West Haven council warned delays could hamper approved work

WEST HAVEN — The City Council voted to put five pandemic recovery projects out to bid as the city continues to plan how it will spend its $29 million allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.

However, the chairman of the volunteer committee tasked with overseeing the details of the purchasing process, to ensure the city gets the highest quality work for the lowest cost, raised concerns that bureaucracy could put some of the city's preferred projects at risk.

A condition of the ARPA funding is that any money that is not obligated to a project by the end of 2024 must be returned to the federal government. Although the city has a year-and-a-half until then, ARPA Committee Chairman Ken Carney warned that in construction, issues such as permitting and obtaining supplies can take months. One of the projects approved by the City Council for bidding is a recycling and re-use center, with an expected budget of $1 million.

“The recycling center takes a year to get a permit from (the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection). That may already be out of the picture,” Carney warned before the council's vote.

Because the city is under oversight of the state Municipal Accountability Review Board, members of that board also must approve expenditures greater than $50,000. The full MARB typically meets with West Haven once per month.

Councilman Ron Quagliani, D-At Large, acting chairman for Monday's meeting, said the council would not want to “unduly hold up the projects,” but City Council members must do their due diligence. Although the council's meeting calendar already has been noticed, he said members would be willing to convene special meetings if there were urgent approvals. Quagliani's comment was met by nods from several of the other 10 members present at the meeting.

“I recognize you guys have a lot to do and have professionals on team,” Quagliani said. “But we as a legislative body have to make sure we're comfortable.”

Carney argued it would be more efficient to have a council liaison report to the full board on ARPA Committee activities rather than requiring the committee to appear before the City Council to engage contractors. He said the committee does not recommend contractors because of the purchasing ordinance that requires the lowest bidder that meets all of the stated requirements to be awarded the contract.

He said a project approved at a prior council meeting to redo city sidewalks in the area of schools and other youth recreation areas has been delayed slightly because of the requirement that he receive approval from the City Council — a concern when the cost of materials is rising.

Finance Committee Chairwoman Bridgette Hoskie, D-1, said she had requested a list of sidewalks that had gone out to bid but was rejected.

“I find it disrespectful, utterly disrespectful,” she said. “This would have been approved two weeks ago if we had the list.”

Hoskie said residents loudly are calling for the City Council to monitor ARPA funding closely, and she is expected to be accountable for spending. A previous allocation of $1.15 million from the federal government was at the center of a citywide scandal last year, when former Democratic state Rep. Michael DiMassa was arrested for allegedly transferring more than $1 million in city money to a shell company with invoices claiming a company under his control provided pandemic-related activities. An audit report ordered by a state department concluded that $900,000 of the $1.15 million was misspent or improperly documented.

Councilman Gary Donovan, D-At Large, agreed with Hoskie that “business as usual has come to a stop.”

“We need to OK everything. That's what the residents also want,” he said.

Finance Director Scott Jackson said the city and ARPA Committee “have a clear understanding of what the will of the council is” and that everyone will act within the boundaries set by the council, even if it takes more time.

Carney said his concern is that the council should understand the expectations being placed upon the ARPA Committee.

“Here's what I don't want to happen: I don't want to be blamed at the end of December '24 if all the money wasn't spent,” he said.

Projects approved by the council to be put out to bid include an investment in pocket parks; refurbishment of the senior center; and a new roof for the child development center. A proposal to replace the windows in City Hall was debated.

“I think we can use that money elsewhere,” Donovan said.

Councilman Steven Johnstone,

R-10, said he believes it “sends a bad message” for the city to invest in upgrades to City Hall over providing direct support to residents. He also compared the building to an old car — after many years of use, the cost of replacing old and broken parts becomes more expensive than what the car itself is worth, he said.

Councilman Robert Bruneau, D-9, disagreed.

“Our energy costs are through the roof and they say there's rats coming through the building,” he said, so he believes replacing the windows would be to the benefit of the entire city.

Following Hoskie's comments of uncertainty about the proposal and a desire to learn more, Councilman Mitchell Gallignano, D-4, proposed adding an energy study to the council's charge for the ARPA Committee for bids. The council approved the project with Gallignano's amendment for bids.