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1969/03/20MINUTES BOARD OF FINANCE Special Meeting March 20, 1969 Members Present: Thomas W. Ward, Jr., Wolcott S. ~rown, Mrs. Blanche J. Delaney, Dominick F. Scerra and John F. Miller Members Absent: Robert A. Sprague Others Present: Rev. Robert J. Lord, Principal and Gary A. Kasey, Psychological! Consultant, St. Paul's Junior High School (Part of Meeting) Meeting was called to order at ~;05 p.m. by Chairman Ward. Communications Legal Notices of Public Hearings to be held on April 1, 1969 and Schedules of First and Second Assessments for Sanitary Sewers in a portion of Norton Road, Berlin Were received frOmthe~ Water and Sewer Commission. Letter from Mr. S. Samuel Valenti, Chairman, Board of Police Commissioners, dated March 19, 1969, explaining the appointment of a Lieutenant to the police force prior to July 1. Mr. Valenti also inquired as to the Board's decision regarding a new item in the current budget for expenses for Police Commissioners attending meetings. It was the consensus of the Board to have the Chairman notify the Police Commission that the request for additional funds in this fiscal year for Commissioners' expenses is denied and to further advise that it is noted that this item is included in the 1969-1970 budget and this Board will give it due consideration along with the rest of the budget. Transfers Father Lord and Mr. Kasey were present in accordance with this Board's request. (See minutes of March 18, 1969) Mr. Ward reviewed Mr. Kasey's letter and following discussion, it was determined that no interdepartment transfer was needed since the subitem Materials and Supplies, as presented to this Board, was general and therefore could be shifted to encompass various items including testing. In discussing his letter, (See minutes of March 18, 1968) Father Lord ex- plained that his request for $577 included fees to be paid to Miss Jessica Parlato and Mr. Mark Schmidak of the Public Schools' staff who would be providing health services, on an after-hours, part-time basis, to students at St. Paul s Junior High School specifically ko giving p~rceptually handicapped instruction to three students and speech therapy to six students, including $25.00 for supplies. This, of course, entirely reimbursable to the Town by the State. In answer to the question as to whether or not a like amount should be included in the 1969-1970 budget for this ty~e of service, Father Lord in- dicated this was debatable and preferred to make the request at such time when the need was definitely known. It was VOTED to transfer $577 from #127 Contingency to #130d St. Paul's Junior High School, subitem Materials and Supplies $25; new subitems Fee for Perceptually Handicapped Instruction $328, Fee for Speech Therapist $224. Letter from Mr. Arthur B. Powers, First Selectman, dated March 19, 1969 providing additional information, including copies of bills, relative to previous request for transfer to #2la Maintenance and Operation of Town Vehicles (See minutes of March 11, 1969), plus an estimated figure needed for the remainder of the year. It was VOTED to transfer from #127 Contingency to #2la Maintenance and Operation of Town Vehicles, subitem Contractual Services% the sum of $1,500. Letter from Mr. S. Samuel Valenti, Chairman of the Board of Police Com- missioners, dated March 19, 1969 requesting an inter-department transfer. It was VOTED to transfer $750 from #23a Police Personnel to #23c Police Supplies and Equipment, subitem Uniforms and Equipment. Board of Finance Meeting March 20, 1969 (eon't) New Business Mr. Ward presented for approval a resolution prepared by the Town's bonding attorneys as follows: RESOLVED, That this Board reeomrdends an appropriation in the aggregate amount of $867,142 for the first phase of developing the Town~ open space and park area adjacent to the Charcberlain Highway and Southington Road, as follows: Project Construction of 18-hole golf course Parking area and access roads Two double tennis courts Maintenance buildings and two-story multi-purpose building for recreation and community use Total Estimated Cost $ 542,601 63,996 10,545 250,000 $ 867,142 AND FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Board recommends that such appro- priation be financed by the issuance of improvement bonds of the Town of Berlin and requests that the Board of Selectmen to call a special town meeting to consider such recommendations and to adjourn the special town meeting to a referendum %¢te on the following day. Upon MOTION duly mede and seconded the resolution was ADOPTED with 4 in Favor 1 Opposed (Brown) Upon presentation by Mr. Ward for approval, it was VOTED to adopt the following resolutions as prepared by the Town's bonding attorneys: RESOLVED, That this Board recommends that it is advisable for the Town lof Berlin to extend the time for the sale of $1,170,000 Improvement Bonds, $750,000 Water Bonds and $200,000 Sewer Bonds, which should otherwise be sold before April 7, 1969 until a date not later than April 7, 1971 under authority of Public Act. No. 626 of the 1967 Session of the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut (codified as Section 7-378a of the General Statutes of Connecticut, Revision of 1958, as amended), and the Board of Selectmen and the Treasurer are hereby authorized to take any action necessary or appropriate to effect such extension and to complete the issue and sale of such bonds; That the Town budget for the fiscal years commencing July 1, 1969 and July 1, 1970 shall include not less ~an $60,000 with respect to said $1,170,000 issue of Improvement Bonds, $40,00 with respect to said issue of $750,000 Water Bonds and $10,000 with respect to said $200,000 issue of Sewer Bonds, in each case for payment of principal which would have been paid in each such year if the entire principal amount of such bonds had been sold prior to April 7, 1969, and each such budget shall include sufficient amounts for payment of interest on bond anticipation notes during such year prior to the issue and sale of such bonds; That the principal amount of each such bond issue, when sold, shall be reduced by the amount of principal which would have been paid if such bonds had been issued and sold prior to April 7, 1969; That the principal of each such bond issue shall be paid in sub- stantially equal annual installments commending within one year from date of issue and the term of such bonds, when sold, shall be reduced by not less than the number of months by which the date of issue exceeds the number of months by which the date of issue exceeds the number of months which have elapsed after April 7, 1969. AND FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Board requests the Board of Selectmen to call a special town meeting to consider such resolutions. In discussing the park proposal resolution further and providing the towns- people approve this amount at referendum, Mr. Ward recommends that the entire amount of the bond issue be borrowed immediately and reinvested by the Treasuer while the construction is proceeding, thereby increasing the revenue to the Town. Mr. Ward advised that upon his instructions this was now being done with the remainder of the Junior High School monies. Mrs. Delaney stated that questions were being asked as to the effect the bond issue for the golf course, etc. would have on the Town's bonding position. Chairman Ward will be prepared to answer questions at the Town Meeting. Board of Finance Meeting March 20, 1969 (con't) Mr. Ward distributed to the Board members for study a detailed outlook of the 1969-1970 budget requests as presented including bonding and interest com- mitments plus a list of his recon~aendations. The Board continued its review of the budget requests in preparation of the 1969-1970 budget. It was VOTED ~o adjourn the meeting at 11:32 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Rena 0. Castiglioni Secretary Members Present: Members Absent: Others Present: MINUTES BOARD OF FINANCE Regular Meeting March 25, 1969 Thomas W. Ward, Jr., Mrs. Blanche J. Delaney, Robert A. Sprague Dominick F. Scerra and John F. Miller Wolcott S. Brown Mrs. Blanche Mahan of the Press Meeting was called to order at 8:05 p.m. by Chairman Ward. Minutes It was VOTED to approve the minutes of the March 18 and March 20, 1969 meetings. Communications Letter from Mr. George Wm. Bountress, Superintendent of Schools, dated March 21, 1969, advising that the State has granted the Berlin School System $631 to pay for a Mini-Project for identifying childrens' problems at the kindergarten level and enclosing forms to be signed by the Chairman which will assure that this money will be set aside in a separate account to be used solely for this purpose. Chairman will complete the necessary forms and return to the Superintendent of Schools. A note from Mr. Harold Bomba, enclosing information received by him from the manufacturer of automatic voting machines, alerting the Town of an inevitable price increase in 1969 and suggesting this matter be considered now. Following discussion which pointed out that an item is included in the 1969-1970 capital budget for a new voting machine, It was VOTED to advise the Selectmen that an order be placed in~nediately for (1) Printomatic, 30 Column Size, Automatic Voting Machine for $1,778.00 plus delivery charges, as recommended by the ~ n Clerk, arranging for delivery and payment on or after July 1, 1969. copy of letter to Mr. Frank Potetz, Executive Vice President of the New Britain Bank and Trust Company whose Trust Department acts as Trustee of the Marjorie Moore Fund, from Mr. Arthur B. Powers, First Selectman, dated March 24, 1969, recalling a past suggestion that the Fund might be willing to partially finance a full-time recreation director and indicating a willingness to meet with him and concerned Town representatives to discuss this possibility. Letter from Mr. Arthur B. Powers, First Selectman, dated March 24, 1969 requesting this Board to adjust the figure in Account #21c Municipal Garage, subitem Third Assistant to $5~200 in the budget presented for 1969-1970.