001[Music] all right communication and correspondence none received since the last meeting and we moved to the next order of business approval of the the minutes from the last meeting so I move that the Board of Finance approving January 9th 2019 for the finance regular meeting minutes as they were originally distributed second okay discussion on those minutes as they were circulated okay all those in favor of approving the minutes January 9 2009 Tina's present to indicate by saying aye aye aye motion carries 4-0 alright now we move on to the reporter of the First Selectman sir thanks yeah don't have a lot I think I'm not sure if I talked to you about this at the last meeting we had applied for a grant to extend the silver River Greenway mr. Ono so we won that
002grant they did give it to us we're going to extend the Greenway from the police station up to the parking lot in between town hall and the firehouse by the soccer field so that will give us more parking for the Greenway and we'll also one of them it's a secondary benefit but it would allow anyone who's handicapped to be able to get down to the lower fields safely go to a concert go to kids games go to their grandkids games so we're really happy to get that we had some further negotiations with Brookfield Village and the Board of Selectmen took up a request of theirs to extend their tax abatement for a year and to allow them another year to build the second two buildings the Board of Selectmen took no action primarily because during
003our executive session I want to say what exactly happened is that we'd like to have a good solid business case as to why you want this extension right we entered into this agreement with Brookville village over five years ago we gave them no increase in taxes for three years we had a set schedule what would be done when it would be done they have the single most remunerative tax abatement the town's ever given out and including the no tax increases taxes for three years that's painful for us because we're still providing ambulance police EMS fire so I talked to one of the principals there and explained the board's position they're gonna come back to us we did have a back out I've been working on at one time but finally through Brookfield Village I got
004Starbucks to come in and visit us last Friday we're trying to convince them to put a Starbucks in the four corners which they are and everyone I talked to with them it's our box a big drop so we'll continue to do that we're working on the budget Marsha I have been beavering away at the budget we will I will have the you've already got the supporting documentation books with the requested budgets of all of the departments we've gone through every single department every single expense you can see from these books it's broken out every detail of what they want what they need and so you will be getting my cut of what I think the budget should be Friday that will be home to both the board slamming an abortive enhance the Board of Selectmen
005started tonight reviewing with the department's with the big departments what their budgets are we had the library tonight we're gonna continue to do that we usually do it after I sent out my cut at the budget but because of the way the timing is with the holidays and our budget schedule we just couldn't get it all done so they're aware of that and they're they're comfortable with that there was one item we were gonna bring before you today was the police outside service request for to equip the ambulance that was donated from the fire department to them as a scuba truck we did not vote on that tonight and we'll be bringing that to you another time I think that the Board of Selectmen will approve that it comes from outside services fund they'll equip
006it but all their school equipment in there and be ready to respond if anything we've seen from this a storm in May is we have to be ready for any possible emergency and that's that's it for me I think we'll have them as a group I think some freedom questions going into the budget that I think us that we have a rather appropriate to discuss tonight so I think those I think we just have some preliminary things everyone go and make sure we're all the same they were they agreed with me of backing up so it's the late September that they would start knocking them down to November yeah they haven't done that yeah certain penalties like no there's no Santy Claus so the only penalty we have is a tax abatement to say there
007was no penalty clause in the original tax abatement for something like that because it was the anticipated they would have already started building the second two buildings right right but they're not starting it they're behind they're not great they're not living up to their end of the agreement I I would in in bar my Mystics no I would say that they're not living up to their end of the agreement from a philosophical standpoint from a technical legal standpoint there's nothing in the abatement about taking those two buildings right but it was just as soon they would be done because they were gonna start building right but then they've asked us for an extension right so that extension isn't part of the original agreement no mike rizzo a that the entity is no extension yeah well
008the tax of a the Board of Selectmen did give them a six-month extension to start building we did not give them a six-month extension on their tax abatement and the agreement then was I'll give you an extension and you're not those buildings entered right they asked for a year we gave them six months the reason we gave them six months was if the end of a year they would have exactly one year almost exactly one year to completely start and build those two buildings we thought that's not possible so what does a six-month run out runs out and a made you I get you an exact date but you know between us I've asked them and they agreed to knock it down we're going to give them an extension and they haven't done it I'm
009gonna ask them again if that does not happen in a short period of time we're in file the plight complaint because I think it is lowering the value of their neighboring properties but is that worth it or is it just worth did not extend the tax abatements are collecting the tax money getting around the blight ordinance calls for fines of $100 a day so happy three thousand thirty one hundred dollars a month in fines I don't think they want to pay that I don't think it would cost them that much to not disability it's two days worth so we're trying to work cooperatively with them they've done ago I said I believe in that I'm not saying that but I think we're trying to partner if it comes down to the end do something's gotta
010give right I mean right now we don't see a good business reason to extend we just it not held up there ya know it's sort of disappointing if you wanna not on your sign I'm not picking on you but a lot of people that come in at Brookfield say look at the same as it's low six months ago yeah we see no advancement we don't see any business is moving in there we don't see the things happening it's losing its momentum with people because they're just saying look at it now it doesn't move forward well the Italian restaurant is coming in they finally settled that disagreement between the owners they've been paying rent all this time but I guess there was a disagreement amongst the actual lessees and they settled that in their mood for
011on that all right so it just has that appearance people are starting to lose a moment yeah you know start will say it's not catching on these things always take longer than you think I really do I really do 100 percent Clint on the good side is Branson ultrasonics it's going through in the wetlands there before zoning now they're going through zoning the assisted-living is coming in just to wetlands so that's moving forward and the medical building is moving yes they're starting to do their you know pull the line surveys things like that the only thing they're waiting for is they need a permit from the state and oh so permit because the federal Road and once they get that they're gonna start construction in this area I think if they can get some zoning
012which they should be it's everything almost everything assisted living is next to you know O'Connor's Baba's yeah that piece of property that used to be old cars and which is a good location for their finishing it it's not you know the other developments like people say well the strip shopping malls are getting filled up they are there's there are it's been yeah let me sing John specimens in there's the other one that have been kind of making yeah my understanding in the four corners we're gonna start phase two in the spring everything is right on target for everything we need my understanding is the owner of the components he owns the franchise around this area he bought the heart and he's going to turn that into a Dunkin Donuts and then the plan is just
013for portabellos to move next to the war into the Dunkin Donuts and they will bubble their size for that restaurant important bills the great restaurant sit out be nice and then you'll probably rent out portobellos to someone maybe I don't think he advocates of interspace any problem Betty still yep yeah so development I agree with Glenn you know it doesn't move anywhere near as quickly as we want well that's it's a bad thing Oh Megan isn't Matt I just said people are living with a little bit of that one by the dragon buying that they tell me that's happening about let's change although it's almost better I mean maybe not this little but the fact that it's going to slower to have a chance to see these types of issues with the Brookfield Village and
014kind of realize how it goes instead of having it all hit at once then you get some crazy things like I talked to the developer of where the supermarket will go and they want Starbucks go there it's on there yeah and one of the principles made $100 donation this past August to a candidate for statewide office and the DLT said you can't apply for a permit for the cut in the federal road for a year because you made a $100 donation you know if this is kind of crazy stuff that you understand Pete you people donating don't want to buy favors from a politician this was statewide office nothing to do with each other so they're applying for an exemption on that to Ford because they have a signed agreement with all the parties and
015we'd love to see that move for Station Road 15 Station Road has been purchased by for cook village what they're planning to do with it right now I don't know the name of the property right behind you and it's 15 stages across the street where we have moved forward going for blight with that property this is McCarthy owns that mr. McCarthy now has a conservatory so we're working with a conservator and the conservator has his own lawyer so it gets to be a little complex they came in and asked for it we told them if you were putting you before blight but here's a hearing date they didn't show up the grenade the lawyer for the lawyer has asked for a hearing we don't think that's something we have to do so we're going back
016and forth back foot I'm more than willing to have a hearing hearing officer go through this the main concern there is we've had that property under notice from the town for two and a half years so regardless to help you look at it oh the owner of the property was accomplishment this when we first notified him he had a blighted condition how he is now doesn't fly it applies legally when we send notice three years ago now I want that building knocked down I want that take it down and we're doing everything we can to get that done but the old s the Robins love you doughnuts Applegate structure and Tom berry still owns that hit my understanding he's still trying to sell it as an approved three-story building right from talking to developers in
017town he's asking about twice per unit what the going rate is to buy an approved plan so what he's doing that I don't know we've had three or four people come in one was a lady who wanted to open a bistro bar we'd like the garage doors that open up out to a patio we thought that was a great idea that just fizzled so we've had three or four people come in hopefully to rent parts of that building but it's nothing as common of those you know they come into our development services team meeting once a month and we go yeah oh boy that sounds like a great idea and then between discussions with them and the developer it seems like nothing gets nothing really happens because that's a prime property that we need to
018get to know in right way oh one other thing 49 federal road you remember the board if an ant's approved $225,000 to buy the rights to the parking lot state will let us have the race problem we paid the money to the state the lift the state gave us an land open space and we went through the state said what would we actually but they put a parking lot on it you're not allowed to do that so we paid the state 225,000 we renegotiated the rent so 49 federal is paying us $2,200 a month rent now and they agreed to buy the property I believe four hundred and fifty thousand dollars but we raised that because of inflation looks like we're gonna close on that in the next couple weeks they're gonna buy the property
019and we'll put two hundred and seventy five thousand or so kids in general for that to seventy five thousand reported what was the back taxes O'Connor for the three years he didn't pit no no he paid all his taxes are paid no taxes rent we negotiated he originally he paid us one hundred and forty nine thousand dollars in back rent and has it kept up with the rent citizen so yeah we're we're fully you answer the question clean but that's a win for us our finance directors first residents and expenditures that you do not have a report written report this month that as we're going through the budget we also went through with some of the big categories to say hey where do you think you'll be from here to the end of the year
020and I don't want to give you a budget to actual and say oh it looks like we're good when when we want it we just need some time to pull that together to see if we're good if we're not good where the issues are that the where the revenues are untracked that the big one that we're waiting for in January was education cost-sharing even about three hundred thousand that they budget for next year you have a bunch of books that there's two books the black one is the current the operating and the white one is a capital we learn some lessons I learned some lessons that as much as y'all hate it next year's going to be double sided that's all in one book that I put money in my budget for folders so I
021didn't have to steal from my filing system which is what has happened this year and this went over like a lead brick at the port's Lachman but we could also do it on a thumb drive and yes okay so then I'll keep there does anybody wants a thumb drive well and and we all have everything in here that some of the department's keyless and pack of coats and things and I didn't put those in there but if you need some more you let me know it was 5,000 bucks it's like three reams of paper about the Incas mother 24 cents but what do you have in there is the department's built those out Steve and I and Jerry met with every every one of the departments that we've Bulgarian so that he could be more
022effective and knowing what's in the budget what we need to coordinate so we met with each one of the departments to go through their budgets we asked for some changes on on their submission that sometimes coordinating between departments sometimes just sharing information we made changes based on our meetings with them we've sent them all back to the department so the departments are um are in agreement with the information that you have there the with respect the second thing on my list was the audit that right now the audit is waiting for me that that I just have to finish getting that together now that the budget is done I can get back to that they are going to be the auditors are going to be out here my friend if we said Wednesday or Thursday
023of next week to just both they have a short list of things that they're that they're finalizing and then there's a few things that that should be done before it goes out that the Board of Selectmen approved inter-department transfers and we'd like the Board of Finance to approve those the right now we're trying to do quarterly give you changes to the budget but the process up until now has been after the end of the year when those drafts of the audit you made budget adjustments and so that's what we need for 18th that we'd like you to address the 1.7 million dollars of there was one point seven million dollars approved for the FEMA spending that was approved in the general fund that seven hundred thousand of it was spent last year we'd like an
024approval to carry over that encumbrance that amount until this year that we had gone through different scenarios of how we could do it what if we did it in a separate fund and but this is the only way of doing it where it doesn't drop our fund balance and bring it back up again and then the third thing that we're going to ask you to look at I talked to the auditor this morning and we're making some prior period adjustments and you saw these on the draft financial statements that you got last month that but he just wants an acknowledgement that you that you're okay with them he didn't need to prove just acknowledge that they're there but they can be done all at whenever we do the rest of this stuff but there's a
025summary of the prior period adjustments here and we've talked about each one of them but I've just go through them quickly again that the first line is the fund balance in each of these funds that a group of funds that was reported on the audit last year and then we just the itemization of what we did to change them and the auditor went through these they're there they're fine with them there are a few receivables that we wanted to record that weren't recorded at June 30th of 17 so we want to just add those here that loans receivable that we have a small city's grant that the IFS homeowner rehab loans but we don't have the loans on the books so we want to record those on the books that's the five hundred thousand a
026few adjustments to accounts payable the library we talked I think we talked about the library and I think you have a schedule that's behind here where we're dividing the library into three funds that they have they have an endowment that the endowment was in the general fund we want that separate in this I'm in its own fund that would be the proper accounting for it that it would be called a permanent fund that so we wanted to move that out of the general fund it was showing up as committed and fund balance and move it into its own the library has a special revenue funds we were trying to get this all allocated out they have money that comes in and they spend it that there's a state statute that allows that we want to
027put it in its own fund and I'll go back to that in a minute that we have a heart and hypertension fund that's a self insurance fund police can get heart and hypertension benefits and so we just want to pull it out of the general funds that which would be the proper accounting treatment for it and we have several of other items to reclassify to the when we went through it and that in that listing that you had the financial statements that you had at the last meeting we went through every commitment that we've made in each of the the three big funds the bonded capital projects the capital non-recurring in the town grants and you had an allocation of what was outstanding at the end of the year and we just wanted to true
028up the numbers so that there's funding in those funds for that that two of them are the bonded capital projects up that was pretty good that provided that would keep the that we keep the premium and therefore year that the capital non-recurring a few years ago the audit they didn't they just closed it out to zero well it wasn't zero because we had reserves in there and some other commitments in there that shouldn't have happened and so that's the big number that that was actually the big one that the auditor wanted make sure that you saw and then the third one is the town grant fund that had extra money in it the extra money came primarily from Town Clerk revenues that were posted to that fund there's just a few town clerk revenues that
029should have been in there and there were excess town clerk revenues posted there the only one that is different the only number that has changed since you last saw it is since you saw the financial statements is forty to forty one thousand nine hundred and thirty five dollars and that's the library when we went through the library and divided it into three funds it looked like they had spent over spent their special revenue fund their their own money and so we took it out of the the trust fund earnings that but they were sure that they hadn't done that so we went back to look at what caused them to be short and they did not in 2016 they only received 1112 of their occasion and so they wanted the the 12th 12th of it
030that and we we the next page we put the 12th 12th in but we subtracted off any overages and so we thought for that 41,000 was a fair number that there's a whole big issue with the library and Social Security that I'm sure you'll hear about they thought this whole thing with Social Security every year we charge Social Security on their employees to them because they're separate like the Board of Ed they've never had it in their budget okay but they fit it in their budget by the end of the year so they were made this big thing oh it's Social Security and and that wasn't the issue the issue was it was them shorted I don't know why they didn't know they were shorted but this 41,000 makes them whole and so we're readjusting
031numbers it seems to make sense to readjust so this is the general fund in the first column is that the unassigned general fund that is the total general fund and if I remember correctly most of it is unassigned if we approve to carry over that that the FEMA money that million dollars will be considered assigned but there is I can't think of anything else in that I remember that's committed or restricted in the general fund so we're on board with taking 1.2 from the general fund and putting it other places that those are the numbers that we've been dealing with all along isn't so so we're still in good shape if if we didn't take it we would have negative in some of these other funds that so an astute bonding person bond reading person
032would be able to say oh well you have a balance here but you've had negatives there and it should all wash out to be the same so this properly states these other funds correct that in the knife in that bond at one the the premium would stay in the bonded capital projects and wouldn't go to the general fund for the November 18th body 12:30 18 6:30 17 so we're doing prior period adjustments to the June 3rd 18 so that was 6:30 17 and Michael is just looking for us to tell you that we have seen these that you've seen it you've acknowledged it and it's all right with you half week if we redo this the big one being that cap of a madman okay I feel that that would be an item of business
033to tend to I think we will take up some new items if we can swing it and a special meeting next week or the week after we might not have six and no I didn't put one when she's done no but I'll just say there's been a really great job with this and this I think is its value the the auditor also asked about timing and I said I would see Dan tonight you would ask him but I'll ask all of you that what would you like the time we would like to get the audit out by February 28th so it can be uploaded to the EMA system by February 28th and he had last year I guess he met with a lot of committee first and then with a full board he didn't know
034if he still wanted to do it that way if you wanted him to meet with just Dan that first and then the foot board cuz he said that way the dancer last time during the day I remember correctly Dan met with them because he works closely to where there look he met with Michael they are at their offices I'd rather not make anything without the end of money tomorrow yeah that'd be thank then talked astronomy to set up a meeting whoever Dan wants it I'm okay with it in my opinion that's just me well we're running through the demonically for recommendation something like I said we'll try to put together a special meeting next week I'm okay with that I'm just said let's let them draw a timeline they're damned if dad wants to do
035it alone first and then have us come in or over Dan wants it yeah the only thing is it takes a little time for them to put this all together so ya want to meet the 228 we want to do it but ya know I said it's waiting for me that so so I'm looking at giving it to the finished product to them on Wednesday of next week and so they were thinking maybe Monday or Tuesday the 25th and 26th that would be what they're thinking Jamie Tuesday your back won't be a long shoot for the 26th m and I send a note to Dan see if he can get something on with you and or Michael for the 25th can provide a recommendation to Glenn and I informing and then on 26 will shoot
036for a special meeting for some orders of business here approval of the kaffir okay but you would need are these the adjustments that you're talking about those adjustments and then there's budget adjustments that I think there's like four of them but I'll get those from Ginny and full if she didn't already send up - is she okay what I would recommend Marshall mr. prepare a draft as long as they're nothing outrageous you know her egregious I would prepare a draft with an in yep that's a bad idea with the expectation maybe explain so you're saying to draft with a quick explanation of what we're doing why we're doing is that where you're at you know draft up the financials what those adjust I'll clean the air with the expectation that we would have not have
037a problem with those adjustments in the capper and I consent I consent you're an advanced server just the debits and credits II think there's five that's what we were gonna do all right gauge in this solenoid it's the update since Marshall brought up the budget in the context of our report you feel like now's a good time to address sure not have to forever hold your peace but if you want I don't even know where to begin so I'll just begin with last year's budget we went to referendum three times we had a process we were squeezing out thousands of dollars five hundred dollars here and there we got to a very tedious point a breaking that's a good use of the word then through however it happened and I won't belittle it is we
038had the WPC a water money we had the town insurance premiums that crept up into this and I know that we're heading in the right direction but I'd like to see the the differentials that we had on those because to me that money should be set aside and it should be if we had a nineteen million six hundred thousand dollar budget for the town it should be starting at 19 million this year and that should be where the increase starts on the dollar amount because that's six hundred thousand dollars really shouldn't have been included in last year's budget because it was an oversight or whatever it was it truly wasn't so we got the benefit two years ago we had seven hundred thousand dollars in the contingency fund that we only spent three hundred thousand
039and we increased at one point whatever percent on that seven hundred thousand even though we didn't use that four hundred thousand dollars two years ago then we increased it so the increase was really larger than the one point six percent because you had the benefit of a four hundred thousand dollar cushion prior year so what I'd like to see is a ground zero start of the - the six hundred thousand dollars and that should be the dollar amount so your percentage increase might beat 1.9 percent this shouldn't be based on that $600,000 that was however we miscalculated well I think what we do is you go through see the budget as its presented and you make a decision whether it's reasonable or not let's see I will go back to we went built this model
040to put this new school together right we've said you're gonna be one point nine percent of the time the smooths gonna be three percent and what I'm saying is we should be able to work that one point nine percent we should be able to stay within that one point nine percent but it shouldn't be allowed to calculate the six hundred thousand dollars a prior year that should have been in the budget that money should not have been spent that money that six hundred thousand dollars should have never ended up in our budget they did end up in our budget so it shouldn't be calculated as a it should be included in next year's base it should have never been in there that one point nine percent is that the three percent minus the six hundred
041thousands of just trying to propose the one point nine percent is what Steve buddy could run his business on at an increase elite well I think that was the business model right as their main missing site they think was 33.8% three point eight on the top side it was 129 in the town site and when I'm saying is that one point nine it should be based on a dollar - should be - the six hundred thousand thousands we shouldn't have that six hundred thousand dollars spent because that means in reality it's a six hundred thousand dollar increase plus your increase that you're asking for the six hundred thousand shouldn't been in the budget but we have we've been have been utilizing that for one time things right things that wouldn't be recurring yeah yeah because
042yeah we have to make we already you've already seen this year where we bear supports to make adjustments because we didn't have enough money in the budget this year so it you look at it from that standpoint you say well we cut like the town side this year in this budget just town operations there's a point one six percent increase so we had to absorb salary increases other increases within our budget right on the town side if you just look at the town's budget yeah so you could look at this from either side I think what we need to do is look at the budget on Friday we're gonna be I'm gonna be getting you my cut at the budget you see what everybody's asking for here and capital you see what everybody's asking for
043and you make a determination is that a reasonable budget is the right budget have they calculated and I think we've done a tremendous amount of work if you go through this black book it lists every single expense that each department has which is way more detail than we have in the past so I think you just have to make a decision on the board is the increase is that the first 11th and then the Board of Selectmen are requesting are they reasonable are they fair are they the right budget regardless of what happened laughter I see your point entirely but there are things happening that mitigate your concern about $600,000 we knew this year's budget and I said this to you guys last year we're probably gonna be over because this budget is so tight
044we're gonna be over and some things next year right and I see your point entirely but what you have to do is look at it and see what our true expenses are this year if you look at for example our health insurance and that category benefits right a large portion of what we saved last year is eaten up by things that we can't change regardless of what last year's budget body even if it was over that I don't accept that but this is where it scares me it again is we put forth the model to the town for a 63 million dollar project we put forth a guideline that represented to the town as a model and if we can't live within this model and you're saying you can't control the cost of this only
045where is I think I need a little nervous of when are we going to control it comparing the model what we're doing and just double check us because I wasn't one-point-nine what was it that on the time side okay three point one on the town side well we're going to be in hundred but still the budget you're putting forth it's not last year plus two percent right it's consideration of what's actually needed was this arrow pace it's what's new that's any concern if they're building it that but it should show though right it should wash out yes it should yeah so you look at the Privy Purse and we'll have to see how Friday out when we get the excel file but if they're doing it from the bottom and not just doing last year-plus
0461.02 yeah it should be yeah and the black box array we are doing is around zero we're looking at every single expense in this book I know what some of those stuff to go through but and what are the checks and balances in place that we don't have these type of things because we said the same we always use that word all right I hate that word zero based budgeting cuz everybody uses anybody's and it was a where we had a $6,000 or $500,000 issue and we didn't quite catch in the process were the checks and balances in here so I'm invited as part of what we did is we went through it when we went through with the departments we had their 18 and their 19 year date the general Ledger's sorted by vendor
047and we were able to say wait a minute there was one department that forgot their lease payments on the copy machine and we were able to say that why do you think you can come in less with us this year when this is what you came in last year or why are you so much higher this year was so we did do that with every single expense but we did the big ones and but the ones we missed them weren't really necessary departmental things or more I mean though insurance says it's not really a department though that's not like a town clerk it's not a issue the same thing with the WPC a it's more of that's where we're you know internally we should tighter controls and that should have looked at more carefully I
048just want the checks and balances no you know I accepted the for selectmen accept the coordinates accepted the information given to us by our then controller and with the full understanding and I asked the question have you vetted all these numbers and the answer was yes and in one case we didn't hand in the employees contribution that health insurance that was missed well I think anybody could miss that the police came in 170 something I'm not disagree I'm saying half what are our checks and now lessons learned let me tell you some of the other checks and balances so besides doing that not with everything but the big ones and a little bit closer with the ones that haven't been really good with their budgets if you look at the front cover one of the
049differences right inside the black binder this was responsible for that yes all that part of it is responsible that's really because people weren't taking responsibility for it if it wasn't in their department right and so that part is new things like you won't see legal fees there because legal fees shouldn't be a separate legal fees are now in Steve's budget and he's responsible for them legal fees for the HR attorney and the pension attorney are no longer separate their inference budget HR director because she should be responsible for them right so we've moved some of those things around that's a great step but yours the accountability that what's the next step of responsibility long what responsibility comes accountability sure right so it's a great step we've got the responsibility well what's the accountability of a
050department head misses by $200,000 what is the accountability aspect of that then we would have a very serious discussion with those department heads as to whether they want the understanding of of where you know because again a lot of responsibility you know unless that's a blue bird that came in the window no no and you're right one of the other things is that requiring purchase orders on every single purchase that but that allows Steve and I to look at that in advance provided they do it and pretty soon were we switched it in January that every single thing has to have a purchase order that and that allows us to make sure that everyone's approved that upfront you can't buy a surprise I love that I absolutely love it but then let's again I did
051some gun shy at his budget I apologize it's not somebody orders outside the purchase order system and puts on the credit card do we now say you're not getting reimbursed for that because you didn't go through the proper thing or do we have an accountability in place to follow up because again this I've been where I said every employee has to put in the PIO then you get that hey I spent $400 on my credit card to get this paper do we have a thing that these employees know that outside this purchase order system there's going to be a repercussion yeah absolutely yes yeah so yes you are not allowed to spend money without it being approved ahead of time unless it's an emergency basis yes and stay within your budget and each department manager
052we've done retraining you need to look at your budget every month and see if you are where you are year-to-date versus your total budget you know salt and sand Ralph no sir he knows it's very like this but he knows where he is he'll know to come to us and say we're probably gonna be under this year right now on that but if he's gonna be over he's not gonna know that we have those things absolutely but each department manager is responsible if somebody goes and buy something for $400 and it hasn't been approved before you get the three-strike rule first time you get a warning second time to get rid of as long as the time we're gonna have a serious discussion about whether I'm gonna say I mean I just want to make
053sure that when we're doing the making these steps that the steps had legs the table should have four legs and that sometimes says I think this is a great step forward like Marsha said and you actually part of it as well I'll give you credit assigning a person would but without you got to have the accountability on the back side and as long as you have a thought process on the economy because I'll be really honest with you say this budget put me through a lot of heartburn last year's budget gets loaded down three times we get told we're a bear and minimum with everything and even on the school side we find out that pay raises were given on June 30th and increases that annuities were given and we got told if we didn't
054pass this budget we were cutting personnel we were not going to have books for the children we weren't going to have all these things and then a week before the budget goes into place which mine is magic money and it's I don't know where the break point is and where the accountability is because we sit here as a Board of Finance and we rely on the Board of Selectmen to put forth a budget that's solid we rely on the Board of Ed to put forth a budget that's solid and when we get down to everybody saying we can't take any more cuts and then the first weekend of the budget we're already doing things that are above what the budget line items were and in our case on the town side and I don't understand
055what happened I mean we had six hundred thousand dollar less than that probably 170 whatever we've a large sum of money that we didn't account for and we were as the Board of Finance we're cutting up coral risers but eventually the Corps I just got paid by money that wasn't in a budget which I'm still sorta lost time because they found that $17,000 in a budget that had no bones in it and I guess I'm really gunshot in this budget process of where the true numbers lie because I really thought after the third referendum last year we are at true numbers soon and then to find out a week later we weren't at true numbers is disheartening to me so so I think and I understand what you're saying and I agree with you and
056the key here and we say it all time is transparency but the way you get transparency is this black book with every single expenses that we expect to encounter it's listed and enrolled up into the department bodies and rolled up into the town budget I mean the black spoke last year it wasn't right we didn't have like we didn't in this level I will accept that I'm just saying we're getting we got the same guy yes how about that but we got that black book last year and it was and that's for my gun-shy is of it's a lot of information and that's I'm saying this because even and one thing that I will point out is in this budget that we asked people okay office supplies they may have round it here and there
057but other than that we asked them what is the true number that we tried to the big things we tried to look at the the vendors although today we just had something in from the water company about an increase we tried to look at the true numbers and if the true number was going to be 17,500 we put in 17,500 over our best guess to 17,500 versus saying well you know we can only come in under maybe we should put in 18,000 so we will be asking for a contingency that you control that that we would come back and say wait here's what our budget was you know it went up by 3% we found that out on this date and and come to you and say that's what we want our other alternative is
058disabled us just bump things up and we we asked everyone not to just bump things up to guarantee that they'll come in under I'll give you a perfect example last week I got a week and a half ago we've gotten you know we have a recycling center we use new Milford's they increase their budget to us their bill to us by so they you know like 50 percent and they said well we're going to charge you for the depreciation of the lane that the recycling center is sitting on and I'm saying waiting huh whoever owns that land you can depreciate it over 20 years but after 20 years you still own it and it's still worth probably more than what you paid for it right won't you carry it so why are you asking us
059to pay depreciation then they came back and said well if we had this piece of land and it was sold it would generate taxes I said okay that's a little more reasonable 100,000 of these property generate $3,000 worth of taxes divided by three towns that's a thousand bucks it's a lot better than 4,000 but the other concern I have here is I've asked for the numbers of the percentages of how many had a thousand business the recycling center how many are from Brookfield residents how many are from New Milford and how many from the bridge work now they're taking this building splitting it three ways well it turns out in one of the categories 81% of the visits the recycling center are New Milford residents and it's cheap I'll get you a number 60 70
060percent we're really about 15 percent 20 percent we haven't gotten through numbers fully clear of the total use of that yard why don't we paint one third if New Milford using it 70 percent of the time and Bridgewater and profil are using it 30 percent of that now we put the full amount they're asking for in the budget right now but we hope to cut that because I don't think it's fair we have to reach an equitable formula and we're trying to think of any agreements that we have this has been going on for years and years and years but that's the sort of thing that's my questions thank you I'll get you the WP and insurance yeah I noticed an article in the news times regarding my possibly not wanting to find any future
061school projects yeah it's below about to get mom all day on this yeah he's proposed elect he wants to cut going to dent and dye it right so we did some research today and the Board of Ed John Barr real and our consultant tacked on I did some research so there's probably is in the future going to be cuts in debt that they will issue for projects like our school project but right now they have five hundred million dollars for next year there are eight projects that they're planning to be in a priority a category and those eight projects total 232 million dollars my guess is and this is just I'm surmising cuz I don't have any full information because the Legislature will take 9 to 12 months and take in Lamont's considerations go through
062the process set up new budgets do all those sorts of things I'm very thankful that our project is going this year because next year I think there are going to because the second thing that is good for Brookfield and I'm just saying this when it comes to look at it just from an overall standpoint Bethel gets last project they did the school about 48 percent back from the state if I remember correctly we're getting 22 so if they do make a cut my guess is they're gonna make cuts on a ratio kinda basis we're at the very bottom we get the lowest amount of state grants than any town gets and they're quite a few times like us Bethel gets 48% the Ambria just got 80% for you the Academy my guess is when they
063lower things if they say okay we're gonna lower 20% we're gonna lower that twenty to twenty percent so four points where is that they lower than eighty percent that's gonna be sixteen percent of their grant so I don't think we're gonna get bit as hard and I don't think it's gonna take effect this year and that's what our consultants so are we on the list no right so we're not on a list you know nobody's on the list we have admit by June 30th right and a decision has to be made come out to us by December 15th right and we got to be careful about being at the low end and the thing because the other governor said Brookfield gets zero because there are wealthy pound in the cities all get the grant money
064and they come totally Malloy did that to like 30 towns right we're not saying so you know the lowest end means you're more on the wealthy scale which means you give you this you don't need the money as bad in the cities but for right now our consultant tech con doesn't believe that this is gonna be a major impact right on our project but they also have those skin in the game know if you don't get any money tech Don's not gonna say gee Brookfield there's 20 million I didn't told you it's not gonna it won't have any impact they do have skin in the game they want to design our school but they don't have the twenty million dollar cost in the game they don't so anyone at this table can take a guess
065your guess is probably as good as mine but my guess is it's a good thing that we're going in now versus next year so what does happen cuz we had the motion was passed you passed 78 million that we said that grand total of 78 million dollars and then we said the approximate state would reduce the the approximate State thing would reduce it to 63 million something something the Board of Finance improves 63 million dollars in bond in Monterey so we proved 63 million dollars upon it so that's what's going a referendum 63 million dollars so we now then go to the next stage and the school comes in at 78 million right on the tech Don thing but what happen it's next if the state says for no money no money no money from
066the state we'd have to make a tough decision do we go to referendum again to raise the additional funds or do we change the entire plan as a family because I can only understand what we're what with what the residents approved but the voters approved and that's 63 million so on so if they said no money we're gonna be in a world of hurt we got to think about that really hard what we want to do because even doing renovate is new was 53 million turn it down it's still we'd still they have some really tough decisions to make we look so if we passed the banda because this is where i got good fuse like a look at a couple years ago it's my mind ignorance and stupidity we passed a sixty three million
067dollar bond do we still have to borrow that money we have no so we could turn down the project totally no you know we when we just did our bonding in November we had a total of almost twenty million dollars that have been approved yeah but we didn't borrow anywhere near said about we borrowed what we actually spent I'm just saying so we get the city passes sixty three million dollars right and then we the school is gonna cost seventy eight we can't come to an agreement as a town of what to do with our schools then that's sixty three million dollars just because dollar boy yeah what we would have to do if we decided to do that is to actually rescind the borrowing right so it's not sitting out there because it's bonding
068or conversation so we could spend up to sixty three million dollars under the bond resolution so it but that's a technical thing you're right it goes away and we've just have to technically say we're not gonna borrow this money may you live in interesting times I just wanted to know I didn't really have an opinion on it I just wanted to know yeah a lot of people censored about it but right now don't feel that this is at the level remember Malloy said he's gonna cut everybody's always going to give 25 percent of the teachers this is just one person you have to get the legislature to agree to this let me tell ya the big city representatives one of the last things I've ever cut is the money to their schools that's my opinion
069schools are the lifeblood of politics especially in the big cities and my opinion is that would be one of the last things I'm gonna cut that's just my opinion yeah I agree with your point but I would agree more than the state funding they won't cut as an annual operation capital funding capital funny easily tell the time you can wait two years for school yeah they cut a hundred percent of state grants us that's not 1.7 million dollars right now right we put together playing last year no I'm saying it absorb that twenty million is a different story yes sir and I should it should just point out in the budget you'll receive Friday and the revenue were assuming same as last year because we have a new governor he's got until February 20th to
070come up with his revenue estimates so right now the estimates are based on same as last year and suppose the legislature passed that legislation that's saying okay we're not gonna screw around with everyone who this is what you're gonna get next year so I'd be shocked if we didn't get that oh we have time yeah we have our we have we'll have enough time unless somebody goes off the rails all right good point to bring up anything else on the budget or anything like that okay all right then it's quite lengthy before I read that or summarize there's too much there table it will table that until the next time this special media anything from the recording code nothing okay nothing to report everything moves ring no matters of old business the matters of new
071business to vote on yeah just the things you know the police outside services fun the poor suckers gonna take that up at one of our meetings in the next few days to send to you full presenters ending to you so and I'll let you know the minute we approve that and if you've been added you can add it to one of your special needs yeah they did one yeah we'll add it to the 26 it's I don't think it's they're not gonna be a long discussion I've already thought that poor select members probably 727 something do you have to wait on that you have to get 24-hour notice for a special beauty they have something to the agenda I'm tell them that tomorrow it's your fault still it's just prepare you so that note will
072be coming over November's if I were doing public here for comment I move that we adjourn second thank you Richard [Music]