Video index

1. Call Meeting to Order

702

2. Roll Call

Roll call (10 Present, 0 Absent, 0 Excused)

3. Public Participation [Per Town Council Rules, this segment of the meeting shall not exceed thirty (30) minutes unless extended by the Mayor, with the consent of the majority of the Town Council.]

4. Communications

5. Town Manager's Report [Per Town Council Rules, this segment of the meeting shall not exceed ten (10) minutes unless extended by the Mayor, with the consent of the majority of the Council.]

6. Items for Discussion

A. General Government Budget Presentation

Town Manager Galligan - 2006 survey will be sent to the Town Council. Town needs to work with the Council to see what programs need to be changed and balanced. Draft budget - State revenues no change and Governor has kept committment to EC funding. 27% of our business in Town is manufacturing. We won't have that next year. 267,000 so wil have to lobby to CCM to make sure shortfall wil be covered by sales tax. CCM will continue to lobby and make sure our rights covered. 99,400,977 3.11% increase - reduced 29.86 and budget is made up of BOE, Town is 4.85%. This year GASB45 that is mandated 105,000 increase. BOE had retirees which is in the Town's budget. ARC in pension has been met, 363,000 higher which is mandated. problem with arc is actuary gives one number and auditors give another. In this years budget new position is full time secretary for TM office. The funding level for that budget goes back to 2005. We only have part time secretary - Page 2 of 6 you will see there is a lot of requests by Dept. to restore positions which I could not do this year. Every Department will state their case. Capital leases there was reduction 779,000 increase for the total budget. There are a lot of things that South Windsor does that other Towns do not do and the other Towns have same increase. In order to keep AA rating we reduced capital projects. Counicl shoudl sit down and come up with plan to build capital projects up. At this point capital projects may want to do some bonding to get some of those projects done. There would be a referendum that would need to be done. There will be referendum for probate court judge if the council would like to consider doing referendum for bonding for capital projects. There are no road work imporvment in this budget. 400,000 for PW equipment has not been in the budget for a while. PW is requesting to get some monies for equipoment replacement. Capital Project 666,000 already allocated, 70,000 is for reval which the town has to do. 167,000 for computers for upgrades and also 88,000 to go to microsoft 2010 problem is we can not get inforamtion with what we have which is 2003. important for the town to service the community. Revenues have been reduced which is for fund balance to 800,000. we need to start not using the fund balance because the town does not want rating to change. need Council to come up with fiscal policy. one item in the budget also is every year for years we did get building grants where the state took out bonds and they would give us money to pay down debt but a lot of that stuff is gone which the town will lose 313,000. Interest earned has been reduced also. Concern about in the future - will be presenting 2nd year budget which will have items that need to be looked at. There are no more teacher give backs or - full time kindergarten is also being looked at which will be a cost effect on the school board budget. should be focusin gon these issues now. The 29.86 1.08 increase from mill - 3.75% increase of taxes. Really have to think about what the Town needs to do to keep the budget good and try to keep services. There is a schedule of revenue in here. This is not a budget that people are trying to ask for a lot but are trying to maintain items to keep services at the level they are now. All vehicles will be geting GIS to make the town more effective. One thing have to consider is the fuel cell. we have to make decision of redoing cell or get different type of generator. These wil be decisions tht we will have to review.

Yagaloff - grand list calculation includes personal property and supplemental is not Gallligan that is a revenue item. Yagaloff - ARA funding - numbers Galligan - Yagaloff - the effort to keep the taxes down in the last two years has actually put the spending of the town by two years. 3.75% increase - Sewer Dept. - use fees under 2012 2,661 and estimated is 4 million. 39% increase. Think the WPCA should come in and discuss this item. Galligan - we are having that discussion right now on the sewer committee. you could be lookin at th next two years, 10% and then 5% increase in the next two years. Yagaloff - sewers have been paid for by bonding. Town paid for their pump stations and plant being paid for by bonds and notes. they passed reserve policy which should not be done in bad years. I think they should come before the public to discuss what is happening.

Mayor - 3.6 and 2.5 - need to find out how funds are allocated. Galligan - this is all being looked at with the Sewer Sub-Committee. Need to look at two years out.

McCann - 2012 is how stands right now? Galligan - yes and we froze some of the accounts McCann - 2012 tax rate? Galigan - spent and encumbrances. McCann - any encumbrances that are not spent, please alert us to big ones.

Beaulieu - do not have a lot of indebtness in town. Rating agencies give town any idea of how much more debt could take on. Galligan - yes we have - most debt will be retired in 10 years. Beaulieu - to add to possible probate elections - waht cost? Galligan - already there because referendum is already being held for Probate Court Judge if done in August. If done on our own would cost another 8,000.

Havens - all the services are being retained? Galligan - correct, nothing lost and nothing added Havens - may have to cut back or eliminate some things. Galligan - one suggetion I have is may want to look at a department each year and get all departments to where they have to be. Havens - every year need to do something or the town will pay largely in the future.

McCann - Goal should be to get to where we want to be.

Mayor - needless to say there are difficult decisions to be made. We need to look at each department. WE have to keep in mind what are residents are going through.

B. Buckland Transportation Study

Mayor - this item is on here because we need to come to some sort of decision. Yagaloff - Jeff provided was an update to the resolution. Jeff - CRCOG gave some input. Yagaloff - we were concerned about locking ourselves in. There are a number of items Council had a problem with. Like the third paragraph. I am ok approving the resolution with the updated resolution. This would allow the project to move forward. McCann - commend Councilor Yagaloff to come up with this resolution. very concerned about endorsing project. unless CRCOG and DOT focus on solving those problems with Avery STreet, etc will not be comfortable. Need to send message to DOT that they must address this ssue before we endorse. Jeff - have a loeeter from DOT that addressed the concerns of the neighborhoods. McCann - would like to see solutions. Galligan - this is so preliminary and if not endorsed this project will not move forward at all. This will get them to the next level. The concerns will be highlighted McCann - do not want to move ahead if it is in the way in which is being proposed. Yagaloff - what if we put in that paragraph (the SWTC shall require that this planning concept be addressed before endorsing this concept). We shall equire that these issues be addressed prior to endorsement of the concept. This is really a statement, we are not binding ourselves to any type of work. Address the TC shall require satisfactory changes beofre endorsement rather than reject the whole thing. Galligan - there is an issue of traffic in this area. Councillor Yagaloff's suggestion would be a good idea. Yagaloff -I will make change and submit to Clerk and she will send to Council. Mayor - share many concerns. we have to be specific what we have issues with. Galligan - EDC needs me tonight so need to go down to that meeting.

7. Executive Session

8. Adjournment

Bazzano, Beaulieu, 8:00 p.m.

Mar 21, 2012 Town Council Special Work Session

Full agenda
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1. Call Meeting to Order

702

2. Roll Call

Roll call (10 Present, 0 Absent, 0 Excused)

3. Public Participation [Per Town Council Rules, this segment of the meeting shall not exceed thirty (30) minutes unless extended by the Mayor, with the consent of the majority of the Town Council.]

4. Communications

5. Town Manager's Report [Per Town Council Rules, this segment of the meeting shall not exceed ten (10) minutes unless extended by the Mayor, with the consent of the majority of the Council.]

6. Items for Discussion

A. General Government Budget Presentation

Town Manager Galligan - 2006 survey will be sent to the Town Council. Town needs to work with the Council to see what programs need to be changed and balanced. Draft budget - State revenues no change and Governor has kept committment to EC funding. 27% of our business in Town is manufacturing. We won't have that next year. 267,000 so wil have to lobby to CCM to make sure shortfall wil be covered by sales tax. CCM will continue to lobby and make sure our rights covered. 99,400,977 3.11% increase - reduced 29.86 and budget is made up of BOE, Town is 4.85%. This year GASB45 that is mandated 105,000 increase. BOE had retirees which is in the Town's budget. ARC in pension has been met, 363,000 higher which is mandated. problem with arc is actuary gives one number and auditors give another. In this years budget new position is full time secretary for TM office. The funding level for that budget goes back to 2005. We only have part time secretary - Page 2 of 6 you will see there is a lot of requests by Dept. to restore positions which I could not do this year. Every Department will state their case. Capital leases there was reduction 779,000 increase for the total budget. There are a lot of things that South Windsor does that other Towns do not do and the other Towns have same increase. In order to keep AA rating we reduced capital projects. Counicl shoudl sit down and come up with plan to build capital projects up. At this point capital projects may want to do some bonding to get some of those projects done. There would be a referendum that would need to be done. There will be referendum for probate court judge if the council would like to consider doing referendum for bonding for capital projects. There are no road work imporvment in this budget. 400,000 for PW equipment has not been in the budget for a while. PW is requesting to get some monies for equipoment replacement. Capital Project 666,000 already allocated, 70,000 is for reval which the town has to do. 167,000 for computers for upgrades and also 88,000 to go to microsoft 2010 problem is we can not get inforamtion with what we have which is 2003. important for the town to service the community. Revenues have been reduced which is for fund balance to 800,000. we need to start not using the fund balance because the town does not want rating to change. need Council to come up with fiscal policy. one item in the budget also is every year for years we did get building grants where the state took out bonds and they would give us money to pay down debt but a lot of that stuff is gone which the town will lose 313,000. Interest earned has been reduced also. Concern about in the future - will be presenting 2nd year budget which will have items that need to be looked at. There are no more teacher give backs or - full time kindergarten is also being looked at which will be a cost effect on the school board budget. should be focusin gon these issues now. The 29.86 1.08 increase from mill - 3.75% increase of taxes. Really have to think about what the Town needs to do to keep the budget good and try to keep services. There is a schedule of revenue in here. This is not a budget that people are trying to ask for a lot but are trying to maintain items to keep services at the level they are now. All vehicles will be geting GIS to make the town more effective. One thing have to consider is the fuel cell. we have to make decision of redoing cell or get different type of generator. These wil be decisions tht we will have to review.

Yagaloff - grand list calculation includes personal property and supplemental is not Gallligan that is a revenue item. Yagaloff - ARA funding - numbers Galligan - Yagaloff - the effort to keep the taxes down in the last two years has actually put the spending of the town by two years. 3.75% increase - Sewer Dept. - use fees under 2012 2,661 and estimated is 4 million. 39% increase. Think the WPCA should come in and discuss this item. Galligan - we are having that discussion right now on the sewer committee. you could be lookin at th next two years, 10% and then 5% increase in the next two years. Yagaloff - sewers have been paid for by bonding. Town paid for their pump stations and plant being paid for by bonds and notes. they passed reserve policy which should not be done in bad years. I think they should come before the public to discuss what is happening.

Mayor - 3.6 and 2.5 - need to find out how funds are allocated. Galligan - this is all being looked at with the Sewer Sub-Committee. Need to look at two years out.

McCann - 2012 is how stands right now? Galligan - yes and we froze some of the accounts McCann - 2012 tax rate? Galigan - spent and encumbrances. McCann - any encumbrances that are not spent, please alert us to big ones.

Beaulieu - do not have a lot of indebtness in town. Rating agencies give town any idea of how much more debt could take on. Galligan - yes we have - most debt will be retired in 10 years. Beaulieu - to add to possible probate elections - waht cost? Galligan - already there because referendum is already being held for Probate Court Judge if done in August. If done on our own would cost another 8,000.

Havens - all the services are being retained? Galligan - correct, nothing lost and nothing added Havens - may have to cut back or eliminate some things. Galligan - one suggetion I have is may want to look at a department each year and get all departments to where they have to be. Havens - every year need to do something or the town will pay largely in the future.

McCann - Goal should be to get to where we want to be.

Mayor - needless to say there are difficult decisions to be made. We need to look at each department. WE have to keep in mind what are residents are going through.

B. Buckland Transportation Study

Mayor - this item is on here because we need to come to some sort of decision. Yagaloff - Jeff provided was an update to the resolution. Jeff - CRCOG gave some input. Yagaloff - we were concerned about locking ourselves in. There are a number of items Council had a problem with. Like the third paragraph. I am ok approving the resolution with the updated resolution. This would allow the project to move forward. McCann - commend Councilor Yagaloff to come up with this resolution. very concerned about endorsing project. unless CRCOG and DOT focus on solving those problems with Avery STreet, etc will not be comfortable. Need to send message to DOT that they must address this ssue before we endorse. Jeff - have a loeeter from DOT that addressed the concerns of the neighborhoods. McCann - would like to see solutions. Galligan - this is so preliminary and if not endorsed this project will not move forward at all. This will get them to the next level. The concerns will be highlighted McCann - do not want to move ahead if it is in the way in which is being proposed. Yagaloff - what if we put in that paragraph (the SWTC shall require that this planning concept be addressed before endorsing this concept). We shall equire that these issues be addressed prior to endorsement of the concept. This is really a statement, we are not binding ourselves to any type of work. Address the TC shall require satisfactory changes beofre endorsement rather than reject the whole thing. Galligan - there is an issue of traffic in this area. Councillor Yagaloff's suggestion would be a good idea. Yagaloff -I will make change and submit to Clerk and she will send to Council. Mayor - share many concerns. we have to be specific what we have issues with. Galligan - EDC needs me tonight so need to go down to that meeting.

7. Executive Session

8. Adjournment

Bazzano, Beaulieu, 8:00 p.m.

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