she sometimes doesn’t know what she isn’t asking for when it comes to these requirements. She thanked both departments for producing the paperwork she requested during the Efficiency Committee meetings, but suspects that the next time she asks for something it will be another fight. She asked for both departments that anything they could do to help streamline that would be valuable to her.
Selectman Blessington added that this goes back many years as he vaguely remembers his father complaining about the incompetence of the opposite department he was on. This makes consolidation problematic because somebody from one of the departments has to be the Chief and another would end up being President, having feelings it is unfair and they got the short end of the stick. Chief Millix argued that there are people who don’t care who ends up being the Chief. They would rather have one department that will utilize the taxpayer’s money and the volunteer’s time in the most efficient manner. He added if they care, then they shouldn’t be in the business and they are there for the wrong reason. Assistant Chief Makuch said people get tied up in the emotion of what they feel
what is best for the Town. Kelly Trueb added that it might be that their idea of what is best ends up being different than others and it is the mindset of how things should be run. Chief Millix clarified that they are only worried about themselves if they are worried about a title or what color hat they are wearing.
First Selectman Mailhos asked if $228,000 is a lot to spend on fire service for a town our size? Assistant Chief Makuch said he doesn’t know other Town’s budgets. Chief Millix said that Columbia and Hebron are comparable to us but warned that you have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples when looking into it and make sure you are looking into the entire picture (making note of the ambulance funds as well).
Selectman Littell asked if they both agree financially, merging short term would not be a benefit. What if we put a strategic plan set in place and the two entities came together to determine what was the best coverage for the town, would we gain financial savings? Assistant Chief Makuch said it all depends on what the plan comes up with. Selectman Littell said you still need to take into account what needs to be protected properly.
Assistant Chief Makuch referenced the facility study which we are still waiting for the final results. He stated the taxpayers have paid the money for the study. The Architect was supposed to use their experiences and research to tell us the right way to do this but the only recommendations were to expand each of the buildings. He stated it was noted in the report that the most efficient way to move forward would be to build one new fire station and operate everything out of a central station. It seemed like they were putting each of the departments wants into consideration rather than the needs. Assistant Chief Makuch said he has requested for the Architect to finalize the report for the Hill Station as well as the central station, noting that they were also supposed to figure out the
ideal place for it to be centralized in Town.
First Selectman Mailhos asked Mr. Makuch how open the people at WHFD would be to working together and take a step towards consolidation. Assistant Chief Makuch stated that it varies. It’s an emotional issue that also deals with pride and politics. He added that he is sitting here and open for discussion. First Selectman Mailhos noted that once again, your Chief is not here. Mr. Makuch responded that he is at work. First Selectman Mailhos said he is always somewhere and is never here – and she sees this as part of the issue in terms of working with other departments as well as other things. Leadership comes from the top and if the message there is not that we are in this together, she doesn’t know how it can work. Assistant Chief Makuch added that the Chief
is more open to the idea of consolidation than others in the department. First Selectman Mailhos added for some reason he just does not seem willing to come to any of these meetings where we have been talking about these topics and he just does not seem engaged in the process. Perhaps he could be back at your station, but she does not know that. She reiterated that not much has changed over the years, and the same story she remembers hearing her dad talk about. Selectman Blessington said his dad used to talk about it as well, so it goes back many years. Mr. Makuch said it is built into the psychology of the departments. Selectman Littell said there is always animosity between any departments.
Chief Millix said based on both departments willingness to merge, he asked why doesn’t the Board of Selectmen just appoint a committee to facilitate a merge? He said he has been to many workshops and meetings to encourage both departments to work together the way they should and it has never happened. Assistant Chief Makuch said it has gotten better since both departments decided to answer to every call together. First Selectman Mailhos added what she doesn’t understand is that neither department follow the same SOP’s, you aren’t trained on each other’s trucks and don’t know how to use each other’s equipment and you don’t get along. How does that work? Then there are cases where there is a call for a simple ‘lift assist’ and 8 people end
up going, which is a misuse of people’s time and misuse of our equipment.
Mr. Makuch stated that you are never going to be able to avoid that. There are many variables. Stuart Cobb said 9 times out of 10 two people can handle a call, but there is always that one time when you have a 500 pound person that you need help getting a person on a stretcher when nobody shows up. Kelly Trueb added that sometimes it ends up with people trying to meet their requirements of making 10% of the calls to maintain their ‘active status’.
First Selectman Mailhos looked over the budgets and said it looks like status quo as we do year after year. She added that she is glad we just had the conversation we just had. Selectman Blessington stated that Chief Millix has a very good point, and what we have done in the past hasn’t worked. Perhaps the three of us may or may not work out. We (The Board of Selectmen) certainly can come out with a position how this can be accomplished. He suggested waiting until after the election when everyone’s position is clear to see which way we want to go. He added that he is still concerned with the animosity between the two departments and feels it will be difficult to combine them. It is going to take a long time. He suggested adding it on the Selectmen’s status report
and keeping it on the agenda.
First Selectman Mailhos said everyone warns her that it is a political nightmare, but she says she is here to do what is right for the town, not what is right for her personally. She added what she has seen over the past three years, she thinks it is time to seriously start talking about consolidation. She doesn’t think she could live with herself if she didn’t.
Selectman Littell said the total between the two budgets is a difference of $196 from last year.
First Selectman Mailhos asked chief Millix to give the status of Fund 17 and the ambulance budget. Chief Millix said Fund 17 is still on target for looking better than it did last year. First Selectman Mailhos said as of January 1st it was $60,000 doubling at $120,000. She asked if there are more calls in the spring and summer. Chief Millix said they got projections that are higher than last year. He added that they are going to try to renegotiate with some of the bundle billing agreements with those who provide paramedic service to increase revenues. He added because of the healthcare industry and reimbursements with Medicare and Medicaid they are almost losing money. Another thing to be renegotiated is the Windham hospital PSA which is a per capita service fee.
Chief Millix stated that he does not believe we are not under any contractual agreement with them, and it needs to be reviewed.
Stuart Cobb said we pay about $28,000 per year for paramedic services and it could be cut back some. Chief Millix sated the other issue they watch is the universal healthcare program. They had their billing agent run an an analysis and the best case scenario looks like we might get $4,000 less per year. The worst case scenario would show a $50,000 - $70,000 decrease in revenues. He added the bottom line is nobody knows.
Discussion was held on providing service to our neighboring Town, Union. They actually showed revenue of $15,000 to fund 17. The actual paramedic payout was around $4,000 and it is a lucrative venture to be out there. Assistant Chief Makuch asked if union pays us anything for being their ambulance provider. Chief Millix said no. Mr. Makuch said we are essentially augmenting their town budget and providing them a service at a loss. Chief Millix said he looks at it as being resourceful and building our customer base. Stuart Cobb said if we lost Union, we would be losing $4,000 in income. First Selectman Mailhos asked how often it is when we miss a call in Town when they are out of town on another call. Stuart Cobb said the last time he checked, only once. Mr.
Makuch stated we are talking about wasting resources; we are servicing union at our loss. They are not paying anyone to provide a service. First Selectman Mailhos said it is better than the ambulance sitting there not making any money. Stuart Cobb added that a lot of our call volume is mutual aid which comes from Stafford, Tolland and Ashford.
Peter Latincsics asked if it would be possible to augment the coverage with the volunteers to offset the costs. He said it seems like we have redundant coverage could the Hill Department absorb some of the paid coverage by WFD#1 to offset the costs involved to purchase a new ambulance. First Selectman Mailhos clarified that she believes that is why we are where we are now with having the paid crew there. Assistant Chief Makuch stated that they have tried to provide a ‘duty crew’ in the past to cover the ambulance shifts, but the turning point was the Lyon Manor calls. After the fourth call of the day, you get worn out and are not interested in another ambulance call. He added that a First Responder position is a lot more involved than just going down in the fly car to
assist. In many cases, once you are done with an assist, you are back home and in clean clothes before the ambulance even gets to the hospital. From his point of view, it is limited success. Chief Millix said they have tried many different ways to staff the ambulance and the bottom line is there is not enough volunteer staff. First Selectman Mailhos added it depends on what time the calls happen. If it is at 7pm, we might get more people respond because they are off of work. Mr. Makuch added if it is at 5AM, the volunteers most likely won’t be able to go, because they might risk being late to their regular jobs.
Mr. Latincsics said it sounds like WHFD is not interested in covering the ambulance, and suggested to look into two contracts with each of the departments and WFD#1 becomes the Ambulance service and transfer all of the fire service over to the Hill Department. Selectman Blessington stated that we discussed this earlier in the meeting and we are going to have the Board of Selectmen look into this. He added this is not going to happen overnight.
- Emergency Management and CERT
First Selectman Mailhos looked at the Emergency Management budget, which shows a decrease from last year. Stuart Cobb stated that half of this expenditure has been covered by a grant administered by the State. He applied for the grant 18 months ago, and the grant was cut down to $6,200. He is not asking for an increase in the stipend. First Selectman Mailhos thanked Stuart and said we were lucky to have him.
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First Selectman Mailhos said the Board of Selectmen created a special fund for the CERT team last year. The purpose of the fund is for emergency preparedness. Kelly Trueb said the CERT Team has been successful in getting grant money from WINCOG, and the CERT team would be more favorable to use up the grant money before dipping into the Town’s fund. She added that there might be a few things that are not covered by WINCOG, such as a pop-up tent or T-shirts that would identify the CERT members. The next phase is more training, CPR being one training session. She added that so far the training has not cost us anything.
Donna asked if she is going to request any additional money from the Town? Kelly stated she would look into it further. Donna said the FEMA money has to go where the money was taken from. First Selectman Mailhos said if we are getting one more big payment this year, to take it from that instead of taking it out of an operating budget. If it is going to be a yearly operating expense to run the CERT Team then it should be a budget expense.
Selectman Littell asked if the reverse 911 is supposed to come out of the Emergency Preparedness budget. Stuart Cobb stated we have options to subscribe to one of several vendors. The first year is more expensive than the second: (.75 per capita for the first year and .45 per capita subsequent years). He added that it is under the discretion of the Board, if they feel it is apriority. Assistant Chief Makuch asked why can’t we do that with Everbridge? Stuart Cobb answered the statewide contract (Everbridge) restricts the types of messages that can be sent out through the dispatch, which would only be for life and death situations only. If we had a contract with a reverse notification system, there are no restrictions on the notices we put out.
Selectman Littell moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 P.M.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Littell & Blessington) 0 No.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
Administrative Assistant
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