RECEIVED March 31, 2011 @ 8:30 A.M.
Michele R. Grande, Redding Town Clerk
2 pages
REDDING BOARD OF FINANCE
MINUTES
March 28, 2011
Present: Alvarez (Chairman), DeSalvo, Guffey, Mazzucco, Yonkers
Also present: Controller Gniadek, Treasurer O’Donnell, First Selectman Ketcham, Selectmen Takacs & Pemberton, Tax Collector Moisio and three members of the public
Media: Redding Pilot & Patch.com
Chairman Alvarez called the March 28, 2011 meeting at 7:33 pm
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motion: move that the Board of Finance accept the minutes of the February 28, 2011 meeting as amended.DeSalvo,Mazzucco. Approved.Unanimous.
Amendment: page 2, under RCC Turf Field Update, the amount of the STEAP Grant is $400,000.
Motion: move that the Board of Finance accept the minutes of the March 14, 2011 meeting as submitted. DeSalvo, Mazzucco. Approved.Unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
James Miller, Middle Brook Pond Road: questioned whether the Town’s deposits in the bank were insured and what the accounts were earning. Mr. Alvarez responded that the money is in an investment account and the current return was 0.23%.
Jeanne Wendschuh: Mrs. Wendschuh asked about the post-employment medical benefits for retirees of the Police & Highway Departments and how much exposure there was for the Town. Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Gniadek responded that that currently there is only one employee qualified for benefits and that is budgeted at $18,000/year. Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Gniadek will review the current staffing and potential retirements/benefits and prepare a report on upcoming eligibility and obligations of the Town.
TAX COLLECTOR’S REPORT
Tax Collector Moisio reported that collections are at 98.5% of the collectible budget as of today.
CONTROLLER’S REPORT
Mr. Gniadek reviewed the status of year-to-date revenue and expenditures. The Park & Recreation Department is currently running below in revenue due to the elimination of activities planned for the February vacation cancelled when the school vacation was cancelled and from the discontinuation of the sale of pool passes/program at the Meadow Ridge facility. Expenses were up due to an increase in costs for field maintenance, cost of online registration and renovation of the Topstone bathroom facility.
Snow removal costs: the costs through March 22, 2011 are $155,000 over budget. A FEMA reimbursement is expected for $63000 to offset expenditures. Highway Superintendent Sanford expects the remaining costs to be covered in the contingency/overtime accounts. Mrs. Ketcham added that the Board of Selectmen will discuss the current road conditions, impact of the severe winter weather, and plan for repairs with Mr. Sanford at their meeting on Thursday, March31, 2011.
WIRE/ACH Transfers: the Selectmen have been set up as approvers for wire and ACH transfers with Union Savings Bank. A procedure is for the process will be established by the end of the week. Treasurer O’Donnell added that the STIF account will allow only one contact for transfers, and she added that the transfers from the STIF and MBIA accounts can only be made to Union Savings Bank.
Rains of March 7, 2011: The costs associated with the rain of March 7, 2011 were approximately $42,000. Mr. Gniadek does not believe Fairfield County or the state of Connecticut will accumulate costs exceeding the limit for qualification for FEMA reimbursement.
Grand List: The Assessor made two changes to the Net Realistic Grand List to reflect Board of Assessment Appeals reduction and an Appellate Court ruling. The changes resulted in an increase to the Grans List of $1,228,848. The total increase is now an increase of 0.24% over last year’s list.
Grant: LEEF Grant (Lawn Equipment Exchange Fund), an application for this grant was approved for 80% of $16,000, or $12,800. The funds are for replacement of lawn equipment with more fuel efficient equipment. The old equipment will be destroyed. The grant will fund the purchase of a riding mover, a ride-behind mover and various lawn equipment.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mrs. O’Donnell submitted a written report for the account balances. Total balance is $18,172,426.
WPCC UPDATE
Mrs. Moisio reported the WPCC Commission did not need any additional funding this month. The March bills were paid, and the billing to system users will go out April 1 and this will generate revenue.
2011-2012 BUDGET
Board members reviewed the draft of the Legal Notice for the 2011-2012 budget and the draft of the mill rate worksheet.
Mr. DeSalvo provided copies of a letter from Lawrence Ford regarding the sprinklers in the Town Office Building and asked if the cost for the correction of the system was included in the 2011-2012 operating budget. First Selectman Ketcham responded that the costs for the correction are not definitive at this time and therefore not included in the 2011-2012 operating budget. The process for the project is moving forward. The Sprinkler Impairment Officer (Willie Roman), and the sprinkler engineer are moving forward with the design corrective action, along with the Fire Marshalls and Simplex Grinnell (contractors who manages the system). When the final plan is developed and approved, the project will go out to bid. The funding will come from the operating budget (Town Hall Maintenance account),
and is additional funding is needed; it will be a capital request.
Motion: move that the Redding Board of Finance approve a budget for fiscal 2011-2012 of $45,769,082, which represents an increase of 2.34% over the current fiscal year. DeSalvo, Mazzucco. Approved.Unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
James Miller: Mr. Miller commented on the condition of roadways where the fiber optic installation patch has erupted creating potholes and uneven roadway surfaces. Mrs. Ketcham responded that Highway Superintendent has been in touch with the State Highway Department regarding those conditions. The State is evaluating the damage and plans to repair/repave the worst sections of the roadways.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion: move to adjourn the meeting. DeSalvo, Mazzucco. Approved.Unanimous.
The meeting adjourned at 8:16pm
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Maday, Recording Secretary
| 
