The RTM Ways and Means Committee met on on Monday, April 7, 2008, at 7:00 PM at Canoe Brook Senior Center, 11 Cherry Hill Road, Branford, CT. Present were Representatives Avitable, Keefe, Nardella, Prete, and Thayer. The first three items were heard jointly with the Administrative Services Committee.
1. To consider and, if appropriate, approve a request from the Peter Hugret, IT Director; James Finch, Finance Director; Kathleen Halligan, Superintendent of Schools and Tashie Rosen, Board of Education Business Manager for consulting services and for the purchase of a new financial system. (FY 2007-08):
From: 101-0000-255.04-01 Undesignated Fund $(222,454)
To: 101-5000-500.95-10 Capital Projects $ 222,454
Approved unanimously by both committees.
2. To hear a request from the Registrars of Voters for the following transfer:
From: 101-4904-494.59-13 Contingency $(17,204)
From: 101-4112.412.33-24 Moving and Storage $( 2,010)
From: 101-4112.412.61-01 Misc. Operating Supplies $( 2,528)
TOTAL $(21,742)
To: 101-4112.412.11-01 Primary & Special Elections $ 21,470
To: 101-4112.412.11-02 Election Workers $ 72
o: 101-4112.412.60-01 Misc. Office Supplies $ 200
TOTAL $ 21,742
Although they may try to do so in future years, the Registrars of Voters do not budget for primaries. These expenses were incurred in the Democratoc and Republican Presidential primaries. Reimbursenment is expected from the state of about $3000 for paper ballots and phone lines. Approved unanimously by both committees.
3. To hear a request from the Registrars of Voters for the following transfer:
From: 101-4904-494.59-13 Contingency $( 4,500)
To: 101-4119-419.41-01 IT Account $ 4,500
Space/privacy regulations are making it very difficult to accomodate voters at polling places on election days, especially in the 5th District where there must be a separate polling station for the few dozen 5th District voters in the 98th State Representative District, and in the 3rd District. This transfer will fund an IT project to use the town's Geographic Information System software to evaluate various scenarios - such as redistricting or relocating polling places - to resolve these issues. It should be possible to leverage this effort for future projects such as school redistricting and other demographic studies.
The item was passed unanimously by both committees.
4. To consider a resolution by the Board of Finance in response to a request from the Director of the Blackstone Memorial Library to increase existing bond authorization for exterior renovations by $220,000 to $1,095,000:
RESOLUTION AMENDING A RESOLUTION APPROPRIATING $875,000 FOR THE EXTERIOR RENOVATION OF BLACKSTONE MEMORIAL LIBRARY AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUE OF $875,000 BONDS OF THE TOWN TO MEET SAID APPROPRIATION AND PENDING THE ISSUANCE THEREOF THE MAKING OF TEMPORARY BORROWINGS FOR SUCH PURPOSE” be adopted and recommended for adoption by the Representative Town Meeting.
The $220,000 increase in the bond authorization covers $155,000 to do a complete, rather than partial, repointing of the library exterior, and a $65,000 increase in the project's contingency budget.
This transfer was approved 5-0.
5. To consider a resolution by the Board of Finance to allow the library to award a contract for schematic design services for $150,000:
RESOLVED: That the Board of Finance recommends to the RTM an increase in appropriations for the Fiscal Year 2007-08 General Fund Budget from $85,298,351 to $85,448,351. This increase will be funded through a transfer from undesignated fund balance and will be used to fund schematic design services for a building addition to the Blackstone Memorial Library.
The measure passed 4-1, Rep. Nardella voting against.
6. To consider and if appropriate, approve the FY 2007-2008 proposed budgets for:
Public Celebration (pg.52 of the Budget Book) Jim Finch
Water Assessment (69) Jim Finch
Employee Group Insurance (60) Jim Finch
Municipal Insurance (61) Jim Finch
Contingency (62) Jim Finch
Principal Debt Service (56) Jim Finch
Interest-Debt Service (57) Jim Finch
Pension (59) Jim Finch
The above Budgets as recommended by the Board of Finance were approved 5-0.
Respectfully submitted,
Scott Thayer
Ways and Means Committee Chair
2008-04-23
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