Farmington Town Council Budget Meeting - 03/12/26

001All right, let's get ourselves going here. It is now 4:01 and I would like to call to order the town of Farmington office of the town manager regular town council meeting. It's March 12th, Thursday. And uh Bruce, would you like to lead us in the pledge, please? >> Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. >> All right, let's go to our next item. See public comment. If anyone here in chambers would like to make a comment, have five minutes. Please come up to the podium, give us your name and address, and you're welcome to come up. Not seeing anyone in chambers who would like to make a comment. Do we have

002anyone online raised their hand and would like to make a comment? >> There are no hands raised online. >> Okay. Well, then we will close a comment. I'm thinking I we should take a break just from Oh, >> nope. I think We're going to go have public comment. >> Oh, okay. Let's go with public comment. >> Uh >> oh, no. I'm I'm sorry. >> Just in time for >> this. >> No, we're going to have the the library. >> Okay. Okay. Go. >> Yes. >> All right. All right. Uh let's move on to uh our budget discussions and we're going to begin with our library today. And that is page uh I think nine in your budget. >> Make sure I got the right. It's nine or 18. >> 18. 18. >> Yeah. We >>

003welcome Jasine. >> You ready? >> We are ready. >> All right. Uh thank you, Chair Connley. Thank you uh members of the council for giving me this opportunity to talk with you today about the library and our budget request. Uh and I just have a few remarks and then um I'll have happy to take any questions that you might have. Um I am so proud of the work our library team performs every day to help our residents have the best day ever at the library. It's an honor to be part of that journey and to play a role in fostering and strengthening connections across our diverse communities. Our library continues to evolve and serve broader uh purposes within the community. The library of today looks very different perhaps from the library of your youth. While

004we continue to offer anchor services such as providing reading material, computer access, printing, quiet study spaces, and thoughtful programming, we are also a vibrant community center where people come to learn new skills, create in our maker space, explore in our kids space, and rediscover play in our teen space. I invite you to visit the main library at 10:00 a.m. on Friday mornings or the Barney on Tuesdays at 10:45 where you'll find 50, 60, sometimes hundred toddlers and their caregivers as they leave our tots and tunes and movers and groovers program and make their way into our kids place. You'll find our earliest learners making new friends and exploring uh reading material and uh our spaces. You'll also see parents, grandparents, and caregivers building foundational relationships that they will carry with them through their lives. The

005building is buzzing with exuberance and unfettered joy. At 2:30, when the high school bell rings, 50 to 100 students make their way to the second floor to study, complete their homework, or unwind from the day. It's controlled chaos, and the energy levels are through the roof. There's something magical about seeing teenagers doing their thing in a place that provides them with a safe space, a loose structure while allowing them to be themselves. We provide first-time jobs for teens through our page program and rely heavily on our teen volunteers to help with many of our larger events. On Tuesday and Thursday throughout the day, the second floor is home to the town's adult education ESL classes. And it's delightful to provide a learning environment for the newest residents of our community and support the great work

006of the adult education program and of the learners themselves. From my office, I can hear them grow in confidence as they master a new language and a new culture. Throughout any given day, community members utilize our study rooms and meeting spaces to convene, work, and develop their skills. They use our computers and digital resources, to grow their businesses, to share their expertise and knowledge, and to create connections. Community members browse our shelves, settle into comfortable chairs to read the newspaper or a good book. Local creators are building and making in our maker space. The entire library is vibrant and alive and sometimes it's even quiet. The libraries aren't just for folks who can travel to our physical locations. Our outreach program delivers reading material and for some members of our community, human interaction for those

007who are homebound or living in one of our many facilities in town. They can't travel to us, so we go to them spreading library joy. Our digital resources are available to anyone with a library card and an internet connection. When you download a book from the library on your phone or stream a movie to your living room, you're bringing the library into your space. The library is truly wherever our patrons are and that's an incredible thing. And the libraries are all about partnerships. We curate materials for our teachers to use in their classrooms, provide programming in partnership with local organizations like the Land Trust, the historical society, the Lewis Walpole Library, the Unionville Museum, and others. We participate in community events organized by community services, the senior center, the school district, parks and recreation, and

008the cultural district advisory committee. We are so grateful for these and many other partnerships. We also have a st strong cadre of volunteers from throughout the community, local teens, college students, and adults who so far this year have donated 509 hours of their time to the library. We're open six days a week, a combined 100 hours between the main and Barney libraries. And since the start of the fiscal year, so since July 1, almost 17,000 people have attended library programs. Our meeting rooms were booked 2,300 times. Local creators used our maker space for over 970 hours. We answered over 21,000 questions and lent more than 230,000 physical items and 36,000 digital items to our users. Our website realized 220,000 visits and our databases were used over 4,000 times. And we issued 800 new library cards

009to our residents. We want to continue to increase this number as currently more than half of our residents still need to come get their library work. I'm proud of what we're able to accomplish within our means. We continue to build a robust collection which provides access to information to our community, host programs with leading presenters, and dedicate significant staff time to building curriculum for our youth programs to promote a love of lifelong learning and continue to expand our community partnerships by leading from a place of yes. And this is all good news. As we begin to reimagine our spaces, we engaged SPNA architects to conduct a condition assessment of our two aging buildings and to help us build an infrastructure capital plan. The main library was built in 1983 with an addition added in 2003,

010while the Barney Library is over 100 years old and was last updated in 2011. As with any aging structure, deferred maintenance is always an issue and we have a number of core infrastructure needs in addition to any programmatic updates we might want to uh pursue. For example, the HVAC system, the HBAC system at the main library has reached the end of its useful life and it is beginning to fail. Over the last 18 months, we spent more than $40,000 from our operations budget in emergency repairs to keep the system going. Our roof is also in need of replacement. With fluctuations in severe weather, milestone rainfall in the last two years, snowfall, wind, and drought, the roof has um consistently leaked in multiple spots. And we've invested over $90,000 of operation uh funds to make those

011repairs to mitigate water damage inside the building as much as possible, but a full replacement will be necessary in the next few years. I shared this with you. We don't have a capital request. You're not seeing that reflected in our budget request, but I share this with you because the Farmington Village Green and Library Association, uh, which is the governing body of the library, will need community investment to assist in replacing these critical pieces of infrastructure so we can continue to provide the exceptional experiences our residents expect. I've shared our capital plan with the town manager and I look forward to future conversations with Miss Blonsky, members of the council, and others in the community as we work collectively to ensure our buildings are safe and secure. In fiscal year 20 uh uh 27, the

012town's grant to the library, as you can see from the detailed budget before you, uh with a 3% increase over last year, or $91,749, will allow us to continue to provide the amazing resources and services I've described above. Our services are made possible by the support we receive annually from the town, as well as from the generosity of the friends of the Farmington Libraries and the FBGLA. We've also received small grants from Community Chest, uh the Garmin Fund, uh and local businesses. Even more, none of the wonderful things at the Farmington Libraries would exist without the our greatest asset, the staff who daily build and maintain our collections and our relationships with and experiences for our community members. Finally, I want to invite each of you to join us on Sunday, March 22nd, next Sunday

013from 1 to 4 for our annual maker fair and just to get this on your calendars early, uh, June 18th for our summer reading kickoff, uh, which takes place in our parking lot. I want to thank you again for your consideration and your support, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. >> Keith, would you like to start us off? >> Sure. >> Hi. Um, first I want to say um, uh, it's great that your request comes in on the lower side of what our, um, town council target was for spending. So, I think it's great that the library always tries to do stretches a dollar. Um, I won't belabor because I think I tell this story every time that you come in, but your first day that you worked, you were in

014that resource room on the first floor with buckets, right? like two buckets in each hand uh >> getting water out of one area, moving it to the other area. So, um literally her first day on the job. So, the building certainly has things and um I'm shocked that a municipal building in Farmington needs HVAC. I can't believe it. Um so, it is something for us to keep in mind as we talk about t uh capital because it's another thing that we're going to need on top of everything else. Um I wanted to ask about a couple things. One was does the does the door ticker work? I know that when I was on the board, it worked sometimes, didn't work sometimes. >> Yeah, our dark our door ticker sometimes kind of fails for like a

015week or two at a time and then it comes back online. So, our um the gate count numbers that I say, the number of people come through our doors is probably a little underestimated. >> Probably a little underestimated. But in general we uh attendance be it online or in person is um trending in a upward direction or Yeah. Good. Great. So that's good. >> Um and then I wanted to ask we had a question yesterday. I know you've answered this before but the licens so the the people requesting digital products be it books or um uh you know to read on a Kindle or or to listen to those requests continue to increase as well. Right. >> Yes. And the licenses for those products are as much or more expensive than actual books. >> They

016are more expensive than actual books. >> Okay. >> Um and so we need we need more of them. You only get a certain amount of light. Every time you take a license out, you get 15 lens out of it or whatever it may be and you pay for that >> and then we relic >> and then you have to relic and those costs continue those costs continue to increase or they're leveling off now that more people are sort of having this issue. They continue to re increase year-over-year between five and 25%. >> Okay. And there's never been anything where they're going to start to let libraries purchase these things for >> it's unlikely that the publishers will engage in sale. There are some publishers who will let sell us a perpetual license. >> Yeah. But

017most of them are recurring licenses. >> Okay. And then my last question on the roof, the 90,000 that you talked about that was I remember you had done something specifically for drainage to empty out and to redrain everything. And so has that >> I'm sure that helped, but we're still seeing leaks. >> We are still seeing leaks. In fact, just um yesterday I was up on the roof because as the snow melted. Yeah. >> We experienced leaks in places we hadn't had leaks before. >> Okay. And then your HVAC has needed regular maintenance, emergency maintenance, or what what stage? I know it's at the end of it life, but what stage of it? >> Yeah. So, so the $40,000 that I referenced that we've spent over the last 18 months Yeah. >> Um has been

018for emergency maintenance where the heat has failed >> the heat the heat pumps uh the rooftop units. Yes. >> Okay, that's all my questions. >> Our air conditioning seems to be fine. >> Well, don't speak. >> But it's all one system. >> Well, thank you. I think you do a great job, Justin. So, thank you very much. I appreciate this interview, >> Bill. Hi, Joselyn. Nice to meet you. How are you? >> See you. I'm good. How are you? >> Good. Good. Um, I don't really have a lot to add in terms of Keith's questions. I I feel like what we spend the the value of the library provides the community far outweighs what we spend on it. I mean, I can remember going when my children were little and we would take the toys

019out. Yeah. >> You can take them. I mean, that that kind of stuff, you know, >> the the value to the community is is really My question is more on the revenue side. Um, I understand kind of like the history, you know, of kind of how we got here. And my question really is more, my understanding is there are grants that are available at both the national and the state level. Most of the national grants, I think, go to the states and then the states can kind of funnel it out. I don't see anything in here. You mentioned in your presentation some minor grants, but >> can you talk about the challenges you have in trying to secure grants? Is that something that I'm sure you're not naive to that? you know that's an important

020piece of walk me through like like that situation with >> library. So so what you have before us is uh before you is our operational budget grants typically don't cover operational expenses. So for example the capital planning that we need will be pursuing grants through the state construction >> but he's a library construction program. >> Yeah through the library construction program as an example. Okay. In past years, we've had um we have a laptop kiosk, for example, that we applied for a grant for. So, when we're looking at sort of programmatic needs for the library, we have something in mind, we'll pursue grants uh to enable those things to happen because that would be above and beyond or outside of our operational. >> Okay. So, you know, just as I was doing some research today

021on it, just try to understand a little bit >> the grants that are a available or out there really don't respond to operational needs. These are multiro programmatic or type of deals. Okay. Right. Thank you. That's all I have. >> You're welcome. >> Hey Jocelyn, thank thanks for coming. >> Thanks for having me. >> Always having always happy to have you. Um, first I just want to give a shout out that the library is partnering with green efforts again for our presentation um next month uh with on uh waste reduction and specifically composting. And then hopefully I think we've got another one in the works. But >> excellent. Um, so I'm very excited about that and I appreciate everything the library does to help us advertise because your your reach is much greater than anything

022else. Um, I want to piggyback on Keith's questions. I am a person who yes takes heavy advantage of the Kindle loans. I midnight I need a new book. I can't sleep. >> It works pretty well. Um, but I know there's a lot of electronic resources above and beyond the book. So like like you mentioned movies I've taken advantage of ancestry I know that there's other types of resources like that are so I know that e reader books the books are going up are all of these other licenses increasing how do these others work? So those other licenses we prefer databases. So I referenced that we've had 4,000 data pieces this year. We have something called job now vet now that help veterans and other people who are looking for jobs. We have um resources that

023help students study for the SATs. People who are trying to go to medical school, study for the MATS, um things like that. Those prices have remained pretty steady over time. We're part of an organization called the Connecticut Library Consortium, which negotiates statewide licenses for libraries for those kinds of resources. So, we get to because of that consortium membership, we get to leverage the power of um numbers to get more affordable pricing on those databases. That is not the case with individual books. Music base. >> Okay. So, the movies are similar to the books. >> Yep. movies, books, music. >> Okay. >> Audio books. >> I didn't know about the music. >> Yeah. Yeah, we have music, too. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Concerts. Uh >> Oh, I'm excited. >> Great uh great courses we have available

024electronically. There's a ton of resources. >> Okay. >> Come by the library. We'll be happy to show you everything. >> I will. Thank you. Thank you. I don't have any other questions. >> All right. Dave. >> Yeah. The SPA report. How you doing, Josh? Good to see you. >> Good to see you. So the SPA report, was that like that was like a condition? >> Yeah, we had them come in and do a comprehensive condition assessment of both buildings and we asked them to prepare for us a 20-year capital plan so that we could be good stewards of our resources and really start um >> uh sort of being very mindful and purposeful about how we think about improvements to the building and the timing of those improvements. >> And is that report in the

025works right now? Has it been complete? Do you have that 20 year do you have >> it's been completed we have that 20-year report >> and what is that I mean like just kind of at a at a macro level like >> in today's dollars and that is um that capital plan is not for any programmatic changes we might want to make to the building to respond to changing of our community that's just the infrastructure um over the course of 20 years in in today's dollars it's $12 million >> and that was broken down with everything like the HVAC and then the roof and so forth, >> the doorork knobs, carpet, furniture, everything >> and did it indicate that you need to do these things, you have time to do one of these things versus

026the others or >> Yeah. So the so the reason why I referenced specifically that HVAC and the roof uh in my presentation is SPNA identified those as emergency needs. >> Emergency needs. And then is so are we contemplating or is the board contemplating some immediate action? >> Yes. >> Okay. Okay. So that's kind of an open dialogue current dialogue. >> We are we are actively engaged in trying to solve that pro that funding problem. Okay. um and to think about how we can leverage our resources, things that are already happening within the community uh to take advantage of scale um to to engage in particularly the HVAC. I think we have a little bit more time >> and that would also include the grant portion of it to try to like write those grants, package

027those grants up and get those out. That's the grant the grant portion. We'll start doing that this summer. That opens up um >> I'll actually be at a meeting on April 8th, the sort of introductory kickoff meeting for that the construction grant. >> Okay, perfect. And then and on the programmatic needs, I mean obviously getting the the roof the HVAC is obviously imperative and kind of an emergency situation. And then on the programmatic needs, what what's what's ahead? at least what's been identified >> from a capital. >> Yeah, from a capital point of view. >> I mean, so right now in that capital plan, we haven't we haven't even begun to address what are the wishes and dreams, right? So, when I think about programmatic needs for the space, those are really what are the

028wishes and dreams? Where do we where do we see the library going into the future? there's uh I think some really interesting ideas on the table and one of the things that we're discussing is how to uh gather input from our community to better understand what they're looking at. I'm going to a conference at the end of this month where I'll be talking to people about uh library improvements, renovations, rebuilds across the country to sort of get ideas about what are the trends in how communities are using their libraries. And I'd love to talk to town council about what your visions are for the community needs, right? Because I really think of the library as being it's centrally located. It does serve a community a deep community center service. I think a lot of people

029in our community see us that way. Um and our space because we're also a library, right? It limits our ability to sort of think about broader community activities. There's a lot of opportunity. >> Right. Yeah. I don't want to speak for our our town chair, but I'm sure we partner with you on on trying to identify >> Yeah, I would love to do that. >> Right. So the other the the last thing I was going to land on is just we've talked about the exterior, the HVAC, the roof, like the interior. Are there any immediate needs on the interior side? Security, technology, things that were identified at maybe that report. >> I think in the next 24 to 72 months, no, I think I think we're good on that. >> Okay, great. >> You've answered

030my question. Thanks. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Joselyn. Nice to meet you in person. Um, a lot of the questions have been answered. My only question is the other area I saw was an increase in your custodial >> um bucket and just kind of curious what's trending from last year to this year. Um so we outsource our custodial support. Um we engage uh with a with an outside contractor and their increases their their costs of increase. So that's why you're saying >> thank you >> Bruce. Anything? Are you all set? Anything? >> I am. >> Oh. >> Good. Uh first I I I want to thank you for that uh thorough overview of the library services. I in particular found it most edifying and was really gratified to see how the library has know evolved

031with the time since you know my kids were young and were involved with there and I think you know what you do for the community you while you are a big ticket item you do big ticket services and so I think we get a lot of value uh for our money uh out of the library for sure as far as um questions go I had only one in terms of trying to understand the detail items the automated services is that your IT stuff. >> Yes. So that includes our um our library catalog, so the online system that you use to find books. That's also on the back end how we keep track of inventory, patron records, etc. Um it also includes software that we subscribe to. So some of that is our security system, um

032Microsoft, you know, those sorts of tools. So that's what our automated services are. >> Okay. And I I see you've been able to have some savings here. Is it just where's that coming from? >> I know. Why do you have savings? That's amazing. >> We don't see that. >> So, um I think year over year what we're able to do is we re we negotiate contracts and we are constantly looking for new service providers so that we can get the best value for our budget. >> Thank you very much. Appreciate what you do. All set. All right. Any other follow-ups? Joselyn, I just want to say how much I appreciate how the library engages with the community, but I also want to point out I see you more out in the community at so many

033events. I love how you engage in the community, not just bringing the community into engage with me. So, thank you for being a part of our community. It really shows. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks for the opportunity. >> Thank for a temporary approval of page 18. Yes, tentative, not temporary. Thank you. Tentative. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> I opposed. Passes unanimously. >> All right. Uh I believe next registars. That's what I thought. All right. Uh why don't we take a look at the registar and I invite uh our registar voters to come up to the table and talk us through uh their budget needs >> and it would be page nine. >> Thank you. Page nine. You have my vote. >> Okay. >> Oh, that's cute. That's quick. >>

034Yeah. >> All right. Would you like to take us through uh your requirements, your requests? >> Sure. We didn't really talk about who is going to say what, but um I think everyone knows us here, but maybe for the record, I'll just say I'm Beth Kitner, the Democratic registar voters, and I'm joined by my counterpart, Ann Newbury, the Republican registar voters, and our deputies are here this year. >> Neil Kelsey is Ann's deputy, and Mary Jane Carlo is my deputy. and we couldn't do this without them >> and a lot of other people. Um, so I'll just get started and then we can um so you'll see that our budget is a an increase of about 30% and what I try to think of this like our budget is very much dependent on which general

035election is happening which what cycle we're in. So gubanatorial this year it was municipal last year you know lower turnout no primaries um last year and this year we're looking at higher turnout in November you know bigger election so higher staff uh staffing levels at our polls and then we are likely to have a two-party primary in August so both parties are likely to have a primary that we'll have to staff in August. August. Um that includes early voting of seven days for a primary and then and they'll run on the same day by the way. Um and then our general election will have early voting for 14 days. Um our office staff time includes early voting prep, assistance with early voting when it's going on prior to any election and early voting. There's tabulator

036programming and other prep that needs to be done with the tabulators. A big portion of that was done by the vendor previously, but we're in our first full year of new tabulators, and they're wonderful in terms of reliability. The voters seem to like, if you all saw last year, you know, it's a um interactive screen almost that assures you your votes been counted. And so we're getting good feedback from the voters um on those, but it does come at an increased cost for software and maintenance. Um and then again with us doing more of the programming ahead of time, which is mostly Neil. Um and then in a other related costs with the new tabulators, the software and maintenance contract. Last year we only had to request um we were only charged for six months

037the partial year December I believe it was December >> July last year and now we have our first full year so that was bumped up also. Um, and then lastly, I would just like to say we explained to Cath Kathy and Joe when we met our increase in office work is not just because of those increased voting events, but this year we really kind of took a zerobased look at what we pay for office clerks. Um, we have high school students and college students that help us and other office clerks when necessary. Um, and then our deputies do a lot of our office work also. and we just we had to make a correction to really reflect in reality what we were spending but we hadn't been necessarily requesting. So that's also contributing to the

038increase. And I'll shut up now. >> Let people either take take some other points or I don't know if we want to talk about this last piece. Um I think I covered it. I mean it's basically twothirds of our increase is related to the higher number of election events. um and those associated staffing costs. And then we have the um register voters stipens that were approved last year where we get a bit more for um working early voting and coordinating that. So we have a certain amount for the primary and then the general specifically for early voting because that was a increase to our roles and responsibilities and that went through last year but you'll see that in the in the staffing costs as well. to hug everything. I just >> Anything else we need

039to know before we hit with you? No, >> that's kind of our I think we're all look forward to your questions. >> All right, Bruce, one more comments. >> Um uh sure. The uh the equipment maintenance, how is is that working? Do you pay a fee and they maintain it all or are you doing it on a as needed basis and pay whatever it is that goes with because these are newer these are newer tabulators not likely to break as much. Right. >> Right. So the maintenance is when something happens and it's something we can't correct. Um it's kind of regular maintenance that they'll come in and do checks and make sure we're up to you that everything's working properly. So, so what I'm getting at is is that a a stable amount in other

040words that it's not, you know, we don't if we have disasters or whatever, it's not going to go higher. Correct. They have to fix it no matter what >> just given the fees. That's really was getting right >> service contract with >> service contract >> the state and then we pay based on how many tabulators we have in each town. >> Understood. Thank you. Well, thank you for all you did in I know in the election year last year, I myself had been a supporter. So, thank you. The questions I had in the process is how many people throughout the season are you, you know, working to register out there canvasing, supporting and so forth. >> From a voter standpoint, >> right? Okay. So, um so I can start. We have about 19,000 voters in

041town. >> Um, down a little bit from 20,000 the year or so ago. Um, you can probably speak to canvas, right? Because we did do a very thorough canvas last year. >> Yep. last year. Um, we're required to try not to be too complicated, but are we're legally required to canvas voters to see if they still live in town when people on our voter registry hit the national change of address, the post office list for people who have put in forwarding addresses and changes of addresses. And that gets matched by a vendor and we get a nice list and labels and every spreadsheet and everything we need to follow up with those people. And the letter that goes out is a state form, but it basically says, "Looks like you may have moved. You know,

042if this is not the case, let us know. We request that they send it back." Um, if they don't, we have enough information to think it's likely they don't live in town, so they go into inactive status, not immediately off, but at least we can move them from the active roles to inactive. Um, some people will say, "Yes, I did indeed." And they send it back in the stamped envelope, and we can take them off at that point. um that's the focus of our canvas, but we are also able to within the same time period canvas um voters where they haven't voted in the last two federal elections. Um, so last year we took a look, so 2025, just by way of example, we said, "Okay, we look, it doesn't seem like this has really

043been done in the past several years. So we're going to add on to our canvas numbers and look at voters and send them all letters people who didn't vote in 2020 or 2024, figuring if you were around and you didn't vote in those two, like it seems like you may have left." So we canvas those as well. And I think we added about 1,800 canvas letters, communications to our regular canvas, which was already over a thousand last year. And that's why we some people are following our registered voter numbers for active voters would see that we dropped I think it was at least 1,200 voters because of that checking in. So there it's a more accurate number now for active voters Bington. >> Okay. >> But more time, more expense. Um, this year I think

044we canvased maybe 1,600 total, but it's it's always over a thousand every year who we need to check in with and just make sure that they're still Yeah. still in town. >> And then in terms of um engagement with like the high school, are you canvasing the high school and also getting those that are turning 18 and >> Oh, voter registration. >> Voter registration and tackling getting Yep. We're actually legally required every registars's office in the state at some point between January and the end of the school year and we try to do it before referendum um before we get busy with referendum and then of course you know we get into May at the high school and don't exactly have their attention. So yeah, we work with them. We do usually two sessions during

045lunch waves and get people who are and they can register electronically with a QR code because we know that's probably more likely what they're going to do. but we're there with the forms and talking them through registering, you know, if they're 17, but they're going to be 18 by November, all that good stuff. So, we work with the um activities advisor there. Yeah. >> Great. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. >> Good to see everybody here. Um, one question I had is, uh, is there anything like coming from the Secretary of State's office that's right now maybe being planned for that hasn't come forward, but maybe you see will come forward, or are we kind of like past this point now where we have early voting? We have a number of things, but is there

046anything that we should be aware of down the road or in in a more immediate sense that might affect uh the the >> The only thing I can say is that recent legislative you know session um they have done away they have voted that we do not need the early voting envelopes with the early voting ballots. >> Okay. So that if you come in for early voting, you will get a ballot, put it in the tabulator, but you will not be dealing with the envelope as well. >> It seems like it seems like it stream. >> So that that is a difference. So that took a couple years response >> that Yeah. And there there are a couple of other changes. Not sure what the impact will be yet. Um but they are replacing what's

047um CRVS, which is their voter registration system. Um that's slated to um go away and be replaced by something called Total Vote near the end of the year. That's been in the works for a while. Um don't know what impact that'll have. Um but I'm sure it'll have some impact. Hopefully favorable. >> Got it. >> Big learning curve. >> Yeah. Big learning curve. But then that'll be then that'll mandate you folks getting trained for the on the new system. >> Yeah. And it keeps getting pushed back. So recently we learned it won't happen in February or March of this year. Now December 14th. >> Got it. >> So it's getting you out of this current election cycle so that you can you know maybe embrace it >> after after Right. And it's it's likely not

048just training the four people here. is training the poll workers because that's a system we use um during early voting to check people in. >> That's a lot of training. >> Yeah, that's a lot of training. So, and then on poll workers, are we pretty good shape as far as, you know, the identifiable group you have and I know you brought some new people in, you know, new faces. So, >> I always tell people, especially if they don't get hired, you know, they might apply a couple months or a month before an election and they don't get pulled. We're lucky in Farmington. I try to frame it, you know, it's it's a positive thing. Obviously, we're really lucky in Farmington. We have so many people experienced and otherwise just willing and interested in in working

049and they do a great job come to the training, you know, they come. >> So, they do come. >> Yeah. So, we're in good shape in Farmington. >> Yeah. >> I know other communities might >> so fortunate in Farmington. We can call people, you know, the night before some, you know, somebody drops out, you call a couple of people. Sure. >> Uh, we have wonderful community >> support >> members who are pole workers. >> I just wanted to add to your point about asking about the Secretary of State. It's often what comes from the legislature and just things I'm hearing and I don't know where they are in the process. um ranked choice voting. That would affect our job. That would make things a little more complicated. You know, learning how to set that up

050with the ballots and the tabulators and >> um what was the other one I wrote down? I don't know that it would affect it's not going to affect us directly. Probably the town clerk's office more. Um absolutely the town clerk's office more, but the no excuse absentee ballot. We don't know if that, you know, how that will increase. Is it going to decrease early voting? People are just going to have more options. So it'll it's >> it'll change things >> some kind of impact. >> Yeah. >> Well, thank you for all the work you do on behalf of Farmington and for elections and and u I guess the last thing I'll land on is um is is there any security guidelines that anybody kind of tossing around that might be mandated at polls? I mean,

051you know, I mean, unfortunately, we live in a in a in a world now that, >> you know, might might, you know, be in a situation where there is, you know, uneasiness, but just curious. So, we we do have a good relationship with um the police department and other folks in town. Um we met with them in particular prior to the last presidential election >> and uh we had I think extremely good support. um every one of the moderators had somebody that they could reach out to the cell phone of the officer, you know, without having to go through dispatch. So, somebody was was assigned to cover each of the of the polling places. Uh and we'll continue to do that. >> Great. Thank you. Thank you for your all the work you do, >>

052thank you. Um most of my questions have been asked, but I just I think you said this, Beth. I just want to make sure I heard it right. everything that when because we went through the whole process of raises and stipens last year. So >> part of this increase is also simply because we approved >> an increase through your stipens and Okay. >> Right. >> That that's all. Thank you. I know it's a hard job especially during the election. So we appreciate it. >> I don't I don't have any questions other than say thank you for all your hard work. I' I've seen you you do it you know year in year out. you're always there and working hard and taking no guff from people and doing the job well and and uh making sure

053our our elections are secure and safe and accurate. So, well done and keep up the good work. Thank you. >> Thank you for your support. Means a lot, >> Keith. Couple questions. Um one, uh I know last summer some of us on council kicked the can on a proposal you guys had for redistricting. So is that something we should expect to see come back around as a request sooner than because I know there was some savings attached to that. So is that something we should expect to see at some point this year >> since you brought it up? >> Well, I'm I'm like the least popular person in the registars's office. So I just figured >> we understand the intricacies of you know something like that. But yes, absolutely. We figure um Brian and I

054just talked, you know, we'll figure out a timeline that works for you at all. What else do you have going on to bring it forward again? And um the in the charter though it it needs to be put on the ballot in a municipal year. So yeah, we're looking at >> next next year >> 27. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So any impact would be in 28 >> would be the following year. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> Yeah. And then >> yes, we are still >> and then Yeah. And then so and my question on the savings because I think and I could be wrong on this number. The idea was that redistricting there saves is it was it 10 grand or something like that was was the rough idea. I guess my question no matter

055what the number is that that's per election correct that's like per >> I'd have to go back and check if we gave you an annual figure or and again it would depend on how many elections are per year varies by year but >> yeah that would be I guess that would be my one question as we get towards whenever >> that would be a part of your >> um uh that website voter checklists >> that um some of us use during election season to check >> right it's an electronic poll book >> so we pay in to use that And then because I know there's some uh there's some times that you can't access it, right? Like they is because the website goes dormant or is that I guess my question there is that our

056is that like a subscription thing or is that I there's been times where I've gone to use it on like a a random night around election season and it'll Farmington doesn't have access at that time. But if you go the next morning at like 8 a.m. it opens up for us. >> Is that maybe later on election night and then into the next morning because it could be like >> that's not election night. It's like it's like advance problems last year with um sometimes it was just down and we called Christine but it was >> Oh, I didn't check around election time though. >> Yeah. >> It was never like something that impacted anything or >> you can always let us know and we can call the vendor and say hey sometimes I did >>

057I did contact them once and they they were unaware. It was like a random time. It wasn't anywhere near an election and they said oh we had no I you know >> never an impact something. Yeah. Don't I'm not crying foul about this. >> You can always call us and you can call the vendor >> and and then is that the best are there are there any competitors in that market or is that the one that's the >> Yeah, there's at least two or three I think and one is the same company that's that offers this total vote voter registry program or platform. So I think you're going to see because right now the secretary of state doesn't sanction any one electronic poll book. So we have to use our paper paper checklist and >>

058the electronic which we will stay with two systems because the amount of data and reporting and and just historical information that we get from this voter checklist is is really valuable. So, the hope is for all the towns that are using electronic poll books, and we really enjoy that and benefit from it, is that eventually when they can do um a bidding process that the Secretary of State will sanction one and they'll roll it out for across the state, we'll all be using the same system. >> Okay, cool. Um uh oh, last one. New voting things. Great. There, uh results were very quick. Uh, everything seemed to go very well. I I would pick one nit. Can we get the size of that scroll that was posted in town in in town hall to be

059not Is there any way to do that or does it just have to be that long? Is that that was like it was a question. >> It was like the absentee the absentee ballot count, right? Was scroll it started at the top of the door and then it went to that desk. >> We had to check and make sure we were going to have enough paper. >> Trying to figure it was it was it was hard to figure out and to like get a count to know. At that point, we knew it was going bad. It it was 108 feet of paper. >> Yeah, it was quite quite we know we had to measure. >> Yeah, we had to measure it to make sure we had we had it up >> just to the poor

060guy that had to drive here from the firehouse then take pictures and that's long process. >> Yeah. So how bad Yeah. So what what drove that is there were two things on on that longest piece of tape, right? One was the zero report from the morning showing that all the offices had zero that had all the results at the end and for absentee and um anything we were using that for during central count which was early voting and absentee one tabulator was able to do all precincts. So you had all the all the results by precinct 1 one two three etc. Um that that's why it it was that long. Um, ways to shorten it would be to use multiple tabulators. You know, there there are other ways to to do it. >> It's such

061a >> we found that to be the the most efficient from running the election standpoint understanding that it gets >> Yeah, I I get it. I It's a very minor uh nitpick on which will affect like three residents on a bi-annual basis. So, it probably not you have to do anything about, but if you can, whoever's doing that would love it. >> And we can't splice it and post it like by precinct or by >> because it has to be a continuous otherwise continuous. >> Yeah, >> that's it. Thank you. >> That's easy. >> It was the CVS receipt. >> That's no coupon. No coupons, though. Yeah. >> And if not, we have a motion. >> I make a motion for a tentative approval of page nine. >> Second. Any discussion? >> All in favor?

062Opposed? >> Thank you very much. Pass unanimous. >> Thank you all. Have a good day. It's your profit. >> Thank you guys. >> All right. I think uh we're going to take a break for a few minutes and we'll be back in momentarily. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay. Welcome back everyone. We're going to continue our budget discussions. >> If we are ready and we're going to move on to uh >> police and fire. >> Yep. Police and fire. Uh >> right. What page is that? >> Yep. It's the gray tab budget pages 28 through 44. >> All right. Thank you. >> Um, so it's the gray tab. Uh, just the public safety group of accounts now includes the fire, the police, emergency, medical, ambulance service, dispatching, and building inspection functions. Uh, the full-time

063account. What? >> Inspection. >> Oh, that's out. I was like, why is that there? Yeah, it's a typo. Sorry. Uh, and dispatching. Um, the full-time account in the fire operations budget includes a promotional position, a supervisory firefighter, which was the result of the Department of Public Safety restructuring. Um, the budget does not include funding for seasonal help in the police department. This has been funding through a grant for the past two years, and we're hopeful that that grant will continue. That's for the uh the people on the rails to the trails. Uh the police fleet accounts uh funds two new 24-hour patrol vehicles and this is part of our fleet replacement program. Uh the calls for service in the fire department have been increasing quite a bit resulting in higher contractual payments to the volunteer

064departments. Um, this is the first budget with uh it merged and you do know on the you saw on the front page that we were able to take out the communication dispatch and run that as a special revenue fund and we'll talk about that at the end. But um I know that the chief and I spoke a little bit when he came in that we're really really pleased about the merger. Uh it's we've seen we've had some uh supervisory positions that have been able to be opened up which helps us with recruitment and different things both in the fire department. The police department lieutenants and captains are taking on some of the administrative role of the police I mean of the fire department. That's really worked out well. Um, so I think overall and then

065the the dispatcher, the regional dispatcher is we're really really pleased with that how it's going and the state funding and different things. So I think that um it's been I think it's been a really good move to do this. So >> awesome. If you're ready for some questions, welcome Chief Moren. Thank you for being here. >> Thank you. >> Bruce, would you like to get us started with any questions that you have? >> Sure. be happy to do that. Um, on on page 34, I see that we have uh, you know, we're going with the same number of patrol officers uh, that we've had uh, previously. How long has it been since we increased our team? >> So, I came here in 2009 and I want to say that I was told that it was

066in the 1990s was the last time that they increased And so yeah, our population was much smaller back then. >> Yes. >> Too. And we still have the same number of officers that we had before. >> Right. >> When did we when did we do the we did a traffic officer? >> Yeah. So what what happened was there was a year where the budget was not good and they took out an officer and then when we came back we put a traffic officer back in. >> Right. So back it was before you. Right. Right. Yeah, I think right before Paul came there was two vacancies in the police department that we were trying to fill and the budget was very tight and at that point in time we eliminated both of those positions. We brought

067back one of those positions, >> the traffic offic and we brought back the SRO >> SRO. >> So we're back to exactly where we were >> probably in 1998. >> Yeah, somewhere around there. >> Yeah. So that's where >> so we're managing but we're under a bit of strain I guess would be a way to describe it. Is that fair? >> Yes. I mean I So we've had this discussion for a long time. Um you'll notice we have a large overtime budget. So that's what police departments, fire departments do, right? I mean we have to maintain our staffing levels. Um what we're finding um and we talk about this across the board and it's been something happening over the last many years. the newer officers don't like working as much overtime as back in the

068day um when people were trying to work a lot of overtime. And um so what we're finding is what we what we look at is how many times we're forcing officers to have to come in and work. Um and that's happening frequently where we have to force them either to stay over four hours or um basically to come in four hours or >> before that with like volunteer >> and before that right we could fill it because people would volunteer they'd be on a list for overtime and we fill it um we are still getting volunteers but I will tell you that there are more and more forces and we're very cognizant too um trying to do our scheduling because you know I mean you know you look at our staffing level but The issue

069is right now um I have three people out longterm with injuries. So that staffing level, right, they're not contributing to our patrol division. So then I have to take people from, you know, we have the special uh projects position um and we have the traffic division and many days we have to put them into what we call the minimums in patrol because we have to fill the patrol district. So those jobs aren't getting done um because we have to pull them um because we're trying to reduce the amount of forces of overtime. >> Thank you. Thank you. That's uh very helpful. Um a couple of line item questions on on page 35. There's there's a really big difference um for our community policing. 2425 it was half a million and we're budgeting now 350. And

070I want to sort of understand why we are kind of going downward in that line. Is it being taken up somewhere else? Is that what I'm missing from that? >> Joe, he's talking about in the full time. Do you did we move? >> Yeah. full timeline movement of officers >> movement to a different sometimes >> the prior chief like to see certain positions in certain areas of the budget and the current chief likes to see certain positions in other are move to other areas of the budget like might have an SRO officer here and you know Paul prefers to have the SRO's in the detective bureau or so it's just the movement of positions no loss of >> it's purely accounting then Okay. No need to >> a budgeting account >> any further for that.

071On on page 41 under under vehicle. Um we're looking at Northwest 188600 and uh we're looking to go forward with about half of that. Uh is that mean one less vehicle than you requested has been been approved? That's what I that's how I should read that. >> Yes. >> At this point. >> Yes. >> Understood. too unmarked, right? >> Yeah. So, what we had done, so the one thing that we're really really this town always does a great job at is making sure that the frontline vehicles are replaced. Those are the 247 patrol vehicles um that are driven every day. Um we have we make sure that that fleet these were two unmarked which would be for the detectives or um those sorts of things. So um that's why those you know in this budget

072year. So, you know, we look out and try and figure out good times to replace those. >> Understood. Okay. That's what I was I'm all set. >> All right. Thank you, Naen. >> Yes. Um, necessarily have questions about this, right? This particular, but looking forward to next year. Are there things that weren't accounted for this year that you see that would be big items for next year at this point? >> No. I I think one of the things um it was one of your goals is to look at the automated enforcement. Um so that would be something you know depending on what this you know what the town and what this body decides. Um there we would definitely have to add two at a minimum of two officers to manage that program. Um and I've

073talked to many chiefs who are running it. Um, but my point is like if you're talking about in the future that would be something if you decided to do that program that would be something that we would put in. But I think um >> you're anticipating that the revenues would cover. >> Yes. Yeah. But then the revenues obviously would offset that plus some. >> And then in terms of like the school resource officers, they're still going to be in the schools for the future. Yeah, I mean that's a you know that's evolved over the years, right? And um you know I was asked after Sandy Hook if we thought we needed an officer in every school. Um and you know my answer back then was no. Uh as you know some states now require you

074to have an officer in every school. There are some schools in the state of Connecticut that have an officer in every school. We do very well with with the three that we have. Um, but I will tell you that that is just like the school is getting more and more complex, these SRO positions are getting more and more complex and more demand on them. Um, so you know, I think in the future we will always look with the school together, but there is a there's a there's definitely a need for those SRO's. And you know, it used to be just the high school and middle school, right? That was um we're finding now that actually it's it's much more than that even the you know >> younger >> grade school level. >> Thank you. >>

075All right. Thank you, Dave. >> Yeah, I have a couple questions. Um first question, uh would be page 28, the fire marshall's office. Um, and it's really that standby account has been added to contractual changes in the international association's firefighters collective bargaining agreement where one fire inspector shall be compensated to remain on call and then the fire marshals on a scheduled leave. So obviously the fire marshall is allowed vacation time or sick leave or whatever and there might be a need for the fire marshal to be on an event or something. So, so in lie, so now we have somebody who will actually be a standin for the fire marsh. So, is that kind of what I'm reading here? >> Yeah, this is I'll have Paul describe it um in a little bit more detail,

076but this is again another idea that was merged when we merged the departments together and we when the fire marshal was out, we don't we don't have a second fire marshal and we didn't have any kind of process on who to call and how it would work and it would work out, but it was just it was kind of it was messy. And so in the police department, they have a way to do that and it was suggested that we do that with our fire contract. And Paul, maybe you can just describe how that works. >> Yeah. So, um, we we saw a problem in this area that when our fire marshal, Mike, wasn't in, right, and he was on vacation for a week. There was a list of people to call, but nobody had

077to respond. So we were left many times calling other towns to have their fire marshal come in and do our work for us and then the followup right uh you know is on the plane bill fire marshal. We have firefighters um the career firefighters who are trained in this and so in the contract we did a similar thing that we do with the police department. I have a detective who is on call um every day so that when a call comes in at 2 am or whatever, they have to answer their phone um and they have to come in. And so we did the same thing with the fire marshall office working with the career people and that's the the little bit of a stipen. We paid them one hour of straight time for them

078to have to answer their call phone and have to come in during these times. So that was kind of the and and it's actually worked really really well. We've had a couple house fires and other fires and um sometimes it also is at a business where the alarm panel goes off. A fire marshall has to be the one saying, "Okay, you can reoccupy the building, but here's what you have to do and we have to inspect it, etc., etc." So, it's really an important thing and I think uh I know the fire chiefs and and everybody's happy with now they call one person, they're responsible, they answer, and they come in, >> right? And they're designated so obviously they're coming in. >> Yep. >> So, that No, that's great. you've answered that question. That that's

079perfect. Um, granted now the director of fire and rescue services we used to have in the budget is now under your purview. I was just curious is part of part of that compensation for that position was the emergency management grant. Has that gone away at all or is there any way to has that been carried over to where now? >> Yes. Yeah. >> Okay. >> We're still doing it. >> Oh, we're still doing it. Okay. So, that that's that's good. That that clarifies that. Um, so now it looks like you're going to add a supervisory firefighter versus you're going to go from nine full-time firefighters, eight to one, right? >> 81. Yep. Same number. Nine, >> right? Same number. Nine. And that supervisory firefighter is that person who will you're is it direct report to

080you? Do these firefighters directly report to that person? >> Exactly. Okay. So the the firefighters will report to him and then he'll report to me. So, you know, um so I bring him in when I have my chief's meetings um to address any issues and those sorts of things. And then Yes. So the firefighters themselves will bring issues to him uh and then he'll bring them to me and vice versa work its way down that way. >> Got it. Okay. Okay. And then on page 34, patrol operations. Obviously, if we added a patrol officer, would would it would it be would it be um would it be fair to say that overtime would would come down? >> Everything else, >> she's shaking her head nuts. >> Well, no. And and the reason is is because

081I you know, we're the overtime again. Um you know, um somebody has to be ready for full duty. So, you know, um the problem is we think we'll see and if you gave me five people, overtime would go down, >> right? Right. Okay. >> You give me one, I'll be honest, we're going to we're going to save some people from forcing and we're going to allow the traffic officer, the SRO's, and those people to do their jobs instead of pulling them constantly out to try and uh do our minimum staffing. Got it. >> So, you know, really it it it won't have an impact unless you did multiple people on the overtime. >> Got it. Okay. So that answers that. Then obviously I mean you testified Monday on the House bill what 5449. So so

082where is that in the budget as far as the flock? I mean is that under under patrol contractual services? Is it under your >> capital? Capital. Okay. So it's under capital. >> So I guess do you think I guess kind of going off a little bit from from just the numbers. Do you think there'll be a policy at some point in this legislative session? >> So, there already is a statewide policy. We pushed that out through post last week and that's what I testified about. The law we believe will. Um, we were in conversation with the chairs of the judiciary committee as recent as today going over different language and going back and forth, but I think something will definitely come out. >> Okay. So something in the next will come out and then that'll

083be that'll be a policy for the any department that utilizes this technology to basically have guard rails or to the rules >> and that already so just even without the law let's say it's a short session and things implo and they just can't get this passed there already is a policy in place that was pushed out by the post council >> and um so every police department that has LPRs has to abide by this policy and it has 95% of the legislation in it. >> Okay. >> So, um >> is the transparent is the transparency portal part of that or is that an elective type of thing per department? >> No, that's that's elective. >> That's elective. >> The audits are required and then the audits being foied is also an uh you know a

084requirement of that. >> Got it. Okay. Um, I think uh I think that's what all my questions right now. >> Great. Thank you, Betty. >> Dave covered some of mine. So now I just have to make sure I don't mind if I overstepped in my >> No, you're good. I don't mind having to ask you a question and I just don't want to ask the same question twice. Um, page 30 that I just can you help me understand part-time firefighter versus prod firefighter and the decrease from 10 to six in the predium firefighters. No. Was that a no? >> So, um, we redid this in the beginning. So, a part-time firefighter is somebody that is not involved as a volunteer firefighter in town. So they are part-time. The pdium are the day firefighters. They have

085nothing to do with the town of Farmington. So I'll give you an example. Um a volunteer at East Farms can work a shift at Farmington Fire or Tungstas Hose, but they cannot work at East Farms because of labor law. So we're very cogn. So we're we worked on this three and a half years ago with the town's attorney to make sure we weren't violating any rules. Um the pdiums are the ones that we bring in. Um they could be a firefighter in another town or somewhere else and they'll work one day for us uh here and there to make sure that we're filling our minimums at the fire department. So >> I was Did that make sense to you? >> It did make sense. Good. >> Yes. Good. >> And so what's the there's a

086decrease in the PDM firefighter from 10 to six. >> We just we don't So they're only paid when they come in. They're paid hourly, so we don't have like there aren't. >> So, it's more like a reflection of how it's actually been running. >> Correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> And then on page, it's not well, it's technically page 34, but um the seasonal help for the police department. As someone who makes heavy use of the rails to trails and often by myself, I I um value there being officers on the trail or someone, you know, even if you just get hurt to have someone. So, what do we think the likelihood is of this grant? >> Well, you know, I love it because I was the one who started it. So, you know, I

087I I love that CSO program, but I think they've been paying for it through grants, so I don't know the likelihood. >> Two years we've had grant, right? Yeah, it's two three years I think had it. >> I think it's pretty good. Um it's again it's one of those kind of different grants where it comes from a weird spot in state and uh we we've been getting it. So um if there is a problem with it, I think we would probably be readressing it internally because it is a good service and people like it and so I would say that if you know if we don't get the grant, we'll probably be talking internally about how we're going to do it. how to like reallocate resources sources, something like that. Yeah. >> Because it is

088something that I know I appreciate and I know many others do and I'm happy. I didn't know you initiated it. Thank you. >> Yeah, we she forced me to. No, I mean, no, if you remember, we had some real problems down on off the rails to trails and by the river. And I mean, we had some real issues with trash and people getting stabbings and >> and all kinds of stuff. And it's just not feasible to hire police officers. I just told you like it's hard to get them, you know, like we we just couldn't do it. And this was the result. And and you've seen them in different towns. That's how we got the idea. They've had these some use them for parking enforcement, whatever. But it really has been a a a really

089great benefit to the town having them out there. >> I agree. Um, and then this might just be reorganization of staffing, but on page 40, there's a new the fulltime that it has an estimated amount for 2526 and then there's a town manager line, but not a department request on that full-time line. I just >> what's Yeah. So what that is is that when we started to do the restructuring, we thought that what was going to happen that Paul was going to need another administrator because to help with the administration, but how we've been evolving is that instead of bringing in an administrator, we brought in another maintainer that is helping with the police, the fire, the community center, and it's available townwide to help with different things. So we instead of having another administrator

090because that those portions of the job we've given to the police department, the lieutenants, the captains and things like that. So we didn't need another administrator but we brought in a building maintainer instead. Okay. >> And that's what that position is. >> Um yes, that's all my questions. >> Thank you. >> Bill, I just have two questions, Paul. Thanks. Uh first is on page 34. uh overtime for show operations. I just want to make sure I'm again this is my first time looking at this budget so I'm still trying to understand it. So um they according to that uh online on that overtime line the uh the budget for last year was $812,000. Am I reading that right? Okay. And that up to date this fiscal year we spent about 490,000 and we expect to

091spend throughout the fiscal year 775. So that would be a um I mean that's about 12 $37,000 difference. Am I reading that right? Yep. Okay. Okay. So that $37. So I guess my question would be I mean and you asked for 837 which is really would be another 37 on top of the 37 looks like you're going to save. Uh and so just kind of walk me through my question is do you feel like that's is that really a variable account and it's really hard to kind of capture? >> Oh it's so difficult. That's kind of what I was I knowing I mean everything else is like super tight. I just wanted to make sure I understood that's that was kind of stuck out of me a little bit. >> Part of it most of

092it is is that you don't know if people are going to be out on injury and so when and it fluctuates. So we do a lot of different things when we try to figure out the overtimes account especially in the police department. We look at the history. We do three-year averages, fiveyear averages, things like that. They they increase because salaries increase obviously. So that you have to factor in the salaries that go in. And then we look at how many vacancies we have and because we have to backfill for overtime for that. Then we look if anyone's out on workers comp. We see different things like that and we try to factor all that in and then we get a number and then to be honest we reduce it a little bit. >> I get

093it. >> But I think it's important too when talking about overtime to understand. So you know we had um one retirement that retiree left. So, um, we're in the process of hiring right now. It'll be a year and a half before that individual. So, we are paying overtime every day to fill that shift or I'm sorry, the four days on, two days, but that shift that they that body filled is getting filled with overtime until that person can get off FTO and actually account. So, just one person leaving can have a huge impact on the overtime. And and so I guess the next question is we we're speculating about maybe making some changes and auditions to what we finally approve and that might include adding another police officer. How would that impact positively or with

094a challenge, you know, the over full-time line to the overtime line? >> Yeah, that that will help with the the large differences, right? So it'll take care of that that one retiree or that one long-term injury or now FMLA. Uh most people are taking their 12 weeks at the birth of a child, right? And you know, >> you know, it's and and then that's great. My daughter just had a baby. It was awesome that she was able to spend I got three days when we had our kids. Like that's what I got. Like so, you know, times have changed and and so you know, we just have to stay up with the times and stay competitive >> with the private sector. >> And you're talking just so you're clear, it's the husbands are taking the

09512 weeks, too. >> Yeah. Both. Yes. No. Both husbands and wives. Yeah. Yeah. Right. >> Yeah. My Yes. Yeah. Well, her and her husband got >> No. No. And her husband got 12 weeks, too. Yeah. So, yes. >> Um, so is would it be fair to say is it fair to conclude that bringing on another full-time uh police officer will have a a sign and not not just an impact in terms of enhancing public safety in our community by having a more fully staffed law enforcement team. We'd also potentially see some savings, you know, incremental savings, but savings over time in in the overtime account. Yes. And it'll have a huge impact on morale. I mean, that can't go >> uncheck. And the other question I have is just a general one about volunteer firefighters.

096You know, read a lot just in just media and things I follow. There's always a challenge to recruit and retain volunteers, but it seems like there's we're actually pretty good. Are we still the Farmington that I know and love with respect to being able to attract and retain volunteer firefighters? >> Yes. Um, we are. and and the volunteer organizations and chiefs do a great job. They definitely can use more people um to your point, but they are doing a great job making sure that they have the staffing um to adequately and you know address any emergency. So, they're doing very good, but you know, a plug for them, they are definitely looking uh anytime, you know, if somebody's looking to volunteer. Um and we have a cadet program for younger kids to get involved. Um,

097so, uh, but yes, they're doing a very good job of maintaining it. >> I just want to make sure we shouted them out. Make sure we didn't forget them. Okay, thanks. I got nothing else. Thanks, >> Keith. >> Just about everything I asked or I wanted to ask was asked. Um, I asked this the other day of another department. I'm just because I did see the Facebook post because for the officer that we're looking for, there was some sort of a link that was shared somewhere on social media. Um, is Farmington uh our salaries, our benefits, are we a competitive, desirable place for new officers? Like, are we >> Yeah, the the way we look at that is um are you losing people to other departments, right? Because that's what's happening in the you know,

098they had to pass a law that you can't leave until you've been a place three years because people were getting all the training and then leaving. So now there's a law in Connecticut, you can't leave a police department for three years once you've been there, otherwise they have to pay, etc., etc. My point is we don't lose people to other places. We get them here. And um I would say, you know, we're but it is getting hard with the recruitment side. Um and I will tell you so that recruitment is open. We have 12 applications. Now I got to tell you when we did this six years ago, seven years ago, we would have 300 350. >> That was my next question. And of those 12, are all 12 of them viable candidates? >> No.

099Okay. >> Absolutely not. >> What? How many? I mean, roughly >> out of the 12, I'm going to say probably two are potentially viable. >> Oh, wow. >> But we're also competing with other departments for those two, >> right? >> Yeah. Those 12 just aren't applying to us or Right. So, >> are we um are we more apt or are we better off trying to find candidates that are current police officers or trying to create new police officers? >> That's a great question. Um we try and balance that. Um we try and look for really great uh police officers either who have been somewhere a couple years and we've gotten some really good ones um from many different departments. But I try and balance that too with brand new really good officers because don't forget

100we're a bid shift system, right? So on the midnight shift, right, it's hard for an officer who's let's say 50 years old starting over going to midnights for the next three, four years. But it's really great for the kid who has a year on the job and now he's working with that person who's seasoned and done a whole career in that. So we try and blend that between the two and we don't want to do just one or the other. Um I don't like to poach from other places. Um usually it's by recommendation. Um you know one of our officers knows somebody who's saying I really want to come to Farmington and then you know we're but we're we're pretty picky. Um so about who we select and you know one of the things and

101I keep mentioning the retirement you know we had talked about the drop plan retaining those officers once they get older um and knowing when they're going to retire right so you know um >> there's a lot of information out there about that about the drop plan but it lets me know five years in advance when this person's retiring. >> And so one of the things that sometimes we try and do is we'll do our recruitment early knowing that this opening is going to be here. um to prepare for it. >> Thanks. >> And that's one of the things that I we're going to talk about. We shouldn't talk about it in detail here, but um in April about having the chief come to the April meeting in executive session to talk about the drop plan

102for us because it is really a recruitment tool and we've been working on some various things with it with the union and things like that. So, we want to talk about it in executive session in April. >> I like I like the idea. Um, and my last thing, and this may be not something that we're uh aware of because people aren't going to always share their comments, but I know that there had been um a few years where we had had um our career firefighters that would kind of move on, you know, because it's a it's different being a career firefighter in Farmington in our system because it's, you know, volunteer as well and they're moving on to like um maybe municipalities that the entire it was a municipal fire uh force. Are we finding

103that we're we're pretty stable there that we have people that seem like we're we're gonna have keepers? >> So you have a group that are there that will be here for a long long time and then you have the newer individ new newer ones coming in. We don't offer that 2472 schedule. >> Yeah. >> Which is you know most fire departments now that's what they've gone to. Ours are Monday through Friday during the day and that's, you know, so it's we're always gonna probably lose some to that type of schedule. >> Got it. >> Yeah. It's and and we're just not set up to like and we're very honest coming in. This is what we do. This is who we are. We'll adjust if the volunteer chiefs now say I can't staff, right? So during

104the snowstorm, the chief, you know, said, "Hey, look, can you send me three officers on a Sunday because I'm not or three firefighters on a Sunday because I'm not going to be able to staff." And so we'll do that. We'll hire and they'll come in and and staff that station. So we're very responsive in working together with them, but we're just not a 247 operation. And um >> yeah, so we're always going to lose some of those >> just something that we plan >> firefighters. Yeah. But I think also with the change of the structure and some stability and some different things, I think that's helping a lot too. I think that's, you know, like you said, we're always going to have kind of be a training ground to certain off people, firefighters that are

105going to want to go somewhere else, but I think with uh the chief and some of the stability and some of the different things about how we're running things, that helps the organization too to keep people maybe a little bit longer. >> Okay, that's all for me. Thank you. >> All right. Great. Do we have any follow-up questions? >> All right. Do it to you. >> Can I have uh I'll make a motion for a tentative approval of pages 28 through 44. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> All in favor? >> I opposed. >> Is unanimous. >> I was going to say 44. >> Oh, we're not supposed to do 44. >> Yeah, not supposed to. >> Sorry. That's why I was >> 28 through 43 is what it should have been, right? Kathy should

106have been 28 through 43. >> Did I give the wrong numbers? >> No, I I just >> Oh, I think originally and then there was a change after >> I'm sorry. >> 28. >> Oh, no. We did that. >> So 42. Yeah, >> we didn't do >> Why don't you tell us >> Oh, >> was it >> 293? >> 29 to 43. Revise the motion. Tenative approval pages 29 to 43. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor of revising the motion? >> I do you want to do anything to make a motion for the new motion? >> I think I think we're good. I think >> I when we're in the board of we used to do that. We make the amendment and then we make we correct it and then we do the

107actual motion. >> Right. But if you guys do differently, >> it's because it's just TAS. >> Yeah, that's fair enough. >> Yeah, it's just it's just the TAs. >> Just know we want to do it the right way. That's right. >> No. >> Um, if everyone would like to go to page 42 for a moment. I just wanted to point it out. And then we're also going to go into the new tab in the back that's called the dispatcher fund. this >> on page 75. >> So I just want to just point out that >> right on page page 42 this is the communication center. This was the old dispatch. It is still the dispatcher account. And you can see on contractual services and maintenance it's now 1,196,526. And now if you go back to

108the yellow tab, the I mean the dispatch fund tab and you look at this. This is our special revenue fund now. And you can see the payment from Farmington on page >> 119 >> right before 75. You can see Farmington 11 196526. So you can see that we're taking the money out of the uh operating budget and we're putting into the special revenue fund. And you can see that we're getting our state grants of 487,000, our Farmington payment of 1,196, our Avon payment of 563, and our Burlington payment. And for the total of 290 Oh, and that's the new grant funds how it works. And the all these state grants are looking to be going up every year. And also the Avon and Burlington numbers are going up too. >> So now this is a

109special revenue fund. It's outside of the budget and it's now over here. >> Are we looking to add other towns? >> So if you go back >> maybe is that >> so um >> yeah um the problem with adding other towns now we could probably take on a very small town. Um but the problem becomes now space. >> So um you know the state is trying to push other municipalities to do what we did. Um, so but we are definitely looking for if we if we could take on a very small town that had a small like Burlington, right? Like a smaller town that had a a smaller call volume. Um, but we're our space right now, we would have to make modifications to the room and then that would be expensive. Um, we are

110working with the state because right now they only do they only give you a grant of 300,000 for the conversion and obviously if you need to do building modifications, 300,000 doesn't go anywhere. So, we're having those discussions um to propose to the legislature some changes in the grant funding. >> Thank you. >> Um, do you want to have a a TA on the yellow tab, page 75? >> I'll move for a tenative approval of page 75. Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> I opposed. Pass unanimously. >> That's it. >> Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Thank you for your >> All right, Kathy, do you want to uh continue? >> Um, take a break. >> Pizza comes at six. >> Okay. Is there anything we can do in a few minutes? That

111background. >> Throw snow in. >> Look, take a dinner break. >> Yeah, I say we take a break. >> Okay, we're going to take a break. >> I would just like to welcome everybody back as we continue our budget discussion and we're going to continue with public works. So, Russ, >> I can't. Yeah, >> public works. >> So, public works tab is uh pages 45 through 56 >> and the proposed request for public works that is uh 45 to 56 and Mr. Arnold's here. This is our highway and grounds department, our golf course, the m the maintenance of the golf course. Does it's pretty flat. Does anyone have any questions? >> Bruce, would you like to get us started? >> Um, sure. Uh, general general because I went through a number of the accounts and

112I I want to understand a little bit more about how how work is done because there's it's extraordinary complex and there's a lot of different parts to it. Do you how is work assigned? How is it tracked? you know, if something is supposed to take four hours and it takes six, how do you know that? Um, and is there like a tickets? Are they assigned? I didn't see anything for like it or computer systems for any of that stuff in terms of the lines. So, what can you share with me on that? >> Sure. Um, so our budget is based on three, five, and 10 year averages. And our our work is pretty similar from year to year. It really doesn't change too much. Um just the name that the streets change for the most

113part. If we have a if we're doing a catch basin, we have after all these years we have uh knowledge that if we got to replace the full basin, it's going to take it could take three days. Depends on how many pipes are in the basin. If if we just have to do the top, it's going to be about two hours. So, we already know going in be like what we're doing now is going through figuring out our schedule of what we're going to have to do for replacements and we have a a worksheet that we keep a track of that schedule for say we're going to rep be repaving Batterson Park Road. We have a schedule that we're going to do it from, you know, April 1st to uh May 5th >> and we

114work we back it that's how we work it out and we work it in conjunctively with our subcontractor so we know if something happens we go back and after each project Jim and I will sit down and look at it and come back and say okay what what what happened what did it take longer and we we go from there. >> Yeah. But I think Bruce if I can I I think what you're asking is more of like a higher level. I think like what I so I think that the the whole system in the highway and grounds is the same basically the same thing year after year what Russ was saying. So you know in the spring you have to do your all your fields and so they get ready and they know that

115for the spring season they have all the the the the fields the grass cutting getting everything ready for all that. So the parks and wrecks so they every year during this period of time that's what they're doing. Then you know in the winter months it's the snow plowing is the major thing but also during that time you're fixing equipment, you're doing things like that. You're getting things all ready to go. Then you're in the road reconstruction se session and they're getting their catch basins and they go into crews and they we know what roads we're going to do. And so and then you have leaf season and so then you're into the leaf season and that's when you're just picking up leaves all the time. And so then everything is like it's the same thing

116year after year but just different different roads and but it's the same sequence. And then in between the jobs that are going on you have crews and you decide it's the daily the stuff that you know you have to do. So um what would be an example of like someone you're doing an extra drainage project or something that you have a list of drainage projects that we know we have to do and they slot those types of drainage projects in. you have an emergency thing that goes a crew goes and does those types of things, but really the parks and grounds department is basically doing the the rails to trails. They know they have to cut all the trees back every year. They know that they have to do this. So, it's the same sequence

117that they just keep on doing and um and depending on how much budget is, then we know how much equip uh drainage work we can do, additional drainage work because there's tons of work to do. It's just a question of how much time and how many bodies and how many crews we have to do the different things that go on. So, organizationally, I think that's kind of how that works. And what Russ was saying, I think was just a little bit more detailed on it. But as a computer, we are definitely not what you would call like a high tech type of highway and grounds department. And it's just that that's we just are we're not like that. We don't it's not all computerized. It's not all like that. It's it's much more um old

118school I would think. >> Got it. I got it. So >> I would I would suggest then that there is uh you know we have lists of stuff and it's calendarized and it's in a lot lot of people's head. Yeah. >> There is potentially then a risk something could get forgotten or get missed and it caught up later. But I guess from the sound of it, even if that happens, you know, you catch it up and it it gets done. Is that >> Yeah. I Because like when you say really getting missed, it's it's not, you know, >> somebody sends in the letter, there's potholes on this street. Oh, yeah. You got that on your list. And uh you forgot to do those potholes. And >> yeah, that >> Okay, hold on. I got >>

119We do not forget the potholes. So everyone's clear. The potholes get done. we they as a so I think we don't uh we don't have a uh a true complaint system uh but people call they email we have a running list of you know when Bill Becker calls every Thursday to complain about the catch basins plugged up we take we get out there on Friday morning and clean >> what you watch to >> Yes we do so these calls come in these complaints come in these requests come in they go onto a list there Marine keeps a list. We have a running a running list going at the potholes and I'm going to >> that has to get done. That's on the computer. >> But you got to understand like the guys who are doing

120the work, we print they print it off, they get the list. Here you go. And if something comes in, we get a pothole call in especially we're in pothole season >> that they get depending on the the location, the size of it, the severity that will get addressed that day or the next day. we only have so much time to repair it before by law otherwise we're going to start paying for any repairs >> and then just so and again how you have a checks and balances system is that by law we are required to uh fix a pothole automatically or when the next car goes down it and gets a flat tire the town is then liable for it. We don't have those types of complaints. So we know that you're out there. It's

121it's just a standard kind of municipal practice. Now let's listen a pothole may have got missed you know I'm not saying it never gets missed but one of the things and again it's something that I take very strongly from the very beginning when we started here is that because is that every person >> we're very big on if you get a call you're going to get a call back or you're going to get a letter back and a tracking system and it's it's I and again things can get missed and it could be better but it's not like we have this whole system where everyone's trying to reach us and we have a list of a lot of different things. Our policy is is that if a call comes in and a highway grounds issue,

122a mailbox goes down. We get the mailbox done. It's it's we don't wait and and if we do wait, we try to put a letter out that says something along the lines of this isn't our we're you're on the schedule for us. Drainage is always the thing. We have a drainage thing, blah blah blah blah blah. They go out and take a look at it. We acknowledge that there's a drainage thing. We say we put it on our list. We track the list. I track the list. We have um and we go we're not going to get to it for four weeks, but we're going to get to it. And then we go and we get to it. So, it is a whole system and it's it's more like instantaneous. That's kind of just how

123we roll. It's not we don't wait to do any any of these things because it's just that's how that's how we do it. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. Um on uh if I go to page uh just a sec uh 56 um for the engineering administration inspection I see uh uh you know we're still staying a total 4.5 full-time but we're changing roles through that. >> Yeah. >> Can you uh walk through what those person are and why we're doing that had to help me with this one too. So, this is one of the things that we've talked about quite a bit in Russ's area is that we're trying to do um uh some succession planning. We're trying to get things straight uh where we can find people to do what we're looking for

124for their jobs. So, Cat, maybe if you can roll through on that. >> I'm sorry. >> On page 56, >> doing the motions. >> Yeah. 56. >> 56. currently proposed. >> All right. So, previously in Russ's budget, we had two civil engineers. >> Um, both of those civil engineers are no longer working for Farmington. So, instead of going out for a civil engineer, um, we got a project superintendent. As you guys all know, we have a ton of projects going on between wrapping up the high school, the 1928, all the HVAC pro uh projects that we have at the police, the highway, the senior center. Um, our project superintendent overseas all of those projects and helps us manage all of those, the splash pad, the pickle ball courts, the building over at the Westwoods Golf

125Course. Um, so instead of hiring for two civil engineers, we moved one of those to a project superintendent. Assistant town engineer is going to fill that second civil engineer position. Um, we're looking to get a higher level engineer to complement the uh project superintendent as we train them and get them up to speed. The idea is both of those would grow with our organization. And then everybody else, um, chief of party was previously a full-time position. Um there there was a retirement a number of years ago. Um so we brought him back as the part-time surveyor. We tried Russ how many times did we try to go out for three times. >> Three or four times to try to find a surveyor. So um our retiree has stayed on and helped us with that. Construction

126inspector and construction inspector trainee. We've done some movement with those. Um the construction inspector goes out on road jobs, on developments, and keeps an eye on behalf of the town to make sure everything's up to our specs, up to the plans, um and the projects moving along appropriately. So, previously we had a construction inspector and a construction inspector trainee. Uh we found that having two construction inspectors with the knowledge and the understanding of the specifications on projects is more valuable for us. So we um currently have one and another one starts next week which is very exciting for us. Um and then developing development permitting coordinator has stayed the same. A part-time development permitting coordinator is half in this budget and half in the building officials budget. >> Got it. >> Okay. >> Little bit

127of movement, but it work it's worked well for the for the organization. >> Part of the problem is trying to find personnel. There's a shortage of engineers uh the consultants DOT is swiping them up and it's it's difficult right now. >> Understood. So on uh on highway and grounds so those 28 and a half personnel that you're having there are we fully staffed or >> uh page 46. >> Thank you. >> So we have uh for highway and grounds we have you know 28 and a half people. We have had that for a while. um >> 45 >> on page it's actually 45 the unmarked page is where the people are listed >> um >> are we fully staffed or we have we've been running for some time behind and >> so Kat why don't

128you a little bit >> so budgetarily we the only we have one vacancy currently and that's our maintainer three position um a number of years ago probably two or three at this point we made some um eliminations of positions in the highway and grounds department. So right now we are just one vacant position in here, but over the past couple of years we've lost two positions in the highway department. >> Okay. Um I I'll stop here and let my colleagues go far. All right. Thank you. Um so just on page 49 regarding uh the snow and ice control just on the budget around the overtime it looks relatively flat given like was that based on kind of the recent amount of snow? >> Well again what I said with the overtime on this it's it's

129our it's we look at a bunch of different things. We go through we do averages we do different things that go but it really fluctuates and a lot of it can be on when the snow happens happens on the weekend or on a Sunday because we have to pay double time. So there's a lot of different factors about it and we do Russ and us uh Jim give us the numbers. we look around to see what it is. And again, like if we took like this year, you know, that's going to put it in the average, but then we know that hopefully this was just a spike. So, we look at that and say hopefully that's not it and we back it out. And again, just like the police budget and um this we whatever

130that that average is and stuff, we probably take it back a little bit from that. We've done better with the these are because they're big dollar amounts. We've done better um over the years of actually funding the accounts what I call appropriately funding them because tech te technically what we would do is that the this would go over and then we take money from somewhere else and something else doesn't get done and when the budgets were really really tight there were lots of accounts that were like that and so when all those accounts were really underfunded and what what would happen but we over the years we've been trying to bump them back up so they're not underfunded. But the reality of it, some of these are still a little bit underfunded, I would say.

131>> Yeah, it I just to me it just seemed like it was lower than I would have anticipated. >> Yeah. And then Bruce had answered or asked the question I had on some of the roles. >> Okay, >> Russ, how are you today? I'm good. Good. Little hungry, but it's okay. There's enough there. >> It's not pepp. >> So, just back a little bit and I and I get the fact that we rearranged the chairs a little bit, you know. Um, and I think Cat, great explanation, but is the assistant town engineer that's slated here because obviously there was two civil engineers and now you're going to a model where you have a project superintendent in it. Is the assistant town engineer going to be a PE? That's what we're hoping for. >> That's what

132we're hoping for. Right. But >> or at least an EIT. So, >> or an engineering training, one or the other. >> Correct. Okay. >> The problem, like I keep saying, and I'm getting people to come because we're equal to a consultant, >> right? >> Um, as far, you know, we pay well, we but we offer basically everything, but we don't offer the glamour, >> right? So, that's the hard part, >> right? And so with that, I mean, because I think it's important, we need a professional, right? I mean, I think you know, I know we we all know and hopefully that can be successful, right? Because although I think the project superintendent model is fine, you know, you get that person who can oversee things and and really understands the ins and outs of construction

133and timing and means and methods and all that. I do think they bump up a little bit to that professional expert that don't have that need they times with contractual services, right? You go get a consultant to b fill in where you might not have somebody on staff, but hopefully we can fill that assistant. I see this as fine as long as we fill assistant town engineer with with the credentials. So myself and Shannon Rutherford are both licensed, right? Professionally, So I know right now we have, you know, that covered. So I Yeah. I >> And one of the things, Dave, we've talked about it quite a bit, is that, you know, we've gone a little bit because we've had a couple of assist what I would call highlevel people because that's kind of, you

134know, the whole idea of how this structure is set up with Russ being the the director. All the other departments have a highlevel person that reports to. So the water pollution control person high level reports to Russ. uh gym in the highway department, high level person reports to Russ. In theory, the engineering division has a town engineer, highlevel person that reports to rust. But what has happened when we've had that and we're talking over long periods of time here. Of course, we've had those high level people and again going out because and finding getting a job more like a a Russ type of job, right? And so Russ has done double duty of being the engineer and being the boss of the engineer. And so but then we we were hopeful a few times of

135bringing in civil engineers to groom them to try to get them up so then they would handle that end of it too, right? And it's just again the pay, the different things. And now the market of it is, you know, it's it's it's I would say in general, if you went back five or six years, it wasn't like it is now. It's it's just >> we're there's infrastructure projects everywhere. Money is flowing and when it flows Yeah. >> you go where the money is, these big engineering companies can definitely sweep up almost any credentialed person that they they want. Right. >> Right. So, but >> totally understand that. >> Yeah. But we we are really happy not good right now with our project manager and really we feel like he's kind of what we always

136call the Farmington way and he's new and uh we like him a lot and we're hoping that you know he's going to stay for a while and however we have a restructure of whenever in the future we you know whether we hope that he's going to be a highle person for us. >> Yeah. And I'm not saying you don't have that person like the person you're identifying right now. It's just that >> when you get to a situation where >> it would require an engineer to certification that this is epic, >> right? And if the project superintendent doesn't have that credential, doesn't have that expertise, >> then you're kind of in between a rock and a hard place >> to the point where as long as the project superintendent is also not >> freelancing as

137as an engineer, right? Yeah. No, not at all. >> So, and we know that, but I mean the these are some of the things that might pitfalls in >> Yeah. No, we I fully recognize that. That's >> Listen, Shannon came Shannon about 10 years ago, >> right? um as a she came as the um assistant planner and I met her through a few projects and she is sharp >> and being that she's an engineer a licensed engineer and she's excuse me she's on planning and zone you know she's zoning >> and then Bruce Seir is there as well who's he's he's a degreed engineer another guy who uh has been here for 30 plus years and there are very few times where him and I and Shannon don't see eye to eye on a drainage

138issue or a transportation issue or we sit down we collaborate daily on you know pro the plans that get submitted for TPNZ and um we have a very extensive plan review process right and most consultants and when we talk to other towns they're like you do that you know like I can show you like the our plan reviews are incredible >> right >> um I've seen >> so yeah and they're very detailed And uh there isn't many stones that we don't unturn or we don't ask those questions. Mhm. >> Um but I fully understand what you're saying and appreciate it and there is no intent to >> that's the to bypass that we need to have another licensed individual. >> Right. >> You know I think yeah I I think that understanding is definitely understood

139which I think is great and I do I do compliment how it's you know right now. >> So >> um the con the the other question that I had was Cat talked about you're bringing on another construction inspector. Did the constructor inspector trainee N >> He left. Yes. Correct. Okay. >> They moved out of town. So, um when they when he moved on, we evaluated what the needs were and having somebody with more experience on these road jobs because you know, like last year we had Burlington Road, which was an extensive road reconstruction. um having somebody there while you have all the other roads that are being paid. We need we need people with experience >> and and then again to be upfront when we got the trainee we got the trainee but we really

140wanted a construction inspector. Yes. So we got the trainee because we couldn't find a construction inspector but we were hoping that potentially that the trainee would stay and for and grow into the position didn't happen. Our intent really in Russ's area is the higher level people right that but unfortunately right now we're having trouble finding but we did now we we someone's coming on board next week and we that seems like it's going to work out hopefully it's higher level construction >> and then like the truck the construction I'm assuming like if you concrete samples for sidewalks they look at it make sure it meets back and all that correct what we do is uh we hide hire an independent testing >> testing lab whoever. >> Y we'll hire them to come out and we're

141doing a like the sidewalk project in Main Street in Farmington. They came out, took samples and we put that we build that right into the cost of the project. >> Got it. Um, the other question I had was over on over on building inspection, which is back on 40, is it 44, which again I think was I don't know if it was supposed to be in this section or it stays in that section or whatever. It's >> Yeah. >> So the assistant building official Matt's a vacancy now, >> correct? >> Okay. So we have a building official. We don't have an assistant building official. Are we looking at any kind? We're trying to hire for that. >> Correct. >> Okay. We're trying to hire >> hire for that. >> Yeah. Another again it I think

142things go in spurts before we couldn't find planners anywhere. I think planners are still hard to find and that's but again we lucked out because we got someone like Shannon who was not who's an engineer and trained into it. Right now another difficult position is building inspectors. Very difficult. So, we're trying to get some building inspector, another building inspector to help, but we have a new building inspector who's working out very well for us. We got him from Manchester and he's working out very well. And in the meantime, we are also have an agreement with Simsbury to have some uh that overlap. So, we have that. >> Okay. And then the last thing I guess on lead pickup, you have private contractual services that could supplement lead pickup if we need it. >> We could.

143>> Okay. >> Haven't used that. >> We haven't used it. It's in here as like a possibility. >> We hire people. >> That's temporary help. >> Oh, that's just temporary help. >> Temporary labor. >> Got it. >> Okay. Um it's not actually a landscaping company to help supplement our collection. We do all the collection. We hire temporary labor. >> Got it. Okay. I'm good. >> Good. Thank you, buddy. >> Thank you. Um, staying on 40 page 44 for a minute is we had an assistant building officer, full-time building assistant, and now we're looking for a part-time is that >> so yes, we are looking. It's a funding issue. >> So, what I want to do, I I would like to have someone full-time. Um, but the problem is is we've had part-time inspectors before, but

144they end up being a retiree. Nothing against retirees. I don't want to put that onus out there, but they're not looking to do plan review. They want to come and do simple inspections and things. They don't. It's hard to find a willing, you know, go-getter to be part-time because who work who who wants to work part-time and there's not a lot of part-time building officials that are next to, you know, Avon Burlington and Canton and Sensbury and Farmington all have two part-time and we everyone sharing doesn't work that way. Everyone needs an a building official at the same time during a busy season which our busy season doesn't really slow down even in the winter. We're still pumping out permits and things are coming through. Um, but it's more that was a funding issue that

145we've had a little discussion over on this side of the aisle >> that we're working on, >> but I would prefer it to be a full-time position. >> So, is that then the difference between the department request and the manager recommended? >> And then my other question is also um like staff personnel question. Kathy mentioned in her budget presentation that one of the things we could consider is adding a highway maintainer. Can you explain how that would help you? What that means? >> I'd be glad to do that. Thank you for asking. >> I'm going to get the hook pretty soon. Uh so in I think it was 2020 when we had the reductions in staff personel >> around that time >> around that area. Uh so we we lost a few bodies over time

146and um by budget we're at full staff. You go back in time and count bodies were under and what it does is like as we got to talking about with Bruce's question like when somebody calls for a pothole I got to have somebody get out and take care of that immediately. Having more a couple more bodies and would suffice our paving program. It would suffice the leaf crew. I wouldn't have to hire temporary labor. um things of that nature. It is crit critical to our operation. Like if somebody calls and complains, it's hard for me to say it's not hard. It's it's it's a fact, but hey, it's going to be a couple days. Nobody wants to hear it's going to be a couple days. It's going to be a week, but I don't have

147any people on the bench waiting for that call to come in. Not that they would be waiting, but it I can if with more people you can free things up if something pops up. >> And then Russ also is that with between we and the chief talked about it's the same type of thing that we're an overtime based organization and the highway department people don't want a lot of them don't want they want time they don't want overtime I mean they want their own time they don't want overtime and one of the things is that with our benefits and things like that we have a lot of vacation time and a lot of things and that with the bodies being down you we're basically running one less crew than we used to run most of

148the time so when you're doing road jobs and you used to run three crews out doing different things. We don't have the bodies to do that between vac and it's it's even there just that one. It's because people are taking their vacation, people are having this and so you have to run one less crew because we do need a body to do some of these miscellaneous things that are coming in. It's just part of the maintenance of the organization, >> right? An example of that is we would be doing Batterson Park Road. One crew is doing that work, getting it prepped for the paving. Another crew is doing a drainage project. That third crew would be the crew that would be, hey, we got to in Britain Avenue, I got to mill and pave 1,800

149feet to get rid of the potholes. That like our would be the maintenance crew going around and doing those kind of miscellaneous projects without having that. And when we got to do we still have to to perform that function, something else has to give. So getting back to like Bruce saying, "Hey, what how do you keep track all this?" It's a it's a circle that you know it's we're on a merrygoround, right? and it's fine, but it doesn't happen right away as efficiently as I would like it to be because I got to pull that paving crew from prep to go pave this temporary work, you know, put it a mill and patch on some other road. But having that third crew is critical to making sure that every year we get all of our

150work maintenance work done. When we have to postpone maintenance work, it delays and we're going to degragate sooner and quicker. So the quicker we can maintain something, it'll last longer. And I don't know, and we'll put a plug. He's not here. Um, we didn't ask him to come, but I don't know if you guys know Jim Resin, you know, he's our highway superintendent, but I mean, how many generations Farmington is he? >> Yeah. And let me tell you, he he takes a lot of pride in making sure like these different things because he's a, you know, it's everything like I say about Russ. It's his, it's his father or mother's taxpayer dollars, you know, he thinks of it like that. And you know, it's again, we have a lot more uh land to maintain and

151do a lot of different things. And you don't you you want to he really takes pride and he wants to get to these different things. And it's not just the roads, it's the the parks department, too. You don't you don't want as Keith so nicely mentioned yesterday about Union School with the back not being mowed. And it's because, you know, Yeah. >> It wasn't mowed. >> Said it's too tall. It's too tall. trying to get my kids more speed on the >> So, and those are the nicities that, you know, again, he really takes pride in those different things and pushing it and having just an extra we're I mean, we're down we could use three or four bodies honestly the work that we have for highway and grounds. But if one would really, like

152I said, is a prior it would be a priority. And what we've done over the past couple years is we've taken a full-time body out of highway, put them up at Westwood's golf course to make sure that that's running the way it needs to run. Otherwise, that gets decimated. So, we're kind of it's it's a chess game, right? Trying to put put the fire out where it's most the biggest fire is so we can diminish that. And one of the things we did for the people that knew and Bruce just about the organization, not a lot of towns, we we're a public works department as a full public works department. So our water pollution control people, our highway and grounds, they all have they're like in the public works, highway and parks, they're all maintainers

153and water pollution control are water pollution control, but everyone's required to have a CDL driver's license. And because of that is that we can take the whole public works department and use them all for snow plowing. So you wouldn't typically have a water pollution control person in another town plowing snow. We have them go because they're all part and our union contracts are written that way. So they're all part of the big organization, the public works organization. So someone in development who we just hired is that the construction person has a CDL driver's license. So if he wants to um we could we could again order him in to do it, but he can plow snow for us. And so we we've set up the organization to move people around. So and that's like so

154sometimes if we have something like something happens in parks department and we have a long-term person that goes out, someone from the highway department can slide in and do that. So contractually, which seems for someone that isn't that involved in um municipal, you think that's normal, but really with union contracts, it's very difficult to do those types of things. And all our contracts are set up so that Russ can move all people around where he needs them. And so that's that's helped us with the fact that we we don't have enough people. So that's, you know, part of the how our structure is. >> Um Russ, you mentioned Westwoods. My recollection is seven, eight years ago. Did we hire seasonal help for Westwoods? >> We do. We have >> We still do. We have one

155full time, >> full-time seasonal. And he's fantastic. Knock on wood, he keeps coming back. It's great. >> Um, and we put in the budget and I can't believe that it's stay in. >> It's in the fund in the Westwood fund. >> It's in the Westwood fund. We have put another full-time seasonal personel as well. >> What's the I I know Kathy, you mentioned it in your presentation, but what's the budget impact cost of adding a highway maintainer? >> I think what did we write with benefits and full-time? >> It's roughly $120,000. >> Thank you. >> I don't have any other questions for us. Thank you very much. >> Nope. >> Um I don't really have any questions. You've been pretty well thoroughly grilled in a good naturatured way. >> Any questions? >> Exactly. No, I

156I just want to say um as respects to Burlington Road project, it was it is beautiful. The town did a phenomenal job and as someone who rides that road every day and sees kids riding their bikes over there, it's safer. Uh the angles are better. Uh it's it's an example of a really great road project and the kind of thing that makes me you know you know looking forward to hopefully bring another uh bond to the community so we can continue that kind of work. It really is an extraordinary it did a great job. Really fantastic. Didn't like riding on gravel for for five months but >> that's okay. It was >> Exactly. Exactly. Um I my questions were about the Westwoods bug, but I think what I would rather do is kind of maybe

157talk offline about it just to educate myself a little bit more. I know we're going to talk a little bit about it uh recreation. I I'm excited. I I really feel like that's an opportunity for us over the next five, seven years. I I know you have projected revenues of a little under a million dollars. >> Yeah. So Russ does the maintenance, Jesse does the um uh operation. >> Do we But do we approve it as part of public works? >> Not only the Westwood's maintenance. >> Oh, Westwood's m Okay. Then then I'll I'll talk with Jesse about it. But I will say but the know so for example we're bringing forward an air raator >> for uh for capital. Is that something that your department would be using? Okay. All right. And that's for

158the greens and the TE's and all that kind of stuff. Is it big enough to do the fairways as well or is it just Oh wow. Okay. Great. >> I mean I think that's an important part of bringing that course to a place where people really want to look forward to playing >> and that's a great job with it. >> Oh my god. For what resources we've devoted over the years. the fact that it's still in the condition that it's in is a really a testament as well the team. So, I really don't have any I mean you you asked a lot of questions and I know what you do. I'm grateful for the work you and your team do. >> I got I have nothing for it. >> One comment about Burlington Road. Um

159that was paid for through a grant through lots of through Croc. >> It didn't come out of the road bond. >> Right. But you did it though. He did work. >> So yeah, >> I just want to make sure it wasn't >> he wanted he wanted to add the plus to the A. >> Fair. That's right. That's the cherry on top. We didn't pay for Well, we are paid. >> I do have one question now other than think of it. Maybe we should keep talking, right? >> I went to the sidewalk uh committee's presentation and and it was discussed in public comment various potential options and this is obviously going to be a thing that we're going to be considering over the next weeks and months and some residents had asked about uh the town

160maintaining sidewalks. Um, I would imagine if that was added to your plate, it would be a substantial financial challenge for you. You'd have to hire more people. It would be it would be a massive financial commitment if the town is charged with maintaining sidewalks. You think about maintaining sidewalks in two different ways. Snow and ice removal is one thing, right? And then and then damaged sidewalks and rooftops and stuff like that might be a little different, maybe a little bit more manageable in some respects, but you'd still need more staff and it would still be a sign significant add to the budget. Right. Absolutely. >> That's my thought. Okay. Thank you. >> Absolutely. You're probably looking at about five or six guys at a minimum. >> Yeah. >> Um and I would I don't know.

161You'd have to We'd really have to discuss how that would be taken on, >> right? >> Would it be phased in? Would it be jump right into the water? All you know, everything in all in we're taking over everything, >> right? >> Um it's it would be substantial. >> A massive commitment >> plus equipment, >> right? >> Plus, you know, money for material and Yeah. Absolutely. And >> that's not including if we decide we want to put sidewalks. >> Correct. That's totally separate. >> That's a whole other >> correct >> challenge. Gotcha. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Average cost for new sidewalk mil put in is comparable if not the same as road. Right. >> Correct. >> So we're bonding $4 million for road. We're getting a certain amount of miles. It would be

162about the same new set. >> Correct. >> Give or take. >> Yeah. A little bit less, but Yes. >> Um I apologize if I'm being editive. I don't Can you can somebody give me a one second or one minute break? What's the connectivity by grant on the capital side under engineering? >> So that is Do you want me to hear? >> Yeah. >> Um >> I know what it is. >> Sorry about steal thunder. Uh >> we know uh that's a grant for um a planning grant to go from center of Farmington out to out Route 4 towards Yukon. >> Okay. >> And that was through uh the de through Connecticut Deep. >> Okay. >> Like a a sidewalk or a bike path. >> Correct. A bike path. >> Bike path. >> Okay. And um

163we discussed that you have many many trucks in need of service. There's one in the capital right now for you. Yes, sir. >> You said you have two very old trucks and then you also discussed uh need for um supplemental services to get snow off of the new municipal campus. Uh your Can you tell me what your priority would be if you were to get another piece of equipment? >> Yeah. Um both. My priority would be would be a truck. >> One one and one. It's a truck because and and here's the reasoning. Um the truck is a a useful a 365 day a year piece of equipment. The snow snow blower that would attach to the loader. We'd use it in the winter. It's it's a useful piece of equipment. It would get used

164after a storm was over. We wouldn't use it to clear the snow from the parking lot during the storm because we got to get it open. It would take too long. It's still it throws a lot of snow, but plowing it with the loader with the snow blade on it and the plow and a plow is a lot more efficient timewise to clear the parking lot. >> Yeah. >> If we were to just use a snow thrower on a loader, how many of you do your own driveway with a snowblower >> compared to a snow plow? It's the same situation. It just take it would take too long and then we're into school and now I only have depending on when that storm ends. >> We want to be ready for school. We don't and

165I take this personally and so doesn't Jim and Scott Zinci. I don't want anyone saying Kathy Greeter. I would hate to have her tell me that I was the cause that that she had a closed school. I wouldn't give her that upper hand. With all due respect to her, you know, but I just we we we pride ourselves on being ready for school opening depending on when the storm ends. So that it would be a truck Keith. >> Cool. >> Than than this than the snowblower. >> Um I think that's it. I think everything else in NASA. Thank you. Thanks. >> All right. Any other follow-ups before we do a TA? Do we have a motion there? >> Hold on. You have the >> 44 back to page 44. >> That would be one TA.

166>> And then the other TA would be 45 through 56. Yeah. So 44 through 56. >> I can do them all at once. >> Yeah. Make a motion for a tentative approval of pages 44 through 56. >> Second. >> Any further discussion? All in favor? >> I opposed. >> All right. It passes unanimously. Thank you everyone. >> Russ, are you going to start milling those light light poles? >> What? >> You going to start using your mill for light poles? >> Some fallen trees. >> So, >> knock that out of the capital. >> We we are. So we do our uh tree contractor that we use. He brings us logs now. We have him bringing us logs so we can make fence posts. We make uh we I told you about our old sawmill. Right.

167>> Right. That we bought years ago. >> Thank you to Mr. Swatzky. Um so we do we make our fence post with it. We we make logs wood out of it for fence post for mailboxes. Uh we use our we grade stakes for the garden plots for surveying. We cut them all ourselves and >> have pennies on a dollar. >> Yeah, it's awesome. >> Thanks, Russ. >> Always doing community services next. >> Russ, thanks very much, buddy. >> Yeah, >> hey Russ. Hey, Russell. I thought we hit fire. >> Sorry. Sorry. >> The refuge fund. >> I'm gonna ask Joe to go through that. It's the brown tab. Uh pages 72 and 74. >> This one I think we had our little math error. So, do you remember what the the correct numbers were for

168this one? >> Yeah, there's there was a an up my fault that gave Kathy bad information on the on the fee and Kathy indicated that fee was going to be increased by $13.20 and something like 5% and it's actually going to be increased by half that and it's a 1.88% increase. So, it's going The number we gave you was correct. It's going to 276, but my base was incorrect. I I'm sorry. It's going to 28220. The base is 276. I originally used 268. So, so it's a 2% increase on the for next year. And again, this this fund is basically the landfill, the collection and disposal and the hazardous waste. The landfill is really the transport for the brush tiles that we use. That one's pretty flat. There's big expense there is actually falling out

169the stuff that we get. And Russ could explain we're doing a new process this year. >> Yes. So, we've been looking at ways to save money as we always do. Uh we're going to double grind our brush this year to come up with a a double ground mulch to see how that works and what the outcome of that is. We went and uh visited a guy who did it, who does that um and I are convinced I we should give it a try and I think it'll end up being a cost savings and pro and produce a better material for instead of the compost and the wood chips, you'll have a a ground mulch. So, we're going to give that a try this year. >> All right, Keith, do you have any questions? >> I

170do not. >> Bill? >> Nope. Daddy? >> None. Thank you. The only question I have is on refuge containers because people get them and then they're there for a while. Like if there's if they fall in disrepair because they're out in the sun, the weather, the cover begins to crack. I've heard people say, you know, my cans fill them up with water and is there do they just is there a way to switch them out? >> Yeah. So, we our sign guy we have a guy employer does signs and painting. part of his job. Um, since we started the carts, he'll go and repair them. He'll go out, we get a call, he'll go out, see, bring the cart back, work, you can we can basically repair it. >> You can refurbish it to some

171level of performance. >> Correct. Unless sometimes the truck the hydraulics mess up, it cracks the whole can. >> Yeah. >> Um, so we have to replace the full cart. Um, but we we bought uh purchased new lids and the only and the bad thing is we can only purchase black lids. >> Okay. >> So, they don't match the blue recycling or the maroon garbage. So, we get grief on that, but it's what we got to do, >> right? >> But yeah, we do we repair them as best we can. >> Yeah. >> and so that's just a call to your office or >> the highway garage. >> Highway Garage. Y. Okay. Okay. I'll if somebody comes up to me, I'll let them know. >> Yeah. Absolutely. And I think it's on the website as well.

172>> Oh, it might be. I mean, I just haven't checked the >> No, that's a that's a good uh maybe we have a newsletter coming up. We should put that in there. >> Yeah. >> That we do repair them. >> Yeah. That's a good idea. >> And I would just say Yeah. And just make sure they know they might get a different color cover so that we try to do like >> avoid the calls, >> you know. We do we let them know and it is what it is, but it's still >> you see it and it's like, you know, but >> I mean we could have vanity covers and you could charge. You know what I mean? I mean, so you know, >> you know, so >> if that happens, you can take that.

173>> Yeah, I take I take that call. >> How often do we get buy new carts, Joe? >> Every year we buy a 100. >> 100. Okay. >> So, one year we'll buy a 100 the recycling carts. Next year we'll buy 100 of the trash carts. >> Got it. >> That's what you see on that page 72. So, line materials and supplies for that thousand. >> Okay. Yep. Yep. >> That's for uh that's for the active replacement. Got it. Okay, that that was my only question. >> Thanks, Naen. Anything? >> I don't have anything. Thank you, >> Bruce. >> I'm all set. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. If there are no questions, >> I make a motion to tentatively approve pages 72 through 74. >> Second. Any further discussion? All in favor? I

174>> I as unanimously >> and then I think we may have approved it but it was really under we had because we had a question it's page 28 is the fire marshall which is actually under Russ not under uh so this is the fire marshall's account um one item that we always like to mention because it's just it's a big item in our budget is the hydrant charges is1300 1,968. So, we pay a hydrant maintenance fee to the various water companies providing water service to the town. Um, hydrant fees are essentially a utility that the town does not have any control over and there are 898 hydrants in Farmington and most of it is the Connecticut water, the 741, but it's a the real big ticket item that's in our budget. So, and that's under

175the fire marshall's budget. All right. Any questions? >> No. >> Nine? >> No. >> Dave, >> no. >> Patty, >> no questions. >> Bill, >> nope. >> All right. Uh, there's no questions. We have a T8. >> I make a motion for a tenative approval of page 28. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> Opposed? Passes unanimously. Thank you, everyone. >> Thanks, Russ. >> Thank you. See, >> you do community service next or >> I don't have my What's the agenda? >> What's my agenda? >> Community services next. >> Okay. Community service. Nancy. >> Yeah. >> We can introduce Lori. >> Absolutely. >> Hello. How are you? >> I don't know if you know Lori. >> Hey Lori, how are you? >> Yeah, don't don't make me spell it, but she's our support

176uh supervisor of our supported services. >> We're going to the yellow tab. >> Yeah, 57 services. >> So this is community services and we have NY's budget. relatively flat. Um, I don't know if you have any questions for Nancy. >> You have any questions, Chiefs? >> I don't. I think Nancy does a great job. The budget look relatively flat like Kathy said. And you know, I know some of the uh capital things are was paid for through grants and things like that. So, um, have any questions? >> All right, Bill. >> Oh, I don't have any questions pertaining to the budget. I do have some of the house stuff I want to talk to about offline, but it's nothing to do with Thank you. Thank you. >> All right, Daddy. >> Um, yes. >> Sorry.

177On page 61, >> um, Hope Partners, as you know, has come and asked for an increase for the town donation to their services. And I see here that there's a line for funds are also included to pay Hope Partners for administration of Meals on Wheels. Yeah. >> Um >> can you provide more information on the differences between the donation and this is >> so this is um the administration of the meals on wheels program. It's um most towns in Connecticut pay for the administration. Most times they pay for a part-time person to administer the meals. So we pay that same fee for typical partners. >> And is this this fee has been paid year >> probably? >> So it's not a new >> it's not a new fee. No, it's just for them. We pay

178them to administer the program. >> I did put in for an increase this year. Yeah. So, Nancy did what do you have the numbers of what you >> I absolutely it's it's 10,000 and change but I can give you the exact date. >> Yes. So, we give them 10,800. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> And Um I propo you're increasing your dialer ride drivers from two to three or or what because I know we've talked about >> two part-time and two per dam and one of our part-time used to work like three four days a week. They work one or two days a week. So they're kind of one of those per Dam who works more regular per although they're not a part-time. So I think it's just to reflect that. Okay. That's accurate. Yeah.

179Yeah. So, we have two parts and then per per D fill in as needed. Um, you know, depending on when we need them. >> Okay. And um, last question I have because I can never I think I ask this every budget year and I can never remember. How is the stone house currently used? >> So, the stone house has been used for recreation. Um, they have since vacated and they're up there. So, we we have to have some conversations about that going forward. So, >> yeah. So, the stone house has been was vacant. Um, and then when we had um when we merged Nancy from recreation, Jesse and her team were at the stone house, we put them back in into the stone house and now they are out of the stone house and in

180the town hall. So the stone house is now vacant and it came back into into this into budget. >> Okay. Thank you. Because at some point was it being were there apartments? >> Yes. Okay. >> Yep. >> All right. That that's all my questions. Thank you, Nancy. You do a great job. Thank you. >> All right. Awesome, Dave. >> Yeah, a couple questions. One is if you go to page 57. Um, >> yes. >> And again, it's kind of similar to Russ, but your your department request uh on the on the personnel side was 211767, >> correct? >> And obviously in the proposed budget here, the recommendation is 18457. Is that what what were you envisioning and what maybe were are we stepping back from? >> I was requesting to move a part-time to full-time.

181So that's why you'll see nothing in the part-time, but that was restored to part-time. >> Oh, okay. And what's that part-time person >> for the community service aspect? So the community education, the groups, the information education and overseeing the housing and things of that nature. >> Okay. kind of the person that works as my assistant. So that's being picked up full time. >> Okay, perfect. Okay. And and then on on the next page which is 58 I was just curious on section 8 housing administration the state is broken up isn't it like what it got a contractor and there's different like doesn't Harford West what used to be section 8 office maybe in West Harford that covered so many communities or I mean is am I missing >> that's a regional section 8 we manage

18290 vouchers for the tech department do manage 90 vouchers for the town >> and we do contract out for the inspections. We used to be years ago um do the inspections ourselves but as it became more just detail oriented and it really needed someone who had that certain skill we now pay an outside company to do um that Lori had been doing the section 8 part along with the counseling crisis services and all of that. So this budget I've moved the section eight for the part-time community person to be able to do and that's why it's decreased the amount because it would be helping with that. >> Okay, that's the only two questions I have. >> All right, >> I don't have any questions. I think Nancy, we've worked in the past together does a

183fantastic job balancing all the activities and works 100,000 hours. So I appreciate everything you do in keeping >> the services for our town. Thank you, Bruce. >> Just a a followup to uh to Patty's question with respect to uh hope partners. Uh I I understand the administration for meals on wheels, but if I look at the mission statement for elderly services, it seems to be that there's some overlap there between the the two groups. Uh can you elaborate on that a little bit? >> Sure. And then and and perhaps Lori could help me. um our elderly services um the folks that work there run the eating center, they run the programs. Um I know one of our ladies actually came on Tuesday, she did a great job um to talk about that. So we oversee

184all of that as well as the supportive services and that might be for homebound seniors to go out provide case management clinical. So Hope Partners is an agency that we refer to often because they provide meals on wheels in a loan closet. Um, you know, I see us as kind of first stop, go out, do the assessment. We have clinical social workers doing that and then we set up a variety of services. It could be meals on wheels, it could be a visiting nurse, it could be whatever it is that somebody needs. So, um, they are one of our partners that provide service to the seniors by doing the meals on wheels. >> Got it. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Appreciate. >> I'm all set. >> All right. If there's no follow-up questions, could

185we have a motion? and 57 to 67 I believe. >> Thanks. >> Thank you. >> Make a tenative I make a motion for a tenative approval of pages 57 to 67. >> Second. Any further discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? Passes unanimously. Thank you. Our final contender. >> What? >> Our final contender. Recreation. >> It's recreation. >> We're finishing with a little fun. >> Jeff, her assistant. >> So recreation is on page 68. Mhm. >> And so the recreation service account has been increased as line items associated with the administration of recreation services were transferred in from the recreation fund. As you know, we have a recreation fund which is a special residence fund. We have this fund. Additionally, accounts were added for the operation of the splash pad. >> You see 68 >> 68

186>> um the court and the west recreation complex. It's the pink tab. >> So, we have >> So, we do have now uh with recreation being broken out in a full and how long have you been here now? >> Just over a year. Just a year. Okay. So, um we have the director and then the one page. So, I don't know if you have any uh comments on the recreation service. Let's see. Where do we start? Would you like to get a start here? Why don't you get us started? >> Sure. >> Um how So you've been here a year. >> Uh thank you. Um everything I've heard from um town managers obviously very positive and everything and I and I've seen positive change as well. Um how has it been sort of uh as

187you come to town untying the maybe knots that could have been there from years of doing it maybe differently than you would do? Has it like have you been able to um I guess put your own sort of stamp on stuff? Are you finding it things are moving in a direction that you like? >> Yeah. >> I mean, really >> I mean that's a layup of a question, but I mean to say like I I know I know that I guess here's my question. Time is weird with some of the recreational services, right? Like baseball kind of does one thing. Soccer does one thing. Used to be run by Al Bell for years and then but it's also been under the recreation service also under Nancy before. There's been a number of different sort of

188like relationship >> where there's like so when I say not it's like these weird things where every kind of talked but everybody sort of also did their own things on an island. So how has it been like having one home for >> um it's a it's it's been great. Everybody's been very supportive. So anybody I talked to whether it's Nancy Russ Jim has been willing and Jeffrey. Jeffreey's been a huge resource. He's been here for 23 years. He's a wealth of knowledge and Kathy as well. Um, everybody's been giving me answers. I do find that I am definitely communicating a lot with everybody. Probably asking more questions than they would like and it does require a little bit more communication. Yeah. Um, but I'm friendly so it works out. We just, you know, I call

189them and I bother them and I get the answers that I need to make things work. Um, and we're pulling things from different areas and working collaboratively on whether it's the playgrounds or um, Westwoods to kind of start to build it in a different direction. So, I think it's it's going in a great direction. >> Yeah. I think one of the things is is that we're we're somewhat siloed. I think it's kind of what what you were saying. We're siloed. And I think you've said a couple of things to me that you find differently. One of them it is again typical farming tip is that Jesse has found that more towns spend more money on recreation in their budget and less in the uh the special revenue fund. We try to put everything in the

190special revenue fund instead of into the recreation budget in the operating budget. So this is but we're going in a different direction now. So that's kind of changing the town is supporting recreation more so. So that's part of why we split off and did that. The other thing is that what is different and we're again it's the merging is the whole who's in charge of what when it comes to the maintenance of stuff and it's a recreation program but is Jim's guys as the parks guys in charge of that or who and and maintenance is doing it but who's in charge of deciding what gets done? Is it driven through recreation or is it driven when someone sees the baseball net that's ripped? who's paying for it, who's doing it. And now with Jesse, we're

191trying to incorporate policies and procedures with the school. When the school uh what was the latest thing that we were talking about the scoreboard, when the scoreboard goes, who is responsible one that it went out, who's telling who, whose budget is it coming out of, and who's in charge, and that type of thing. >> That's exactly where I was coming from because it's it's like um I think it's great that we have a recreation director. I'm glad that that that it's it's in its own spot. But that's exactly what I'm talking about where it's I think I'm guessing, but I think it's probably you and Jeff probably deal a lot with, you know, requests for fields, but then there's so there's these different branches of of the rec sports, but then there's also the high

192school thing, and then there's people that independently want to have their own thing going on. You know, they just want to have games and things that so being able to filter all those things through. So, I mean, my questions aren't really from a budgetary standpoint, but it's just the I guess the goal would be as much of that as we can put under would it more useful to try to just keep removing those silos and putting them all under the the umbrella of wreck? >> That's what we're trying to >> and it'll be more efficient because I mean from a parent standpoint or and and just ease of use for rental, I think it's just the more that we can keep going in that direction, I think, is what we would like, >> right? And

193that's that's where we're we're aiming to go in that direction and have someone that's coordinating it and where it's a wreck thing and and it works out because everyone everyone does it friendly and so what we charge what Jesse with is you know what's kind of best practices to it and we are doing it we just don't have any policies on it. We don't know what and so these are the things that we want to start creating and having her create so it's all under recreation and everyone knows the rules and then everyone It's not just rules. It's just everyone knows who's responsible and then not everyone's going like this all the time. And so that's one of the things that we've tried to talk and Jesse will come and she'll she'll look at me.

194She who's doing this and I'll be like it's either gym and school or you know what do someone's doing it and so >> so I so that was it. I just was hoping that we were kind of just moving in that direction but budget >> and we're collaborating to find those answers is kind of what I was saying. >> Yeah. Exactly. But otherwise, I think there's a lot of, you know, there's so much positive between the grant at Tungstme and other things that have been going on. So, um, I appreciate all the work you guys both do. And that's it. >> Thank you, Bill. >> Jess, couple things. Um, what's the latest in the baseball situation at Texas this summer? >> Um, in regards to it being open. >> Yeah. >> Um, it's looking like

195it's open right now. The, um, project is slated. The, um, press box and jugout is slated for the fall. >> Perfect. Great. I know because this is a cohort. We talked about that offline. It's a cohort of folks that want to have senior baseball and that's great. They be able to play in town. Um kind of want to piggyback a little bit on what Keith said because I think one of the challenges the school board has always had was with with respect to wreck, right, is the the demand for the wreck to use the school buildings, right? And there was always kind of like this hodgepodge approach and you know who's paying for the janitors? we have to have custodians on site and all that kind of stuff and and it really was kind of

196like that, right? And to have a point person because I know that in in the winter time at least with respect to youth recreational stuff, the schools are really the hubs for that. And so to to the to your point Kathy about developing policies, I I would hope and I would imagine that that under a new administration, the school district there's going to be some kind of collaboration as a partnership and how to appro because that's a challenge, right? Because that's there's an economic cost attached to that. >> Yeah. Um we just we recently just had a meeting over I forgot what our top I think it was the basketball right >> that's great. >> That's awesome. >> And with the all the administration and it's you know again we had somewhat it wasn't uncomfortable

197conversation but it was one of these where I said to Jesse and said I said everyone speak their peace here. >> But that's important that yeah speak your peace and let's what let's figure out what your gripes are what our gripes are. Let's speak our piece and then let's start establishing something in policy that we know what we're doing. And so it's again it's we're still working. >> Well, it's a complicated issue. >> Yeah. You know, we're going and we're showing each other charts and basketball and this and that, but it's it's I think it's a we're doing that. Great for that. And the last thing I know I talked to you offline about I'm I'm actually quietly very passionate about what what's going to happen at Westwood's golf course because you know I I've

198always in the back of my mind I've driven by I've played I taught my children to play I mean it's it's a big part of my family experience in Farmington business many and I've always felt like it's a resource that was just underutilized. It was underdeveloped and for lots of reasons. There's no like recrimination attached to that. just for but I think as we as you mentioned before we are living now in a community that has different expectations about recreation and services right we talked about that at the beginning of our business last month community expectations are different I think Westwoods is actually an interesting opportunity because as you develop it out and again I'm not looking you know say oh you got to put two million in capital each year for the next five

199years that's not what I'm saying but as you build it out incrementally it becomes a better quality experience and that generates more revenue and then that's really I think because in the back of my mind if we could get to a Rock Ledge Light, then you know, Rock Ledge West, you know, Rock Ledge Golf Course in Startford, which is a fantastic money maker for that community and it draws people from all over the the region to play there. If we get something, you know, like half of that or a quarter of that, we're doing really well. Um, so I I'm just here to tell you I'll be an ally and I'll be a partner wherever I can to help in any way. Well, and we've worked one of the things when we had uh Jesse

200come in for interviews, we talked you can tell quite a bit about Westwoods of exactly that a resource that we haven't done like and you can play the golf but we talked about it a lot of times. just flipping the driving range the other way and having a sign and have we talked about you know when pickle ball potentially an entrance and so like that driving ranges are big money church and you know and hopefully with carols and some different things we've talked about that carol they could you could bring uh things out to the driving range food and drink and like have it more like what's the golf course Stanley or whatever >> yeah you can actually have like a cocktail place right like something like all like so it's really and we're taking,

201you know, small steps, but even just the little things of just cleaning up the clubhouse and having it painted and having some different things and we talked about partnering redoing the patio and talking about regional kids and kids programs up there at night because it's so pretty up there. No one goes and sits up out there and having what you were saying with um having a band up there or music and having some different family events and so it it is with just golf but the whole >> No, I remember going to a thing a family event at Stone House. We used to have outdoor stuff years ago when the kids were little. >> Yeah. >> Ice cream Sunday night. Yes. Thank you. Right. It was awesome. Um >> so yeah. Um thank you. I'm

202excited about what you're doing. I'm excited for the both of you guys. this is an opportunity for us. Really looking forward to it. >> Thanks, Benny. >> Um I I just wanna everything they said. But really, you you really you do a great job, Jesse. I know you hit the ground running and came to us and like you had grants. I think we were like applying for grants within weeks. It was um I guess my one I do have a question on page 68 regarding staffing. Um, and it looks I I mean I know that the entire town is tight for staff and balancing and but that there was a fairly significant difference between the department request and the town manager's recommendation and I've talked about you know talked about it with Kathy but I'

203you know like to what what type of staff are you looking for needing like if we can also just plan out for future years >> and I won't let Jesse talk but just one thing Joe move some money into the right I mean a staff person right so just >> okay >> yeah so I wasn't um with that particular request that you're seeing in there I wasn't expanding my staff I am asking for secretary not really but um we as we said changing the trajectory of um how the rec fund has operated in the cost. Um, we cover a lot of our staffing costs out of the rec fund. That is not very traditional in communities. Usually your general administrative staff, it's covered out of your general fund budget. Um, so we operate a little

204bit differently and we've been very successful. We've had a fantastic wreck fund um that the team here had previously built up, which is great, but sustainable for long-term communities are going in a different direction. And so this year we did ask to move one of our full-time people into the general fund um which would allow us to do more other things but we understand why it moved back and it can't be supported that way. >> You should talk a little bit about the clerical issue and that was part of my budget now. >> Correct. Um so with the split out from Nancy department we used to share clerical staff. We no longer have any clerical staff. So now my program staff is taking time to answer those general question phone calls or you're not getting

205a real person. We really like to have fantastic customer service where you get a real person on the phone and not an automatic uh pick one, pick two, pick three. Um and we're happy to answer the phone, but sometimes we're out of the office administering programs, dropping off equipment, doing different things. So even having a part-time clerical person is crucial to what we do. And I think again there was a question earlier or someone that stepped you know what's what's coming in the future. If recreation is going to continue to grow the way that we are talking about, we're going to have to give her administration help to we didn't do it this didn't put it in. I put it in part-time, but you know, they're doing a wonderful job and but it's to grow

206the way that we're talking about. It's going to need a clerical type of administrative person in there. >> Great. Thank you. Any other questions? Yeah. The only the one question I had the contractual services for obviously the Westwood splash pad and pickleball courts. I was just curious is that is that going to be like a contract that you're going to let out like you're going to have a private entity come in and and maintain that >> cleaning. Cleaning. >> Cleaning. I mean cleaning. >> Yeah. Yeah. For cleaning the bathrooms. >> Okay. Is and do you need to do anything to the splash pad itself or you don't have to do anything like that? Do you have to is there requirements to do that? health requirements or anything? >> Um, no. You're not using a recirculating

207system. You're >> It's just in and out. So, you don't have the same cleaning requirements. And my understanding is that um public works staff will be periodically checking on it, adding to their need for another person. But if I'm being honest, >> okay, >> but we do have the um the new structure there that's >> right. No, the new structure. I know. I figured that's the subderee. I just wasn't sure. contracted is the the cleaning of the building. >> Okay. That's that's the only question. I you you know Jeff and you're doing a great job. >> Awesome. >> So, I'm super excited about all the recreational stuff that's taking place. So, thank you Jesse and Jeff for this. The question that I have um I don't see a whole lot of promotional or any funding

208for promoting the new things that are coming to like the splash pad. And I I will see things occasionally, you know, on like a Facebook post of Carol's Lunchbox. And how are we promoting our recreational >> I think um's going to be opening um in the um in May. So we'll probably start you start seeing that more in April. Um we will start to gear up. Um Kevin who recently joined our team um is working on a full marketing plan and kind of relaunching our Facebook and our Instagram because we were so intertwined with social services. Um just as we were starting to launch our new Facebook page, we lost uh Ryan who had been with our department for eight years. Um so we did a little bit of rebuilding when we brought Kevin on.

209Um so you'll be seeing that rolling out very soon. Um but it'll also come through our email systems as well. >> That's awesome. So one of the goals are too again and some of this too is an administrative type of thing too >> right and you don't have the staff to support it as well >> that kind of thing but I think the goal is the communication and with cabin to get out just all our programs and everything we have going on. >> Yeah. >> Right. All programs. I'm just saying like we have spent so much money into the splash pad. We're you know regenerating to Bill's Point Westwoods golf course which I absolutely love golf. So, you know, just we've done a lot. Yeah. >> It'd be great to do like a revamping campaign

210of everything new and fresh and existing stuff. >> Yeah. >> So, just curious there, but >> congratulations on your first year. >> Thank you. >> I I too am supportive of uh you know, the things we're doing. I think it's very exciting as well. Um just a quick one. The the 20K we've uh got there for water, is that solely for the splash pad or we sort of spiking out all our water? >> No, that's what we think it's going to cost off. >> Yeah, because you're not using a recirculating system. Um, but you would end up spending that on chemicals if you were using a recirculating system. So, unfortunately, it's just one or the other. >> All right. Thank you. >> All right. Are there any follow-up questions? >> Just real quick, great call

211on the airator, by the way. That's going to pay a lot of dividends. >> That was public record because I can't take any credit. Our JP is fantastic. Yeah, that that's going to have that's going to pay dividends for years for sure. >> All right, thank you guys. Uh, do we have a motion to our TA on this? >> Is it just page 68, Kathy? >> Make a motion for a tenative approval of page 68. >> Second. >> Any other discussion? All in favor? I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. >> The next tab would be a red tab in the back of the recreation. And that is around page >> 76. >> And this is the recreation fund. And that has, if you see on the front page, if you look at this page

212right here, >> as you can see, you have the revenues that come in for the sports, the cultural, the bus trips, the camps, the senior programs, the other revenue, interested fund balance, and then you go and the appropriations and then the pages to that. and the revenues and the appropriations match. >> All right. Uh, do we have any questions, Bruce? Down at your end? >> Um, I do not. >> Naen, do you have any questions? >> No, just like to see that there's still the Hershey National Track and Field. This goes back some time. For those of us in Fairmont may have participated. >> Did you win? >> No questions. >> I don't have any questions. >> No, they >> Well, since we don't have any further questions, can we have a a motion on

213TA for like what is it? 76 >> 84 84. I make a motion for a tenative approval of pages 76 through 84. >> Second. >> Any further discussion? All in favor? >> Opposed? >> Passes unanimously. >> The next one is right there is the Westwoods fund and that is page. If you look at the front cover sheet again, you have the revenues. the green fees, the season tickets, the golf park rentals, the driving range, the lease, other interest, and then our appropriations. And as you can see that the um revenues match the appropriations. So, one of the things that we have been doing is again not only with the golf course about how it looks, looking at the the management of it, the things of that type. And so with Jesse and our new golf

214pro, they've been doing some different things and looking at fees and looking at leagues and looking at a whole bunch of different things that go around it. So it's a work in progress because no one likes change and uh so we're trying to like take it slow but trying to upgrade some different things and simple things from uh what when you call in to golf to get your tickets like that. So, you know, when we, you know, just getting a computer system, doing some different things that were not back in like 1975. >> Dedicated website. >> Yeah. So, we again it's a work in progress and it's not not just change. It's just it takes time to do some of this stuff and so we're we're doing that. But we I feel like on both

215sides of what what it looks like there, but also the management. So, we're really taking a deep dive into it. And to be honest, we have really not taken a deep dive into the Westwood's golf course in some time. We have had done it back probably a while back. We went through a lot of things, but it's it's definitely time to do that. >> So, we start down this side. You got any questions? >> New golf course coming. Are they They're in >> Not in yet, >> but we're getting them for the season. >> Yes. What are you getting? The golf cart. Oh, the Yes. No other questions. >> You're enhancing the user experience at the end of the day. That's what's going to drive. >> Exactly. >> Well, that's to Kathy's point because that's

216when you say there's a cohort of people that have been at that course for years and years and years and years and there's one way of doing it and so even something better takes a little time to get used to, but we're getting there. >> I think the key is to the extent you can certainly with our seniors, right? The the amount of play that that course gets from our seniors because it's very affordable. get rounds of tokens that can cost upwards of I think almost $100 on a weekend now with the car, >> you know, to be able to be able for seniors to get out and play and have a nice day, you know, for, you know, have a whole experience for under 50 bucks or probably cheaper than that. That's the one

217thing I would say we need to do is make sure that we keep that affordability piece to the extent we can for our seniors. >> Agree. >> Thanks, Bill. Patty, >> I do not have any questions. The only question I had is it's more kind of just a an accounting question is when the actual like in 2020 24 25 when your appropriations don't you know you actually have a a revenue surplus is that get carried over is that what happens Joe >> balance >> just fund balance that goes into fund balance >> every every fund has fund balance >> yeah yeah no that's fine >> so basically if there's a surplus the surplus goes into balance We have someone else. >> That was me. >> You knew that. >> That was amazing. >> So basically

218this to be honest with you, Look back financials last two years ago was like first time we actually had a positive fund balance years this fund had a negative balance in other words it didn't have any borrow >> right >> path about two years ago so now it's generating has about $100 but we're using you look at the capital outlay using surpluses something. >> Okay. Well, that's what that was kind of where I was driving. So, that's fine. Perfect. Good answer. Thanks. >> I don't have any questions. Thank you. >> All right. Any follow-ups before we move on to a motion? 85 to 88 is >> 858. >> I make a motion for tenative approval of pages 85 through 88. >> Second. Any further discussion? All in favor? >> Opposed? Passes unanimously. >> Thanks for

219waiting, guys. >> Yes. Thank you. >> See you just next. revenues. >> So, you want to continue on? >> Let's continue on. >> Okay. Uh revenues. So, revenues are up in front where it says summary >> and I will and if again if you look at your D tax and budget worksheet has the revenue portion on it on the front page and this is the breakdown of it on after the red tab. So Joe, if you want to go through the >> Joe, you speak into the microphone so that way anyone online. >> So under under property taxes, the one thing I would point out is the supplemental motor vehicle taxes. And we talked about this in the past. there's been some changes in the law and we thought that it would negatively impact the

220town and it's actually hasn't negatively impact the town. So, we're um we've actually so we're increasing that for next year, proposing to increase that for next year. Under licenses and permits, I would just point out the the building permit revenue um that is down 15. We're projecting next year to be down 15%. um from the budget amount this year and um right now the revenue down for the for this year is down also. Interest earnings we talked about this last year. Um at some point the feds are going to cut cut interest rates and at some point that revenue is going to go down. We are going to surpass our budget estimate this year but according to the new incoming chairman he's going to cut rates four times in in 20 26. So, um, we're

221anticipating that rates will eventually will go down and in and so we're budgeted accordingly and the state grants and there's two items that were are increased substantially the pilot. These numbers are based on the governor's proposed budget. So anything could happen with the legislature. Usually it's more positive information comes from legislature, but the pilot that's basically because of the that's actually because of the reval three years ago um that we're getting a bump in that state pilot grant. It's about a $24,000 increase. And then last year the legislature increased the town a road grant and so we're they're carrying it forward this year. That's about $130,000 increase. The one thing I would point out on the negative side, it's not a negative, but just a transfer lease grants in that section is a zero for

222next year. And that's because that 152,000 represents the grant that we were receiving for having the the regional dispatch before Avon came on. So, we moved that money to the special revenue fund that you you went over um earlier in the evening tonight. Joe, I think there's a a couple of typos in this column here. The municipal grants and aid and the supplemental revenue sharing show um 100% change. They're both zero, aren't they? >> Yes. Yeah, they're both zero. They should Yeah, I'm not sure why they showed up that way. >> Yeah, they're both zero. Zero change. >> Numbers are just >> Yeah. Yeah, the numbers are correct. It's just that Yeah. Um on the charters for services that's slight increase but again the big big one there is um we were also getting regional

223dispatch fees from Burlington that were budgeted here when when the dispatch center was in this town in the town budget. That's about $43,000 and again that's been moved to the special revenue fund. Everything else is relatively flat in there. There is a slight increase um in the uh which one was in in the real estate conveyance tax based on historical performance. It's that was had been declining but it seems to be turning around a little bit despite the housing slump that you know that we're currently in. Then on the second page other revenues that's um that's flat or slight decline to that. That's the big number in there is that's the payment from Burlington, Avon, and uh Yukon Health Center to help us pay the debt service on the clean water fund loans. That's $694,000.

224That will actually go down about $3,000 each year for the next um 18 years until that loan's paid off. And then the transfer in from the Westwoods fund, that's just to cover the cost. We try to budget for about 75% of the costs coming from the Westwoods fund, the golf course fund, coming to the general fund to cover maintenance um cover the maintenance budget that you see in the highway and grounds department. It doesn't cover benefits or anything like that. It's just that um it's just that page that you see in here for maintenance in Westwoods. We try to keep and that will be determined based on play at the course. If the course does well, we make the three the 325. If the course doesn't do well, we we we we take in less,

225but we're anticipating 325 for next year. And the last item is the uh fund equity or fund or what we call the fund balance appropriation. This budget recommends $400,000, which is a decrease from the 800,000 that was budgeted for this year. >> All right. Do we have any questions, Bruce? >> No. >> I don't. >> No. Yes, the it's a small item, but on the dog licenses, >> the seven-month actual is 7,000 and the estimated 12 month is 6700. Why is it going down? >> Um, it's partially the way we account for it. The way the dog license program works is town clerk's office issues the dog licenses and people pay us. However, at the end of the year, the state Specifically during the month of July, the state will send us a form and

226um that form basically will require us to report everything we've taken in and then to give them a check for 50% of what we took again. So that number will actually at some point by by July 1st that number will actually jump to around 134,000 and then we'll have to actually cut a check out of that and and remit it to the state of Connecticut for their share of the cost. So that's why you see you see it go high and then you'll see it come back low. >> Thank you. And on the um fund the fund equity appropriation last year we appropriated 800,000. My understanding is we've not used that fund and those amounts and we don't we don't anticipate that we'll need to. >> Um right now the projection is if you look

227at the estimated 12 months and you look at the revised 2025 numbers, you'll see that the estimated 12 months is about $634,000 higher than the the revised budget amount. >> And that's without using the $800,000 from fund balance. the I'm pretty confident in those numbers with one exception. Um there is a grant that could have waiting to see the results of an audit and we do have a grant that we received that potentially could have a an a negative impact of up to $200,000. Um I normally have that that audit by now. It has not come out. It's been released by the state of Connecticut. Has not come out yet. I don't know why it hasn't come out. Um, but that potentially could adjust the revenue downward by $200,000. We still would not touch the

228fund balance, however. >> Okay. >> That's those are my questions. Thank you. >> Uh, I don't have any questions. This is my first time going through the budget. Boy, is really well prepared. I just want to say I thank you for it was easy to follow. it was easy to understand what you were what you were trying to convey and the information throughout this entire process has been excellent. So I just want to say thank you. All right. >> Just for the sake of saying it, um, again, my understanding is talking in the past is so let's say even there was a negative effect of the the audit. Just say we had the 800 that we haven't used and then it ended up being 400. Any leftover funds always just go to the next year's

229fund balance, >> right? >> So, we'd be basically carrying forward back into our fund balance. Uh, 1.2 the thought right now, >> right? >> That's it. >> Yeah. Everything um at the end of the year just filters back into fund balance. >> Yeah. >> And that's you know positive and negative. You have a positive result of operations you increase fund balance. If you have a negative result of operations, you decrease fund balance. >> Actually follow that question and also be true. So on the school side as well. So the non-lapsing fund any money that they don't put into the non-lapsing fund would revert back to our fund balance, >> right? if they if they have whatever surplus or again whatever positive result of operations they have. So if they underexpend their budget essentially if they

230don't put it into the 2% lapse not laps in front then it would um come back through fund balance. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Are there any follow-up questions? Bruce, >> I I actually have one. The um the building permits are are planning fees. Are those determined by uh a town schedule or are they in the zoning ranks? They're our schedule. >> Yeah, there and there uh I'm I'm pretty sure it's town ordinance for the building permits, but you you the building the town itself has the ability to set the uh building permit. >> I was just wondering when was the last time we reviewed them and changed them, you know, with respect to inflation. >> We have not done. I I can't tell you off the top of my head, but

231it would be probably something that should be reviewed. >> Okay. >> Yeah, >> we will leave it with you. >> Yeah. No, it's just we we have just not had the opportunity to go through though. I don't I would say though that said, we are not like an outlier. I'm sure of that. You know what I mean? It's not like our fees are like 1990s or anything like that. But they we should take that's a good point. >> All right. No other follow-up questions. Then do we want to do a uh do a TA on these >> call the re revenue p I make a motion for a tenative approval of the revenues pages. >> Yeah. Second. >> Any further discussion? >> All right. All in favor? >> Passes unanimously. Thank you everyone. Is the

232group interested in continuing on? >> I bet we are. Yes. >> Okay. So, I would suggest because we're we're done with the budget, I suggest we take a little break. >> Okay. >> But and then we'll get the tax and budget workshop and I want to talk to Brian. >> Okay. Very good. >> Welcome back everyone as we continue our discussion budget. I'd like to make a motion to set the board of education budget for fiscal year 2026 2027 at $86,858,554 an increase of 3,617 617,571 or 4.35% over the current year budget. Second discussion. >> This is as presented by the board. >> Yes. >> As presented by the board. No changes. Um. Yeah. >> All right. Any other comments? >> Do we discuss here the >> the board >> the monies that were maybe

233want to do it as part of the cap? >> That's part of the capital. make sure >> I just I'll just say that we heard a pretty thorough presentation yesterday. I think we dove into what their asks were, you know, where they and try to identify what the challenges were and I think we heard pretty loud and clear uh the challenges presented by special ed and the fact that we're financially obligated to handle that stuff uh by both state and federal law and that's that's probably their biggest driver that and contractual obligations for you know staff and employees, right? I mean Good to know. >> Uh Patty, any other comments? >> No. >> Any other comments? >> I actually also really appreciated that they brought a number of things in house and that saved money

234and uh we have a better budget as a result of that. So it was learning experience for me, but I'm really glad that they did that. >> All right. So, if there's no further discussion, uh, all those in favor of the motion, >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. >> Would you like to do some additions? >> Yep. Moving on to the I'd like to add 86 I make a motion to add $86,000 to the police patrol full-time account. >> Second discussion. Um, just to be clear, this is the salary component. There is a second motion for benefits. >> Okay. >> This is to this is to add a patrol person. >> This is to add a patrol person. >> Okay. So, that's something that >> they will be very pleased about. >> Yeah.

235>> This since the 1990s. >> Yeah. I think that right there says it all. I mean, I don't think >> there's discussion on that, >> right? I mean, >> it's time. All right. All those in favor of the motion as presented. >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. >> Would you like to do another addition? >> I make a motion to add $74,000 to the benefits and other account. >> Second. >> And this is for the benefits for the police patrol. >> Any any further discussion? >> That's benefits and it's inclusive of training to get this person up to speed on on board >> everything. It's their full-time salary with everything. Yep. Any further discussion? All those in favor? >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. >> I make a motion to add $71,533 to

236the highway operations account. >> Second. >> And this is to add uh personnel as a highway maintainer or to add a highway maintainer. And this is the salary component. There will be a if this is passed, there'll be a second motion for benefits. >> All right. Any further questions? >> I think we heard tonight pretty persuasively that there's a desperate need for this type of staffing at Department of Public Works. >> 100%. >> And I also I mean the history of it is like you lost two maintainers back just just five years ago. >> Yeah. >> And you know and I think it I think we heard tonight about the the constraints that those reductions have have created and I think this is a step in the right direction to hopefully relieve some of those

237constraints. Any further discussion? All those in favor of the motion is presented. >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. >> I make a motion to add $48,467 to the benefits and other account. >> Second. >> And this is the benefits and other assoc benefits for the highway maintainer that we just discussed. >> Any further discussion? All those in favor? >> I opposed. >> Passes unanimously. >> All right. And now I make a motion to set the town operating budget for fiscal year 2026 20227 at 37,738,588, an increase of 1,297,428 or 3.56% over the current year budget. Second discussion. >> Hearing none. All those in favor of the motion as presented. >> I >> opposed. >> Passes unanimously. I make a motion to set the debt service budget for fiscal year 2026 2027 at 13,985,252, an increase

238of $268,981 or 27.68% over the current year budget. >> Second discussion. >> Nope. >> Sorry. What was the percentage? >> 27.68. >> This the debt service budget. >> Yeah. Uhhuh. Yeah, that's what it says. >> Oh, I'm sorry. We did the capital. Sorry. That was The numbers are right. Just the >> numbers. I'm sorry. >> Thanks, Joe. >> So, it should be 1 >> 1.96. Got it. >> We hadn't asked. >> We didn't ask you that question while you were typing it up. >> You know what? >> I got your back. So, you want to just restate? Yes. >> I make a motion to set the debt service budget for fiscal year 2026 2027 at 13,985,252, an increase of $268,981 or 1.96% over the current year budget. >> Correct. >> Second discussion. >> All those

239in favor as presented the motion. I I >> opposed. >> Passes unanimously. >> All right. Moving into capital. I make a motion to add 320,000 to the highway and grounds capital account for a dump truck. >> Second >> discussion. >> Again, we heard we heard tonight from Russ the need for that equipment. This is a truck that was, you know, vintage 1998, right? I mean another you know another opportunity for us given I'll say credit to uh not just the town staff and and but you know prior councils have put us in a position where we can make these decisions. So this is this is you know it's one it's easy in some respects to say well 10 years ago or whatever they made some mistakes is also it's also important that we recognize you

240know good decisions that were made that put us in the position that we can make we can execute on that at this point. So I think this is just an another example of you know good planning can put us into a good spot. >> Perfect. Any further discussion? >> Hearing none. Do I have a an approval to accept the motion as presented? >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you very much. Our next motion. >> I make a motion to add $75,000 to the town manager capital account for website redesign. >> Second. discussion. >> Just make sure we say this is because this could feel like a want to but this is also something that is required to do by the state. Correct Kathy? This is like >> there is components of >> components of

241this that >> components of it that we need to do by the state. >> So there's yeah some want to some have to and this is just the opportunity to get it done. >> Right. Right. >> And this was part of our strategic plan as well. >> Yes. No checks a box there. >> And our website has not been updated a long time. >> 1998. No. We're getting a lot of lot of lot's getting put on 1998 right now. >> 1998 is the year I met my wife. >> It needs a refresh and it needs to do things based on state law too. >> Gotcha. >> Any other comment? All right. Seeing none, all those in favor of the motion is presented. >> I >> opposed. >> Passes unanimously. Thank you very much. Our next

242motion, >> I make a motion to add $50,000 to the town manager capital account for a townwide survey that would also encompass questions about the town's requests or need desires for sidewalks and how they should be handled. >> Second >> discussion, please. >> This is another one that I think uh somebody looking at our capital could could see it as they want to. Um it's probably the one that I struggle with most of the the additions. Um because $50,000 is a big number for a survey. Um you know, I'm sure we will do it thoughtfully. I know there's a plan to put an ad hoc behind some of the questions. Is that correct? >> So, you know, there'll be questions that hopefully get to the heart of like how we build things going forward and

243potential capital items going forward and how we plan some of those things. I know sidewalks are a component of it as well, which I'm on that committee and there has been some requests for it. So, um, you know, I don't love I mean, none of us are eager to spend a bunch of money, but I'm not going to kick and scream about it beyond what I just said. And >> and I'll add this is also another component, another item that we included in our strategic plan. Um, >> moving forward, >> it hasn't been done and our strategic plan is predicated to some degree on survey results, right? And the last time we had done a survey, I think we said was what 2013. >> Yeah. >> So, it's been 13 years since we or at

244least at least 10 years since we went out to the town. And I think you know that is an to Keith's point I agree it's not something you necessarily want to spend money on but I think we have an obligation to fulfill the strategic plan. It also allows not just this council but councils behind us you know or in in the out years to have some data make some choices as we think about sidewalks and how we're going to handle >> had a lot of value and we did it 10 years before that I think so was each 10 years it probably should be every five years but every 10 years here and there I think that we've shown a lot of value in doing that and it really does help our strategic plan and

245I've been a big component of proponent of getting some a sidewalk component of it so I think it's I think it's a very good match Yeah. >> Any further discussion? >> I would just echo all the comments that Ben said. I think it's going to be a valuable document. It's in the strategic plan. I think um you know, again, I totally agree with Keith that it's not something we necessarily we're looking to just spend money for spending money's sake, but when you look at the value that it can bring and the information it can bring forward to this council and others, then I just think it's invaluable to do. Great. >> All right. Uh, all those in favor of the motion as presented. >> I opposed. Passes unanimously. >> I make a motion to reduce

246the 1928 town hall building capital account by $60,000. >> Second discussion. >> And I think the intent is is that that would come out of the uh the what is it? The >> The furniture. the furniture. >> Yeah. So, >> any further discussion? All in favor of the motion as presented. >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. >> I make a motion to set the capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2026 2027 at 4,237,000, an increase of $1,219,982 or 40.44% 44% over the current year budget. >> Second >> discussion. >> So my only thing on just on the as totality on the budget might and this will be my last um you know commentary I guess is just we are this does bring us to a total budgetary increase of as we discussed 4.74.

247the range that we had as our target was 2.75 to 4.75. Um, and I uh, you know, so we we certainly hit that range, but you know, just just barely. Um, I just would want to use that to say so next year knowing that it's a reval year, we're able to make some of these decisions in these and uh, additions with our eyes wide open because we we had a very good year from the revenue side. The grand list was very good. So, we all feel very comfortable being able to make some of these additions that feel good. Adding police officers, adding uh equipment, adding uh people in the engineering department. I think it's great. I just because all of us will be back here next March. If for some reason that reval goes like

248it did a number of years ago, I'm not saying we have to commit to a zero increase or anything. I just hope that when we're doing targeting and we're providing a range, you know, when we did that range, I said I my guess is that we end up towards the top of the range. And we did. And that's not say I told you so. Just the way it worked out. we added stuff in and it just it just happened and I'm along for the ride with everybody. >> Um I just hope that next year if we're in that situation when we're targeting we're really understanding that where that number is set early is is going to be what that goalpost is for us. So um but beyond that I'm I'm comfortable going forward with everything.

249>> Um so your original budget as presented with with with none of the additions the increase in the expenditures was for something >> uh oh 4.2 Right. >> 4.25 >> and that would have resulted in a tax increase of 3.3. >> Oh, I'm I'm I'm sorry. Are you talking about over the >> No, your original presentation was the town or or the >> the overall the overall overall 4.25 >> 4.25 expenditures and I understand there's a distinction and I understand it's a material distinction but it's important. you know, we're spending in this budget 4.75% more um than last year, but we are asking the taxpayers, you know, that that that bill for that is only 3.5%. and and and that's I think that the story that needs to be told and emphasized and that in

250that in that minor in because because your 3.3 >> was was a was a maintain was a complete when I say 2.3 of your overall budget >> that that was a purely a maintained budget and we had opportunities we saw as we went through this process because again great practices smart management we had opportunities to go into the fund balance to to address this that these were real needs. So I think the story of the budget needs to be this is built upon prior years of good decision-m and and prudent planning um with an understanding that uh these are things that are are really essential old and long and coming. You know what I mean? Um and I think ultimately that's I that's how I would want that the story of our budget to be

251framed. And could I would you mind love the other thing I think that is part of the story is that and this has been a a long-standing story is that we are able to have higher expenditures because we have great e economic development and we have a a great grand list, right? And we are a community that's able to do that because our business community and things are supporting a lot of our budget. And so it's a full package is that you're able to have higher expenditures and lower tax rates because of our economic development efforts that we have in the town. And that's part of the story too. >> And and and you can look and and that you also think about how it's affected the grand list in the sense that and we're

252going to see this unfortunately next year. The new high school drove has driven property values. You know what I mean? You can't you can't have a house on the market in Farmington. You know, it's gonna, you know, it's going to go there. >> There's none. So I mean the value that that that project adds, you add it all up, it really is we're at a good spot. So this is really a reflection on you guys, your leadership for sure. You and Jeff, no question. No question. >> Yeah, thank you all. Are there any other comments on our capital improvement budget? >> No, I think I I take the words that Keith said, you know, seriously, too. And I, you know, and I think but I think for the last discussion we had right there, I

253think has kind of captured the opportunity. I call this an opportunity this year that we have and we've acted upon it and I think we've made the the decisions around that to uh to leverage um things into the future for this town. So >> anything you'd like to add? >> Can't agree more with >> my colleagues here? >> You know, I I think we're investing where we need to. Uh you know, 100% flat doesn't prepare you for the future. And I think some of the decisions we made to add things are important investments to the future which if we didn't do them um would come back to bite us uh later. So it's well worth it that we were able to take advantage of the opportunity that we had uh to make these investments because

254they're because they're absolutely necessary. I I don't think we did anything that um we didn't feel was absolutely necessary and we had to really be cognizant while we were making those decisions what we would pull back and what we what we wouldn't do. And I think there's some things you know that were initially proposed that are not being put forward. And uh I think that's also part of the story um that when people look at it those things that aren't there at and in what's going forward that's an important part of the story too as I just said. >> I think things come in separate. >> Yes. Yeah. Yes. This is just the >> Y. All right. Uh the words I was thinking of very much. We're investing in ourselves and in our town. So

255it's very important and they were very tough choices. So, I appreciate the work that everyone put into making this happen. So, do we have a motion? >> A motion and a second. >> A motion. So, yeah, I meant to uh all those in favor of the motion on the capital improvement budget as presented. >> I I opposed. >> Passes unanimously. Thank you. I make a motion to set fiscal year 2026 2027 board of education defined contribution budget at $425,000 an increase of $75,000 or 21.43% 43% over the current year budget. >> Second >> discussion. Seeing none, all those in favor of the BOE defined contribution is presented in the motion. >> I opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. >> I make a motion to increase the fund balance appropriation by $400,000 to a total of $800,000.

256>> Second >> discussion. able to do this because as Joe explained, we have a we did not use 800 appropriated from the fund balance last year, right? >> It looks like on top of that >> conservatively there could be even another 400 on top of that. >> Right. >> So, we feel good about adding to this year because we did well in the previous. >> Correct. >> So, just so everybody understands, >> right? >> Did you want to mention also the other >> Yeah. So, and then the other component here is that the board of education has a surplus this year um in that they're from three >> board of education um is currently sitting on 300,000 and change in the non-lapsing account from last year's fiscal year. Uh it was presented the other night

257uh that as the that there is roughly $200,000 again a little bit more than that uh currently on their salary line that is unallocated for teachers. uh it and they indicated that it was their anticipation that if things stay as they are, they anticipate that that money will still be there at the end of the fiscal year. Therefore, so there you know so be a $200,000 surplus at the end of this year plus or minus that which would create a a balance in the in their non-lapsing account of $500,000. And I think what we heard last night from the superintendent was that 400 of that really needs to be in covered for risk that that uh they anticipate, you know, special ed to special ed out placements I think was what was really conserved driver.

258And then there's another thing too that he said. I can't remember. But that $100,000 was, you know, something that they would, you know, kind of a seed to what our our wishes were with that money. And and I think what's been conveyed is is that would be the expectation of the council that they'd return that money, you know, the 100,000 plus or minus uh back to the council um and back to the general fund uh more precisely um at the end of the fiscal year. And I think that's the expectation and I think >> correct >> and and they've committed my understanding they've committed to that. >> Yeah. And um just to the to clarify what um the superintendent was looking to make sure they had coverage for was um for two potential outplacements for

259students who might h have um needs that the school district can't meet. um two um two unanticipated staff members, any mechanical repairs or replacements that are not anticipated, plus um unfunded state mandates such as right now the legislature has a proposal for homeschool um monitoring. >> Thank you, Patty. Are there any other comments? >> No, I think I think they touched it on everything that went into this decision. Yeah. >> All right. All those in favor of the b the fund balance uh as present the present. All those in favor >> I >> opposed. >> I make a motion to increase other revenue by $25,000. >> Second. >> You make that 20. >> 20. Yes. >> I think I wrote >> I I make a motion to increase other revenue by $20,000. Second >> discussion.

260>> Seeing none, all those in favor of the motion as presented? >> I opposed. >> Unanimous. Thank you very much. >> I have the big one. I make a motion to set the town of Farmington fiscal year 2026 2027 budget for the board of education at 86,86,858,554 or a 4.35% increase above the fiscal year 2025 2026 budget and the town operating budget at $37,738,588. 8 or a 3.56% increase above the fiscal year 2025206 budget and the debt service budget at 13,985,252 or a 1.96% increase above the fiscal year 2025 2026 budget and the capital improvement budget at $4,237,000 or a 40.44% 44% increase above the fiscal year 2025 2026 budget and the board of education defined contribution budget at $425,000 or a 21.43% 43% increase above the fiscal year 2025 2026 resulting in a total

261appropriation for fiscal year 2026 2027 of 143,244,394 or a 4.74% increase over fiscal year 2025 2026 budget. >> Second. All those in favor of the motion as presented. >> I >> opposed passes unanimously. >> So the next item that we need to talk about is the warning. >> Yeah. Yeah. So uh >> we want to talk about what's >> Yeah. What's going to go in the warning? Yeah. So So right now you have we we should talk about the warning and the bonding questions. >> Okay. So, >> why don't we discuss the warning and the bonding questions? >> Well, I think you need to talk about what you want for bonding questions because as Kathy's proposed budget included three questions, three questions or two questions. >> Whatever you decide to do on that, it dictates

262what to do with the warning. >> Is there a motion that we have to make to discuss it? >> No. No. No. >> The only thing you have to do is approve the u make a motion. >> Make a motion. Okay. So the three items that Kathy presented or I don't I don't have my capital open in front of me. So the items that were presented for capital include the elementary school HVAC accounts as well as um it now be two of HVAC accounts. The presented for the roads. Thank you. The proposal was for >> the road. So, the HVAC project's 14,339,152 for the four elementary schools uh with an anticipated reimbursement rate from the state of 31.79%. And then a $4 million bond for road reconstruction, which is a recurring request for the town

263to approve so that we can maintain our roads. And then the third request was for a seven was for a $7 million bond for town hall annex improvements which would include design replacement of the HBAC system and renovations to the town hall annex and Staples house to accommodate new offices. >> All right. So those are the bonding questions. Do we need to make a motion? Do we just >> So where do we stand on these three bonding questions? Are there any that we feel that we need to have in there? >> Roads. >> Do we have agreement that we need to have roads in the bonding question? >> Yes, >> without without a doubt. >> Is there another one that we feel needs to be in there? >> The K through4 HVAC problems. >> Do

264we all agree on that? >> Yes. >> Again, there's a component of state, >> Right. Plus, there's a state reimbursement. >> Well, state reimbursement, but there's also some of this is pushed by the state. Right. There there's there's there there isn't an actual state statute in place, but the mandates that have been discussed are no higher than 82 degrees in our classrooms and our elementary school school classrooms do exceed 82 degrees for multiple days in any given school year. Um not to mention the working conditions for the teachers on top of the you know the difficulty of learning when you're a student in a hot classroom. Um, I know that when the board came when the board spoke with us about these, um, they the goal is to start aim for one, but maybe do

265two, right, >> or multiple a year if they if they can make it happen logistically. Um, but overall we >> Yeah. The other component of the HVAC is it's not just cooling is it there are state mandates for air um transfer within the schools especially after co after co the state issued more mandates. So this project addresses both those state mandates and adds cooling to our four elementary schools. >> Well I believe the board had done some work on the cost difference between just the fresh air and the AC component. And it seems silly to do one without the other when the AC's been discussed for a long time. Right. >> So, I just I just think it's important when we're adding things like this to make note that there it's like with the website,

266there's some want to and there's some have to. And this is another one of those ones where there's a bit of a mix, >> right? >> And it's also a bonding question. So, it's going to people will be able to vote on it. >> Yes. >> Any other comments? >> Interesting that even though the the warrant won't reflect it necessarily, the actual cost, you know, in terms of incurred debt to the town is closer to $9 million once we get state reimbursement. So it's even though it's a $14 million sticker price, it's actually only nine million to the town. >> And just to be clear, the data shared with us by town resident was fundamentally incorrect in terms of the number of days, right? There are many more than the two that were identified when

267that was presented to >> none of us are weathermen. What does it >> Yeah, >> fair enough. Let's work with accurate information. >> The metric is indoor temperature. Yeah, that's that's that's the salient fact. >> The metric that we have to track is what the temperature is in the classroom. >> Right. >> So, it sounds like we're in favor of those two issues. Uh there's a third issue. Do we need to discuss that or are we good with just going with the two that we have on the table? >> Well, I think the third one, the town hall annex uh renovation. I think we've talked about that the last couple nights. And I think it's just, you know, when you look at those numbers of what we've bonded and, you know, lately, I think there

268needs to be a pause on on spending the money right now on on the uh on the town hall annex, at least in my opinion, and just just take a moment to to take a couple steps back. Let's, you know, get moved in at the top of the hill, really get settled in there, understand the relationship of what's still here, and then do a further study, maybe an ad hoc committee that could really begin to take a look at this asset that's been that's been, you know, kind of left behind in that move, but but look at it for all the opportunities that we heard about and maybe haven't heard about yet. and so that we could get the best recommendation um and then act upon that. So, it's it's not saying that we're going

269to abandon this building, never come to this building and just leave it in a very kind of minimal state, but it's just taking a new approach where, you know, setting up an ad hoc study committee to really get into the granular aspects of it of making that decision is is the direction I think, you know, we would be probably be beneficial for us to take and then take this one off the table as far as any kind of bonding action for this year. >> Anything to add to that, Naen? Bruce, >> I think the uh I I echo the things that that Dave was saying. You know, when we made that investment in, you know, our our beautiful new town hall, which is uh really terrific. We didn't really have any uh additional thoughts about

270what we would do here. And I think now is the time to, as Dave said, put together uh uh some team to look at what the best future for that is before we dive into it and really take the time uh to look at those decisions and what uh the right and best use for that is, which really wasn't done at the time we made that other uh decision. >> Is there any further further comments? Uh just one are we >> I was just gonna add I think one piece that Dave may have missed was just around you know we also have the firehouses. I think there's more of a need around prioritization of other expenditures being the firehouses that we're looking at um as part of our planning in the future. So that's the

271only thing I would add and you know of course seeing this this isn't going to go away but it's maybe needs a little bit more discussion and planning. Thanks for that reminding me. Did leave it out. >> So, it sounds like we have a consensus that we may want to table this particular bond issue for another time and put together at some point another subcommittee or uh chance for us and for the town to explore what might be the best uses for this space in addition to us being here on a regular basis. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I think that's fine. Okay. So if what you said would we we have one copy of the warning that I think people have to um >> Yeah. So basically this is the warning of the annual town

272meeting and of the referendum. I don't fortunately I have one copy u but you you're more than welcome to read it or I could read it to you or you could just trust me on it. >> It does have >> if I have to make the motion I'd like to see it before. >> It does have the three questions. So, >> we have to use >> not the uh not this building. It has the two bonding questions and the annual budget question. >> Right. >> Then you got to read that. >> I'm not going to read it now. I'm just I'm going to >> Why is it termed a warning instead of a notice? >> Oh, okay. >> Just >> I think it's actually charter when they charter put in there that it's more like

273you're there. So if you don't come to the table you didn't come to the meeting. We warned you. You know like tell your kids don't touch the stove. It's hot. >> It's like the old town meeting tonight where they rang the bell and everyone came. If you didn't you were warned. >> Well really wanted to give Chris Hoab a try hat. >> Probably has a civil war. He probably has that. I make a motion to approve the warning of the April 20th, 2026 annual town meeting and the April 30th, 2026 referendum. >> Second >> discussion. >> You read it. >> I I read it well enough. >> You're acting as my attorney and you >> I am not acting as anyone's attorney. That's not going to be on the record that I'm anyone's lawyer. >>

274That's right. >> I will say that legal counsel has reviewed. >> Okay, >> that's good. >> Other than those of us who are actual legal counsel. >> Okay. So, >> we have to vote. I made the motion. >> We made the Okay. A second. >> Second. >> Okay. No further discussion. So, to accept the motion as presented. >> I >> opposed. Passes unanimously >> and we all have to sign this, right? >> Y have to be the same in your space indicated and uh give it to Mike and Mike could date it and post it. Legally post it. >> Ink color doesn't matter. everyone >> and then I think you should make two more motions. One will be the adjournment but the other one would be uh to cancel the March 14th, 16th and 17th

275town council meetings. >> 14th, 16th, 17th. I make a motion to cancel the March 14th >> 15 16th >> 14th 16th and 17th town council meetings >> second in favor of the motion as presented >> I opposed >> I passes unanimously happy St. Patrick's Day. Good luck. >> And All right, you're done. All right, I make a motion to adjurnn. >> Second. All those in favor? >> I. >> Thank you, everyone. >> Nice job. Thank you.