Board of Finance

Minutes of the Meeting of September 21, 2006

Present: Ralph C. Gold, chairman, Celia Senzer, Sally Hart, Anne Ingvertsen, Tom Bechtle, Earl Brecher, members. Ginger Betti, John LaPorta alternates. Gordon Ridgway, first selectman.

The minutes of the June 15 meeting, the board’s last session, were approved as presented.

Gordon Ridgway reported that Barbara Bigos, assessor, will attend the next meeting in order to update the board on the progress of the revaluation. He said that she had a number of ideas which the board might implement in order to ease the impact of the new tax bills.

Ridgway said that the selectmen are considering a range of options for tax relief, some of them uncovered by Ms. Bigos, which need fixes. For example: Housing Corporation parcel holders have been taxed for the land under their homes, land which is leased by the corporation to the householder. Similarly, the Land Trust has been held liable for unpaid taxes on donated property. The selectmen are also considering participating in a new state program through which property taxes for elderly people in need can be frozen until a sale or transfer.

John LaPorta reported that the School Building Committee is winding up the CCS project by working through the punch list ignored by the contractor. The work is going quickly.

Ridgway presented the proposed capital plan for FY 2008 to FY 2012. The list includes road improvement in East Cornwall ($180,000); a pickup truck for the highway department (35,000); Year I of the cost of a new pumper for CVFD (150,000); CCS projects (40,000). The total is $405,000. The plan will be presented to the Town Meeting on October 27. The Board will approve it at its next meeting

The Board agreed to consider necessary transfers for the costs of adding a new position until the full cost picture is available.

The meeting adjourned at 8:14.

Lisa Lansing

Clerk