Board of Selectmen Special Meeting March 7, 2015
TOWN OF SIMSBURY – BOARD OF SELECTMEN "Subject to Approval"
BUDGET WORKSHOP SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES – MARCH 7, 2015
CALL TO ORDER
The Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order at 8:00AM in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices located at 933 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT. Present were: First Selectman Lisa Heavner and Board members Sean Askham, Cheryl Cook, Nancy Haase, Christopher Kelly and Michael Paine. Also in attendance were Nicholas Boulter, Captain, Simsbury Police, Thomas Cooke, Director of Administrative Services, Chief Peter Ingvertson, Simsbury Police, Lisa Karim, Director, Simsbury Library, Sean Kimball, Deputy Director of Administrative Services, Burke LaClair, Board of Education Business Manager, Joseph Mancini, Director of Finance/Treasurer, Tony Piazza, Superintendent, Water Pollution Control Authority, Thomas Roy, Director of Public Works, Jeff Shea, Town Engineer, Gerry Toner, Recreation Director and other interested parties.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance
PUBLIC AUDIENCE
Ms. Joan Coe, 26 Whitcomb Drive, stated that she will be running for First Selectmen and noted the changes that she would make if elected.
OVERVIEW OF BUDGET
Public Works
Mr. Roy presented and discussed the following slides to Board members:
• Impact All Residents, Employees and Visitors
• Support six other departments o Police
o Social Services
o Library
o Town Hall
o Park Recreation
o Board of Education
• Public Works Administration Responsibilities
• Buildings and Grounds
• Typical Building Services
• On Call 24 Hours a Day, 365 Days per Year o 165 miles of roadway
• Roadway Paving
• Drainage Work
• Plowing
• Street Sweeping
• Barricades, Leaf Collection, Guardrail and Signs
• Fleet Maintenance
• Landfill – Bulky Waste
• Budget Highlights
• Staff Changes – Project Administrator
• Building and Grounds Staffing
• Budget Summary
• Budget Drivers o Staffing
o Electricity/Street Lights
o Equipment/Vehicle Maintenance
o Road Salt
• Community Involvement
• Simsbury WPCF
• Overview
Water Pollution Control
Mr. Piazza reviewed and discussed the following slides with Board members:
• Key Statistics
• FY 2015 Major Accomplishments
• WPCA Budget o No increase in sewer use fees
Board members asked Mr. Roy and Mr. Piazza questions on the Public Works and Water Pollution Control presentations. Some of the items discussed were:
• Senior Center
• Fuel Savings – locked in
• Sharing expenses for Open Space
• Salt increased maintenance on trucks
• Trimming trees in Town
Engineering
Mr. Shea reviewed and discussed his slide presentation to Board members. Slides included:
• Core Activities
• Anticipated FY 2016 Priorities
• Capital Projects
• Capital Budget
Board members asked questions to Mr. Shea and Mr. Mancini on their presentation. Some of the items discussed were:
• Capital Project Budget vs the Operating Budget
• Hire consultants as needed for projects
Library
Ms. Karim discussed a slide presentation to Board members. Slides included:
• Contractual Salary Increases Biggest Increase
• Read Some Comments from Residents
• Visits are up 24% from last year
• Highest Per Capita for number of visits
• Recognition – Ranked 4th highest in Connecticut
• 3D Printing Lab
• Innovators Workshop
• Expanded Technology Courses
• One-on-One Technology Assistance
• New Teen Librarian
• Expanded Teen Services
• Children Services
o Building Foundations of Literacy
o Building Foundations in STEAM
• Business Resource Center o Simsbury Small Business Group
o Job Assistance
o Career Development Facilitator Training
o Small Business Development Center
• Collaboration o Touch a Truck
o Simsbury Historical Society
o Senior Movie Events
o Town Halloween Party
o Simsbury Public & Private Schools
• Outreach
• How we make our $$$ go Further
• CT Library Association 2015 Annual Conference
Ms. Heavner thanked the Library members for their accomplishments and Board members asked questions on the presentation. Some items discussed were:
• Explaining shelving needs
• Increase part-time Administrative employee from 17 hours a week to 25
• Increase in participation in the Simsbury Library
Public Safety
Chief Ingvertson noted that the Simsbury Police Department is nationally accredited as well as State accredited.
Chief Ingvertson and Captain Boulter presented their slide presentation to Board members. Slides included:
• Timely Emergency o High Visibility
o Accessibility
o Involvement
• Detectives
• Non-Governmental Community leaders and Civic Organizations
• Special Events
• Simsbury voted one of the Best 10 Communities in Connecticut
• New Programs
• Calls for Service Stats 2012-2014
• Detective Division Investigations
• Growth Impacting Police Services
• Proposal for FY 2016 o Addition of Two Officers
o Reduction in Operational Budget
o Conference/Education Fund
o Overall Increase 4.83%
• Sworn Officers Per Population o Anticipated Residential Growth
• Cost per Household or Taxpayer for Budget Increase
Board members discussed and asked questions to Chief Ingvertsen, Captain Boulter and Mr. Mancini on the Public Safety presentation.
CNR
Mr. Shea and Mr. Roy presented the CNR to Board members. Items included:
• Proposed Capital & Nonrecurring Projects FY 2015-2016 o DPW – Sign Inventory and Inspection
o DPW – Plow Truck and Plow Highway
o DPW – 1-Ton Pickup Truck - Building and Grounds
o DPW – 1 Ton Pick-up Truck Highway
o DPW – Library Gutter Melt System
Chief Ingvertson discussed:
o Police – Purchase of three Patrol Vehicles
o Body Cameras and Recorder for Dispatch
Mr. Shea and Mr. Roy discussed:
o Engineering/DPW – GIS Technology Upgrade/Work Order System
Mr. Toner discussed:
o Parks Dept – Park Maintenance Equipment Replacement
Mr. Shea and Chief Ingvertson discussed:
o IT – Network Infrastructure/Security Cameras
Mr. Shea discussed:
o IT – Central Mailing Office Equipment (requested shared funding with BOE)
o Other funding – LoCIP Pavement Management
Board members discussed and asked questions on the above CNR items.
CIP
Mr. Cooke discussed the topic of the Senior Center and the possibility of doing a Town survey. He noted that this survey may be placed on the November vote due to timing. Ms. Heavner noted that this will be on the Board of Selectmen’s Agenda for Monday evening.
Mr. Shea and Mr. Toner discussed the following projects under the CIP for with Board members:
• Simsbury Farms Improvements - Pool and Rink
• Park Improvements
• Open Space Planning and Improvements o Ethel Walker Woods
o 1 Old Bridge
o Open Space Master Plan Town Wide
• Weatogue Planning Route 10 and Code Preparation Work
Mr. Mancini and Ms. Heavner explained why this project is in the CIP. Mr. Askham suggested asking the Board of Finance to fund this project with cash to accelerate it along.
• Senior Center will be discussed at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday night
Mr. Roy and Mr. Shea discussed the following projects:
• Highway Salt Shed Replacement
• Municipal Building Renovations
• Dam Evaluations and Repairs (this is a State mandate)
• Public Works Complex Infrastructure Improvements
• Town Hall Site and Safety Improvements o Improvement to support safety and security at the Town Hall complex
• Portable Generator Project/Generator Infrastructure
• Project Planning Funds
• Various Drainage Improvement Projects – includes but not limited to, East Weatogue, Westledge Road, Hoskins Road, Canal Street and Tariffville Heights
• Sewer Main Extensions
• In-Line Grinder and Screen Replacement
• West Mountain Road area Interceptor Sewer Design
• Portable Six Inch Dri-Prime Pump
Mr. LaClair discussed the following projects for the FY 2015/2016 for the Board of Education with Board members:
• District Network Infrastructure
• Central School Partial Roof Replacement
• Climate Control Project – 7 Schools (Phase I)
Mr. Mancini discussed the Wish List to the 2016 Operating Budget with Board members. Board members discussed their opinions of what may be reduced from the budget.
Mr. Cooke reviewed what the next steps are that the Board members need to take.
ADJOURN
Ms. Haase made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Paine seconded the motion and the motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 2:24pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Leslie Brigham