City Council

~AD HOC REPORT~ Budget Ad Hoc: Government I Thursday, April 13, 2023 Chairman Knapp called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Present were Committee Members Emile Buzaid, Duane Perkins, Fred Visconti; and Absent was Michael Halas. From the City were Dan Garrick, Finance Director; Dean Esposito, Mayor; John Kleinhans, Government Affairs & Communications Advisor, Mayor’s Office; Vinny DiGilio, City Council President; Joe Dasilva, Probate Court Judge; Elisa Etcheto, Legislative Assistant; Katharine Chung, Assistant Director, Public Library; Bob Yamin, Corporation Counsel; Les Pinter, Deputy Corporation Counsel; Jan Giegler, Town Clerk; Shay Nagarsheth, Economic Development Director; Sharon Calitro, Planning & Zoning Director; Sean Hearty, Permit Center; Mark Howarth & Will Meikle, Executive Director & member, Candlewood Lake Authority; Ed Siergiej, Conservation Commission; and Absent: Registrar of Voters, Fair Rent Commission, Long Ridge Library. Ex Officio Members present: Paul Rotello, and Ben Chianese. Present from the public was Tom Brown, Resident. Mr. Howarth thanked the City for supporting the budget for Candlewood Lake Authority. He provided a brief overview of the following: challenges, business operations, progress, and funding. Ms. Chung thanked the City for supporting the budget for the Public Library. She provided a brief overview of the following: ordering of supplies, digital requirements, and staffing. Mr. Garrick provided a brief overview of the budget for City Council. He clarified the $12,000 expense for a Communication line item (iPad’s) with Mr. Knapp, Mr. Buzaid and Mr. Perkins. Mr. DiGilio discussed the importance of having iPad’s available for those who want them. Mr. Rotello spoke in support of funding the line item. Mr. Kleinhans provided a brief overview of the following: Mayor’s Office budget, lobby funding/services, City Membership cost reduction, and staffing. Mr. Chianese suggested allocating lobby funds towards a better use. Mr. DiGilio spoke in support of funding and expanding lobbying services, due to the return value. Mr. Perkins requested a report of lobbying services. Ms. Etcheto stated the Legislative Assistant budget has not changed; is sufficient and has been put to good use. Mr. Garrick clarified the budgets comparison numbers and constables funding with Mr. Knapp and Mr. Rotello. Furthermore, he provided a brief overview of the following: ordinances, and increased costs for legal notices. Mr. Pinter clarified the municipal requirements for printing notices with Mr. Chianese. Mr. DaSilva stated the Probate Courts budget is sufficient. Mr. Garrick clarified the elimination of Election Workers line item for the Registrar of Voters budget with Mr. Knapp. Mr. Perkins noted the correlation between the number of voters and election costs. Mr. Yamin provided a brief overview of the following: Corporation Counsel budget, in- house/outside counsel costs, staffing needs, and future expansion. Furthermore, he specified the need for the following positions: 1- Corporation Counsel, 2- Full Time Generalists, and an Employment Law Specialist. He explained how averages are used to determine budget numbers with Mr. Knapp. Mr. Pinter confirmed the legal services expense is used for outside counsel costs. Mr. Chianese recommended the Committee recommend hiring another attorney. Mr. Pinter noted his concern with adding too many new employees due to the lack of office space at this time. Ms. Giegler provided a brief overview of the following: Town Clerk budget, expenses and funding, and discussed staffing and salaries with Mr. Perkins and Mr. Chianese. Mayor Esposito noted the Annual Report Line Item has been decreased due to less hard copies being printed and more digital distribution. Mr. Hearty provided a brief overview of the following: Permit Coordination budget, funding, recruitment, and staff sharing. Ms. Calitro confirmed the Assistant Zoning Officer position is part of the Planning & Zoning budget with Mr. Chianese. Furthermore, she provided a brief overview of the following: Planning & Zoning budget. The department is fully staffed for the first time in years, and noted that the new Zoning Enforcement Officer is shared with the Permit Center. Mr. Nagarsheth stated he favors the proposed budget for Economic Development. Mr. Garrick discussed the increase in Professional/Outside Services and the video production funding. Mr. Nagarsheth noted the budget includes funding for sponsorships and events. Mr. Chianese, Mr. Perkins and Mr. Knapp asked for a clarified list of expenses. Mr. Siergiej provided a brief overview of the following: Conservation Commission budget, maintenance challenges for open space properties, volunteer staffing, and funding. He confirmed the Commission consists of volunteers with Mr. Perkins and Mr. Chianese. Mr. Garrick clarified the increase for community/civil/school organizations in the Mayor’s Discretionary Fund. Mr. Perkins suggested allocating more funding in the future to the Long Ridge Library for an oil tank replacement. Mr. Garrick stated he will follow up on the oil tank replacement matter. A motion made by Councilman Buzaid, and seconded by Councilman Perkins, to recommend the Mayor's budget as presented. The motion carries unanimously. A motion made by Councilman Buzaid, and seconded by Councilman Perkins, to adjourn. The motion carries unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jack Knapp, Chair Emile Buzaid Duane Perkins Fred Visconti