By: Maria Moore

Two “hot” issues were on the Board of Selectmen’s agenda of their last meeting: outdoor woodburning furnances (OWFs) and the town’s rental properties. The issue of OWFs was the one that was dealt with at the meeting, while the issue of the town’s rental properties was set in motion and will be discussed at the second selectmen’s meeting in September, on the 28th.

The meeting was held in the intimate setting of the lower level (“Jaildoors”) conference room on Tuesday, August 24, and among those in attendance in addition to the three selectmen were, from left to right, Reggie Smith Jr. (Board of Finance), Dan LaPlante (Planning and Zoning Commission), Larry Terra, Alesia Kennerson (Board of Finance), and former First Selectman Earl MacInnes.

The selectmen quickly went through the first five items on their agenda (see the copy of the agenda at the end of this report) before tackling item #6, the issue of outdoor woodburning furnaces.

Item #6: Outdoor Woodburning Furnaces ~ Discussion

All three selectmen ~ First Selectman Dan Jerram, and Selectmen Tom Klebart and Bruce Gresczyk ~ fully participated in the discussion on OWFs and in the voting on the motion at the end of the discussion; see our Footnote on the participation of all three selectmen in the discussion at the end of this report. Larry Terra, who was recently admitted to the Connecticut Bar Association, had submitted to the selectmen information on OWFs, including a fact sheets published by the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) on the deleterious health effects of the smoke from OWFs.

First Selectman Dan Jerram began the discussion by saying that the issue had been tabled by the selectmen to allow Larry Terra time to submit information to them.  Dan said that in the past the issue had been sent by the selectmen to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), which had sent it back to the selectmen again. See our March 25, 2010 report … Outdoor Woodburning Stoves Issue Again Before P&Z. Dan said that P&Z had chosen not to regulate those devices (OWFs) even though they have regulated other energy-producing devices such as solar. Referring to the information from DEP which Larry had submitted, Dan said that DEP “opines” that they may not be the best in terms of health, but the DEP does not regulate them. He said he had gotten feedback about regulating OWFs per an ordinance and he’d had a conversation with Christine (Hayward, his Administrative Assistant) and there were lots of questions on how that would proceed. Christine, who was at the meeting taking the minutes, said that there had been concerns expressed by the police concerning the enforcing of an ordinance in terms of being a nuisance to a neighbor. “How do you define it and how do you enforce it? There are issues already with open burning.” Christine said. P&Z also had concerns about enforcing with their (limited) personnel and as for the police, with their limited manpower, enforcing ordinances was not a priority, she continued.

Tom Klebart said that he had gone through the materials and that there’s reason to believe that they’re not a really efficient means of heating. He said there were 10-11 towns that have regulated OWFs and he agreed that it shouldn’t be via an ordinance but rather it should be P&Z that set it up. “I agree with the police,” Tom said, “I’d rather see them doing police work.” He added that it was mostly done by regulation, that P&Z was best suited to do it. He emphasized that there was enough history and research to study the matter, and not to set it aside.

Dan responded that there were lots of different ways it could have been considered by P&Z, by special exception for example. He added: “My neighbor has one (an OWF), and you wouldn’t know it.” Bruce noted that the town had a 200′ setback, which was more than the state was doing.

Dan asked if the recommendation was to go back to P&Z to have them consider putting it (regulation of the OWFs) in their regulations. Tom said that there’s enough reason to recommend that they set it up as a regulation, but also for them to do a study on it and go beyond.

Bruce said that at the state level “it didn’t get out of committee.” He emphasized that there was a difference between an oversized unit and an undersized one. “It depends on your location,” Tom responded. “On whether the smoke is coming in low to the ground and gets into the house.”

“You get that with regular woodburning stoves.” Bruce responded. “The smoke is more hazardous.” Tom answered him. “That’s in cold rather than hot mode.” Bruce contended, “That’s partial combustion.” Tom responded that wood stoves burn hot.  He recommended sending it to P&Z for them to study and see if they want to put in some form of regulation.

With the discussion ended, the selectmen voted on the following motion, which they passed unanimously:

“To recommend that the Planning & Zoning Commission revisit the inclusion of a regulation limiting the use of Outdoor Wood Burning Furnaces (OWF’s) within New Hartford’s Zoning Regulations.”

Our reporter obtained the wording of his motion directly from Christine Hayward, since the wording was changed slightly several times before being voted on.

Once the motion was passed, Dan suggested they cosign a letter to the P&Z Chairman to show they support some inclusion. Tom agreed, saying there was enough reason to support something in the regulations.

Later in the meeting, under Item #10, Opportunity for Public Comment, Larry Terra briefly summarized some of the information he had provided to the selectmen. He said that since their last meeting two more towns had banned OWFs, Cheshire and West Hartford. He emphasized that regulating OWFs would have no impact on indoor woodburning stoves, nor would it impact open pit burning.  And as far as the DEP report that had been compiled from studies it had a big “Yes!“ that the smoke was harmful to people. He added that he was not aware of any equipment capable of meeting regulations and that the Public Health Act gave the selectmen the authority to do all that they need to protect residents. He ended by saying that, according to the DEP leaflet Thinking of purchasing an outdoor wood-burning furnace?, one OWF emits as much particulate matter (i.e. toxic air pollutants) as 3,000 homes, and New Hartford has 12 of them.

Dan thanked him and said he had found support for them to give a letter to the P&Z recommending they revisit it and add some level of regulation.

Smoke from the Gresczyk Farms' outdoor woodburning furnace envelops the farm buildings and drifts towards residences on Dings Road in March 2010. Photo from NewHartfordPlus archives.

Item #7: Distribution of Brodie – Surdam Task Force Report

At the end of the August 10 BOS meeting, Tom had asked about the report on the town’s rental properties that had been completed by the Brodie/Surdam Property Task Force.  Dan had agreed to put that item on a future agenda, and it was included as item #7 in their meeting of August 24, the subject of this report.

Copies of the 58-page report were distributed to the selectmen and to interested members of the public.  Dan said the selectmen would  take up the issue at the second meeting after their current one, i.e. on Tuesday, September 28.

The 58-page report by the Town of New Hartford Brodie/Surdam Property Task Force, Report to Board of Selectmen, is dated October 2009.  The Task Force, under the non-chairmanship of Reggie Smith Jr., a former First Selectman of the town and as yet not a member of the Board of Finance, was assembled by former First Selectman Earl MacInnes on May 18, 2009.  The Task Force was Earl’s response to the avalanche of criticism leveled at him for having secretly signed a lease with Don Birden, a member of the town’s road crew to rent to Dan the Brodie House, part of Brodie Park for 4 years at $400 per month.  This secret lease was signed by the two, unbeknownst to either the other selectmen or the Rec Commission, only a few months after the previous tenant, who was paying $1,000 a month in rent, was evicted from the property.  To revisit the issue just before the Brodie/Surdam Property Task Force was formed, please see our April 27, 2009 report Public Gets to Question the First Selectman, Those in Executive Session Don’t.  Shortly after the report was submitted to the Board of Selectmen in October 2009, the present administration, headed by Dan Jerram came to power.  Until Tom Klebart resurrected the issue on August 10, the situation remained unchanged: the road crew member and his family continue to live at the Brodie House paying $400 in rent.

We will be publishing a follow-up report, summarizing the contents of the Task Force’s report as well as summarizing the situation with the Brodie House rental, both of which should be the focus of the September 28 BOS meeting.  In the meantime, we are attaching as a downloadable PDF a copy of the Task Force’s recommendations, pages 8 and 9 of their report: Brodie/Surdam Property Task Force: Recommendations (230)

One of the banners announcing the concerts at Brodie Park this past summer was across the front yard of the Brodie House on the corner of West Hill and Niles roads. Photo from NewHartfordPlus archives.

Item #11: Any Other Business to Come Before this Board ~ Proposal For Use of CRRA Money To Develop Economic Development Plan

Tom Klebart brought up the use of the CRRA money, which the selectmen had discussed during their August 10 meeting.  At that time Dan had presented the other Board members with three different projects for which he wanted to use the CRRA money; see our August 12 report Proposal to Use CRRA Settlement Money Discussed At BOS Meeting.

Tom said that he didn’t want to use that money for recurring items; rather, he said, he wanted to look at the possibility of using it to hire a consultant to develop an economic development plan.  Tom continued: “We keep talking about new business coming to town, but we need to develop a plan.  What incentives do we need to set in place that this is a town that business will want to come to.”

Dan said that they were doing that with the Industrial Park and with Routee 44, but again Tom insisted: “We’ve never developed a plan of what do we need to put in place.” Dan said they could continue to take it up at a later meeting.

The Board meeting was brought to a close at 7:45 p.m.  Immediately the meeting ended, former First Selectman called to Tom, congratulating him on his proposal which, Earl said, showed great forethought.  ”[The town will] get a better return than buying a grader!” Earl added.

_______________

Footnote: Selectman Bruce Gresczyk participated fully in the discussion regarding whether or not to regulate OWFs. Bruce and his family own Gresczyk Farms on Route 202 and they operate an OWF on their farm. At past meetings Bruce has voiced opposition to any regulation of OWFs; see our report of the May 25 Board of Selectmen meeting. Bruce had been asked at a previous Board of Selectmen meeting whether he would recuse himself from any upcoming discussion on OWF and he said he was considering doing so. After the August 24 meeting, being reported on above our reporter was asked by a number of residents to check in with the First Selectman to see whether a legal opinion had been sought on Bruce’s participation in the discussion at the meeting. First Selectman Dan Jerram said that he had consulted with the town attorney, Chip Roraback and he had been told that there was no conflict. Dan pointed to the outcome of the discussion ~ to send the issue back to the Planning and Zoning Commission asking them to include OWFs in their zoning regulations ~ and said that he was perfectly comfortable with the process.

________________

Board of Selectmen

Regular Meeting

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

7:00 PM

Town Hall

AGENDA

1.)Minutes

2.)Operations Updates

3.)Grants Updates

4.)Adoption of Non-Discrimination Resolution

5.)Adoption of Loan Resolution – USDA

6.)Outdoor Wood Burning Furnaces – Discussion

7.)Distribution of Brodie – Surdam Task Force Report

8.)Request for Tax Refunds

9.)Correspondence

10.)Opportunity for Public Comment

11.)Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

[Correction: The number of hours worked by Beth Paul is 20 hours for Burlington and 20 hours for New Hartford, not 15 hours for New Hartford as our reporter assumed in the original report.  The information regarding the breakdown of her hours was not forthcoming from the First Selectman's Office, therefore our reporter assumed that Beth was working the 35 hours specified by the employees' union contract since Beth is a union member.  Today our reporter confirmed unofficially that Beth's work hours are 20 hours for Burlington and 20 hours for New Hartford.  We have not been able to confirm officially whether the additional 5 hours are being paid to Beth as overtime; nor have we been able to confirm officially whether the town is being reimbursed by Burlington for a proportion of her salary and benefits, as has been customary when the town has contracted out its employees to other municipalities in the past; 7:15 p.m., Friday, July 23]

[Correction: The union representative corrected the statement regarding the union not being approached for concessions during the budgetary process as stated in this report.  The union said that the First Selectman had asked for concessions on the health insurance, the union wanted to negotiate saving the Administrative Assistant's position in the Land Use Office; this was not made negotiable by the First Selectman and no concessions were made by the union.  Subsequently, a part-time Administrative Assistant position was reinstated in the Land Use Office and has been filled; 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 23]

[Correction: The number of hours worked by the Registrars of Voters is 10 hours per week, plus any additional days required for elections; this number was incorrectly given as 15 in this article and has been changed to 10.  The corrected total hours worked by Lila Tuxbury are 20 hours per week, which still make her eligible to qualify for the town's pension plan.  We apologise for this incorrect number; 1:00 p.m., Thursday, July 22]

By: Maria Moore

With the Jerram administration now well into its 7th month in office, that is, over a quarter through its term, NewHartfordPlus is looking at the functioning of Town Hall to see what that might tell us about the current administration. Following is Part II of a two-part report that looks at the way the Jerram administration has handled personnel changes at Town Hall. Part I, published yesterday enumerated the changes in staffing at Town Hall that have occurred since the Jerram administration came into office on December 1, 2009.

Over the past 6 months or so our reporter has spoke many times with First Selectman Dan Jerram regarding personnel changes at Town Hall and the manner in which those changes are being handled. The last contact she had with him regarding staffing at Town Hall was at the beginning of last week, the week of July 12. On Thursday, July 15 she stopped by his office to speak with him about the vandalism at Brodie Park; on Friday, July 16 she stopped in again a few minutes before noon to ask him personnel-related questions for this article; however he had just left for his one-week vacation. Our reporter also speaks with Christine Hayward, Dan Jerram’s administrative Assistant several times a week regarding municipal personnel matters. Her last conversation with Christine regarding personnel matters at Town Hall was this afternoon, Wednesday, July 21.

Our reporter mentioned to First Selectman Dan Jerram this report on personnel changes at Town Hall that she was working on and he said that he had stepped into “a particularly challenging time” when his administration came into office.  He pointed out the fraud that he had had to deal with and also the recession which had a huge impact on his budget for this fiscal year. Our reporter acknowledged the challenges he faced but also pointed out that each administration has had to face its own challenges; for example, his predecessor, Earl MacInnes had to deal with getting the approval by the townspeople for the sewer plant and then getting the construction of that plant off the ground.  Dan emphasized that there are more positive things for our reporter to focus on, such as the road repairs that are ongoing.  A report on the road repairs will be forthcoming; however, this report will concentrate on how changes in personnel are being dealt with by the First Selectman since we believe this gives valuable insight into the management style of the Jerram administration.

Following is how some of the personnel changes outlined in Part I of this report have been, or are being handled by the First Selectman:

1.  The replacement of the Highway Superintendent

The day after the Highway Superintendent was suspended without pay on January 7 First Selectman Dan Jerram appointed fellow Republican Selectman Bruce Gresczyk as Interim Highway Superintendent.  Beginning January 8, Bruce was paid $30 per hour, without benefits and with the use of a town vehicle and a gas card.  Dan pointed out the need to have someone with experience step into the position immediately since it was the middle of winter and the town was almost out of salt.  Bruce had been First Selectman in town from the early ’90s through 1998 when he left that position to move to one at the state Department of Agriculture.

Selectman Bruce Gresczyk served as Interim Highway Superintendent from January 8 through March 12, when he resigned from the position to go back to work full-time on his family’s farming business.   During his two-month stint as head of the Highway Department, Bruce reported to both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance that he had undertaken an extensive survey of the town roads, most of which he said were in “deplorable condition”.  Bruce completed that survey and helped set priorities for the roadwork to be done with the newly-elected First Selectman. Our reporter asked for a copy of Bruce’s report on the town roads and was told that Bruce had not produced a written report, neither was there a written list of priorities for road work to be undertaken; the First Selectman did show our reporter a photocopied map of the town with roads to be worked on highlighted in yellow.

Bruce also began a major tree-cutting operation in town because, as he reported to the Board of Selectmen and to the Board of Finance members, the town had neglected to keep up with tree maintenance and there were many trees that were a danger.  Our reporter asked at the end of a selectmen’s meeting what happened to the trees that were being cut down around town and she was told that they were left where they were cut and that the property owners normally took the wood.

On March 22, one week after Bruce had vacated the Interim Highway Superintendent position a new Interim Highway Superintendent (or Interim Highway Foreman as he corrected our reporter) was appointed by the First Selectman. That second Interim Highway Foreman is Doug Spencer, a 37-year veteran of the town’s Highway Department and the head of one of the town’s two road crew groups.

Our reporter checked in with the First Selectman’s Office about the “Interim” status of Doug Spencer’s appointment as Highway Foreman and she was told that it would continue for the foreseeable future.

2.  Resignation of the Town Hall Custodian and His Replacement

Norm Paul, the part-time Custodian at Town Hall worked early morning hours, completing his work before Town Hall staff arrived at work at 8:00 a.m.   Norm was informed in February by First Selectman Dan Jerram that he was needed to work during the hours that Town Hall was open.  Norm agreed to change most of his work hours to accommodate the new requirements, but not all.  This was unacceptable to the First Selectman and Norm resigned.

Our reporter asked what Norm’s work hours were when he was hired and she was told that he had been hired to work while Town Hall was open; however, he had been allowed to change his hours to early morning hours under a previous administration.

Norm’s position was not advertised as being available but rather was filled by word of mouth.  An Interim Custodian, who is related to a road crew member has been hired for the position.  However, since she is not available to work during the summer ~ she works at Brodie summer camp ~ the First Selectman’s Office advertised for a temporary summer Custodian.  A college student has been hired for the summer until the Interim Custodian is available to return to the position.  Our reporter asked whether there were any plans to hire someone permanently for that position, and was told that for now it was an interim position.

3. The suspension and retirement of the Land Use (Zoning) Officer

The town’s Zoning Officer, Karl Nilsen was suspended without pay on the basis of an internal investigation by the First Selectman of alleged time card fraud; please see our coverage of Karl’s suspension which led to his retirement.  At the beginning of this year our reporter had asked Karl about his retirement plans and Karl had responded that he had “another 5 years” before retiring.  Karl, however was openly unhappy with the new administration’s plan to eliminate the Administrative Assistant from the Land Use Office.  Like other office heads at Town Hall, he had not been asked to submit a department budget for the new fiscal year as had always been the practice of previous First Selectmen.   This year Karl and other other department heads were informed of what their budget would be and what cuts were being made.   The department heads were concerned about what the cuts proposed for their offices in the new budget and three of them attended the Saturday morning workshop held by the Board of Finance this past March; however, no public input was allowed at that workshop.

The internal investigation carried out by the First Selectman centered around Karl’s allegedly billing the same work hours to both New Hartford and Burlington.  While the investigation was ongoing our reporter asked the following questions of the First Selectman’s Office:

• Has there been a specific policy regarding employees to sign in and to sign out when leaving the building, as the new administration was now requiring all employees to do?  From what our reporter could gather, there was no set, written procedure; each First Selectman handled it differently, with the most recent First Selectman, Earl MacInnes not requiring anyone to sign in or out.
• Do employees have regular job performance reviews where they receive input regarding their performance and the expectations of their employer are clarified?  From the information our reporter was able to gather, it appears that employees at Town Hall do not receive job performance reviews or evaluations, nor have these been instituted by the Jerram administration.
• Is there an employee policy handbook, with specific guidelines and requirements of the employees at Town Hall?  Our reporter was told that there is no  employee policy handbook, nor are there any plans to put one together; rather, the response was that “we’re too small an organization” to put together an employee policy handbook.

Following the acceptance of Karl’s retirement request by the First Selectman on June 6, an Interim Zoning Officer was appointed.  Rista Malanca, who previously worked as the Administrative Assistant in the Land Use Office, has been appointed to the interim position.  A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding which was just signed last week was not available to our reporter.

4.  Bookkeeper’s Assistant Position

Roxanne Helt resigned from the Bookkeeper Assistant position in May.  Her resignation was not communicated generally to the other staff at Town Hall; however, Lila Tuxbury, the Republican Registrar of Voters, was observed being trained for the assistant bookkeeping position.

Roxanne’s position was not advertised as being available internally or in general, but rather was filled by the wife of the Vice Chairman of the Republican Town Committee, who is a close confidant of the First Selectman.  Our reporter asked about the lack of advertising and she was told that Town Hall is not required to advertise open positions.  Our reporter observed to the First Selectman and to his Administrative Assistant that, if only for appearance’s sake, she would have advertised the position.  Asked about Lila’s qualifications for the position, the First Selectman answered that she was qualified for the position, having in the past worked as a bank teller.

As noted in Part I of this report, the Bookkeeper’s Assistant position was cut from 15 hours per week to 10 hours per week;  however, since the Registrar of Voters also works 15 hours per week as a Registrar [ corrected to 10 hours per week plus any additional hours as required], the 25 hours per week make Lila eligible to qualify for the town pension plan.  [The corrected total, 20 hours per week still make Lila eligible to qualify for the town pension plan.]

However, the Assistant Bookkeeper position has not been officially filled.  Since May, the First Selectman’s Office has said that Lila Tuxbury is working as the Bookkeeper’s Assistant “on a trial basis.”  When questioned further about this, our reporter was told that they wanted to see if the position worked out for both parties.  As of the beginning of last week, July 12, the First Selectman confirmed that the position was still being filled on a trial basis.

Part-Time Administrative Assistant Hired For Land Use Office

The First Selectman commented several times since he took office that he believes that certain offices at Town Hall are overstaffed, specifically the Assessor’s Office and the Land Use Office.  At the time that he eliminated the Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office he said that support staff would be cross-trained to work in different departments, and that the Land Use Office would receive administrative support in this way.  However, a part-time Administrative Assistant position for the Land Use Office was advertised at the end of June and a new person has been hired for that position.  The position is now a 15-hour per week position.

Our reporter checked in with the First Selectman’s Office about the original plan for the administrative support for the Land Use Office to be provided by other employees at Town Hall.  She was told that that idea had been met with resistance by the employees concerned.  The First Selectman’s solution appears to have been to contract out the town’s Assessor to Burlington and to hire a part-time Administrative Assistant for the Land Use Office.

Cut In Funding Of Tax Collector Assistant Line Item May Hurt Bottom Line

[Please see the comment submitted by the Tax Collector clarifying and correcting some of the information below regarding her department]

Another notice on the doors of Town Hall is from the Tax Collector’s Office and it informs visitors that Notary services will not be available in the Tax Collector’s Office during the month of July, the busiest month of the year for the Tax Collector.  Our reporter stopped by the Tax Collector’s Office and Linda Sheffield informed her that the combination of cutting the funding in her Assistant line item, together with giving her Assistant the same raise as everyone else at Town Hall meant that this fiscal year, she will only be able to have her Assistant, Debbie Ventre work for 876 hours, rather than the 1030 hours Debbie worked last year.  This, despite the record collections by the Tax Collector’s Office last year.

Linda said that because she had Debbie available to follow up on collections, he office brought in $314,807 in back taxes owed; the previous year they had only been able to collect $115,000 in back taxes owed.   Her office also collected 98.5% of the adjusted grand levy; the Board of Finance assumed a 96% collection rate.  Linda attributes the exceptional tax collections of her office directly to her having the extra help available to follow up on collections, either directly or through hiring marshals.  This year, she said, they probably won’t be able to reach the same collection rates because she won’t have the same level of help from her assistant.  Linda also confirmed that with the cut in help, she cannot spare the time during her busy month, July to carry out Notary duties, as she has done in the past.  Requests for Notary services are being directed to the First Selectman’s Office.

Meeting The Challenge in Tough Financial Times

The First Selectman told our reporter that these were challenging times with the economy in recession.  The cutbacks in staffing and in the staff’s hours are his administration’s way of meeting that challenge.  However, one has to note that against this backdrop of cuts, his budget included 3.6% raise to non-union town employees, and he did not approach the employees’ union for concessions.  Our reporter spoke with the union representative, Nancy Eldridge who confirmed that the union had expected to be approached for concessions, and that the union had hoped to have been able tosave the Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office.  Nancy said that the First Selectman had never approached the union for concessions during the budget process and no concessions were offered by the union.  [The union subsequently corrected this by saying that the First Selectman had asked for concessions on the health insurance, the union hoped to save the Administrative Assistant's position in the Land Use Office; this was not made negotiable by the First Selectman and so the union made no concessions.  Subsequently, a part-time Administrative Assistant position was reinstated in the Land Use Office and has been filled.]

Part-Time Employees Also Eligible To Join Town Employees’ Union

During her discussions with the town employees’ union regarding staffing changes at Town Hall, our reporter was able to confirm that all part-time employees at Town Hall are eligible to join the employees’ union.  The assumption had been that part-time employees had to work at least 20 hours per week to be eligible; however, Mike Brady, the employees’ union attorney, confirmed the following to our repoter:

“As the plain language of the statute states, only part-time employees who work on a seasonal basis are excluded from MERA (see definition of employee). One who is employed for a period of more than 120 days per calendar year is covered by MERA regardless of the number of hours worked per week.”   Police Dept. of the Town of Windsor Locks v. Board of Labor Relations, 225 Conn. 297, 622 A2d 1005 (1993).

The town employees’ union representative confirmed that all existing and future part-time employees would be given the opportunity to join the employees’ union if they so wish.

[Part II of this report is in the process of being edited and will be published on Thursday. Thank you for your understanding; 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

[Addition: We have added the Building Inspector's position in the section 'Other Cuts in Personnel' since the status of that position was changed from a part-time position to a contracted service, resulting in a cut in the funding for that position; many thanks to a friend of NewHartfordPlus who pointed out this omission in our report; 10:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

[[Correction: The wording of the notice originally quoted at the beginning of this article is the wording in the Notices/Announcements section of the town's website. The notice on the doors at Town Hall is worded slightly differently. We have also added the wording of the notice on the doors to this article. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused; 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

By: Maria Moore

With the Jerram administration now well into its 7th month in office, that is, over a quarter through its term, NewHartfordPlus is looking at the functioning of Town Hall to see what that might tell us about the current administration. Following is Part I of  a two-part report that looks at the changes in the staffing of Town Hall and the way the Jerram administration has handled those changes.  This report follows up on our June 29 report Notices and Help Wanteds: Town Hall.

If you have had occasion to go to Town Hall in the last month or so you will have been met by a notice prominently displayed on the doors of the building that says:

“NOTICE:

Please be advised that summer vacation schedules may have an impact on daily office staffing.

It is always best to call ahead to insure that staff in a certain office will be available to assist you if you have business to conduct that is of a specific nature.

If you have a question or concern, and no one is available to assist you, please stop by the Selectman’s Office.

We thank you in advance for your understanding of employees’ vacation schedules.”

A similar notice is also posted on the town’s website:

“NOTICE:

Town Hall office staffing may be impacted by summer vacation schedules. If you have specific business to conduct that requires the assistance of specific personnel, it is advised to call ahead to ensure that someone with the expertise required will be available to assist you. We thank you for your understanding of summer scheduling.”

Our reporter didn’t remember seeing a sign like this at Town Hall in previous years and she checked around informally to see if anyone else remembered such a notice in the past.  None of the half-dozen residents she asked could remember such an occurrence either.  On checking with Christine Hayward, the First Selectman’s Administrative Assistant, Christine said that there had been such a notice before and that perhaps people just hadn’t noticed it in the past.   The notice itself may be a moot point: if someone has gotten to the doors of the Town Hall to read the notice, then they may already have made that trip for naught if the person they need to see is out.  The notice is also posted on the Town’s municipal website under Notices/Announcements; however, someone interested in talking to the Assessor, for example, might not think of looking in another section for information pertaining to the Assessor’s Office.

During our own trips to Town Hall over the last couple of months we noticed the following disruption in the service of several offices:

• the Land Use office was unstaffed between Thursday afternoon and the following Tuesday morning during the Memorial Day weekend.  Rista Malanca, who was the only employee who would have been available to staff the office during that time was taking a combination of comp time and a vacation day during that holiday weekend period;
• during the 4th of July, a notice on the door of the Assessor’s Office informed the public that the office would be closed two days during that week.  Laura White was on vacation that week and Beth Paul, the town Assessor was working at the Burlington Town Hall.
• on a Friday morning, the general contractor for the St. John’s Episcopal Church addition was using the credenza in the reception area of the First Selectman’s Office to go through the plans for the addition that he would be leaving with Christine Hayward since the Land Use Office was unstaffed that day.

The service provided by some of the municipal offices has definitely been impacted; however, that is due more to the cuts in the hours and in the personnel of those offices than in the fact that it is summertime.  In the past, each office at Town Hall has been staffed by two employees who staggered their vacation times so that each office was staffed by a member of that office.  With the recent turnover in employees and cuts in the number of hours staff work, it is inevitable that service to the public should suffer.

Since last December 1, when the present administration came into office, the changes in staffing at Town Hall are as follows:

Terminations/Resignations:

1. January 6: Dan LeGeyt, full-time Highway Superintendent was suspended without pay while police investigated the larceny of town money and/or town property.  Dan LeGeyt’s employment was terminated on March 26 for thefts totalling approximately $3,500 over a three-year period.  Dan LeGeyt was one of the highest paid employees on the Town Hall staff with a salary of $63,116.66.  For the specific reasons given for Dan’s termination,  see our March 29 report Town Terminates Employment of Former Highway Superintendent…
2. February: Norm Paul, part-time custodian at the Town Hall, resigned after having been asked to change his work hours from early morning to coincide with the hours Town Hall is open. Norm and the First Selectman were not able to arrive at a mutually-acceptable work schedule and Norm resigned.  Norm earned $17,000 for his part-time position.
3. March 29: Karl Nilsen, full-time Land Use Officer, was suspended without pay while an internal investigation was being conducted into allegations of time card fraud.  Karl submitted a letter of retirement to the town effective April 22. On June 6, the Town reached a settlement with Karl whereby Karl gave up accrued benefits due to him and his retirement was backdated to March 29, the date he had been suspended without pay.  Karl was also one of the highest paid employees at Town Hall with a salary of $61,516.
4. May: Roxanne Helt, part-time Bookkeeper’s Assistant, resigned her position in May for personal reasons.  Roxanne worked 15 hours per week at a salary of $12,573.

Positions Eliminated/Unfunded/Cut In Current Fiscal Year’s Budget:

The following positions were eliminated by the First Selectman in his budget for the current Fiscal Year 2010/2011 which began on July 1, 2010:

1. One full-time road crew position was eliminated.  No-one was laid off due to the move of a crew leader into the Highway Superintendent’s position.
2. One full-time Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office was eliminated.  Rista Malanca, who was due to be laid off on June 30 was not laid off due to her move into the Land Use Officer position.  A part-time, 15-hour per week Administrative Assistant has recently been hired for this position.
3. One part-time Administrative Assistant position in the Rec Department was cut from the budget.  Christy Tellier, who works 15 hours per week, is being paid directly by the Rec Department out of its operating budget.  This effectively cut the Parks and Rec budget by $14,000, the amount of Christy’s salary.

Other Cuts In Personnel:

Other cuts in the hours of Town Hall employees made by the First Selectman in addition to the cuts outlined above and which were not part of the new fiscal year’s budget are:

1. The full-time Assessor’s hours available to service the Town’s needs have been cut from 35 hours to 15 hours.  Beth Paul, the Town Assessor has been contracted out for 20 hours per week to the town of Burlington.  When our reporter asked about the arrangement, she was told that Burlington pays a pro-rated amount for Beth’s services.  Beth continues to receive all full-time benefits from the Town of New Hartford, including being enrolled as a full-time employee in the Town’s pension plan.
2. The Tax Collector’s Assistant position has been cut back from 20 hours per week to 12 hours per week.  This means that Debbie Ventre, the assistant in that department is no longer eligible to be enrolled in the Town’s pension fund.  To be eligible for a town pension, the employee must work at least 1,000 hours per year which breaks down to approximately 20 hours per week.
3. The Bookkeeper’s Assistant position has been cut back from 15 hours per week to 10 hours per week.  However, Lila Tuxbury, who is now filling this position is now eligible to be enrolled in the Town’s pension fund because she also works 15 hours per week as the Republican Registrar of Voters; the hours of the two positions combined total 25 hours, more than the approximately 20 hours per week needed to qualify for a town pension.
4. The Building Inspector’s position was changed from a part-time position to a contracted service; see our report of the March 23 Board of Selectmen meeting that includes the First Selectman’s announcement that the Building Inspector’s position had been modified.  As a contracted service provider, Paul Volovski, the town’s long-time Building Inspector was to limit his hours to no more than 15 hours per week at a rate of $40 per hour.   This reduced his salary of $40,558 as a part-time employee to a maximum of $31,200 as a contracted service provider.

These, then are the cuts that have been made to the staffing levels of the different municipal offices.  Part II of this report will look at how staffing decisions have been made by the Jerram administration.

The notice on the right advises visitors that not all Town Hall services may be available due to summertime staffing. Photo: Maria Moore

For all the best reasons in the world ~ or the worst, depending on which side of the table you’re sitting on ~ our reporter has fallen behind on writing up reports of meetings she has attended. She has now been instructed to catch up through a series of meeting briefs over the next several days, which she will attempt to do. As always, please be sure to read the official minutes of meetings which are posted in the Minutes/Agendas section of the town’s municipal website when they become available.

_______________

At its May 11 meeting, the main business of the Board of Finance (BOF) members was handled at the end, when, under item ‘VIII. Other Items to Come Before the Board,’ they set the mill rate for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2010. Before that, some of the other items discussed were:

Agenda Item #I. Superintendent’s Report Dr. Philip O’Reilly, Superintendent of New Hartford Schools, reported to the BOF on the items contained in our May 8 report …BOE Looks To Next Year….

Those items included reinstating positions that had been cut due to savings the schools had been able to realize partly through two retirements of veteran teachers and by signing a new 5-year contract with Dattco, the bus company. Philip also reported on the boiler replacement at Antolini which was also expected to cost less than had been previously projected. BOF questions were centered on whether the schools had enough money to cover the personal day/sick day buyouts which Philip said they did, and on details of the boiler installation.

Agenda Items #V: Opportunity for Public to Speak; and VI.WPCA Update

Noting that no representative from the WPCA was at the meeting to give an update, Denton Butler, BOC (Building Oversight Committee) member expressed his strong concern about the way the WPCA was operating which, he said, “was not proceeding in a manner and at a speed to benefit the town of New Hartford.”  Saying that the wastewater treatment plant would reach substantial completion by the end of June, Denton laid out a number of his concerns to the BOF members, including:

• there was still no quotation for an operator for the plant;
• reporting to the DEP was still deficient and without that reporting the DEP will not release any money;
• funding opportunities for sewer extensions would expire in July and the WPCA has not pursued that funding;
• and that user fees can’t exceed 2% of residents’ median income, limiting the amount that can be raised from users which may then come back on non-users.

Ben Witte, BOF chairman informed the other members of the Board of Finance that Bill Michaud of the WPCA had emailed him to let him know that he wouldn’t be able to make the meeting.  Ben then said: “There seems to be conflict between the WPCA and the BOC. Any time they have brought up issues here the conflict seems to subside and then rise again.” Jim Fitzgerald commented: “It’s a business, and they need to run it as such. We have asked for a 5-year projection and we still don’t have that.” Jim ended by saying he “would have the Board (WPCA) step up or resign and elect someone else who’ll do it.” Dan Jerram, First Selectman added his viewpoint: “I can’t contest what Denton has said. It’s not like any other enterprise ~ it’s a “fee for service” enterprise. The ability to meet deadlines is becoming a greater and greater concern. The request for proposal for operator ~ they kicked it to a consultant and paid $8,000 to do it. They could have done that last year.”

After more discussion Ben suggested putting together a subcommittee to address the matter, but Dan Jerram said he wasn’t sure if he could do that. He said the selectmen could put it on their agenda. Jim proceeded to give more input but Ben responded: “Let the selectmen have a try at it.” And he told Jim to go to the Board of Selectmen if he had any more input. “Ben’s last words on the matter: “I’m just frustrated we keep talking about it!”

As his final Public Comment, Denton said: “I urge you not to increase taxes but draw down reserves to cover any increase in taxes.” Our reporter seconded that request.

Agenda Item #VII, Reports

Treasurer’s Report: Gordon Ross, town Treasurer reported that the town had received the ECS (Education Cost Sharing) money from the state, and that the town’s tax collection rate was 98%, which he said was good.

First Selectman’s Report: Dan Jerram reported that there had been a low turnout for the budget referendum but that it had passed the first time. On the line item transfers, he said Chip (Roraback, the town’s attorney) was considering his position about the line item transfers. Asked about the washout, Dan said that the Inland Wetlands (Commission) has revised it (the plan) a bit and that a second soil scientist was looking at it (the washout area).

Laura Sundquist brought up the fact that the town has two polling stations and that, in talking to Daria and Lila (the town’s Registrars of Voters) they don’t want two. Reggie Smith Jr. said he likes his polling station exactly where it is (Reggie votes in the South End Firehouse); Jim Fitzgerald said there should be only one and that it should be in Bakerville, which has the greater population. Gordon Ross said that in Canton they had passed their budget at a town meeting. Both Dan Jerram and Ben Witte were of the opinion that they had a bigger turnout (with a referendum) compared to a town meeting. Reggie, thinking back to his time as First Selectman in the early 90s with a very active Taxpayers’ Association said: ” I have seen 20 people (at a town meeting) or 500 ready to lynch you!”

Agenda Item #VIII. Other Items to Come Before the Board

The Board of Finance members then discussed setting the mill rate which Ben said they had to do at that meeting in order to get the tax notice out to the taxpayers. Without a copy of the mil rate calculation sheet ~ there were just enough copies for the Board of Finance members ~ and without other visual aids, our reporter had a difficult time following the technical part of the mil rate discussion. The final outcome of the discussion is as follows, as emailed to our reporter by Ben Witte on May 12 in his correction to the figures she had incorrectly reported in our May 12 Grapevine:

“The tax increase is 0.42% (not 0.1%). The mill rate is 0.10 mils increase. This is identical to what was presented at the budget hearing (0.33% tax incr, 0.08 mils & 96% collections), with a slight change to the grand list based on BAA (Board of Assessment Appeals) appeals settlements subsequent to the hearing.”

Following is some of the discussion surrounding the setting of the mill rate.

Ben asked the question: “What do we want to set for the mill rate and for the collection rate?” And then he went around the table getting each BOF member’s response:

• Roy Litchfield: Roy said: “”I’d like to go to zero and would like to see us discuss zero increase in the mill rate. we can do that by adjusting mill rate, and have the opportunity to finance any shortfall shoul it materialize. I really think we started at zero, came close, can keep it at zero.”
• Reggie Smith, Jr.: Reggie asked if anyone had a list of the collection rate over the last 5 years and Ben answered: “The collection rate has been over 98%. We can do anything we like with it.” Ben then cautioned that there was a tight collection rate coming up, that they hadn’t adjusted for appeals.   Reggie asked about moving money from the surplus fund.  ”We can’t move money from surplus after the budget is passed, correct?” Ben agreed, saying the only thing they can change is the collection rate.  Reggie said that they had told voters they would take an additional $30,000 (out of the surplus?) to get to zero.  Ben calculated what the collection rate would have to be to get to zero, and he came up with 96.4.  He said: “If we go at 96, we can put that as a hedge for next year.”  Reggie’s final word: “I’m very concerned about the revenue from the state. I support support 96.4%.”
• Laura Sundquist: ”I admire going for 0%. We’ve passed it and I would rather keep it for insurance for next year.”
• Alesia Kennerson: Alesia agreed with Laura, supporting a 96% collection rate.  ”I accept the figures as on the sheet (mill rate calculation sheet), and keep it as insurance for next year.”
• Jim Fitzgerald said: “(The difference is) so small, and based on what we said, stick with it.”
• Gordon Ross said: “Nobody would really notice it.”
• Ben said: “We will want to budget 97% for next year.   I recommend (we) take 96 and go with that.”
• Dan Jerram said: “It wouldn’t bother me either way.”
• Jim Fitzgerald asked what the collection rate had been over the last two years and Gordon answered: “98.6% Annie (Witte, the town Bookkeeper) told me today.”

Ben then proposed a motion based on a collection rate of 96%.   However, before it could be voted on, Denton Butler asked to speak and in a very forceful tone of voice, he asked whether they had considered how it would be interpreted by their constituents, when they came in with an increase?  ”The last time the collection rate has been at 96% was in ’91-’92.”  He pointed out.     “The bigger issue is if you have the fortitute to stand your ground.” Denton went on. “I defended you through this process. You lost, and now you’re dinking around over the collection rate.”

Denton’s remarks led to another round of discussion over the collection rate.  Jim asked Ben directly what the collection rate is and Ben answering: “98% plus if it makes a difference to you!”  The Board touched on the fact that they had initially said 0% and then had presented 0.8%, which the voters had approved. Ben said that they had been very open at public meetings, and that the additional funds (collected) always go towards funding the next year’s budget.  Never one to like to pay taxes before they’re due, our reporter commented that as a taxpayer, she’d rather the town collected only the taxes needed to fund the budget, rather than to keep collecting more and then putting it towards next year’s budget.

With everyone having had an opportunity to have their say, Denton said: “It’s a philosophy.  I’ve had my say ~ move to a vote.”  Reggie also asked they move to a vote, which the Board did.  Roy who is an alternate on the Board, did not vote. All the other Board members, with the exception of Reggie Smith Jr., voted in favor of the motion, which set the mill rate at 0.08 mils based on 96% collections.

_______________

Board of Finance Meeting, Tuesday, May 11, 2010

AGENDA

I.Seating of Alternates
II.Adoption/Revision of Agenda
III.Superintendent / BOE Report – Dr. O’Reilly
IV.Approval of Minutes a.3/9/10 – Regular Meeting b.3/13/10 – Special Meeting c.3/23/10 – Special Meeting d.4/6/10 – Special Meeting e.4/13/10 – Regular Meeting
V.Opportunity for Public to Speak
VI.WPCA Update
VII.Reports: a.Bookkeeper’s Report – Annie Witte b.Treasurer’s Report – Gordon Ross c.First Selectman’s Report – Dan Jerram
VIII.Other Items to Come Before the Board
IX.Adjournment

A view of Town Hall from under the fragrant tree in front of the Misiorski building across Route 44. Photo: Maria Moore

A Note from the NewHartfordPlus crew: A comment was made at the end of this meeting to the effect that NewHartfordPlus would misreport the meeting anyway.  For the record, our reporter does her best to report on the wide array of topics discussed in the many meetings she attends ~ and not always with the benefit of documents handed out to board members.  If you are aware of an error in our reports, please let us know and we will publish the correction, clarification,  etc. as soon as we become aware of it.  Our corrections are noted at the top of the report in question.  The only corrections we are not able to make are those that would knowingly favor one political viewpoint over another, or one group of residents over another.  As Bob, our techie, is fond of reminding us: “We want to stay playful at this!”

By: Maria Moore

Yesterday evening’s Board of Selectmen meeting at 5:30 p.m. was a brief one, with the Selectmen moving through the agenda items at a steady pace and ending by 6:05 ~ just in time to get home to dinner for those who were not staying for the 7:00 p.m. Board of Finance meeting.

Following is a report on some of the items on the Selectmen’s May 11 meeting agenda; the full agenda is listed at the end of this article.  As always, please be sure to read the official minutes which will be posted on the town website once they become available.

3.  Operations

Budget Referendum: First Selectman Dan Jerram said that the budget referendum had gone well, with a 2:1 approval by the voters of the budget on the first try.  He added the head moderator’s sheet of the vote count to the record of the meeting.

Roads: Dan said that guard rail posts are now being worked on by the road crew.  He also said that Glasso (company) is specing out the roads to be worked on ~ Southeast, Burwell, Steele and Kinsey ~ and then they’ll figure out the chip sealing.   Regarding the West Hill Road overlay, Dan said two bids had come in.

Parking on Central Avenue: Dan said he has talked with the Beekley Library Board about using some of the Foothills land for parking and the Board members seemed receptive to it. They’re continuing to work on it.  The Foothills land is the grassy area between the old library building and the new library on Central Avenue. The Foothills Trader was located there when it was locally-owned.

Wastewater Treatment Plant: Selectman Tom Klebart asked when the sewer plant would be coming online and Dan said: “It’s ready to go” and mentioned the end of May.

5. Resignations from Boards/Commissions – WPCA, Conservation

WPCA: Dan announced that MaryBeth Greenwood, who has been on the WPCA for just over a year, has resigned due to personal reasons.  Steve Hanright was appointed to the WPCA on Dan’s recommendation.  Tom asked if there was still a vacancy on the WPCA, and Dan said there was, that they were waiting for the WPCA to complete the revision of their charter before appointing someone else.

Conservation: Chris James on the Conservation Commission is moving out of state and has resigned from the Commission.  The Selectmen will be looking for a replacement for Chris.

Commission on Aging: Dan proposed Penny Miller for the vacancy on the COA and the selectmen approved Penny for that Commission.

8.  Set Time, Date, Manner of Special Town Meeting

A Special Town Meeting was set for Thursday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. to act on an easements from Mary Ann Gunning (Emergency Access easement) and St. John’s Church.  The easements are to allow the WPCA access to lines located near the walkway to be constructed as part of the new addition at the back of the church; see the April 12 press release from St. John’s.  To read a downloadable copy of the Notice of Special Meeting, please see the link at the end of this report.

10. Correspondence:

Paul Volovski, the town Building Inspector, sent in a letter saying that the Rec Commission wants to take out the boathouse at Brodie Park since it was unsafe.  Paul agreed that the structure was unsafe.  The selectmen approved taking down the building.

11. Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

Bill Baxter, former First Selectman, had come to the meeting with copies for the Selectmen of paperwork related to the Northwest Chamber of Commerce’s initative to set up an Economic Development District.  This district would include towns in Litchfield county and the northwest corner.   Bill Baxter had recently made a presentation to the town’s Economic Development Commission on the Chamber’s initiative and the town had contributed a small sum [$250? ~ to be confirmed] towards a study for such a district.  Bill told the Selectmen that state funding agencies would now be looking at funding on a regional, rather than a municipal level.  The state has also passed legislation limiting the number of regions in the state to 8, and Bill said that small towns in our area need to hurry, or they may end up being assigned to economic development regions with Danbury or Waterbury.  Tom expressed the apparent feeling of the Selectmen when he said: “I’d rather be absorbed by Torrington or Winsted, rather than Danbury!”  Dan said that the LHCEO (Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials had taken a little time to get on board) but they now saw the need for it.

LID (Low Impact Development Stakeholders’ Group): Tom said that the LID was progressing nicely and they were finding that it worked well with the new regulations (the proposed regulations that will soon come into effect.)

The meeting ended shortly after 6 and our reporter went home for a while, leaving Reggie Smith, Jr., the only other member of the public at the meeting, to relax a little in the conference room before the Board of Finance meeting at 7 p.m.

_______________

To read a downloadable copy of the Notice of Special Meeting: Please click on the following link: Notice of Special Town Meeting, May 20 (197).

_______________

Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
5:30 PM

AGENDA

1.) Minutes – April 13, 2010; April 20, 2010
2.) Opportunity for Public Comment
3.) Operations Updates
4.) Grants Updates
5.) Resignations from Boards/Commissions – WPCA, Conservation
6.) Appointment to WPCA – Steve Hanright
7.) Authorization to sign 2010/2011 Sand/Salt State Contract
8.) Set Time, Date, Manner of Special Town Meeting
9.) Request for Tax Refunds
10.) Correspondence
11.) Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

St. John's Episcopal Church in Pine Meadow with the red banner across the front announcing the building of its new addition. Photo: Maria Moore

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Wednesday, May 12, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at the Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 9 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Wii bowling at 10 a.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Children’s Story Time for 2-year-olds at the Beekley Library: at 10:15 a.m. at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. For more information please call Andrea Gaedeke at the library at 860-379-7235.
• Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting: at 7:00 p.m. New Hartford Town Hall, 530 Main St. See today’s listing on our Calendar page for a copy of tonight’s meeting agenda.

Our Community Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events – a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Community Bulletin Board where you can see flyers and information on local groups and events.

Should your event be listed here and you don’t see it? Please email us the info. and we’ll add it! Send to newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write Calendar in the subject line.

…NHGrapevine…

“The reason I’m voting for the record is because I’m very concerned about what the state will do.”

Reggie Smith said after the Board of Finance voted in favor of assuming a 96% collection rate; Reggie cast the only vote against the increase.  The other option discussed would have been a 96.4% collection rate.

Here’s the numbers directly from Ben:

“The tax increase is 0.42% (not 0.1%). The mill rate is 0.10 mils increase. This is identical to what was presented at the budget hearing (0.33% tax incr, 0.08 mils & 96% collections), with a slight change to the grand list based on BAA appeals settlements subsequent to the hearing.”

[Many thanks to Ben Witte, the "numbers guy" and Chairman of the Board of Finance, for looking over our numbers and correcting them.]

[This grapevine has been corrected to reflect that Reggie voted against the 0.1% mil rate increase; many thanks to the friend of NewHartfordPlus who corrected this for us.]

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard – or seen – in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

The lilacs in full bloom outside the Moore home. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Tuesday,April May 11, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Early Literacy Program: Comprehension Session: at 9:30 a.m. at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. For more information about this Early Literacy Program please see the flyer posted in our Bulletin Board or call the Library at 860-379-7235.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford. For more information about the library please visit the Bakerville Library website.
• Board of Selectmen Regular Meeting: at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting please see our Calendar.
• Board of Finance Meeting: at 7:00 p.m. in the Senior Center at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting please see our Calendar.
• The Landscape of the American Mystery Novel: Blind Descent by Nevada Barr: at 7:00 p.m. at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. Book discussion with Pat D’Ascoli, editor of CT Muse. For more information about this book discussion series, pleas see our February 4 article The Landscape of the American Mystery Novel…
• Have a Spring-related business you want to advertise?: Check out our BRAND NEW Yellow Pages: an economical, simple way to get your business in front of our 32,066 visitors (this past March). Use the “Submit Your Listing” form to send us your information and we’ll list your business. Looking for a lawn care service? Check our Yellow Pages where we’ll be listing companies as soon as their info. is submitted to us.

Our Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events – a permanent record of events in New Hartford. Also check out our Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups.

…NHGrapevine…

“Not everyone has the same visual: I suggest a town outing or picnic to show where they would put their projects.”

One of the suggestions made by a resident at last night’s public forum to collect ideas of uses for Brodie Park South. A larger than usual number of residents turned out for the meeting that began the public participation in the development of a long-term plan for the property; see our upcoming article on this meeting.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard – or seen – in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine.. section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

The entrance to the Town Hill Cemetery in dappled sunlight. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

It’s been six months since our article An NPR Moment: An Important Message From Our Editor and I won’t bore you by running through the wonderful reasons why you should support NewHartfordPlus financially.  But maybe I will ~ just a tad:

• An average 1,000 visitors per day come to NewHartfordPlus for their local news coverage ~ a lot of interest in the happenings of our small town of 6,500+ residents;
• Our blow-by-blow news coverage of issues we consider important is unequalled: just look back in our archives beginning in January and see for yourself our comprehensive coverage of the recent budget process ~ over 30 articles (feels more like 300!) covering all New Hartford Schools Board of Ed meetings, all Board of Selectmen meetings, most of Regional #7 Board of Ed meetings and all but one of the Board of Finance meetings (the one I didn’t report on was my symbolic boycott: the April 13 meeting after the Public Hearing on the budget when the Board of Finance made no changes to their proposed budget ~ although I did report the essential outcome of that meeting in the Grapevine quote the next in our April 14 Daily Calendar);
• our attendance at an average of 4 meetings per week, including town boards and commissions, and non-profits.  And this means attending the full meeting, not just a 10-minute stop ~ long enough to shoot a 1-minute video clip, write down 2-3 quotes and then leave ~ as one of the local reporters for one of the newspapers covering our town is now in the habit of doing.
• our unaffiliated view on town politics and events which means sometimes I’ll speak up at meetings and ask the hard questions ~ mostly the ones which residents suggest I ask since they, for their own good reasons, feel they can’t ask publicly;
• link our community in person: one of the huge pleasures of being out in our community at different meetings and events, is being able to connect residents with other residents and local organizations just by saying at the right time: “Oh, so and so would love to contribute to your cause/would be really interested in your service/offers the service you’re looking for/have you thought of getting in touch with…? …”
• link our community on the web:  so many residents let us know “I read about it on NewHartfordPlus!”, “I’m so glad you mentioned that!…”

The only thing that has changed in the last 6 months is that my work hours at my paying job have now increased to an average of 30 hours per week, while Bob continues to work full-time.  NewHartfordPlus is our “extra-curricular” activity, taking up an average of 80 hours per week.  You do the math.  Suffice it to say that when we took a 2-hour break this past Sunday to start work on our garden, we both said: “We have to make time to do this!”

OK, here’s the pitch:

If you enjoy coming to NewHartfordPlus at least a couple of times per week, and you find something that makes you feel more connected to our community, then Bob and I are asking you to consider adding NewHartfordPlus to your “Must Support” list.  $10 per month, gets you listed on our Stakeholders page which we really will get updated ~ another “housekeeping chore” which we’ve put below “cover the news” on our to-do list.

We are not asking the non-profit organization you belong to ~ only one of which in the past 16 months has made a financial contribution to our local news site.  But of course, we would gladly welcome any contribution from any of the non-profits whose events we cover, and to whom we provide a link on our home page to their organization’s website, all for free.

We are not asking the Republican Town Committee or the Democratic Town Committee ~ which appear to interpret “Unaffiliated” to mean “One of Them,” even if the large number of voters in New Hartford identify themselves as “Unaffiliated.”

We are asking YOU, our reader, to consider supporting this independent, local news source that continues to link you to our community and our community to you.  Whether you consider us “the blog“, as Ben Witte, the Board of Finance Chairman, referred to NewHartfordPlus in his comment blasting our “slanted coverage” and in which he gave the results of the budget referendum to our readers even as our reporter was down at Town Hall waiting for the results ~ or as the closest thing to a local newspaper since the “New Hartford News” ceased publication in the 1950s [ ? gotta check the name and the date with Dina Waker, our original reporter about town] ~ NewHartfordPlus IS the place to catch up on our local news.

So, until another unaffiliated news source takes our place (Please let us know and we’ll help you get started!), or I decide I really am more interested in pursuing a Masters in Social Work than in being the self-appointed town reporter/photographer/editor 24/7:

Your financial support is critical in continuing to keep NewHartfordPlus reporting on our community!

Thank You,

Maria

P.S.  I’ve promised myself today that, even with two back-to-back meetings to cover this evening, many “hot irons in the fire,” and 150 unread emails in my Inbox, I will find the time to plant the two pink lily of the valley I bought at the Garden Club’s Plant Sale last Saturday, because as Bob reminded me again this morning:

“We’ve gotta stay playful at this!”

Watch for the photo of the two planted pink lily of the valley plants  in tomorrow’s Daily Calendar…

Ways to contribute to NewHartfordPlus:

• Send a check to NewHartfordPlus at P.O. Box 667, New Hartford, CT 06057
• Use the “Buy Us A Coffee” PayPal link to make a payment using your debit or credit card.

Or, in the traditional, country way: right now we’re in need of a coupla bales of hay for our garden…

The wisteria is blooming freely again on the large maple opposite the Moore's home, a glorious reminder that "tempus fugit" and the opportunity to plant a spring garden is a fleeting one: Seize it! Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

[Winchester (which includes Winsted) and Burlington have been added to the round-up of how our neighboring towns handle their budget process in the commentary below; 12:30 noon, Tuesday, May 4]

Commentary by Maria Moore

As we in New Hartford make a stop at our polling places on May 4 to cast a vote for the town’s budget ~ just a “yes” or a “no” required ~  it’s worth noting what our neigbors in surrounding towns will be doing:

• Barkhamsted: An Annual Town Meeting and Budget Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m.  The Barkhamsted town website has the following announcement: ”This is your opportunity to vote on important town issues, including the 2010/2011…  Mark your calendar and come to these annual meetings so that your voice can be heard. You will also receive a postcard with this same information. budgets for the town and the school.”
• Harwinton: An Annual Budget Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m.  The Harwinton town website has the following announcement: “The electors and those persons eligible to vote in town meetings of the Town of Harwinton are hereby warned and notified to meet in the Assembly Hall of the Town Hall… for the Annual Budget Meeting for the following purposes: 1. To consider and act upon the municipal budget…
• Canton: A legal notice posted on the Canton town website states: “The annual town budget meeting of all electors and those qualified to vote in Town Meetings in the Town of Canton will be held on Monday, May 10, 2010 at 7:30 p.m… for the purpose of discussing and voting upon the Board of Finance recommended budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. The Charter Revision requires 150 Voters be present for a quorum and if not it will automatically go to a referendum which will cost the town approximately $3,500.” (Bold lettering in the original notice).
• Winsted (Winchester): Voters at the Winchester Annual Budget Meeting held last night, May 3 approved some adjustments to the town budget, and did not approve others.  The adjusted budget was sent to a referendum vote on May 25.  About 180 residents out of the total 10,600 (2000 Census data) voted on the adjustments to the budget that was sent to referendum;  for more information about Winchester’s Annual Budget Meeting please see Dan Ivers’ report in today’s Register Citizen Adjusted budget proposal forwarded to May 25 referendum.
• Burlington: A call to Burlington’s Town Clerk’s Office found that Burlington holds an Annual Budget Meeting, this year in June, at which the town budget may be adjusted by residents and then voted on at that same meeting.  Asked about the turnout for those meetings, our reporter was told the turnout varies ~ from 10 to 200 or so ~ depending on the issues during a particular budget cycle.

This quick survey shows that our neighboring towns all hold Annual Budget Meetings where their town’s voters can discuss the proposed budget, make changes to it if  they so choose and then vote on that budget.   The traditional New England small town form of government is alive and well in our neighboring towns.

Not so in New Hartford.

Somewhere along the way, the voters in New Hartford have been stripped of the ability to have a direct say, line item by line item, on the content of the budget they will then be asked to vote on.  Would this open discussion mean that each line item of the budget would be exactly as they would want it?  Of course not.  Whenever there are two or more interested parties, there is always some level of disagreement.

But is the fact that there will inevitably be disagreements enough to take away that direct control of the budget?  We don’t believe so.

For as things stand, residents show up at budget presentations, hearings and Saturday workshops, and usally they are allowed to have their say.  But when all has been said, and the voters go back home,  it is the members of the Board of Finance who will, or will not, make changes to the budget following residents’ input.

Take, for example, this past budget season which has led up to Tuesday’s Budget Referendum.  Residents expressed their concerns, or outright opposition to the following line items in the Town Administration budget, either at the various meetings or to the selectmen in person:

• Raises from 2% to 3.5% are slated for Town Hall employees  without a contractual obligation to give those raises.  This includes the First Selectman and all other non-union employees.  In a poor economy with high unemployment, residents were critical of the raises, especially in view of the fact that Regional #7 administrators and their non-union staff did not give themselves raises for the second year running;
• There is great concern about the dismantling of the Land Use Office, with the Administrative Assistant’s position being eliminated, and the Land Use Officer suspended;
• There has been an ongoing debate about the 40% reduction in the paving line item, with the 322.8% increase in the Crack and Chip Seal account ($206,000 more).  Several who work in the field, as well as the foreman of a neighboring town all say that the there have been changes in the composition of the chip seal in recent years that render it a poor choice; yet the change in the way roads will be repaired is based on a former First Selectman’s experience over a decade ago, with no supporting study or investigation to base the change on.

And yet, when it came time for the Board of Finance (BOF) members to adjust, or not, the proposed budget, BOF Chairman Ben Witte’s question: “Having heard residents’ input, do we want to make any changes to the budget?” was met with silence.  Not one change was made to the proposed budget based on residents’ input.

And so, this year too, a few more town residents will go to the polls to vote on a town budget for next year than would otherwise show up at an Annual Town Meeting.  With the cost of a referendum at about $2,500, are the few extra votes worth giving up our right to have a direct say on the line items in the budget?  In our opinion, this is too high a price to pay.

We hope that in the next budget cycle, our town’s voters will regain control of the town budget so that we can again have a real say in how our tax dollars will be spent.

Dear Editor:

The loss of our zoning officer KARL NILSEN leaves New Hartford residents with big shoes to fill. I have worked with Karl on many issues with my properties going back some 15 years or so. I have also worked with Karl as a member of the Inland Wetlands Commission. I have attended training and meetings on weekends and nights with Karl. Since knowing him, I have never found him to be anything but professional, knowledgeable and helpful with his extreme understanding and experience in his chosen field.

I am writing this letter because the man I’m talking about served this town for 25 years with dignity. I have talked with engineers, lawyers, surveyors, builders, and residents who have worked with Karl, and everyone had nothing but the utmost respect for this man. Whether or not these allegations are true, I cannot answer without ALL THE FACTS. Knowing Karl he will prove them to be false. The First Selectman has forced a man that many people could come to with questions to leave his position before he was ready. On top of that, he is also after his well-deserved pension without first being found guilty. As a taxpayer, I will remember how this was handled, as should we all come election time. If these allegations are proved to be unfounded, this town could be headed for a lawsuit. This unfortunate incident could have been avoided had this been found to be true first before taking action. I would also like to urge all taxpayers to get a copy of the budget before voting on May 4th to see exactly where your money is going.

Good luck Karl in your new endeavors,

Troy LaMere

Board of Finance Saturday workshop on March 13, when a number of Town Hall employees attended the meeting. Photo: Maria Moore

With a town-wide referendum slated for tomorrow, Tuesday, May 4 to vote for (“Yes”) or against (“No”)the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, 2010-2011, which is being proposed by the town’s Board of Finance, we are publishing a round-up of budget-related information for those who would like to review the budget and the discussions surrounding the budget:

• To review the proposed 2010-2011 Town Administration budget, please visit the town’s municipal website and click on the tab CLICK HERE FOR THE PROPOSED NEW HARTFORD TOWN GOVERNMENT BUDGET which will download an 18-page copy of the proposed budget;
• To review the proposed 2010-2011 New Hartford Schools budget, please visit the town’s municipal website and click on the tab CLICK HERE FOR THE PROPOSED NEW HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGETwhich will download a 33-page copy of the proposed budget;
• To view the budget presentations at the Public Budget Hearing held on April 6, please see our April 12 report …Budget Public Hearing Videos.  The 12 video segments include the Northwestern Regional #7 proposed budget presentation, the New Hartford Schools proposed budget presentation and the Town Administration budget presentation.

You may also check out our Archives and read our complete coverage of the budget process, beginning in February 2010.

By: Maria Moore

The New Hartford Republican Town Committee held a Candidate Night this past Thursday evening and the Senior Center was filled to capacity with Republicans and invited guests eager to hear what the candidates had to say.  Candidates at the meeting are in the running for state and national seats.  Following in the order of their appearance, are the candidates who presented at the meeting:

Rob Simmons, Candidate for US Senate:

Rob simmons

Rob Simmons, a former Congressman and the first Business Advocate to be appointed in Connecticut, talked negatively about the government’s new healthcare legislation.  He also asked rhetorically: “How much has the stimulus done for you?” And answered “Zero!” to his own question.  He emphasized that his immigrant grandfather hadn’t come to the United States for a handout, but rather for the opportunity to do well in his new country.  He also criticized his Democratic rival, Attorney Richard Blumental as being unfriendly to small business.  As a candidate, he said, he brings the ability to win at a grassroots level.

Mr. Simmons answered the following questions from the audience:

• The closing of Gitmo (Guantanamo Bay detention camp):  ”I don’t support the closing of Gitmo and bringing the criminals to the US.”
• Repealing the LLC tax: “The $250,tax where they hit you with a tax before you make a nickel” Mr. Simmons  called “Disgraceful.”

Linda McMahon, Candidate for US Senate

Linda McMahon

Linda McMahon, who, together with her husband, ran the successful company World Wrestling Entertainment for 29 years, spoke about taking control of the national debt “the way you run your household.”  She said we need to stop spending instead of raising taxes to cover our spending.  In our government, she said: “let’s at least break even.” She also said the way to make the country business friendly is for the government to create the climate, and then people will create the jobs.

Ms. McMahon’s answers to questions asked by the audience:

• Asked if she has contributed to (Attorney Richard) Blumenthal’s campaign, she said she hasn’t, that in the past she has contributed to the Democrats because of personal and business relationships, but not to Blumenthal.
• Asked about her stance on Iran’s getting nuclear weapons, Ms. McMahon characterized the Iranian President, Ahmadinejad as ” a crazy man” and Iran as “a rogue nation.”  She said the US could shut down Iran with its own sanctions, without Russia and China.
• Asked about her stance on financial reform, Ms. McMahon said that we have enough agencies already, that there are financial measures already in place and that they just need to be used.  ”The SEC should step up to the plate!” She added.  Reggie Smith, a member of the town’s Board of Finance, asked her what she would do about the national debt and Ms. McMahon said that she would use all the money that’s been paid back to reduce the national debt.

Mark Boughton, Candidate for Governor

Mark Boughton

Mark Boughton, the Mayor of Danbury, spoke of his having been elected in a Democratic stronghold.   In his tenure as mayor, he said, Danbury has achieved the lowest property taxes in the state, the lowest water rates and the lowest crime rate.  He outlined his 3Rs of government: Revitalize the state’s economic development strategy, Redesign the state government, and Rethink the vision of what state government should be.

Mr. Boughton’s responses to questions from the audience:

• Asked how he would deal with the anti-business climate in the state, he said: “When I get a bill that’s anti-business, I will bring it right back to the local organizations.”
• Asked if he could be counted on to veto any anti-gun bills, he said: “I don’t own a gun ~ it’s a personal choice.  But I wouldn’t support any new (anti-gun) legislation.”  He went on to say: “To fix violence, you have to give them hope.   You need a very strong economy.”

Lt. Governor Michael Fedele, Candidate for Governor

Michael Fedele

The Lt. Governor said his family emigrated to the US looking for opportunity, something which he said he doesn’t believe is available to our childen.  He said: “We have to get people back to work.” And he said the governor has to be the one who creates jobs both here and abroad.  ”The next governor can’t be someone who needs on the job training, it has to be someone who knows the job.”  He then went on to highlight his own experience in business.

Questions answered by the candidate:

• Lt. Governor Fedele was asked whether he had a work for welfare program, he said that not too many people will be going back to the jobs they previously held and that there was a need for training programs at the community colleges.
• Alesia Kennerson, a Board of Finance member, said she agreed with a redirection in government but she wanted to know how that could be done smartly so as not to create another problem.  The Lt. Governor’s response was that they needed to look to technology, and do it through attrition and smart growth.
• First Selectman Dan Jerram asked how a small town can compete when the state has lots of incentives available only to large towns.  Lt. Governor Fedele said that it would have to be through transparency and by having small towns and large towns sitting at the same table.

Mark Zydanowicz, Candidate for the 1st Congressional District

Mark Zydanowicz

Mark Zydanowicz said that he has three special interest groups , his three children! He is the Marketing Director of Guida’s Dairy Products. He said that as part of his work he is talking to businesses every day. He said there’s a need for a fresh approach and that he believes in term limits. He said there’s a need for sustainable jobs, and for tax incentives. He also said that he would support the repeal of health care, that we: “Can’t fund it, and can’t support it.”

Mr. Zydanowicz gave the following answers to questions he was asked:

• He was asked what he felt about Arizona and the border issue in general and he answered: “When a rancher gets killed, we need to do something.”  He said we need to do a layered defense, that it needs to be part of national defense and needs to be taken seriously.
• Asked  if he was for renewable energy, Mr. Zydanowicz said he saw it as a way to lower the tax base, to have green companies in green areas of Connecticut.

Ann Brickley, Candidate for the 1st Congressional District

Ann Brickley

Ann Brickley, a former GE executive who works with businesses to improve performance, said she couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch problems go unsolved. On unemployment, she said that excess government spending was not doing anything to promote jobs. On healthcare, she said the health care bill will only make the situation worse ~ it is throwing money at the system and not the problem. On energy and the environment, Ms. Brickley who is a Master Gardener, said it’s more sensible to pursue natural gas and responsible drilling.

Questions she answered included:

• Whether she had given thought to social security going broke in 2010 to which she answered that we need to start asking the tough questions and that she needs to study it some more.
• On the financial regulation Ms. Brickley said he strongly disagrees with it, that it puts the government in the position to decide who’s too big to fail.
• On health care reform, she said she is for repealing it.
• Asked her thoughts on keeping jobs in Connecticut, Ms. Brickley said she believes in free enterprise and that we need to support it.  She said to keep jobs here we need to be more productive and she supports educational training and developing the infrastructure.
• Asked about her thoughts on companies relying more on contractual workers who are seen as consumable and discrimination against older workers, Ms. Brickley said we need to invest in job training, in more innovation.
• Asked about her thoughts on No Child Left Behind, she said she was disappointed that we don’t get a better education in the US, that we need to support teachers more and get technology into the classrooms and increase the school day.

Jerry Farrell, Jr., Candidate for Secretary of State

Jerry Farrell, Jr.

Jerry Farrell, Jr. who is currently the state Commissioner of Consumer Protection, said it’s very important to elect Republicans and that the Secretary of State is the keeper of all records. He said in his current position he has looked at how to make his department more efficient and less costly. As Secretary of State he would go from agency to agency to work with them to make their processes more efficient. Renewing licenses online is one example of such an efficiency.

Questions he answered included:

• Jim Fitzgerald, RTC Chairman, asked about the paper ballots and Mr. Farrell said we’re now invested in the system and we need to make sense of the paperwork, to make it simpler to process.
• Asked how long he has practiced law, Mr. Farrell said 11 years as a practicing attorney and that he won’t need an attorney to approve his qualifications.
• Asked about his feelings towarad ROVAC, he said he’d like to see questions answered more quickly, to try to give timely, consistent answers.

As Jim Fitzgerald was giving the closing statement to the meeting, he was informed that another candidate, Martha Dean had been able to make it to the meeting and she was given the opportunity to address the meeting.

Martha Dean, Candidate for Attorney General

Martha Dean

Martha Dean, a business owner who has actively practiced law for 22 years, said that the state is becoming so anti-business, our children are going to other states. She said it was meaningless to talk about jobs, that: “Jobs are like leaves on trees, they’re going to naturally occur if you have good soil.” She sees the need to be not only an economic one, but one of leadership ~ the need for a principled approach to life. She went through her platform which is built on three pillars, Freedom, Faith and Fortune: Freedom from undue oppression and government mandates; Faith ~ that Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of this country and that the separation of church and state was never meant to take religion out of public ceremonies, public places, or public things; Fortune ~ that taking money from those who have it and spreading it around only makes those who have it leave. Ms. Dean supports ending the improper involvement of government in businesses and Connecticut interfering with entrepreneurship, but rather to support their great ideas.

The meeting was brought to an end, and the candidates appeared well-pleased with the event. One candidate expressed it this way: “I’ve been to many such gatherings ~ this is an excellent one!”

Many Thanks: to the Republican Town Committee for bringing together such a professional Candidate Night, especially Jim Fitzgerald, Alesia Kennerson and Steve Tuxbury.

The Republican Town Committee drew a large attendance for its Candidate Night at its RTC Meeting on Thursday, April 29. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

Before This Evening’s Town Annual Budget Meeting

The New Hartford Annual Budget Meeting, scheduled for this evening at 7:00 p.m. would have,  in times past, brought together voters to debate next year’s budget line by line, make changes where they saw fit, and then approve the budget ~ or not, as was known to happen.

Tonight’s town Annual Budget Meeting, a shadow of its former self, having been stripped of its purpose by the Selectmen at a Special Meeting on Tuesday, April 20, is set to draw only a handful of participants, most of them required to attend by their official roles: the three Selectmen (maybe), the Town Clerk, a Moderator; and one or two reporters.  Why would any voters interrupt their dinner?  No discussion of the proposed budget will be allowed at the meeting and the referendum date of May 4 has already been set.  Even the Board of Selectmen meeting, which should have preceded the Annual Budget Meeting, has been cancelled, and with it, residents’ last opportunity to address the content of the proposed budget before the referendum date.

Our reporter attended the town Annual Budget Meeting that is no longer an Annual Budget Meeting and was back home within a half-hour.

Meeting Summary

At 7:07 p.m., the town Annual Budget Meeting was over.   Reggie Smith, Jr. was elected Moderator, a role Reggie graciously takes on.  He read through the Notice of Annual Budget Meeting, and the Budget, untouched by the Board of Finance at their last meeting, was sent to referendum on the predetermined date of Tuesday, May 4.

Our reporter underestimated the number of people at the meeting. At its beginning, the following were present:

• First Selectman Dan Jerram;
• Selectmen Tom Klebart and Bruce Gresczyk;
• Town Clerk Donna LaPlante;
• Moderator and Board of Finance member Reggie Smith, Jr.;
• Board of Finance Chairman Ben Witte;
• Board of Finance members Roy Litchfield and Laura Sundquist;
• and our reporter.

As the brief meeting concluded, Board of Finance Member Alesia Kennerson joined her fellow Board of Finance members, and the Register Citizen reporter arrived with his video camera.

Conversation With Town Clerk Donna LaPlante

Our reporter checked in with Donna LaPlante and asked if she remembered when the townspeople actually attended Town Budget Meetings to discuss the budget. Donna replied that yes, she remembered it well. “The meetings used to be held at Pine Meadow Elementary to accommodate the people.” Donna said. Our reporter asked if there were really that many people who showed up at the meetings and Donna said that it wasn’t unusual for 100 voters to show up at the Town Budget Meeting. “That’s when they could discuss the budget and cut or eliminate line items from the budget before voting on it.” Donna said.

Elevator Conversation With Ben Witte

Riding down in the elevator one flight with Ben Witte and Bruce Gresczyk, our reporter told Ben that with all the Board of Finance members who showed up at the meeting, she was way off on the estimate she had given in her short report before the meeting. Ben answered that he wasn’t going to go to the meeting, but that on reading the statute he thought he’d better be there in case the budget didn’t go to referendum and he’d be needed to present a budget. As the elevator doors opened, our reporter asked Ben: “You mean you had a budget with you?” At which Ben smiled, holding his portfolio in hand, and the elevator doors closed.

Our Reporter’s/Editor’s Take

There is something slightly uncomfortable in attending a public meeting whose main reason for being has been removed, and at which no public input may be given ~ despite Reggie’s adding that anyone with a question could speak to the First Selectman personally after the meeting.   All present followed an unwritten script, from which there seemed no room for deviation.

Looking back on this 7-minute town Annual Budget Meeting, one has to wonder whether the time has come to bury this construct of a public meeting, and proceed with whatever other form of government should take its place.  This would save the half-dozen or so from the necessity of having to go through a meeting of no substance, just at dinner time.

At the beginning of the Annual Budget Meeting on Tuesday, April 27. Photo: Maria Moore

The Town Budget Meeting on Tuesday, April 27. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

The town’s three selectmen met briefly yesterday evening, Tuesday, April 20 to set the details for the Annual Budget Meeting. This Annual Budget Meeting is a holdover from the days in our town governance when townspeople actually came together at the Annual Budget Meeting to discuss the proposed budget and to vote on that budget. That original purpose of the Annual Budget meeting is still item #1 on the Annual Budget Meeting. Item #1 gives the purpose of the meetins as: “To consider and act upon the Town Budget recommended by the Board of Finance for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010″.”

Through a motion by the selectmen at yesterday’s meeting, item #1 was removed from the agenda of the Annual Budget Meeting, as has become the custom, leaving only item #2 on the agenda for that meeting; see the notice of the Annual Budget Meeting below.

The date of the Annual Budget Meeting was set as April 27 in the Senior Center at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. There will be no discussion of the budget at that meeting, The selectmen also adopted May 4 as the date for the referendum on the town budget at the two polling places in town, the South End Firehouse in Bakerville and the Town Hall in New Hartford center.

There was a question about the Annual Town Meeting which is normally scheduled to occur on the same evening as the Annual Budget Meeting. That annual Town Meeting will take place at a later time in order to allow for some of the paperwork to be completed. Our reporter asked later when the Annual Town Meeting might be held and she was told probably within the next couple of weeks.

The selectmen also adopted Fair Housing Resolutions and Policies, something they must do each year to qualify for certain grants.

________________

Board of Selectmen
Special Meeting
Tuesday, April 20, 2010

5:30 PM
Town Hall

AGENDA

1.)Minutes
2.)Set time, date, manner of Annual Budget Meeting
3.)Remove Item Number 1 from the call of the Annual Budget Meeting
4.)Set time, date, manner of Budget Referendum
5.)Adopt Fair Housing Resolutions and Policies