ANNUAL BOROUGH & BUDGET MEETING
April 16, 2011 ~ 9 AM at
Draft Minutes
The annual Borough meeting was
called to order at 9:00AM by Warden
On a motion by Jeffrey Callahan,
seconded by Burgess Scala, Scott Bates was unanimously appointed moderator. Reading the call of the meeting was
dispensed. The following is the call as
printed in the New London Day on
March 31, 2011:
This is to warn voters and taxpayers of the
Borough of Stonington that the Annual Borough and Budget Meeting will be held
on April 16, 2011, at 9 A.M. at the new Firehouse to approve the minutes of
last year’s meeting, to hear the Warden’s report, to act on a budget for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 2012, to consider a Highway Department Capital Improvement
Program, to select trustees for the Waldron Fund, and to consider such other
business as may come before the meeting.
Approval of Minutes:
After the public was given the opportunity to review
the minutes, Warden Maranell seconded by Burgess Callahan, moved acceptance
which was unanimously approved.
Warden’s Report: The
following are highlights of the Street Commissioner’s (Warden Maranell) report:
à The
à Handicap accessibility to
à
à This year will see rebuilding of
à A utility tractor was recently purchased to help with
snow and leaf removal, maintenance of gravel areas in the Borough, and mowing.
à The larger of the two loans for the firehouse has been
paid off with approximately $105K left to pay off by fiscal year 13-14.
Public Buildings Commissioner (Jeffrey Callahan):
à Renovations to Borough Hall have been put on hold except
for essential maintenance and the improvements made as part of the repair
process. This included several modest,
non-routine projects which included replacing the fire escape door and repairs
to the electrical panels. It is anticipated
that this year will see replacement of the old standby generator.
à The Borough clock recently underwent some routine
maintenance.
à The firehouse is in good shape with some repairs to
leaks, and Bill Teixiera and Roger Collelo were applauded for their efforts in
maintaining the firehouse and the Borough Hall on a daily basis.
à The escalating cost of fuel was noted, as was that
this year we were protected by contracts which had been priced much lower than
the cost of fuel oil and propane is now.
This is anticipated to have a bearing on costs for next year.
Fire Commissioner (Robert Scala):
à Appreciation was offered for the volunteers in the
fire department who work so hard to keep us safe.
à Chief Hoadley thanked the community for its continued
support of the department, and he referenced the need for improvement and
upgrade of the fire fighter’s equipment which is expensive and often 10 years
old or more.
Police, Public Affairs & Communication
Commissioner (Kathryn Burchenal):
à In the area of Emergency Management, there has been
good rapport developed with the Town Police department and there is ongoing
dialogue regarding safety issues.
à There is a four way stop being investigated right
outside the Borough in an effort to curb speeding at the foot of the Viaduct
where it intersects with
à Traffic control is also an ongoing issue which all of
us must be conscious of.
à We are working to improve the Borough website for
better communication.
Utilities and Sanitation Commissioner (
à There are few issues regarding sanitation and
utilities except to note water line improvements on
Parks, Trees and Rights of Way
Commissioner (Howard Park):
à The new organization in the community—the Friends of
Wad Square have been working carefully with the highway department to help with
upkeep of the square.
à Along these lines, the lights on the square have been
systematically removed, restored and repaired.
Borough money was used to finance one of these and donations
from SVIA and other private citizens has contributed to two others.
Emergency Management, Sidewalks and
Street Lights Commissioner (Paul Burgess)
à Ten homeowners repaired or replaced sidewalks at
Borough’s request. Additional homeowners repaired sidewalks at their own.
à First historic stone crosswalk repaired/reset on
à Only significant streetlight issue has been getting
CL&P to replaced light on footbridge.
à No significant Emergency Management issues.
Budget: A summary of the proposed budget is as follows:
Income
Grants and Reimbursements $180,271
Fire Protection Fees 106,537
Other Income 6,279
Property Taxes 688,360
Accumulated Revenue Balance 47,500
Total Income $1,028,947
Appropriations
To Ordinary Expenditures
General
Government 216,431
Boards &
Commissions 42,240
Fire Department 203,944
Hydrants 41,000
Public Buildings 24,006
Street
Department 184,603
Parks, Trees
& Rights of Way 20,000
Sanitation 1,500
To Contingency Expense
25,000
To Debt Service 38,413
To Special Revenue & Trust Funds
Infrastructure
Reserve Fund 209,393
Clock Fund 500
Sidewalk
Fund 4,000
LoCip Grant (Tentative) 1,714
Cannon Fund 16,203
Total Appropriation $1,028,947
Burgess Callahan moved approval of the budget under
consideration which was seconded by Burgess Scala. The motion passed and the budget was approved
as presented
Various
points within the proposed budget were discussed and are highlighted below
following correction of the column headings to reflect the correct fiscal years
being referenced
On a motion by Burgess Callahan
seconded by Burgess Park, the following highway capital improvement plan was
brought to a vote for fiscal year 2011-2012 and unanimously approved:
2011-2012 Hyde and Omega Streets, seawalls and
needed sidewalks and curbs $150,000
2012-2013 Cliff and Omega Streets, seawalls
and needed sidewalks and curbs 150,000
2013-2014 Grand and Temple Streets, seawalls
and needed sidewalks and curbs 150,000
2015-2016 Northwest & Front Streets,
seawalls and needed sidewalks and curbs 200,000
Waldron Fund:
On a motion by Warden Maranell, seconded by Burgess
Callahan, the following were reappointed trustees of the Waldron Fund—Mary
Nunes Maranell, Lisa Tepper Bates, and Kathryn Nason Burchenal.
Other Business:
Lisa Tepper Bates provided a summary of the Waldron
Fund over the past year.
The
meeting adjourned at 10:23 AM
Respectfully
submitted,