New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Fire truck funds nixed; Repairs to communications system approved
NORTH BRANFORD — It was a win for public safety officials as the Town Council unanimously voted to allocate $100,000 toward repairing an unreliable communications system during the next fiscal year, a move Fire Chief William H. Seward III had urged they make at a budget hearing Tuesday. But for the time being, town representatives have opted not to fund a new fire truck and tower.
Over 50 people crowded into the Town Council Chambers Thursday evening to learn about these decisions and more.
Though the Council has not yet finalized the budget, it made some changes to the version proposed by Town Manager Michael Paulhus.
Capital improvements saw some of the biggest changes. Originally, Paulhus had recommended approximately $2 million go toward a new fire truck and tower, though he emphasized the recommendation was a flexible one, with the item representing more of “a placeholder” to draw attention to money in the town’s fund balance, which North Branford might use to invest in capital.
The council struck the items and reassigned $937,000 to different capital improvements. New allocations included $50,000 for a new police vehicle, an additional $200,000 for the Fire Department’s equipment reserve, $400,000 to help Public Works acquire a snow fighter truck and Vacall truck, and $100,000 for the aforementioned communications improvements.
In other parts of the budget, the council made decreases, removing, for example, $10,000 allocated to police overtime, $25,000 from litigation and $50,000 from the ambulance subsidies.
Councillors also also voted to add a highway worker as well as a parttime Building Department employee. The latter should help the town keep up with a more demanding workload that has resulted from code changes, according to Director Thomas Cowell.
Though most changes passed unanimously, points of disagreement and uncertainty await further discussion at the April 16 meeting.
A recommendation that the town increase the hours for the Economic Development Commission’s coordinator, Roger Salway, from 19 to 25 hours a week sparked passionate debate when Deputy Rose Marie Angeloni moved to eliminate the increased hours.
Salway’s goal is to help grow North Branford’s economy by retaining and expanding existing businesses, and by drawing in new ones. Councillor George Miller said commission reports about progress associated with Salway’s work have been “stellar” and “beyond any of our expectations.”
Councillor Marie Diamond expressed a similar view. “I am appalled that we would do that,” she said in regard to the motion to prevent the extra hours.
Diamond noted that Salway is also a grant writer.
“He’s extending himself in so many ways to put North Branford on the map,” she said, adding that he already puts in more hours than the 19 for which the town pays him.
Salway’s increased hours would cost an estimated $25,000, said Mayor Michael Doody, though a large chunk of the increase is associated with benefits. Angeloni asked whether Salway would even take those benefits, given that he’s a retiree and may be otherwise insured.
With the answer uncertain, Angeloni withdrew her original motion and the Town Council decided to gather more information and revisit the issue at its next meeting. Councillor Alfred Rose asked for reports that show precisely what Salway has accomplished.
“Growing sunflowers is not going to help our tax dollars,” Rose said, referring to an initiative Salway has undertaken to draw tourists to North Branford’s sunflower fields. “What can we put his name on?”
Others, like Diamond and Miller, believed Salway’s position a worthy investment.
“I think it’s small potatoes compared to what this is going to bring,” Miller said.
The town manager’s proposed budget called for $55.2 million of spending. As of Thursday’s meeting, total budget spending would be approximately $54.1 million, Finance Director Anthony Esposito said Friday.
However, the changes would bring the tax rate to 33.91 mills, an increase of 0.52 mills from last year’s rate, said Esposito. A slightly smaller increase of 0.50 mills was associated with the manager’s budget; that increase grew because although the Town Council eliminated a large chunk of fund balance spending — which does not come directly from tax revenue — it increased the operating budget by around $32,000, Esposito said.
Though the council canceled next week’s meeting, it will continue budget deliberations April 16.