MINUTES
REGU=
LAR
MEETING
MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2007, 7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: = &nb= sp; Elaine Adams
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Antonio Guerrera
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert Kane
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Carl Mancini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Joseph Pawlak, Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Suzan Plowman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Raymond Primini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi, Vice Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Jack Walton
ABSENT: &nb= sp; = None
OTHERS PRESENT: Eric Brown, Labor Attorney
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Roy Cavanaugh, Director of Public Works
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Charles Frigon, Town Manager
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; John Gavallas, Police Chief
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mike
Gaydos, Assistant Principal,
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Frank Nardelli, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Franklin Pilicy, Town Attorney
1.&nb= sp; Call Meeting To Order
Mr. = Pawlak, Chairman, Called the Meeting to Order at 7:30 p.m.
2.&nb= sp; Roll Call
Ms. LaForme, Board Clerk, executed the Roll Call.
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, led the Pledge of Allegiance.
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, asked for a Moment of Silence.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 2
4.&nb=
sp; Public
Participation
Coreine Peluso,
Ms. Peluso: I also serve as the Chairman of the Northwest Regional Mental Health Board.&nb= sp; I am, I'm sure a letter was sent to this Council that we were denied any funding on this budget. A letter was sent to you thanking you for considering us and we were disappointed of course and I would like to ask a question. I was very, when I went to the Finance Committee meeting I was disappointed to th= at fact that I serve on a Board in Watertown and I serve as Chairman and I sen= t on like 3 years ago, and there were 3 people, 1 at least who said to be very honest, I've never heard of the Board.&nbs= p; Well that makes me so disappointed.= Could any, would the Council mind me asking have you heard of this Board?
= ; Ms. Adams: I have.
Mr. Pawlak: Up until that time I had not heard= of it.
Ms. Peluso: This is why I'm here again. Who represented
Mr. Pawlak: They've not seen it.
= ; Ms. Peluso: The reason I'm be= ing so specific on this, is that I've addressed many town managers and on the Boar= d, they looked at you like, well that's it's I've had enough, so I went to Chu= ck Frigon and he told me how to go about this. I go every May and there's all kinds of mental health, drug abuse, all these telephone numbers that pe= ople can contact, and they also can contact me.= I'm pretty available. = I just want everyone to know that this Board exists, I = do not serve on this Board lightly. = It's a during the day Board so being retired somewhat I can= so this, but I take it very serious and this is the way the letter came back.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It's addressed Mr. Pawlak and it says: "We are deeply disappointed for (inaudible) funding not approved in our budget. We do however appreciate being considered this year and hope that the Finance Committee will be able to fi= nd some funds within the approved budget to support our work. Thank you very much, Jeannine Sull= ivan Wiley." That's really al= l I would like to say. One other = thing, I cannot understand, and I'm not against Board of Education, please, but how come it seems to me, unless I don't read budgets too well, how come the Boa= rd of Education and everybody there seemed to get a raise and it seems like our department heads and whatever, it seems like it's almost unfair and I do a = lot with the elderly. I also serv= e on the Commission on Aging and (inaudible).&n= bsp; I said well, I don't know, I think that's just the way it goes, but = it doesn't seem correct to me, but I'm not there to watch it all. Thank you.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 3
= ; Mr. Pawlak: What was the date= of the thank you letter to me?
= ; Ms. Peluso: June 15th.
= ; Mr. Pawlak: I haven't been do= wn town since Friday, maybe it's there.
Ms. Adams: How much were they asking for?
= ; Ms. Peluso: They were asking = for $.11 per population which was I think I'm quoting $2,200 and some dollars.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> They also told the Finance Subcomm= ittee because they finally got a time to see them, that if they didn't foresee th= at they could give us this amount of money, they could give us whatever they f= elt they had. To publish and stuf= f like this, all the information that has to go out, that's why I give it to the library and May is mental health month, but to publish these things is very expensive, so this is what they ask. I know myself, I was very upset when I was told that they didn't hea= r us the Board, and of course I was upset that we didn't get the funding. Thank you.
Eric Brown, Attorney Representing
Department Heads
Atty. Brown: I'm an attorney representing the
department heads employed by the Town of
With respect to a proposal on wage increases it appears based upon representatio= ns made to the department heads, that the Town Council may be considering wage cuts, net wage cuts to each of the department heads employed by the Town, ranging anywhere from 1.8% for the Finance Director to 13.8% for the Police Chief. And the total decrease= of compensation would go from $644,000 to $600,000, a $44,000 decrease in compensation, a 6.75% decrease. Now it makes sense that we all tighten our belts during times of budgets and bu= dgetary crisis, but as you know in this Town, as a result of your effective leaders= hip and the effect of the leadership of the department heads in this Town, this Town recently passed a budget without a tax increase. That's a credit to you all, but al= so to the department heads who performed their jobs.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 4
With
respect to the deferred compensation that's been made available to these
department heads, that's a practice that goes back to 1996. And the reason that the deferred
compensation was initially implemented was to make up for shortfalls in ter=
ms
of the wages that these department heads received, and that's been an on-go=
ing
benefit that these department heads have received over the last 10 years.
Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Closed Public Participation at 7:44 p.m.
=
; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Add Agenda Item 9I, Consider setting a Public =
Hearing
to hear comments on relinquishing a portion of the agricultural development
rights for the purpose of roadway realignment in accordance with the Depart=
ment
of Agricultural Requirements. This
relinquishment of rights shall be as shown on the map entitled Rights of Way
Survey, Town of =
; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY =
; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Add Agenda Item 7A, Department Report from Pub=
lic
Works Director, Roy Cavanaugh. =
; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 5 =
; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Add Agenda Item 10C,
Consider Compensation for Department Heads/Non-Organized for Fiscal Year
2007/2008. =
; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY 5.&nb=
sp; Minutes &=
nbsp; A. Regular
Meeting Minutes – June 4, 2007 =
; &n=
bsp; MOTION: (Mr. =
Mancini,
sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Regular Meeting
Minutes dated June 4, 2007 as presented. =
; &n=
bsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY &=
nbsp; B. =
Public
Hearing – June 4, 2007 =
; &n=
bsp; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Public
Hearing Minutes dated June 4, 2007 as presented. =
; &n=
bsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY &=
nbsp; C. =
; &n=
bsp; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Special=
Town Meeting
Minutes dated June 4, 2007 as presented. =
; &n=
bsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 6 6.&nb=
sp; Chairman’s
Report A. Correspondence 1. =
Letter
from Attorney Pilicy, Re: Gri=
ffin
School LLC request for a meeting dated June 4, 2007. =
Mr. Pawlak: "Dear Chairman Pawlak and Mana=
ger
Frigon: Enclosed please find
correspondence dated May 30, 2007 from Attorney George Mowad requesting the
above referenced matter. If y=
ou
have any questions concerning this matter please contact the undersigned at
your convenience." =
T=
he
text of the letter Atty. Pilicy referenced is dated May 30, 2007, addressed=
to
Franklin G. Pilicy, Re: =
&=
quot;Dear
Franklin: As we discussed in =
the
past, there's a copy of a letter from the Chairman of the Watertown Town Co=
uncil
concerning my letters of April 9, 2007 and May 11, 2007. Please inform the chairman and the =
other
members of the Town Council that it is our intention to meet with them to d=
iscuss
the removal of the age restriction currently placed on the property and als=
o to
discuss the possibility of utilizing the property as a new town hall for th=
e Town
of Watertown as previously discussed with my partner, Joseph Yamin. Please schedule this meeting immed=
iately
as I have been requesting it for about two months now." =
I
drafted a letter in return to Mr.
Mowad which will be going out tomorrow: =
&=
quot;Sir,
your letter to Franklin G. Pilicy regarding =
J=
oseph
Pawlak =
C=
hairman &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; cc: All
Members &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; Franklin
G. Pilicy" Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 7 Mr. Pawlak: We also received a letter of t=
hanks
from Evan Parkinson: "Dear
Joe Pawlak: Thank
you for your generous scholarship (it was not mine, it
was the Town's dollars). I am honored to be chosen as the recipient of the
award and I greatly appreciate your generosity. Thank you again. Sincerely, Evan
Parkinson" =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Unfortunately he =
was
not able to be present at Awards Night at the High School; he was competing=
at
a Track Meet in New Britain and got back about a half hour after the Awards
Ceremony was over. 2. =
Appointment
of Town Representative to the =
Mr. Pawlak: They're looking for a representativ=
e to
the Regional Planning Commission. I
don't believe this requires a Council action, so I'm going to ask Mr. Josep=
h Seacrist,
our Economic Development Coordinator, who is doing a fine job, to represent=
the
Town in his capacity. Mr. Pawlak: I did reference the last time arou=
nd the
request from Superintendent of Schools Erardi to meet with the fiscal autho=
rity
in Town. I have been advised =
that
that fiscal authority is not the subcommittee, but in fact the entire Town
Council so that we are attempting to find a date which is amenable to
everybody. Have we figured ou=
t that
date? =
; Mr.
Frigon: The 21st or 25th =
of
June. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Be advised so we =
have
to coordinate between ourselves and the Board of Education. Mr. Frigon: I'll ask Lisa in my office to poll=
all
the members. Mr. Kane: What's this for, Mr. Chairman? Mr. Pawlak: To sit down with the Board of
Education prior to their sitting down with the Watertown Administrator's
Association for negotiations on their contract. We have to do that 30 days prior to
their first meeting which is August 4, so we have to do that. I believe Ray and Jack wanted to
participate as members of the Council, so that's fine. Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 8 I
also received two letters regarding an incident in I
received a report from Frank Nardelli, Assistant Town Manager and Finance
Director regarding the overtime for the month of May and it is down
significantly, it's down to $21,230, Police Department is down to $11,400 b=
ut
they still lead the way. Publ=
ic Works
is not that bad, it probably didn't show up in there yet, did it Frank? Mr. Nardelli: Yea, everything for the month is in
there. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Public Works was =
$504
and there was a transfer, snow. Did
we have snow in May? Or did w=
e use
that account? Mr. Nardelli: There might have been some comp pa=
id out
because the Highway Department accumulates comp time which gets paid out.
Mr. Pawlak: Well the key is that the overtime is
trending in the right direction. The
other item I had was I just wanted to make comment, in my continuing conver=
sations
with the Town Manager and the Deputy Chief regarding enforcement of speeding
and moving infractions, violations on our streets, as you probably know that
I'm keenly aware and it's a very sensitive issue for me, in the month of Ma=
y in
this year total motor vehicle stops were 423, 210 motor vehicle violation
tickets were issues, 19 misdemeanor summons, 91 infractions for a total of
210. Of that a significant nu=
mber I
will add was attributed to the Click It or Ticket Campaign that went on in =
the
month of May, 67 of those and also 20 cell phone violations. But the important thing is that th=
ey are
increasing their activities on the roads as I asked them to do, particularl=
y during
the warm months when there are more people out on the street, both walking,
jogging, and driving, so it's important that we haven't had a motor vehicle
fatality since . . . =
; Deputy
Police Chief Gavallas:
November. Mr. Pawlak: November. We had a bad string there for abou=
t a
year, we had 7 I think, since then we've been good, and I know your activity
has been up considerably. Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 9 7. =
Town
Manager's Report On
April 25, 2007 we did receive an OSHA inspection as a result of a complaint
issued with OSHA. After exten=
sive
testing and monitoring both, OSHA did release to us a final report this past
week and there are no citations regarding the environment. There was one citation violation a=
nd (inaudible)
regarding the back door was not working correctly so that OSHA inspection h=
as
now been concluded. Homel=
and
Security The Town=
did
participate in a regional emergency operations plan exercise. It started on Monday where we were
apprised of storms approaching the area and ended with a dam breaking up in
Morris. It was pretty interes=
ting;
we learned a lot. In fact we
learned an awful lot. I want =
to
thank our Fire Department for their assistance with that or (inaudible) to =
assist
them and we hope we do better in the future. The good news out of all of this is=
the
new Fire Department room, the communications room worked extremely well, al=
l of
the network plugs, all of the telephone plugs, we were
able to communicate certainly better than most of the communities in the
exercise, it really worked well. Swift=
Turf
Field Bids did=
come in
$321,346. The
apparent low bidder being Proe Grass in Mr. Pawlak: Did that include installation?=
Mr. Frigon: Well it' broken up in (inaudible) t=
hat's
the total amount. Mr. Pawlak: We had $790,000? Mr. Frigon: No, some of that was going to the
contractor who was doing the site improvements for preparation for the
turf. This is just for the ca=
rpet. Mr. Pawlak: Do we know what the total amount is=
going
to be? Mr. Frigon: I don't know. Yea, it would come from Todd, maybe
within the next 60 days. They=
have
a good idea now, we're under budget is what I’m told. Mr. Pawlak: I'd like if you could get some numb=
ers on
that, but we want that field in place by the end of August, so I suspect we
should have everything we need certainly before the next Town Council meeti=
ng. Ms. Adams: Yea, that would be interesting=
to
know. Cause we heard some huge
numbers. Mr. Mancini: Is everything all straightened out =
with
the problem with the drainage on some of the fields? Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 10 Mr. Frigon: We met this afternoon with Dr. Erar=
di,
Mr. LoFrese, Mr. Minnich, and 2 reps from our Engineering Department and we=
all
agreed on a suitable design for the project that will go through Planning a=
nd
Zoning's (inaudible). Was bid. This is
for the reconstruction of Mr. Pawlak: Is that just for the reconfigu=
ration
at the north end without all the fancy things in between and the traffic
moderating devices in the south end, nothing there that's going? Okay. Ms. Adams: That's the huge part (inaudible)
launching ramp to go right down North and this will make them slow down bef=
ore
they make the turn. Mr. Pawlak: And it's dangerous getting out. Ms. Adams: That too. Mr. Frigon: It will be a deliberate turn now.<=
/p>
Wattl=
es Brook
Interceptor Was bid,
Balthazar Contractors out of Ms. Adams: One thing over and above what the =
Town
had already paid for (inaudible). Mr. Frigon: Was going to (inaudible). Route=
6 Pump
Station & Sewer Project Has been designed.&nb=
sp;
I've reported in the past that it would have been opened by now,
unfortunately our Purchasing Agent has been out for 5 weeks, she's back now=
, so
that will be opened Thursday of this week. FEMA<=
o:p> Roy Cava=
naugh is
here to provide us with an update. Roy Cava=
naugh is
here to provide us with an update. Dispo=
sal of
Town Owned Property There ha=
ve been
several parcels identified and those will be on your next Agenda for your
consideration. These are all =
tax
foreclosures or properties that have been donated to the Town. Nothing has been bought; nothing h=
as
been given in perpetuity as open space. Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 11 Status On-Going. Statu=
s of Status On-Going. Commu=
nications
Consulting Review Status On-Going. Statu=
s of
Water Delivery and Storage Infrastructure Status On-Going. Status On-Going. Water=
Tank Rehabilitation
on Status On-Going. 7A. Department =
Report
- Public Works =
; Mr.
Cavanaugh: I have a coupl=
e of
handouts I'd like to distribute through the Chair, if I may. (Tape #1, Side A
ended - may have missed some.) &=
nbsp; I
broke the Public Works Departmental Report down by division and then there'=
s a
catch all in the back, hitting the highlights, without spending a lot of ti=
me. &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; Guernseytown
Road Phase I - virtually complete.
We have a final inspection and a generation of punch list items. &=
nbsp; Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 12 &=
nbsp; Falls
Avenue Reconstruction - was awarded to Cocchiola, the work is actually unde=
rway
right now. Last year we appro=
ached
the City of &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: What contractor did =
; Mr.
Cavanaugh: Cocchiola was =
the
subcontractor. Tilcon Tomasso=
. &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: We still have issues with =
; Mr.
Cavanaugh: Yes, we do. &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: With whom? &=
nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Tilcon holds the contract so all o=
f our
issues are with them. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: That is how many =
years
now? &=
nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: It's been all of 2 years now. We're still holding a significant =
chunk
of money on them until . . . . &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: Is there any end in sight? Is there any closure date that we =
can bank
on before whatever remedies need to be done are =
done? =
; Mr.
Cavanaugh: We don't have a
closure date; we have a plan of action. &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: Does that include a lawyer? =
; Mr.
Cavanaugh: No. &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: So you're hopeful? &=
nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Very hopeful. They've done most of what we asked=
for, they have a couple of punch list items left. I thanked them for all the work th=
ey've
done to date and I said they'll get the money when we're totally happy. &=
nbsp; Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 13 &=
nbsp; Rockland/Beardsley/Slade Drainage. Project was awarded to Berm I is t=
he
contractor that did the water and sewer project a couple of years ago with =
the
cross town connection and they did a great job. &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; Retirement
- I'm sad to announce that Bob Zappone will be retiring on June 30th after =
41
years of service. Bob has &=
nbsp; Router
- we do have a new router, we tried to get the GIS on line and I'm pleased =
to
report that with the successful passage of the budget, we have monies in the
budget to install these routers in all of the Town Offices so the entire To=
wn
hopefully in the near future will be hooked up to the GIS system and the on
line complaint system. That's=
been
an on-going thing with the hardware incompatibilities and a lot of other
things. &=
nbsp; Recently
this month we submitted two project requests to the Council of Governments =
for
the Local Accident Hazard Program projects. The first one =
being
the &=
nbsp; NRCS
- the former soil conservation service they had 5 or 6 guys out there today
actually looking at Heminway Pond and the whole Steel Brook Greenway issue =
so
that project is actively underway. Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 14 &=
nbsp; The
&=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: That is on the record, right? They're going to be there by the en=
d of
the week? Cause I was out there today picking up chunks of asphalt and taki=
ng
pictures. Unfortunately I hav=
en't
figured out how to print from my digital camera so I couldn't bring anything
here tonight. &=
nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: They told us by last week that they
would be there by the end of this week and on a lighter note, I just hope I
don't get a union grievance with you picking up chunks of asphalt and taking
work away from them. &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: I had a list that I gave to Mr.
Frigon back in November indicating that you were going to address that tiss=
ue
with final inspection in the Spring, and you know
you're just under the wire. W=
hen is
Summer? <=
/span>The 21st? &=
nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: We are sliding in under the wire.
=
; Mr.
Pawlak: I will be watching
very, very diligently. Manage=
ment
is a very key part of the job, you know.&n=
bsp;
I do want to add something very important in relation to this partic=
ular
project. If you go down Highl=
and
Avenue on the north side about three quarters of the way down the hill, one=
of
those people down there apparently got so fed up with waiting, he went out =
and
bought his own topsoil, top dressed everything that was there on his side of
the street and also a small area on the other end, seeded it. That's just an example of what I t=
hink
should never have to happen. =
We
should not have a citizen have to go back and correct something that one of=
our
contractors quite frankly purposely did, cause there's no excuse for the ch=
unks
of asphalt that this guy just threw back in there and used as fill. It's going to be difficult enough =
for
soil and the grass to grow because there's only =
about
5 or 6 inches of dirt there anyway, but for a citizen to have to correct the
mistakes of a contractor is uncalled for so proceed. I look forward to the progress and=
the
correction. &=
nbsp; Highway
Division &=
nbsp; Street
sweeping is a little over halfway done.&nb=
sp;
Actually we're about a week ahead of where we were last year at this
time. &=
nbsp; We
have a catch basin crew underway.
We have 3, what they call Class I catch basins left to do. Class I are catch basins we classi=
fy as
an imminent danger to public health and safety. The list is down to 3, so we are ma=
king
progress in that regard. Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 15 &=
nbsp; Mowing
is underway. We have 2 guys o=
ut
virtually every day doing the mowing.
We have a new mower which is in next year's budget which is a good t=
hing
because we sent out the broom mower 3 times last week and it came back in 3
times for maintenance and repairs.
We are not having a lot of success keeping the broom mower up this y=
ear. &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; We're
continuing curb clean up, lawn repairs, restoring eroded areas that were wa=
shed
out, we have a pretty good handle on that. &=
nbsp; Chip
sealing, crack sealing, bituminous paving are all scheduled to be opened up=
on
Thursday. &=
nbsp; There
are a lot of drainage projects on the list. &=
nbsp; Echo
Lake Road at Carby's site improvements, we're hoping to get in towards the =
end
of next week, but I told both the owners we'd try to have it done by the en=
d of
June so I'm hoping to have it down early. &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; Snow
Removal - I'm pleased to report there was no snow in the month of May. &=
nbsp; Solid
Waste - there are no operational (inaudible) solid waste is division 33, sn=
ow
operations is division 32.
&=
nbsp; Tree
Removal Project - there is a request for transfer, I discussed this with the
Public Works Subcommittee. Ri=
ght
now we have an approximate 1.5 to 2 year backlog of work. It doesn't include any of the comp=
laints
that came in after March 1st but I'm sure that list will go up. One of the issues that we'd like to
address in the very near future is the
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 16
&= nbsp; Also we are on an on-call or fill in basis, we're going down the stone wall there and pointing it up and repairing the stones. That is kind of what I call fill in work, it’s not in eminent danger of collapse but we're doing maintena= nce work on the wall.
&= nbsp; Street light, there's really nothing new to report on there. We're integrating the Watertown Fi= re District into the bill paying structure and we've got more work to do to get the Fire District into the consortium.&nbs= p; The Purchasing Agent is a doing a great job managing that and I know it's certainly very difficult on her.
&=
nbsp; FEMA
-
&= nbsp; Ms. Adams: They just put an addition on t= he house, didn't they?
&= nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Yes a couple of years ago, but they= 've indicated in the past that they would be amenable to at least discussing the possibility of relocation of the structure, which may or may not be practic= al or demolition of a buyout. I'= ll keep you posted on that. FEMA= 's reimbursement would be about 75% of that, what the project is worth value at this time, and after advice cost us about $123,000 so I told the homeowner = they would probably be on the hook for the other 25%, so they are knowing that t= he Town may, at this point I don't anticipate participating in that project ex= cept assisting the homeowner.
&=
nbsp; We're
still working with a FEMA representative for reimbursement on the April
Nor-Eater. At this point we're
looking at bout $6,000 back for Public Works Department, that's 75% of our =
expenditure. The FEMA rep felt pretty good about
that. The amount may go up.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 17
&=
nbsp; Long
term as a result of the Nor'easter, they've got a Hazard Mitigation Program=
. We're talking with them about subm=
itting
one of the culverts on
&= nbsp; I threw a lot of information at you in a very short period of time. Does anybody have any questions ab= out any of the Public Works Department Divisions? Thank you for your time.
8.&nb=
sp; Subcommittee
Reports
&= nbsp; A. Public Works Subcommittee
= Mr. Rinaldi: No report.
&= nbsp; B. = Business Development Subcommittee
= ; Mr. Guerrera: We have a meeti= ng this Thursday.
&= nbsp; C. Finance Subcommittee
= ; Mr. Mancini: No report, other= than to say that this is the first time in history that two budgets have passed = in a row on the first vote.
&= nbsp; D. Ordinance Subcommittee
= ; Ms. Plowman: No report.
E. =
=
; Mr.
Pawlak: We have a meeting=
on
Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Annex.
We are moving forward, it would appear that we are narrowing our foc=
us
more towards
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 18
= Ms. Adams: Referring back to Griffin as being= used for a Town Center, it's time the Council looked at it and found, the Council doesn't want to proceed with that, but what we did not have at the time is Heminway Park School available to us, we did not, this was what 5 or 6 years ago, so it's just important for people to know that (inaudible) back then b= ut is totally off the table now as far as I'm concerned.
= Mr. Pawlak: And in addition I think the physic= al layout and preservation of Heminway leaves everything else far behind, the = land is there, the property, we have the athletic fields, we have an option for parking, plus with the receipt of the property, the donation of Siemon Pond= and the proposal for breaking that dam and draining it and picking up more play= ing fields and recreation area across the road so to speak, it just looks like a really terrific solution.
9.&nb=
sp; New
Business
&=
nbsp; A. Consider
Appointments to Boards and Commissions
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; None
&=
nbsp; B. =
Consider
a Donation to Project Pride for the Improvements to the
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: The gymnasium was not part of the $56,000,000 High School Renovation Project.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Authorize a Donatio= n in the amount of $500 to Project Pride for the Improvements to the Watertown H= igh School Gymnasium to be paid out of the General Fund Contingency Line Item.<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Kane: How much is in the General Fund Contingency Line Item?
&=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: There's about $8,000 left for this =
fiscal
year. Originally there was $3=
5,000,
but there's been transfers throughout the year.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: $56,000,000 and they're not touchin=
g the
gymnasium.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I don't know that they're not touch=
ing it
at all, but what this is, I believe is painting, I believe they're painting=
the
walls.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: I know what they're doing, but that=
's
very hard to believe.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 19
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mike Gaydos, Assistant Principal, =
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Gaydos: The project Pride renovations consi=
st of
painting of the gym, restructuring some of the banners, kind of consolidati=
ng
into team banners, possibly looking at just redoing or renovating some of t=
he
windows that are there, and the padding behind the basketball hoops. So just cosmet=
ic items
to make gymnasium improvements.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: And none of this is included in the=
bond
package, the $56,000,000?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Not this, not in here.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Rinaldi: I remember about 8 years ago we too=
k a
tour of the High School and one of the big concerns at the time was the
separator door was a little shaky up on top. That has never been repaired, corr=
ect?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Gaydos: Not as of today, no.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Is that part of the . . . . .
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Gaydos: I believe that is part of . . . . <=
span
class=3DGramE>we have one divider that's currently working now, so at
least we are able to divide the gym into 2 teaching stations. I believe in the renovation packag=
e that
does involve new dividers. Pr=
oject
PRIDE is pretty much cosmetic items.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&=
nbsp; C. Consider
Authorizing an Appropriation in the amount of $900 from the General Fund to=
the
Board of Education Fund for the reimbursement of Transportation Expenses to=
a Magnet
R= ESOLUTION
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; WHEREAS,
the
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; WHEREAS,
the agreements state that should the Town of
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 20
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, the Town received the grant monies and deposited said monies into the Gener= al Fund and now need to be appropriated to the Board of Education for the reimbursement.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that $900 be appropria= ted to the School General Fund Budget for the purposes contained herein.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dated at
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:3'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Joe Pawlak, Chairman
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
<= o:p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Authorize an Approp=
riation
in the amount of $900 from the General Fund to the Board of Education Fund =
for
the reimbursement of Transportation Expenses to a Magnet
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; D. Consider a Bid Waiver for the Purchase of a Trash Compactor to be purchased through Copes for an amount not to exceed $11.500
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Authorize a Bid Wai= ver for the Purchase of a Trash Compactor to be purchased through Copes for an amount not to exceed $11.500.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: The question w= ith regard to the trash compactor requested up at the transfer station, the approved b= udget for the coming fiscal year authorizes the amount of $14,000 for the purchas= e of a trash compactor. We derived= this amount by talking with Copes last year who offered us a brand new and unuse= d, but not new, it's 2 years old basically, a trash compactor for $12,500. This y= ear when we got back we asked for a firm quote to purchase, it went down to $11,500. The purpose of the t= rash compactor is there are two primary purposes: (1) as the name indicated, it take= s, it's a volume reduction facility, it's an actual roll off container as oppo= sed to just a compactor so the intent is to dump garbage in it, run it through = the compactor and it reduces the volume of the garbage. This will allow us to achieve a so= urce reduction of about 50%, so we'd make half as many trips down to the CRRA Transfer as the open top dumpster, and the second real big advantage is it helps bring us into compliance with the transfer station general permit con= ditions which are coming soon.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 21
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; The Town does not actually at this time have a permit to operate the transfer station. We have a permit application to construct a transfer station which has never been approved by the D.E.P. They indicated the= y may not ever approve it. One of the reasons being they're proposing a general permit program for transfer stations which are rather than get an individual permit which is a very bulky and time consuming operation, it's a general, = in other words you meet certain conditions and you're given a permit by right. Some of the requiremen= ts for that, that the garbage containers be covered at the end of every day, all of the electronics has to be under cover.&nbs= p; In other words the shed right now we store in a trailer. The brush pile for instance has to= be on an asphalt pad as opposed to the bare dirt we have now, so over the next 2 years we're probably going to be moving in the direction of bringing the pe= rmit operation into the proposed general permit requirements. So this is Step 1 of that, it woul= d be increased efficiency.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; If
it really works out at some point we may in fact be coming back to you to
discuss one for the cardboard up there.&nb=
sp;
As you know the State is experiencing a landfill crisis and they've
indicated that the way they're going to get around it by increasing recycla=
bles
from about 20% of the waste stream up to almost 50%. To do this we're going to have to =
be a
lot more aggressive about collecting paper and cardboard and all those other
items, so we're going to see an intended increase at the landfill and we
don’t want to be in the business of running trucks back and forth all=
day
every day. We want to be able=
to
compact is and get a state of the art cost effective operation up there.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: This compactor has electronics and
hydraulics, correct?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Cavanaugh: Yes.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Are they going to be in some sort o=
f a
building protecting them from the elements?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Cavanaugh: No, they're self contained at this =
point, they're totally enclosed in a metal shelter.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: When did they offer it for $12,500?=
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Cavanaugh: Last year when we were developing t= he budget.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: And it was in the budget, you said?=
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 22
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Cavanaugh: Yes, we had it for $14,000,
we estimated about $500 to finish the electrical connection, that sort of
thing.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; E. = Consider a Resolution Setting the Mill Rate for Fiscal Year 2007/2008
R= ESOLUTION
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, on June 5 2007 the fiscal year 2007/2008 Budget was approved by Referendum Vote, and;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, the mill rate must be established to levy the taxes = on motor vehicle, personal property and real estate.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the mill rate for the Fiscal Year 2007/2008 = be 22.72 due and payable on July 1, 2007 for personal property taxes, motor vehicle taxes, and the first installment of real estate taxes and the second installment on real estate taxes due on January 1, 2008.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dated at
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Joe Pawlak, Chairman
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Resolution setting the Mill Rate f= or Fiscal Year 2007/2008 at 22.72 mills due and payable on July 1, 2007 for personal property taxes, motor vehicle taxes, and the first installment of = real estate taxes and the second installment on real estate taxes due on January= 1, 2008.
<= o:p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Discussion: Ms. Adams: My understanding is that the State =
has
not approved their budget. As=
a
result, we do not know exactly what we are going to receive from the State,=
especially
for Education Cost Sharing. I=
n the
past when we've been uncertain of things, haven't we spent (Tape #1, Side B
ended - may have missed some) permanent tax rate and any balances due on the
January 1st?
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 23
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: In the past we've never had a budge=
t so
we used to just set the mill rate for the first half of the real estate tax=
es,
and then once we had a budget approved by that time usually we knew what we=
were
getting from the State, and then mailed out the motor vehicle taxes and then
corrected the second half of the real estate taxes. The other thing is the State is ta=
lking
about some type of exemption on motor vehicles, too, we don't know if that's
going to go through or not, but at this point we really have to get the bil=
ls
out to start received revenue.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: I understand that, but what options=
do we
have? Just say the State for
whatever reason, on the 11th our, cuts us back. What are our options here?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Basically depending on the amount o=
f the
cut, it would come out of the Fund Balance, depending on the size of the cu=
t at
this point.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: And we have no other alternative as=
far
as setting a temporary rate or anything like that?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: Cause there is really no temporary =
rate
for motor vehicles cause they're all due and pay=
able
July 1st. We're going to start
printing the bills tomorrow obviously if this mill rate is approved tonight=
.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: So we are rolling the dice then?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Every town and city in the State is=
in
the same predicament. Wolcott=
has
been trying to have special meetings to set the mill rate and waiting for t=
he
State, but it's not coming through.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: So they're basically just hanging o=
ut
then, just waiting?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: I saw Sean here.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Mancini: He left.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: There have been several towns that =
have already
set their mill rates. In the =
valley
they've set their mill rates already, so I guess it is a possibility that i=
f in
fact they do adjust any of those formula to cut back on the amount of money
that's coming to us or anybody else, I would suspect we could hit the Fund =
Balance
for it.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Yea, or look at some other type of =
revenue
source to make up the shortfall.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 24
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: Well that's exactly it, what happen=
s,
what if we get cut back? Obvi=
ously
there are no other options because nobody has ever (inaudible) because it
hasn't happened before, but my fear is, is that in the last hour again
Watertown doesn't get what it was promised, and we have to go into the Gene=
ral Fund
for the balance, and we're also going to sell $85,000,000 worth of bonds or
start selling them this year, and to do that with a depleted General Fund, I
just don't like the way this scenario is pulling out and maybe it's going to
take legislation or something on Hartford to give us some help with this, w=
here
maybe we could set a temporary mill rate and then do a permanent one once we
know what they're doing.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I would take exception to one comme=
nt
that you made, Elaine, we don't have a depleted General Fund. Where is it now, Frank?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Again, I'm not sure if the Evelyn/D=
avis
closing is going to go through, that's $250,000. If that goes through, then our Fun=
d Balance
will be in good shape this year.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Where are we right now?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: Even if we had to take the $1,500,0=
00 out
of it?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: What do you mea=
n,
$1,500,000?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: Yes.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: That's not going to disappear. Right now the number is about
$1,350,000.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Right, the $1,500,000 was the Gover=
nor's
proposal, then the $1,300,000, we got a letter from Sean basically saying t=
hat's
what the Democrats proposed, so we went with the $1,350,000.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: We went with the lower number just =
to be
on the safe side.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: $1,350,000?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Yea, whatever that was from the Dem=
ocrats. He felt pretty confident that that=
would
go.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 25
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Cause it's very difficult to go in,=
once
we set the mill rate for the motor vehicle, again that's paid in July, and =
if
we have to send out a mini tax for something, that would be horrendous for =
an
extra $.50 or $1.00 for some of these people, that would be an accounting
nightmare, plus the people voted on this.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: I understand, they voted on spendin=
g, my
concern is the revenue side of it, that's what my concern was.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I have a reasonable degree of confi=
dence
that what the Legislature said they're going to do they're going t do. I haven't seen anything indicating=
that
they're going to change that in any way.&n=
bsp;
I assume that if they did, would be of a minor nature which wouldn't
affect us to any degree.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; F. = Consider a Resolution Authorizing the Transfer of Funds Between<= /span> Line Items
RESOLUTION
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, expenses in the 2006/2007 Fiscal Year require the Transfer of Funds;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by vote of the Watertown Town Council, that the following actions are taken relative to the Transfer of Funds:
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - PUBLIC WORKS
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $3,211 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; NO: 1
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; $3,071 010-50529-033-2216 &= nbsp; Environmental Remediation
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; $ 140 010-50310-033-1632 Sto= rm Water Plan
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; TO: &=
nbsp;
REASON: Extending
storm sewer line up street to eliminate icing and drain street to discharge
into a water quality basin before
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - PUBLIC WORKS
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $4,079 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; NO: 2
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; $ 100 010-50490-037-1694 Material Covers
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; $1,000 010-50310-033-1340 Sample Existing Wells
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; $2,979 010-50526-031-2206 Master Storm Drainage
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; $ 527 010-50310-033-2320 Replace Existing Wells
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; TO: &= nbsp; 010-50318-035-= 0000 Maintenance Not Buildings
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; REASON: Dangerous
trees at
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 26
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - PUBLIC WORKS
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $2,781 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; NO: 3
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; 010-50310-033-2320 Replace Existing = Wells
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; TO: &= nbsp; 010-50310-030-= 0470 Consultant Town Engineer
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; REASON: Additional design on Sunnyside per DOT comments and Eng./Su= rvey.
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $15,000 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; NO: 4
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; 010-50130-032-0000 Snow Overtime
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; TO: &= nbsp; 010-50240-042-= 0000 Workers Compensat= ion
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; REASON: Workers Compensation Claims.
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - PLANNING AND ZONING
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $3,000 = &nb= sp; NO: 6
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; 010-50310-011-0000 Professional &= ; Tech Services
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; TO: &= nbsp; 010-50310-011-= 2411 Consultant Traffi= c Engineer
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; REASON: Traffic
Study for affordable housing proposal on
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dated at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Joe Pawlak, Chairman
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to authorize the Transfer of Funds Between Line Items.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; G. Consider a Resolution Authorizing an Appropriation from the General Fund in the amou= nt of $2,500 for a Third Party Review of Application #589 of Joseph Masi for construction of a 16-lot residential subdivision on French Street, Watertow= n.
<= o:p>
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Conservation Commission/Inland Wetland Agency (C=
CIWA)
has received Application #589 - Applicant Joseph Masi for construction of 1=
6-lot
residential subdivision on
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 27
WHEREAS, the CCIWA has requested that a Third Party Review be conducted in accordance with Section 2.2 of the Fees Ordinance; which requires that the applicant p= ay for the Third Party Review;
= WHEREAS, this developer has provided a check in the amount of $4,200 for the Third Party Review which has been deposited into the General Fund.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Watertown Town Council hereby authorizes= the appropriation of $4,200 from the General Fund for a Third Party Review for CCIWA Application #589 to line item 010-50310-011-0000.
Dated at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Joe Pawlak, Chairman
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Resolut=
ion
authorizing an Appropriation from the General Fund in the amount of $4,200 =
for
a Third Party Review of Application #589 of Joseph Masi for construction of=
a
16-lot residential subdivision on
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Discussion: Mr. Mancini: I have $4,200, not $2,500.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: It's supposed to be $4,200.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: The Resolution says $4,200, the Age=
nda
says $2,500.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: It's supposed to be $4,200. If you look at the attached letter, that was the amount of the check we received.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I just want to make an observation.=
I noted that during the discussion=
in
the past regarding the Konover project that the Masi's were very concerned
about the negative impact tax-wise that the Konover project would have on t=
he
Town of Watertown, and this particular project, if in fact it is built, and=
I
assume it will, we're going to pass this, but I'm just making my observatio=
ns,
if there is a 16 lot subdivision and there are 2 children in each family, t=
he
effect on infrastructure, particularly schools, but also police, fire, wate=
r,
street maintenance, plowing, sanding, whatever, would be a net negative of
about $180,000. That's just my
observation.
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 28
&= nbsp; H. Consider Authorizing Town Manager to Negotiate, Enter Into and Execute on Behalf of = the Town of Watertown an agreement with Ames & Whitaker Architects for the evaluation of potential use of the Police Station and Heminway Park School properties for suitability as sites for Town Offices pursuant to the Town H= all Government Center Committee and to a proposal dated June 14, 2007 for an am= ount not to exceed $20,000.
<= o:p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Authorize the Town Manager to Negotiate, Enter Into, and Execute on Behalf of the Town of Watertown an agreement with Ames & Whitaker Architects for the evaluation of potential use of the Police Station and Heminway Park School properties for suitability as sites for To= wn Offices pursuant to the Town Hall Government Center Committee and to a proposal dat= ed June 14, 2007 for an amount not to exceed $20,000.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Discussion: Mr. Kane: Listening to your report regarding =
the
Town Government Center Subcommittee you said you were leaning towards the <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: We looked at the Police Station
principally because there are abut 20 or 21 acres of property that we own u=
p there,
and the station itself is sited in such a way that it's in the front left h=
and
corner, and on the surface when looking at the map of the property, that th=
ere
was plenty of room to utilize for a town hall center and parking. However there is a significant wet=
lands
issue with respect to the property, there is a ledge issue, I don't know th=
at
the ledge issue would be that much of a game stopper, but certainly the
wetlands were, but we did go up there and walk that property and it did look
significantly soggy and boggy and would present problems for us, and I know
that Steve Whitaker has downloaded, if I'm not mistaken, information from o=
ur
GIS files regarding that particular property, so he is going to do an
evaluation just to make sure that we dot our i's and cross out t's and don't
rule anything out.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: How much of that study monetarily i=
s the
proportion of this entire $20,000?=
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I don't know, we did not ask him fo=
r a breakout, it was not going to be a significant portion=
, if I
remember correctly, Elaine.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: No, and I think part of it was too,=
Joe,
after we had taken the report the committee did what 10 years ago, most of the sites were already used up.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I think there were about 12 of them=
or
so.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 29
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: Yea, and we were down to like these=
two,
I think there was one other, but we owned both pieces, and I think one of t=
he
things that Tony and you and Chuck and I talked, and board members looked at
was the what ifs. What if we
couldn't work out the parking at Heminway?=
What if the construction, we couldn't add on more for the needs? I think the entire subcommittee no=
w is
really leaning towards Heminway if we can address the issues but we don't w=
ant
to totally disregard the police site at this time. I think it's m=
ore,
we want to see Heminway work out versus going to the police station site.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: That's what leads me to my point, i=
s that
we have in the past we received a bid if you will for lack of a better term,
from I believe K.B.A. in doing this particular study with Heminway School f=
or
$10,000 and now we're going to spend $20,000 to look at a property that we'=
re
not really considering. It do=
esn't
quite make sense to me.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: The reason we are talking to Steve =
Whitaker
at this point . . . .
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: I have no problem with Steve Whitta=
ker.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I understand, but we felt that base=
d on
his knowledge of the site, and he looked at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: He looked at Heminway, and said once
before that they thought they'd have Heminway but the Board pulled back at =
the
11th hour and did John Trumbull instead.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: We felt that his knowledge of the
situation was such that the was a preferable vendor for us and we wanted to=
use
the, we thought using the money that we had appropriated to look see at Sea=
ly
backing, I don't know when it was, January or February, something like that,
could be used for this purpose and w could get more bang for the buck using
Steve Whitaker and his associates and final plans, etc. than with K.B.A.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: He had records going back 40 years.=
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Yea.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: Again, I have no problem with Whita=
ker,
but you still haven't answered my question, which was why are we spending
$20,000 on a property that we're not considering when we can possibly spend
$10,000 on the property we are considering?
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 30
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: No, my answer was that it was impre=
cise,
but my understanding in our discussions in subcommittee and with Steve Whit=
aker
is that his look at the French Street property would be cursory but enough =
to
satisfy us that it's not a feasible situation, if in fact that is the case,=
but
his investigation and evaluation of the property would be good enough for u=
s to
be satisfied that it was not an acceptable alternative as compared to Hemin=
way,
but it would not consume half of the $20,000 in any way, shape, or form, an=
d I
don't think it would come anywhere close to that.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: We don't have the monetary breakdow=
ns?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: No, we don't, but that was the subc=
ommittee's
concern and I believe that was his very strong feeling.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Guerrera: Yea, I think the $11,000 was the nu=
mber
that was discussed, and as you pointed out , he =
was
just going to review briefly whether or not that site still was feasible.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: What's the $11,000?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I don't know where the $11,000 came=
from.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Guerrera: I thought that the cost was going t=
o be
around $11,000.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: No, the only thing that he came up =
with,
and this was a ball park number, I never heard that $11,000 number.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: K.B.A. was $11,000, right?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: No, they were $10,000, but Steve ne=
ver
mentioned $11,000.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: Not that I recall.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Guerrera: I seem to remember, but in any even=
t, the
concern was to not just discard the
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 31
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: The Ames & Whitaker Study and t=
he
K.B.A. study are not apples to apples.&nbs=
p;
What K.B.A. was going to d for us was a very preliminary, cursory re=
view
of
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: A (inaudible) needs study.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: Right, exactly. What the proposal from Ames &
Whitaker does, it provides us with a more comprehensive review of the facil=
ity
that will actually bring us right to referendum. We will not only update our space =
needs
analysis, he will look at the building structure, he will look at the build=
ing
architecturally, he will tell us how we can fit, what it's going to cost, g=
ive
us renderings of that and bring us to referendum, and that's what the money=
is
for which is considerably more than what the others were offering.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Right.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Primini: Is there any input from the Public =
Buildings
Committee?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: Yes.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Yea, as a matter of fact the meeting
tomorrow at my request, Bob Porter is going to be there.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: Rey Ceniccola is his designee.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: Sealy, you mentioned that, did we a=
pprove
that and/or appropriate something for that?
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: We did, and we held back because of=
the
question as to whether or not, we couldn’t meet anywhere near a first=
of
all a . . . .
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: Other offers.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Well there were other offers but th=
ey
were looking for something that was considerably more than we were consider=
ing,
and at least one, and I guess now there are two offers, or two propositions=
for
the Sealy property but a commercial aspect, so that's when we just pulled b=
ack
and decided to do nothing. We=
did
appropriate the money but we decided not to go forth with a study.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: This is the same money,
we transferred it out of the Sealy line item into the
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 32
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; In Favor: &= nbsp; Ms. Adams, Mr. Guerrera, Mr. Mancini, Mr. Pawlak, Ms. Plowman, Mr. Primini, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Walton
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Opposed: = Mr. Kane
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Abstained: None
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION CARRIED (8-1-0)
<= o:p>
&= nbsp; I. &= nbsp; Consider setting a Public Hearing to hear comments on relinquishing a portion of the Agricultural Development Rights for the purp= ose of roadway realignment in accordance with the Department of Agricultural Requirements. This relinquish= ment of rights shall be as shown on the map entitled Rights of Way Survey, Town = of Watertown Map showing land acquired from Cerescenzo DeLuca by the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation of Guernseytown Road from Crestview Drive to Skilton Road dated January, 2004
<= o:p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to set a Public Hearing for July 16, 2007 at 7:00
p.m. at the Watertown High School Technology Room to hear comments on
relinquishing a portion of the agricultural development rights for the purp=
ose
of roadway realignment in accordance with the Department of Agricultural
Requirements. This relinquish=
ment
of rights shall be as shown on the map entitled Rights of Way Survey, Town =
of
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Cavanaugh: Guernseytown Phase II project has b= een underway, under development design for a number of years now. The rights of = way is being handled by the Connecticut D.O.T.&nb= sp; They did a property appraisal for the right of takings that would be involved and they also looked at the title issue. During the final review, and we are under the gun right now cause we're looking to get several million dollars worth of money from the federal government at this point for their share of= the project under this fiscal year, which expires September 30th. During their final review it was n= oted that on the former McCleary property, Tara Farms, that there was in fact a development conservation purchase, or acquisition by the Connecticut Depart= ment of Agriculture which means they bought the development rights. Before anything can be done with t= hat, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture has to relinquish development rig= hts for a portion. They have a st= atute and regulations in place to do so, however they have never done so, so we're kind of exploring new territory here in that the Department of Agriculture didn't exactly know, they didn't have a case history to go by.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 33
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; But as best as we can determine, what's going to happen for the property acquisition of 0.2 acres, the land which was development rights were sold f= or, is that the Town Council has to approve it, after having a public hearing, after the Town Council approves relinquishing, recommending to the Departme= nt of Agriculture that they relinquish the development rights on these 0.2 acr= es, it goes up to the Connecticut D.O.T., that Commissioner will speak to the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, if the Department of Agricul= ture agrees, then they send it back to the Town, the Town has to have a public referendum cause all the citizens have to approve the relinquishment of the conservation easement on these 0.2 acres, and then at that point the Connecticut D.O.T. will in fact close on the property.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: 8,000 square feet roughly, 0.2 acres.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: Right.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Is there a timefr= ame for the referendum?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: Yes, they want everything done by September 30th.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: So we have to spe= nd $9,000 on a referendum for this?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Kane: You can't do it at = a Town Meeting?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Ms. Adams: He means to pay fo= r the polls to be opened.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Does it have to b= e a referendum, or can it be a Town Meeting?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: It says referendum. Their intent is t= o have referendum conducted in accordance with any other vote, or we can set it fo= r a public date. We've requested = that they consider, they being the State, consider to allow us to hold a referen= dum in conjunction with a general election and getting a waiver, a placeholder = on the money, but they haven't formally responded to that yet. As I said we're breaking new ground= here and they're kind of feeling their way along.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Is there any crit= ical timing issue with respect to this September 30th deadline?
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 34
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: Yes, because September 30th is the end of the federal fiscal year, and the Council of Governments is looking to get the money obligated, it's either a use it or = lose it situation, and we're talking about several millions of dollars.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: With respect to t= he referendum, is there a minimum voter turnout required?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: There is nothi= ng specified in the ordinance, it says a referendum. It uses the specific word referend= um.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Ms. Adams: I know we've spent= a fortune on this little area when it's just unstable land, we get potholes there, we keep sending the crews out to fix them, I mean it's just, that wh= ole area there was in bad shape and we probably spent a lot more than $9,000 in just trying to make it passable over the years, and this would hopefully gi= ve us a permanent fix.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: True, but my poin= t is, if we have a referendum we might get 1,000 people to vote, if that.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Ms. Adams: You'll probably ge= t 300.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: It seems like a terrible waste of time and money and effort, if we could get a, if they wou= ld acquiesce to a Town meeting which basically costs us almost nothing.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Frigon: This corresponden= ce came to us today. If we might= go ahead and setting the public hearing, and allow both Roy and myself some ti= me to explore this a little further, and we'll have an answer for you (inaudib= le).
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Good solution.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 35
<= o:p>
10.&n=
bsp; Old
Business
&= nbsp; A. Consider Reclassification of Non-Organized Compensation from Deferred to Inclusive in Wage Rates (Tabled 1/16/07)
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Remove from the Tab= le reclassification of Non-Organized Compensation from Deferred to Inclusive in Wage Rates.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Kane: What was actually <= span class=3DGramE>Tabled? = Was there a Motion originally that was Tabled?= There had to be a Motion if it was Tabled= . You don't Table something that was= just for discussion. What was phys= ically Tabled and what are we taking off the Table?
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: My memory is not = that good.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. LaForme: There was no Motion. There was just discussion. To Table this = until the next meeting.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Kane: So we just Tabled discussion?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: So procedurally we really didn't ha= ve to un-Table it?
&= nbsp; = ; Ms. Adams: Well it was an age= nda item.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Was it for consid= eration?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Kane: I'm just making sure there wasn't a Motion, so apparently there was no Motion.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Include Department Manager's Deferred Compensation amou= nt into their base salaries and eliminate deferred compensation category altogether.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Pawlak: As you know in the past I have spo= ken against this because I did not agree with the method or the procedure or the whole idea of deferred compensation. I understand full well that the department heads consider this to be part of their compensation package, and in fact it is insofar as deferred compensation, I believe is Frank, help me here, 457 contribution, is that correct number?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: Section 457 is the internal revenue= code (inaudible).
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 36
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: And this is princ= ipally used, I guess only used for retirement basically?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Nardelli: It's deferred c= ompensation plan.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: And it is before = tax earnings, correct?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: Yes, but not for social security an= d (inaudible) taxes, just income taxes.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: And it is fully funded by the Town,= there is no employee contribution. = In addition to that there is also for, I believe, everybody no participates in MERF?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: You have some people in MERF, you h= ave some people in the general pension plan, like the Fire Chief, you have the Police in the Police pension plan, so there's basically 3 different types of pension plans.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: But with respect to the department = heads, I believe they're either in MERF . . . .
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: There's 3 different plans.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: I know insofar as I believe MERF is concerned, the employees contribute 2.25% of total compensation, including deferred compensation?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: That's correct.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: And the Town contributed 6.75% of t= he contribution so that in the case of these particular employees the Town is fully funding the deferred compensation portion of it, and in respect to ME= RF at least, and I don't know what the contributions are in these other packag= es, it looks like they are contributing approximately 65% of the contribution f= or that pension plan and I know that in the past . .
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: Excuse me, 65%
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: I'm saying it looks like the employ= ees pay 2.25%, the Town contributes 6.75% so the total contribution from the To= wn is about 65% of the contribution roughly, 60% give or take.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: Oh, I see you're adding the two tog= ether.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 37
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: My concern also was that the way th= is program came about was really a back door method of giving department heads additional raises. While I do= n't completely disagree with it, what I disagree with very much so is the way it was done because whenever it came into being instead of making it unique for each year, if there was a request or a consideration of additional compensa= tion it was added to what was already in effect, so that if it was at 7.5% inste= ad of saying well then next year we will give you 1% and then when that year expired, you were at 7.5% again, and if we want to give you, we being the T= own or Town Council empowered at the time, wanted to extend another 1% to the department heads, they had the option to say okay we will give you 1% for t= his year again only. The Town in = its infinite wisdom did not do that. What they did was they said okay if it started at 7.5%, and we gave = you 1% last year, and we're considering it again this year, they didn't drop th= e 1% from the current year, instead they added another 1% so now instead of being 7.5 plus 1 equals 8.5, now it becomes 7.5 plus 1 equals 8.5 plus 1 more equ= als 9.5, etc. so we are now in a situation where we have deferred compensation = of 10%. As I said this is very m= uch like a 401k in the private sector where employees contribute pretty much well I = know in my case when I was working, the vast majority of the money was contribut= ed by the employees, and the employer would contribute "x" amount on= the dollar. In my case, my company contributed $.50 up to a $1.00 up to the first I think it was 5%, and then anything the employee contributed after 5% they were on their own, which was fine, and I can tell you very honestly when I got my paycheck each month, I= did not look at the stub and say oh, that $.50 on the $1.00 they contributed, that's my paycheck. That was something for the future, I never considered i= t as something that I would use to go out and purchase bread and butter and meat= and whatever else it was, that was something that was going to be used when I g= ot to be where I am today, 64 years old. So with that being said, again I am opposed to this in principal. I understand where the Town Managers are coming from, but I would move to see what the Town Council has to say or not say about this.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Walton) to Move the Question.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Ms. Adams: Can we hear the Motion again?
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 38
Mr. Mancini: Make a motion to include department managers deferred compensation amounts into their base salaries and elimina= te deferred compensation category altogether.
Mr. Pawlak: For clarification purposes, I will = give you a very brief example, and this is current I believe.
Ms. Adams: Can we do that, (inaudible). (Tape #2, Side A ended - may have missed some).
Mr. Kane: I do want to know how the vote is g= oing to go, meaning the Motion is to take deferred compensation away and put this compensation into the base salary.
Mr. Pawlak: That's what I was going to do, I was going to use an example that we have here th= at's current. = If I may?
Mr. Nardelli: You voted to Move the question; tha= t's it.
Ms. Adams: That's it, we're done, we had a vote.
Mr. Kane: I just wanted to clarify the Motion= , yea or nay, what we're voting for.
In Favo= r: &= nbsp; Ms. Adams, Mr. Guerrera, Mr. Mancini, Mr. Pawlak, Ms. Plowman, Mr. Primini, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Walton
Opposed= : = Mr. Pawlak
Abstain= ed: None
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION CARRIED (8-1-0)
&=
nbsp; B. =
Consider
Authorizing the Town Manager to Enter Into an agreement with Westview
Properties for Real Estate Services for the Sale of Baldwin School (Tabled
6/4/07).
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Remove this item fr= om the Table.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: We had a lot of questions the last = time.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 39
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: You raised some interesting questio=
ns, Elaine,
regarding the sale of
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; First
of all façade and appearance will remain the same. Any damage sustained in the interim
between sale and start of renovations if any will be immediately repaired
within one month to as was state at time of sale. Any projected uses of the property=
will
be subject to existing Zoning Regulations at the time of sale. If intended use is mixed with
residential units then all units must be designated for 50 and older housing
with no residents under 18 years of age. Property will be fully taxable.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: I like the idea of $1,000,000 espec= ially if we don't get the extra money from the State. I tend to think (inaudible).
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: $350,000. I don't know if anybody agreed with that, it is 2 acres of land quite frankly and it's probably the biggest pie= ce of real estate available in the Fire District and the building is in rock s= olid condition, it does need work with respect to mechanicals and updates and th= ings of that nature, but as far as structural considerations or concerns, it's an old building that was built well.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: What you're suggesting then is that= we try selling it on our own with legal representation.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Yes, as I said, these are the thing=
s that
immediately came to mind for pre-conditions to protect the Town and the
neighborhood from any additional fiasco or problems that we're experiencing
with respect to
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: One of the conditions you have in t= here is the 50 and older but that's only if it's, say that again, cause is that = if it's a residential property then it would strictly be for 50 and older hous= ing, cause that would prohibit a Taft or something.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 40
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: No, I said it's for if the intended= use is mixed, with residential units, then all units must be designated for 50 = and older housing with no residents under age 18. The thought is that perhaps Taft m= ight want to use part of it for a library or some sort of study activity which is perfectly natural given the history of the school, it fits, but at the same time they might want to put some residential housing in an upper or lower floor, any of them, and what I'm trying to do is protect the Town from some= one going in and just converting it all to condominiums and there's no restrict= ion at all with respect to age limits and children. I don't want this to be a tax liab= ility, if you will. I'm sure that on= ce it's sold, and I'm sure we will sell it, and it's modernized and updated th= at it's going to be a nice piece of property which would generate a significant amount of income and I suspect that the residents of North Street and envir= ons probably will not object to it, although having said that I probably should= n't have.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: Let's say for example Taft wants to= buy it for a residential hall, how does that affect our 55 and older restrictio= n?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: That's a good point, (inaudible) co= nsider that.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: That's why I'm curious as to why th= at would be in there in such a way.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: (Inaudible) I'm trying to remember,= when we actually the last time (inaudible).&nbs= p; What if we do, (inducible) remember what we did. We sold it for elderly housing but= at what point did we put those restrictions in.&nb= sp; Do you remember?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: I believe when we put the bid documents out there that was in the bid documents, tha= t they had to bid according to that.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: At this point we're voting whether = we choose Westview Properties or not, that's the Motion on the Table, so I thi= nk we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves.&nb= sp; As Frank said, if we choose, as I think I hear you, we're not going = to choose Westview Properties, we're going to do this on our own, then at that point we'd say hey this is what we want to get for it, this is how we want = to restrict it or the like, but I believe the Motion is to choose Westview or = not, correct?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: Is that the way it was originally w= orded? Was it?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: Yes.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: Enter an agreement with Westview
Properties Real Estate Services for the sale of
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: We want to pursue it on our own, mu=
ch
like we did with
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 41
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Guerrera: You mentioned to possibly sell the
property for $1.000,000 and probably we could, b=
ut we
have an estimate of what?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: Well one of the problems, well not = one of the problems, one of the conditions is that there are a set of Zoning Regul= ations in that area that are going to be, I mean they have to comply with those Zo= ning Regulations.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: In the Historic District.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: That's another story, so there are = very . . . .
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Guerrera: We might very well have a white ele= phant there.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: We may, but we don't know. Anyway the Motion is on the Table.=
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: I'm a little confused here. The Motion on the floor as I under= stand it is whether or not to hire Westview Properties.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: That's right.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: And then you were mentioning that w= e sell it ourselves, I'm lost there.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: Yea, I got ahead of myself, you're right. That's what Rob pointe= d out. So the Motion on the floor is to address Westview Properties to sell the property. Are we all even with that, and we've had discussion, and again my feeling is that we try to sell= it ourselves and if we're successful we keep the percentage that we would norm= ally give away, and since we were successful with Evelyn, hopefully we'll be the same here and if we have legal representation with respect to the contracts= and terms of sale, we can execute something.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: And we could always reconsider this= if we find that (inaudible).
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: For clarification, a vote in favor = is to vote for Westview Properties; a vote against is to say we're going to do th= is on our own.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. LaForme: Excuse me, I remember making a Moti= on to Remove and then the Discussion started; I don't recall= a Motion actually being made.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: We did not make a Motion?
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 42
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Mancini: I made a Motion to remove.
&= nbsp; &= nbsp; Mr. Kane: It's got to be in the minutes of th= e last meeting.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. LaForme: No, but I' talking about tonight, we can't vote on something that we don't have a Motion on the floor for.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: Yea, it was a Motion last time and = we Tabled it, but we removed it and didn't make a Motion,= so let's make a Motion.
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Authorize the Town
Manager to enter into an agreement with Westview Properties for real estate
services for the sale of
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; In Favor: &= nbsp; Mr. Rinaldi
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Opposed: = Ms. Adams, Mr. Guerrera, Mr. Kane, Mr. Mancini, Mr. Pawlak, Ms. Plowman, Mr. Primini, Mr. Walton
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Abstained: None
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION FAILED (1-8-0)
&=
nbsp; C. Consider
Compensation for Department Heads/Non-Organized for Fiscal Year 2007/2008
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to increase the average salaries for department
managers by 2.5% for fiscal year 2007/2008. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Discussion: Mr. Nardelli: Chuck, do you want to (Inaudible).<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; =
; Mr.
Frigon: You asked my reco=
mmendation
on this? By Charter you would=
ask
my recommendation and then you would . . . . &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: I was not aware that we asked . . .=
. .
so. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: That was the big argument last time=
, was
that Meredith, the former Town Manager would not bring forward a recommenda=
tion
and had (inaudible). Regular Meeting June 18, 2007 Page 43 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: There are numerous department heads=
here
and this is the first we've heard of any raises coming our way. Like I said there's a lot of depar=
tment
heads here including myself that this is the first we've heard of this. Usually we have discussions with t=
he
Town Manager and the Town Manager brings that recommendation forth to the
Council. That's the way it's =
done,
I believe that's according to Charter. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: Okay, I don't have a problem with
that. What's the urgency of i=
t? &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: There isn't, I wasn't prepared to =
do
this this evening, I was asked to put it on the Agenda, so I did. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Pawlak: So then why don’t we move to=
Table
it and then we can take it up in July. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Primini: Do we have a date when we have to =
have
this all set for. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Frigon: Retroactive. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Yea, it could be
retroactive. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Nardelli: Retroactive. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; =
; Mr.
Pawlak: So are we going t=
o make
a Motion to Table? <=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; ORIGINAL MOTION WAS NEVER VOTED ON (TABLED)
11.&n=
bsp; Public
Participation
None
Mr. Pawlak, Chairman,, Closed Public Participation a= t 8:17 p.m.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 44
12. Executive Session
= ; A. Personnel - Police Chief
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to enter into Executive Session at 9:18 p.m. with= the 9 members of the Town Council, Charles Frigon, Frank Nardelli, Attorney Franklin Pilicy and Deputy Chief John Gavallas to discuss personnel - Police Chief.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Present During Executive Session
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Elaine Adams
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Antonio Guerrera
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert Kane
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Carl Mancini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Joseph Pawlak, Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Suzan Plowman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Raymond Primini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi, Vice Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Jack Walton
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Charles Frigon
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; John Gavallas
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Frank Nardelli
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Franklin Pilicy
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Reconvened the Regular Meeting at 10:09 p.m.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; No Motions Were Made; No Votes Were Taken.
Regular Meeting
June 18, 2007
Page 45
13. New Business (Continued)
= ; A. To consider and possible concurrence with Town Manager intention to appoint Po= lice Chief pursuant to Town Charter Section 404g and to authorize Town Manager to sign Town of Watertown Police Chief Contract
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) that pursuant to Town Charter Section 404g that t= he Town Council concurs with the Town Manager's intention to appoint Deputy Ch= ief John C. Gavallas, to the position of Chief of Police and authorize the Town= Manager to sign the Town of Watertown Chief of Police contract based on the terms of the contract with the amended daily work hours and the current salary of the retiring Police Chief.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Pawlak: Is everybody clear? We're all in agreement? We're talking about 8:00 a.m. to 4= :00 p.m. No more discussion?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Frigon: We are having a f= ormal swearing in at the Police Department this coming Friday at 5:00 p.m. We will send invitations out, but = if you can, please try to be there. I believe the Chairman will have a Proclamation for the same evening.
14. Adjournment
= ; MOTION: (Ms. = Adams, sec. Ms. Plowman) to Adjourn the Regular Meeting at 10:11 p.m.
<=
/span>Discussion: None<=
/p>
<=
/span>MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY <=
/span>Regular
Meeting Adjourned at 10:11 p.m. Respectfully
submitted, Joseph
Pawlak, Chairman Approved: _______________________________ Lynn M. LaF=
orme,
Clerk