City Council

~AD HOC REPORT~ Budget Ad Hoc: Health & Human Services and Public Safety April 13, 2026 Chair Frank Salvatore called the meeting to order at 6p.m. on Monday, April 13, 2026. Present were Committee Members Lou Giordano, Claire Jabbour, Paul Rotello, and Michael Henry. From the City were Dan Garrick, Finance Director; Kara Prunty, Assistant Finance Director (Budgets & Grants); Joanne Stark, Assistant Finance Director (Operations); Roberto Alves, Mayor; Taylor O’Brien, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office. Department Heads in attendance were Danny Hayes, Veterans Advisory; Police Chief Ridenhour, Deputy Chief Sturdevant; Interim Fire Chief Lounsbury; James Schullery, Building Official (Inspector); Matthew Cassavechia, Emergency Management Director, and representative for Ambulance, Emergency Services Dispatch; Brianna DiLapi, Emergency Management Assistant; Shawn Stillman, UNIT Coordinator; Michael Safranek, Airport Administrator; Fernanda Carvalho, Director of Health & Human Services; Susan Tomanio, Elderly Services Richard Schreiner, Chief Executive Officer, HARTransit. Ex Officio Members present were: Peter Buzaid, Bill McAllister, Andrea Gartner, Duane Perkins, Ryan Hawley, Michael Flanagan, Diane LaPine, Joseph Britton and John Laughinghouse. Health & Human Services Chair Salvatore, members Giordano and Rotello asked about grant funding and planning; Ms. Carvalho identified funds that the department holds in case of grants that do not come through. Member Goridano asked about remaining grant funds; Ms. Carvalho and Ms. O’Brien discussed the funds that have been allocated. Member Rotello asked for a list of non-profits receiving funds from the City. Member Jabbour asked about unutilized eviction funds; Ms. Carvalho spoke to the storage of items due to evictions and the sale of items if not claimed to help offset the costs; Ms. Carvalho also spoke regarding staff work with the public to help prevent evictions and provide community assistance for placement. Member Henry asked if all grant funds identified have been received; Ms. Carvalho confirmed. Mr. Duane Perkins asked for clarification of line items (582503/4/5); Ms. O’Brien confirmed that these grants help fund non-profits who work with the City and provide programs. Mr. Perkins asked about two vacant positions; Ms. Carvalho noted that the Community Health Program Coordinator was reclassified as a Social Services Specialist and Health Program Assistant. Elderly Transportation Ms. O’Brien confirmed this is an allocation to the Housing Authority. Elderly Services Chair Salvatore asked about the meals program Assistant that was added to the budget. Mr. Duane Perkins asked if the budget will support the needs of the center; Ms. Tomanio confirmed it does. Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures Ms. O’Brien spoke to the retirement of the current Weights and Measures representative. Chair Salvatore asked if the position will be rehired; She confirmed. Member Rotello spoke to the office’s work with car re-charging ports; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that this is not currently on the office’s list of work and that she will confirm if this is done by the state. Veterans Advisory Services Chair Salvatore identified a 1.6% increase and asked if the budget is enough; Mr. Hayes confirmed it is. Member Henry asked if the Hometown Heroes program is funded by this office; Mr. Hayes confirmed it is not. UNIT Chair Salvatore identified a 2.17% increase to the department’s budget; Mr. Stillman spoke to a part-time new hire who has been successful. Member Giordano asked about staffing; Mr. Stillman confirmed a CityCenter/Downtown Coordinator was not filled and that their work was completely outside of the UNIT office, those funds assisted with the new part-time employee. Member Giordano spoke to the large work load assigned to the department; Mr. Stillman confirmed there were 1500 service requests last year and this year is expected to exceed that. Member Henry asked if new ordinances have assisted the department with enforcement; Mr. Stillman confirmed that the ordinances assisted with awareness and will help to deter some violations. Mr. Buzaid asked about revenue from violations that the department issues; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that the revenue does into the General Fund. Chair Salvatore identified $20,000 in revenue from blight fees and Mr. Buzaid spoke to $32,000 from parking violations issued by the department in partnership with the Police Department. Community Services Chair Salvatore spoke to the consist budget amount for this line item; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that these funds are distributed as grants through the United Way, $30,000 as an administration fee, with the remainder going to non-profits. The entities receive quarterly payments. Mr. Flanagan asked what the Downtown Council is; Ms. O’Brien confirmed it is CityCenter. Animal Control Chair Salvatore identified a 1.5% increase and asked the Lieutenant if the funding is enough; yes. Member Henry asked what the office staff consists of; the Lieutenant confirmed it consists of two Animal Control Officers and a Secretary. Airport Chair Salvatore asked if the proposed budget is enough; Mr. Safranek confirmed. Member Giordano asked about line item 516101, a $9,000 increase in salaries; Mr. Safranek confirmed the increase is a union contractual obligation. Member Rotello asked about support from the FAA Mr. Safranek identified multiple funds that have come from the FAA and confirmed a strong relationship that has become stronger by working together. Mr. Safranek confirmed that the new plow worked well during this snowy winter. Member Jabbour asked about the Subscriptions/Memberships line item; Mr. Safranek explained that this covers the LPV Guidance approach technology fee to maintain and certify the equipment. Member Rotello asked about usage statistics; Mr. Safranek confirmed that the numbers are up 20% from last year and noted that the airport is in the top five busiest airports in New England. Member Henry asked about the retirement of a Police Specialists who provide security and night patrol at the Airport; Mr. Safranek confirmed that he is hoping to use other Specials to assist with those tasks. Ms. LaPine asked about the increase to electrical costs; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that the numbers increased by about 10% throughout the facilities. Mr. Buzaid asked about revenue from the Airport; Mr. Safranek confirmed that revenue comes from registration and internal and external leases. Member Giordano asked the electric vehicles; Mr. Safranek confirmed that there are three vehicles that are used by staff for various needs around the property. Mr. Laughinghouse spoke to the Airport’s work with the community to assist with storage needs. HART Chair Salvatore confirmed a 5% increase from last year; Ms. O’Brien spoke to city’s portion of funding due to high usage. Mr. Duane Perkins asked about plans for more bus shelters; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that there are continued discussions about transportation hubs throughout the city. Building Inspector Chair Salvatore asked if funding is sufficient; Mr. Schullery confirmed it is. Member Giordano asked about line item 543001 for office equipment; Ms. O’Brien confirmed this is also used for subscriptions and membership for new software. Member Jabbour asked about the new software; Mr. Schullery discussed the AI code review software and the need for staff oversight to confirm accuracy and input. Member Henry asked about cross-town assistance and reimbursement; Mr. Schullery confirmed that it does not happen often but when it does there is reimbursement. Member Rotello asked about the impact of increased building throughout the city; Mr. Schullery spoke to consistent growth, he spoke to 7500+ inspections so far this fiscal year. Mr. Buzaid asked about the archive of records; Mr. Schullery confirmed that he is required to keep the records and that they are electronically preserved from October 2019 to present, and that paper records are saved in two locations within City Hall. He explained that 60 to 70% of his secretary’s daily tasks consist of fulfilling FOI requests. He noted funds from grants and organization of old records will be needed to continue the electronic preservation of those documents. He also spoke to updates and increases to fees. Ms. LaPine asked if addition staff is needed for FOI requests; Ms. O’Brien discussed how grant funding for scanning has been used by other departments and that FOIs are now coordinated better for greater efficiency. The plan is to electronically archive all hard documents first to allow for easier searching in the future. Member Rotello asked how far back an FOI can be made; Ms. O’Brien confirmed there is no timeframe. Emergency Management Chair Salvatore asked about Contractual Services; Mr. Cassavechia confirmed that it consists of a variety of services including a grant that may need to be funded by another source. Member Jabbour asked about Rental Real Estate; Mr. Cassavechia confirmed that this relates to a required debris management plan, this is planned for the War Memorial. Member Rotello asked about the property status; Mr. Cassavechia confirmed that a walkthrough of the site will take place soon. He also noted that this line item also includes a location for an emergency tower. Mr. Laughinghouse asked for clarification of 590208; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that this is for the grant that was previously mentioned. Ambulance Fund Chair Salvatore asked about Charges for Services, and what the actual revenue is estimated to be; Mr. Cassavechia confirmed that $4.7M is the estimated net revenue for the program. Chair Salvatore asked about changes to FTEs; Mr. Cassavechia confirmed that there has been done and he does not anticipate any. Member Giordano asked about the difference in Other Financing Sources; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that the line items were reviewed and adjusted as needed to balance the budget. Emergency Services Dispatch Chair Salvatore asked if there are any anticipated changes; Chief Lounsbury confirmed there are not. Fire Department Chair Salvatore noted personnel increases that are reflected in the budget and asked if the positions are in anticipation of Fire Station 27; Mr. Lounsbury confirmed that the new station has been planned for and that increases in salaries are contractual. Member Rotello asked if the budget includes all staff for the new firehouse; Mr. Lounsbury confirmed the funds are set to hire additional firefighters for the new firehouse. Member Giordano asked about underfunding of the vehicles budget; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that Capital Funds will be used if there is a need. Member Jabbour asked about an increase to 543001, Ms. O’Brien explained that this could include new software. Member Henry asked about preparation and training of Hazmat/EV issues; Mr. Lounsbury confirmed there is staff that has made great strides with this issue and that a ban in parking garages is not needed at this time. Police Department Chair Salvatore identified funding for five new police officers and asked about the role of an Intelligence Analysist; Chief Ridenhour explained the job and work that will be done between agencies. Member Rotello asked about overtime costs; Chief Ridenhour spoke about staffing requirements that must be filled, sometimes via overtime. He noted additional hiring of new officers to assist with staffing levels to decrease some overtime costs. Ms. O’Brien discussed the averages that were used to calculate this item. Member Jabbour asked about: lines 530101 (Professional Services); Chief Ridenhour confirmed that this includes requirements for 20% drug screening of the department every three years and psychology services and evaluations; Maintenance and Repair of Office Equipment; Ms. O’Brien confirmed that this is for software and maintenance used for video, phone extractions, data bases, etc.; 559904 (Training Services); Chief Ridenhour spoke to costs for a local academy. Member Henry asked about the cost of the Mayor’s Detail; Chief Ridenhour confirmed that there is no line item, there is one primary assigned officer and some secondary that serve under the Dignitary Protection Unit, and that funding comes out of the department’s General Fund. Chief Ridenhour confirmed that the multiple software being used is not undergoing litigation. Ms. Gartner asked how data is related to enforcement; Chief Ridenhour confirmed that calls for service have increased as well as traffic enforcement and follow-up work for police calls. Mr. Laughinghouse asked about benefits to having a local police academy; Chief Ridenhour explained that right now the department must work around the schedules of state and satellite training centers, having an academy in Danbury will prioritize the needs of the city’s department. Mr. Flanagan asked about the location of the academy; Chief Ridenhour confirmed that there are locations being evaluated. Mr. Duane Perkins asked about mental health initiatives and training; Chief Ridenhour confirmed that there are several crisis intervention officers, and that training is funded through the regular training budget. A motion was made by Council member Giordano, and seconded by Council member Rotello, to recommend to the City Council that they approve the Health and Human Services and Public Safety Budget of $58,507,263 as presented in the Mayor’s Budget. Motion Carried Unanimously. A motion was made by Council member Rotello and seconded by Council member Jabbour, to adjourn. Motion Carried Unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Frank Salvatore, Chair; Lou Giordano, Claire Jabbour, Paul Rotello, Mike Henry