March 24, 2009
Chairman Thomas J. Galvin called the special meeting of the Budget Workshop to order at 6:32 P.M. The meeting was taped.
Members Present: Tom Galvin, Pat Geary, Theresa Graveline, Doug Merriman, Stan Pilat, Charles Mallon, Robert Doyon, and Carl Graveline 6:34 P.M.
Members Absent: Roger Kergaravat
Budget Workshop:
Mayor Robert J. Chatfield advised the Council the W.P.C.A. will not be attending the meeting this evening. Mayor Chatfield also advised the Scott Road Phase I Project had started.
#5850 Building Department ($64,309.00 no Change):
Mayor Chatfield advised Phases I & II of Toll Bros, are sold and also some sections of Phase III. The Mayor also advised some of the ongoing work in Town includes remodeling, additions and once work breaks, it will include subdivisions on Cook Rd., Candee Rd, and Summit Road.
Motion made by P. Geary to approve the budget of the Building Department #5850 in the amount of $64,309.00. Motion seconded by T. Graveline. Unanimous.
#6450 Land Use Inspector ($92,628.00 no Change);
Mayor Chatfield advised the GIS system used by Land Use could also be activated from the Town's Website (Town of Prospect .com) to show information regarding zoning and property records among other features that will eventually be accessible. The Mayor advised this operation is currently in its third year and should be fully operational by its fifth year.
Motion made by C. Graveline to approve the budget of the Land Use Inspector #6450 in the amount of $92,628.00. Motion seconded by C. Mallon. Unanimous.
#6750 Insurance ($194,325.00 down by $975.00):
Motion made by P. Geary to approve the budget for Insurance #6750 in the amount
of $194,325.00. Motion seconded by T. Graveline. Unanimous.
#6800 Emergency Management ($9,750.00 no Change):
Motion made by D. Merriman to approve the budget for Emergency Management #6800 in the amount of $9,750.00. Motion seconded by C. Graveline. Discussion: Mayor Chatfield advised Mr. Dick Mortensen of the Emergency Management Council is paid a small stipend through a grant from Homeland Security. Mayor Chatfield also
advised through this line item, funding is made possible to acquire radios to allow Fire and Police to speak to other Emergency personnel, specifically in the event of a statewide emergency. Unanimous.
#7550 Health ($66,492.00 increase of $408.00):
Mayor Chatfield advised the amount the Town is responsible for is $6.20 per person; the Town has a population of 9282.
Motion made by D. Merriman to approve the budget for Health #7550 in the amount of $66,492.00. Motion seconded by S. Pilat. Unanimous.
Motion made by D. Merriman to convene into an 'Executive Session' @ 6:50 P.M. for Union Negotiations and invite Mayor Robert J. Chatfield to attend. Motion seconded by R. Doyon. Unanimous.
The Council reconvened from the 'Executive Session' @ 6:54 P.M.; no actions or votes were taken.
#6600 Fire Protection ($202,345.00 increase of $1,370.00):
Mayor Chatfield introduced the new Fire Chief, Marty Lautenschlager and Bill Sereduck. M. Lautenschlager stated the Department now has five new members and several on the outskirts of Town are waiting to be considered. P. Geary questioned the difference of $5,000.00 in the proposed budget of $207,345.00 and the recommended budget of $202,345.00. Mayor Chatfield advised Bill Sereduck and Keith Griffin worked on the Fire Department budget. B. Sereduck advised in January, both B. Sereduck and Keith Griffin advised Department spending would need to stop. M. Lautenschlager advised the Department would like to see more aggressive training, but that would need to be scaled back. B. Sereduck advised one of the first areas to be cut would possibly be SCBA-Purchase for the amount of $5,000.00. B. Sereduck also advised if the budget goes to Referendum, with each Referendum, the budget for the Department lessens. This could become a serious problem and perhaps in the near future funding would need to come from other sources such as fundraisers. B. Sereduck also advised a request for seven grants were issued and to date, four were received. C. Mallon questioned if a Capital Expenditure line item for a new vehicle could be considered. Mayor Chatfield advised line item #7850-04 for Truck Lease is for the Fire Department and the line item would roll-over for a new vehicle when a new vehicle is lease/purchased. B. Sereduck stated the Council should be thinking ahead to either purchase or lease a new vehicle due to the future of funding. T. Graveline questioned the membership number of the Department. M. Lautenschlager advised currently it stands at 61 members. Motion made by D. Merriman to approve the budget of Fire Protection #6600 in the amount of $202345.00. Motion seconded by C. Graveline. Roll Call Vote: 4 Approved/4 Opposed; T. Graveline, C. Graveline, P. Geary and C. Mallon; One deciding Vote, T. Galvin. Motion passes.
P. Geary expressed her gratitude to the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department.
#7350 Library ($243.962.00 down by $1,498.00):
Mayor Chatfield introduced the Librarian, Barbara Smith. B. Smith advised the Library offers programs for all ages. B. Smith also advised the Library enrolled 790 new patrons in the past year with approximately 1039 new library cards issued. B. Smith advised the original proposed budget of $253,083.00 was decreased in areas of salaries and utilities. C. Graveline questioned if the patrons are from Prospect or the surrounding towns and if the patrons are utilizing the CT State Library System. B. Smith advised money does come from the State for patrons to use the CT State Library System. B. Smith also advised the patronage is predominantly from Prospect, but there is a draw from the surrounding towns. Motion made by D. Merriman to approve the budget of the Library #7350 in the amount of $243,962.00. Motion seconded by C. Graveline. Unanimous.
Approval of Budget Workshop Minutes for March 14,2009 and March 17,2009: Motion made by D. Merriman to approve the Minutes of March 14,2009. Motion seconded by R. Doyon. Unanimous.
Motion made by D. Merriman to approve the Minutes of March 17,2009. Motion seconded by R. Doyon. Unanimous.
Adjournment:
Motion made by D. Merriman to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by R.
Doyon. Meeting adjourned @ 7:40 P.M. Unanimous.
Thomas J. Galvin, Chairman
Rosalyn B. Moffo, Clek