Board of Finance

Minutes of the Regular Meeting of December 15, 2005

Present: Ralph C. Gold, Celia Senzer, Tom Bechtle, Anne Ingvertsen, members; Ginger Betti, John LaPorta alternates. Gordon Ridgway, first selectman and Catherine Tatge chairman of the Board of Education (BOE).

Chairman Ralph Gold asked John LaPorta to sit for Earl Brecher and Ginger Betti to sit for Sally Hart who were absent.

Tom Bechtle moved and Anne Ingvertsen seconded a motion

To elect Ralph Gold chairman and Celia Senzer vice chairman of the Board for 2005 to 2007.

The VOTE to approve was unanimous.

The minutes of the November 17 meeting were approved as presented.

Catherine Tatge for the BOE reported that work on the FY 2007 budget will begin on January 19. The new building committee is working on a long-term maintenance plan for CCS.

Gold reported on a meeting at Region I with the new broker for health insurance for the region. This is the same group which were consultants on ways to bring costs down and, Gold said, it turned out that they were available for hire as the region’s agency representation. The breakdown in the large group is 80% school-based and 20% towns and other agencies.

Ridgway said that the Board of Selectmen were looking at joining the CT Municipal Consortium for Fiscal Responsibility, a group of 70 towns gathering to work on unfunded state mandates, such as prevailing wage and binding arbitration. The CT Association of Boards of Education (CABE) is being included for added clout.

Ridgway introduced the new code of ethics, now in draft form, which the state will pass to cover all town employees – appointees and elected. The clerk handed out copies for the board to review.

Magic Salt, the new additive to the salt and sand mixture, is proving a success. Ridgway said that the highway department has spent so far this year as follows: road salt is $12,000; sand $4,000; and Magic Salt about $5,000 . The total of $21,000 is about 40% the $50,000 in the budget for snow removal.

Revaluation, Gordon said, is in the planning stage. The hope is to use the present assessor, Barbara Bigos because she knows the town and is accurate, unlike previous contractors the town has hired.

Celia Senzer said that she had been assigned to go to BOE meetings as the board’s representative. She had not gone very often and wonder about the utility of sending someone every month. Gold said he would talk with the BOE chairman and get a sense of whether or not just attending at budget time would work.

The meeting adjourned at 8:35 pm

Lisa Lansing

Clerk