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1963/01/29Berlin Board of Finance January 28, 1963 Minutes The following statement was approved for release to the press January 28, 1963 by a poll of Board members W. S. Brown, S. S. Sargis, S. J. }~ietras and P. D. Doran, all voting affirmatively: " In the interest of keeping t~ public informed, it is our sin- cere hope that our townspeople read the ~ ading editorial in last Friday's Herald. The v~iter's well-chosen words and objective sum~aation express- ed much better than we have why it is so important to retain the check and balance of an effective Board of Finance in town government. Certainly, too, our townspeople cannot have missed the Dress cov- erage of the troubles which our good neighbor, New Britain, is having with its council form of government. Might we not ask ourselves if we 'need' this form of goverrm~en~ in Berlin, which is being proposed by the Charter Co~aission.~ Respectfully submitted, Tem Berlin Board of Finance January 29, 1963 Minute s of Rleeting A meeting of the Berlin Board of Finance was called to order at 7:30 P. M. on Tuesday~ January 29, 1963 at the Town Hall. Members Present: Chairman P. D. Doran and }dessrs. W. S. Brown, T. W. Ward, Jr. and S. S. Sargis. The Minutes of January 22~ 1963 were approved as written. Communications Received: 1. Budget Balance of Board of Finance as of December lO, 1962 in the m~ount of $3,088.45. Bills: None Transfers: 1. It was voted to transfer $1,O00. from ~58, Outdoor Relief, to ~21a, M. & O. of Town Vehicles, as requested by the Selectmen's Office. (See Old Business No. l) Old Business: 1. Mrs. Castiglioni, Selectmen's Secretary, appeared to request a transfer of $1,000. to M. & O. of Town V~hicles in addition to the request for the same amount to the same account at the last meeting of this Board. (See Minutes of January 22, 1963) ~rs. Castiglioni explained that the "parts" portion of ~21a covers all tow~ vehicles with the exception of school buses. She advised that town vehi- cles include 6 trucks, ~ pick-up trucks, a garbage truck plus one spare, an ambulance, ~ vehicles for Berlin Fire Dept., 2 vehicles each for East Berlin Fire Dept. and Kensington Fire Dept., ~ police cruisers, 2 loaders, i grader, I sweeper, i chain saw, several lawn mowers. She said that heavy expenses in "parts~ coa~menced in the fall and expenses are running about $1500. a month. Chairman Doran asked why the "parts" portion of ~21a had been completely depleted in six months. Mrs. Castiglioni said that to the best of her knowledge unforseen breakdowns are the reason, stating that Mr. Haber has all the details. It is her understanding that several transmissions have had to be replaced and body work has had to be done, a couple of new en- gines have been needed and the oldest truck, a 1951 model, has bean used all the time for sand spreading. On this basis, it is her estimate that more than $5,000. will be needed to carry the "parts~ account through to the end of the fiscal year. Chairman Doran advised her that this ~oard would like to hear from Chief Mechanic E. Haber at its next meetinE and would like a specific breakdown of all monies spent in the "parts" account at its next meeting. Further, it will be necessary to obtain an estimate from ~r. Hater relative to money needed to carry the account through to the end of the fiscal year. 2. It was noted that as yet this Board has received no communication from Civil Defense Director ~ilbert Austin in reply to our letter of January 24. A reminder will be sent to I~. Austin. (Minutes of January 29, 1963 continued) Copies of the Selectmen's budget request were distributed to Bce rd members for study. New Business: Police Commissioners P. Caccavale, W. McKeon and J. Scheyd were ~resent upon invitation of this Board for the Police Budget Hearing. Mr. Bernard Cabelus, Building Inspector, was present upon invitation of this Board for his Budget Hearing. In a discussion of recent remarks in the press by member T. W. Ward, Jr., the Board made clear that there had been no secret meeting of the Board. It was also made clear in discussion that the majority of ~his Board is opposed to the proposal of the Charter Commission to eliminate as an element of town government a Board of Finance as presently constituted. Although a quorum was present no formal action was taken at this time in deference to absent members. At the next Board of Finance meeting, scheduled for February 5, 1963, Budget Hear- ings will be held for Board of Selectmen jointly with Engineering Department at the request of the First Selectman. The Park and Recreation Commission will also be invited to discuss their budget at this meeting. Through Mrs. Castiglioni the Board requested the ~ esence of Chief Mechanic Haber at this meeting to provide details of the extraordinary expenditures for parts in Maintenance and Operation of Town Vehicles. The meeting adjourned at 10:15 P. M. Respectfully submitted, Berlin Board of Finance February 5, 1963 Minutes of Meeting A meeting of the Board of Finance was called to order at 7:30 P. M. on Tuesday, February 5, 1963 at the Town Hall. Members Present: Chairman P. D. Doran and Messrs. W. S. Brown, T. W. W~d, Jr., and S. S. Sargis. The Minutes of January 28, 1963 and January 29, 1963 were approved. Communications R~ceived: 1. budget request of South Ken~ ngton Fire Dept. was received and copies dis- tributed to Board members. 2. A letter dated January 31, 1963 from First Selectman Arthur Powers urging this Board to exercise extreme prudence and to practice severe economy in its preparation of ~he new town budget which will be acted upon later this spring. 3. A letter dated February 4, 1963 from Town Counsel J. Dawson enclosing a synopsis of the correspondence and pertinent conversations concerning the matter of the suit re the Willard and Percival heating systems. 4. A copy of a letter dated February 5, 1963 from First Selectm~n Arthur Powers to Secretary Dr. J. Fitzsimmons of the Board of Education relative to a re- port from the Transportation Committee of the Board of Education. Said re- port advised that school buses should be replaced after five years of ser- vice. Mr. Powers asked for a meeting between the Board of Education, Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance on February 25. Bill____~s: 1. It was voted to approve for payment from ~6, Board of Finance, a bill in the amount of ~90. 8 presented by ~rs. Graeme Bunce for clerical services ~d supplies for this Board for the month of January 1963. Transfers: 1. Town Engineer Jim Kissane advised the Board that the Snow Removal Account is in need of an i~nediate transfer of ~1~000. As of bhis date %hat Account is overexpended by $825. althoug~ the bill has not yet been received. It was voted to transfer $1,Of[O. to ~30, Snow Removal, from ~58, Outdoor Re- lief. Old Business: 1. It was noted that as ye% no co~]unication has been received from Civil De- fense Director Gilbert Austin relative to our letter concerning federal mat- ching funds for the generator in the Town Hall.