Common Council

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT BUDGET APPROVAL FY 2020-2021 THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020 7:00 PM MINUTES The Special Meeting of the Common Council of the City of Middletown was held remotely via WebEx and livestreamed on the City of Middletown’s Facebook page on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 7:00 PM. Present: Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell Councilman Vincent Loffredo. Councilwoman Meghan Carta Councilman Anthony Mangiafico Councilman Grady Faulkner, Jr. Councilman Edward McKeon Councilman Darnell Ford Councilman Eugene Nocera Councilman Edward Ford, Jr. Councilman Philip Pessina Councilman Anthony Gennaro, Sr. Councilwoman Linda Salafia Also Present: Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim, Chair Linda Reed, Council Clerk Corporation Counsel, Daniel Ryan, Esq. General Counsel, Brig Smith, Esq. Christine Bourne, Board of Education Christopher Holden, P.E., Deputy Director -- Public Works Ramona Burkey, Director – Russell Library Justin Carbonella, Youth Services Coordinator Keisha Michael, Arts & Culture Coordinator Rohan Manning, Finance Members of the Public: WebEx (47) and Facebook livestream (unknown number of viewers) 1. Call to Order Mayor Benjamin Florsheim calls the meeting to order at 7:01 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Chair asks Councilman Philip Pessina to display the American flag. He invites the Councilmembers to join in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Call of the Meeting The Clerk reads the Call of the Meeting and the Chair declares the call a legal call and the meeting a legal meeting. On a point of person privilege, the Mayor thanks everyone for attending this evening’s meeting He especially thanks Finance Director Carl Erlacher, Board of Education Superintendent Dr. Conner, Board of Education Finance Officer Christine Bourne, Finance Deputy Director Diana Doyle, and Finance Deputy Director Tayna Oliver-Perry as well as the Councilmember’s, who have worked diligently to craft this budget, tweak it, and improve it. It has been a learning process for many members and he is proud of the final product. He looks forward to the public comment this evening. 3. Public Hearing Opens The Chair declares the public hearing open at 5:05 PM. There is a public comment this evening as there was last week (June 4, 2020). Last week, there was no time limit; however, tonight the Council will hold to the 30 minute public hearing session. Any member of the public wishing to speak may indicate by raising their hand using the WebEx function. When called on, they are asked to state their name and address for the record and their comments are limited to a five (5) minutes. 2. PUBLIC HEARINGS ON AGENDA ITEMS Tristan Donaldson (15 Tall Timbers Road): His concern on the budget involves the Police Department there has been widespread desire to reduce police funding, to outright defund them. In terms of hard number and things that should be removed from the budget are: assault weapons, riot gear, rubber bullets, June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |2 and tear gas, The price of riot gear is approximately $500,. The cost of 10- rounds of rubber bullets is about $17.00. The cost of tear gas in unknown, but it is illegal to use in warfare per the Geneva Protocol of 1925, yet is still used against civilians 95 years later. The cost of an assault weapon is between $500 and $2,000. If not mistaken, at the budget approval meeting last week, according to Steven Devoto, the cost of tires on a police assault vehicle is about $18,000. By comparison, a single set of PPE kit costs about $15. From his recent statement, if the Middletown Police Department is in possession of these items, or possible remains, they given no return on investment; that is, once fired, you can’t get the bullet back. PPE and anti-racism committee is being proposed will give great return in the community and save lives. If any of these items are currently in the Police budget and being used by the police, he urges the Council to terminate them from the budget and direct and allocate the funds to where they are better spent. The Chair calls on Councilman Edward Ford, Jr., who states that he wishes to offer a point of order. Councilman Edward Ford states that, at 7:30 PM, he will be participating on a town hall call with Channel 8 (inaudible) as a black man he wanted very one to know that he will be on this meeting, but not visible. He will leave his comments, adding that he anticipates coming back to his meeting shortly. Nasharie Davis (77 Spring Street): She is wondering how to raise her hand. She states that the previous speaker Tristan Donaldson, said everything that she wanted to say. She asks if there is going to be more funding for the Police Department, adding that she is not certain because she did not attend the previous budget meeting. If more funding is going to police, that is an issue for her. Basically, it is what she was going to address, especially rubber bullets, which are being misused and directly shot at people. When we can use money to help people instead of using money on something we cannot get back. The Chair states that he has linked the budget document to the meeting link Abraham Kipnis (38 Dennison Road): He is a recent Wesleyan graduate. It is important to provide input today because racism and police brutality don’t know or respect city lines. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. He is here to strongly opposed the reposed Police budget increase and ask that the Council rethink the approach to emergency response and self-governance. He is inspired by recent calls to action that he has seen, including a calling for more black people, especially women, to join the force to increase representation and accountability; calling for equity and inclusion training helping policy understand their implicit biases; calling for conflict resolution training to reduce incidents in which police resort to lethal force. Although he agrees that these initiative promote racial equity, he believes that they need further restorative justice by defunding police and distributing resources back to the most vulnerable. We cannot leave it to black people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and join the police force and enact change from the inside. We must seek change and solution from a broader base at lower cost and risk and with better public outcomes and safety, health, and access to resources. Local government and police reform such as body cameras, diversified force, and rules on use of force are not guaranteed to reduce police violence. A lot of forces already have those things and they still kill people. Efforts at incremental reform have failed elsewhere. In addition, at a peaceful local rally this weekend, some officers had their nametags obscured. This breach of trust makes him suspicious of the force’s willingness and ability to hold itself accountable. Finally, we call on cops to do too much already. They can be first responders, counselors, mental health resources, and, in cases of lethal force, judge, jury, and executioner. Additional funding to train our police gives them more justification to enforce the law as they see fit in them moment. We ought to reimagine public safety where emergency responders authorize to use deadly force are much smaller fraction than currently. What he is calling for is defunding the police and reinvesting into education, mental health, emergency and social services. Demilitarization of the force and investment into non-violent resolution such as how workers can resolve incidents and outreach workers, who help the homeless and most vulnerable in the community. We can cut down on interactions between armed officers and civilians. (Inaudible) proactive measures such as earlier investment is not early education and health care will further work to reduce crime and eliminate proactive policing. It is up to each community to rebuild a system assuring that every black person has a black doctor to ensure their health; every black student has a black teacher to look up to; and every black person suffering a (inaudible) episode or abusive relationship can access resources to ensure their safety and growth. He hopes that the Council will consider this proposal to defund police in the Middletown community. Sacha Armstrong (12 Shirleys Court): She is calling to ask, putting herself out there. To take some funding from the Police Department and investing in anti-racism taskforce, which she hopes will soon come to be. She also believes that they are coming close to a moment where future generations of police officers will really know what their jobs should look like, where we define what a police officer is. Her neighbor is a police officer and he stopped and told her that his job isn’t fun anymore. She thought it was odd: when was his job supposed to be fun for him. If children are looking at us now and thinking about being a police officer because of the glory, because they can specifically take out their biases on black people, or because they want to demonstrate authority in general. Do this right and it will stop the next generation from being affected by this type of policing. She hopes they can look at the budget and find ways to invest it back into the community, especially the most vulnerable being the black people who suffer the most at the hands of the police. She feels that when police run out of black leaders to kill, they start killing our most vulnerable and disposable blacks, our neighbors. It needs to come to an end, so she believes that the Council will take some money from the Police Department and put it back into the black community. June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |3 Sonya Hadley (1218 Randolph Road): She thanks the Council, having heard them, read all of their emails, She appreciates their action since received. She started with other young people around the issue of police brutality and racism in this community. In 2016, when there was a lot of (inaudible) Austin Sterling was killed and Orlando Castile among unarmed people of color. They have been working on these issues for a long time. They have had a lot of conversations with leadership about it. She thinks right now it is a really beautiful time in this country by the amount people are willing to engage with this issue, the amount of support. She knows that they all saw outreach by people and she urges the Council to listen to the community. She knows that (inaudible). Going forward it is super important to continue to serve the most impacted people, continue to center black voices in this work, make intentional funding towards programs that will address this and bring in county members. The community knows what it needs. The Council saw that and heard that. She urges the Council to listen and put all of their support towards people. This movement is not new. It is from generations of struggle and generations of organizers. The solutions are already here. She points out that she works in Los Angles around these issues and something that just passed in Los Angeles is the alternative to incarceration roadmap. She urges the Council to look to that roadmap and to look to that as a guidance for how we reimagine and build a community free of racism, police brutality, and where we invest in communities a sense of care and to get to the root of issues and help everyone in our community. Dotan Applebaum (Wesleyan student, 157 Church Street): He believes that the City of Middletown should not only decrease the police budget, but that the police should be defunded entirely. There existed a world without police before and there can be a world without police again. We look at the police as being involved in street patrols. While it is true that god people do need police officers, a police officer is good so long as one is involved in an inherently biased system. He asks the Council to seriously engage in conversation as to what this could look like. Who should be responding to domestic violence in Middletown, who should be responding to mental health cases in Middletown, who should serve Middletown (inaudible) students and others in nearby communities? He believes that in not one of these situations are police the best first responder. Public safety needs to provide people with the resources that they need with compassion, not with threats of violence and distrust against the population as police. He is not in Middletown as he lives in Minneapolis. Here and in other places around the country people are showing the world that we do not need police. There are alternative to public safety that protect everyone in the community. He was ecstatic when he heard that the work of the incredible activists in Minneapolis were successful in getting a supermajority of the Minneapolis City Council to disband the MPD. He hopes that this City’s MPD can be disbanded as well. Valerie Light (93 Highland Avenue): She has lived in Middletown for 13 years. Prior to that, she lived in Bridgeport and Danbury. She suggest the Council consider the Police Athletic League (PAL). When she lived in these other towns, one thing that brought the community together was a PAL Center, a place where kids could go and communicate and interact with the police in a positive way. The police can interact with the community as a whole in a positive way. She works in the Middletown education system and she loves the kids. Her previous job was in the Department of Corrections and that is why she got into education to help with reform. She is also a youth volunteer on the Diversion Team with Justin Carbonella (Youth Services Coordinator). That is one of the highlights of her life because she gets to listen to the youth. She is so proud to hear the students on previous meetings talk about what their needs are. This is one of the things that is important: listen to our youth as they are the future. Listen to what they have to say. Adults have done things to make a mess of society and there are things good going on. She reiterates: listen to our youth. They need something to do, someplace to go. They want to be positive members of the community and we need to provide that. She does not know where the funding is coming from, but, if they are talking about re-appropriating funds. Let’s use it for the taskforce, but also to see how we can use vacant buildings and warehouses in Middletown and provide a safe space for the community to interact in a positive manner with youth, both the department and the police. It needs to a positive manner especially with our youth as they are the ones who will carry us forward, who will pick us up and drag us with them If we don’t have them in our corner, if we don’t have our youth buildup, our youth to handle this situation these hard times, we will be in trouble. It is our youth who will propel us forward. She comes to meetings and usually listens. She understands what is going on now and reiterates that we need to provide a safe space for youth. She hopes that the Council will find a space for that positive interaction. Bryan Chong (157 Church Street): While he spoke during the previous special meeting, he wants to hammer home what people have said about the distribution of resources that Middletown is committing to fighting racism actively This effort has to be matched with concrete financial contributions to those efforts. He thanks the Mayor for posting the budget. There are $84.5 thousand dollars dedicated to ammunition for the police force for the coming year. He knows that, from what has read, how to handle guns although, personally, he does know about guns: when your shoot, you shoot to kill. You should be prepared for that. He finds it difficult and sad to believe that the City government is prepared for them to fire $84.5 thousand dollars’ worth of ammunition every year. That is only one example of the many kinds of expenditures rooted in violence and (inaudible) violence that the City government has for so long. It now has the opportunity to divert that toward restorative purposes, redirect towards uses consistent towards racial justice. A reminder from the numbers crunched today by Wesleyan Democrats that every dollar that goes to the police, according to the Middletown budget, only 1.45 cents are spent by the Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity; only 0.87 cents are spent on Youth Services; only 5.45 cents are towards Health; only 3.3 cents on Planning, Conservation & Development; and only 10.93 cents on Recreation & Community Services. This is not the kind of expenditure that is consistent with the principles of progressivism and is not the kind of expenditure that is consistent with a government that calls itself progressive. He hopes that the Council will reconsider its budget to principles more aligned with of racial justice that they seek to advance, June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |4 Olivia Backal-Balik (264 Court Street): She is a member of the Middletown Immigrants Rights Alliance and (inaudible) in New Haven. She is in complete agreement with the things that have been said and is especially pleased about the Any-Racism Taskforce that is being implemented. The police need to be defunded with the ultimate goal of them being disbanded. She is speaking with reference especially to the fact that the police are well known as being forces across the country for illegally cooperating with ICE and harassing undocumented people. This is certainly a phenomenon in which Connecticut is not exempt. Recently, two (2) undocumented people were harassed by police in New Haven. They were threatened with having ICE called when they were being arrested for unrelated civil causes. This happens all the time. People are constantly living in fear of the police for undocumented as well as people with status as discussed. Having an additional policeman, policeperson, would be a huge mistake, another additional fear, another person, who undocumented people would fear. She thinks that undocumented immigrants and people in the undocumented community . . . she knows many who stand in solidarity with black people in this country and this State, who feel similarly. She is speaking on behalf of MIRA and ULA, as a member of these organizations. She knows that many people in their organizations are unhappy to hear that Middletown is talking about increasing funding when many of them are asking for more money to support undocumented people. Asking for more money for police does not alleviate fear or make people comfortable with the direction that the City is going. Emily McAvoy (254 Carriage Crossing Lane): She opposes addition of one additional police officer. It was in the budget until today. She feels that it is not a way to increase public safety. The community is mourning the loss of one of its neighbors. Police could have addressed, but they could not address the lack of safety and health that likely allowed for that tragedy. The police on the street, after the fact, and the investigation process was traumatizing for people in the neighborhood because of the history of the police in the country. Redirection of resources to true safety and prevention can is a much better use of money. She addresses the Mayor regarding his promise to create a civilian review board, which is one reason why he received progressive community votes. It is a step in the right direction, but a civilian review board presumes guilt of the police department. It is reactive police rather than proactive investment in the community. There have been a few cases in modern history where civilian review boards take resources away from different police and racist violence rather than strictly punishing. She suggests that he responded well as to meaningful prevent; but not only should he take that step, but also redirect resources away from anything that responds to violence rather than prevents violence. Jan Carlsson-Bull (344 Ridge Road): She has lived in Middletown for eight (8) years and is a recently retired minister. She is an active member of Middletown Immigrates Rights (MIRA) and Black Lives matters. Over the years as a professional and resident here and New Jersey, she is a longtime advocate for racial justice. At this especially, there is police brutality across the nation. She is not saying that Middletown Police are exhibiting brutality right now. She is saying that it is neither symbolically or substantively (inaudible) to expand the budget for the police department. She is shocked it is in the budget when a city as large as Minneapolis has voted to completely rethink and restructure its institutional force designed to protect and defend. Middletown can do likewise and can be visionary and proactive. Expanding the Police Department budget is not the way to do this. Re-envisioning and re-understanding what it is to invest in a community for anyone in the community is paramount. She urges the Council to rethink this budget, that piece of the budget, rethinking what it is to be police force and a force for racial justice and inclusiveness, enabling everyone to feel safe. The Chair notes that it has been about 30 minutes. The Chair confirms that here are three (3) more speakers in the queue. The Chair states that it is up to the Council as to whether or not they want to beyond the time limit. The Chair calls on Councilman Edward McKeon. Councilman McKeon moves to extend the public comment period to hear from the other speakers in the queue. Councilman Philip Pessina seconds the motion. There being no discussion, the Chair calls for a voice vote. The Chair states that the motion to extend the time for public comment is approved unanimously with 11 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina, and Salafia vote to approve. Councilman Edward Ford is absent.) The Chair states the matter is approved. Evan Davis (90 Nutmeg Court): He believes that the expansion of the police budget is a grave mistake for public safety against the conscience of the community. Policing never invests in the livelihood and safety of people of color. Action should be taken quickly on a civilian review board and movement of police abolition. We need to transform and redesigning how we are keeping people safe and what healthy communities look like. Fair housing and education, education, education, which is the way to the future, we need to make sure that when we think of safety and law enforcement, they are thinking of control and fear and investing in their future. When they invest in housing and education, they invest in the future. Franny Lyn (344 Washington Street): She agrees with all that has been said, as long as Middleton has a police force, they are not safe from Police murders. There have already been many killings in the past few years of young blacks, for example, Zoë Dowdell and (inaudible), who were tragically murdered by police they cannot wait for this to happen in Middletown. They cannot wait for a civilian review board because June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |5 one life lost is one life too many. In the years that she has lived in Middletown since moving to Middletown, she has seen good things: the community garden, the farmers’ market, Green Art Center defunded her freshman year at Wesleyan. The Middlesex (inaudible) Alliance is doing great things, which money in the budget could go to instead of terrorizing (inaudible). Ariana Bacsche (171 Prospect Street); She knows it has been addressed that came along with the budget. Middletown is understaffed considering the size. They need to base decisions on more substantive reasons and not on imaginary budgets. The budget should be based on what other cities are doing, especially as it becomes clear that many cities are investing too much in police. She does not support increasing police funding. Looking at something as understaffed is not convincing to her. James (inaudible) (Enfield, CT): He has ties to Middletown and visits frequently. With the topic, he is concerned what is happening in the country right now. When he comes to Middletown, he wants to feel safe. Adding police in the budget makes him feel less safe, not more. Looking on the streets, he sees people who could use these funds for social services that serve people. Maya Gomberg (157 Church Street): She is against the increase in the budget. The budget for police would be better used if allocated to community resources. When she goes to Council meetings, they suggest things (inaudible) the community is over-policed (inaudible) government for these families have access to forums like this one. There is an overrepresentation in students and young people speaking tonight, acknowledging that they are not the people, who should be heard. The Council needs to think about this budget and what it could do, the purposes it could serve. They are trying to keep people safe, they are trying to be voices to be heard and understood. That is not working anymore. It has never worked for us. She urges the Council not to think about what they should be cutting, but what it could be increasing if they reallocate funds from money going to the police department. Do more outreach to the community, to the voices that need to be heard, and who are now being targeted by the police. In Middletown, fortunately no one has died, but if you are talking to enforcement or community members, there are acts of bias everyday between the community and police. We need to acknowledge that and acknowledge that funds going to the police department be better used. George Fuss (7 Barnes Street): He is co-chair of Wesleyan Democrats. They are working hard to elect Democrats here and it is disappointing to see a budget that doesn’t reflect the needs of the community. They need to invest in care not costs. They need to care for the community, after school programs, health care, education, especially with this pandemic. They should not be funding the police, who can do more damage. David Roane (Newfield Street): He went to an American Post meeting. They should not increase the police budget. If they take 5 to 10% of that budget, they should allocate it to the taskforce. Arno Gueris (35 McGonehey (sp) Drive): He is a Wesleyan student and the campus is closed due to the pandemic. He has nearly been a full-time resident. Before this conversation took hold of the nation, he was repeatedly followed by Middletown Police right up to his dormitory, around Middletown, just driving, listening to music. He is a young black man and a Wesleyan student. He does not support hiring an extra officer and any increase in the police budget. He does not feel safe in Middletown based on his experiences. The implementations of a community review board would be a great step in the right direction as long as the people running it have subpoena power, if it is not the Mayor. It has to be the community. He does not support the increase, there are no legitimate needs to check for racism or discriminatory policing currently. The Council Clerk states that the next person in the queue has already spoken. She is not sure if, under the rules, he is allowed to speak again. The Chair defers to the Corporation Council Daniel Ryan. Attorney Ryan states that the speaker, looking to speak a second time, is not allowed to speak unless everyone else has spoken. Christopher Holden (Deputy Director of Public Works): He has no comment The Council Clerk confirms that the only remaining speaker is Bryan Chong, who is looking to speak a second time. Bryan Chong (157 Church Street): He agrees with all of the points that others have said. He wants to add that (inaudible) Wesleyan student, who are active in the Middletown community, are aware that community members see Wesleyan students as people who are passing by. They do not live here. From his personal experience, there is a stigma in participating in the Middletown community, adding that there is a stigma because the problems have been deferred to the police to clean up: drug addicts and homeless in the North End. He has friends who have been cat-called during the day and evening. He thinks that more policing will not help. Reforms here and from others from outside Middletown (inaudible) as part of the community, we want them to invest in the Middletown community. Having more policing creates stigma and fear, there is something dangerous, to be afraid of. Another compelling reason (inaudible) for people in the greater Middletown area, he thinks that more should be invested in community resources rather than policing.  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |6 Jeff Burn (136 High Street): He is a Wesleyan student. His presence originally was just to listen to the important, significant issue that we are facing nationally and in Middletown. He agrees that funding to increase the Police Department could be better allocated towards community building programs; however, it would be inaccurate representation, in his estimation, to say that the majority of Middletown residents would support an abrupt defunding and disbanding of the Police Department. These people, who believe it should be a phased defunding over a set period of time, followed by a detailed plan outlined by the City, need to make themselves heard so a situation is not made worse. The Chair asks if there are any more speakers. The Council Clerk indicates that there is another speaker; however, that speaker is looking to address the Council a second time. The Chair asks if there are any other speakers, who have not yet commented. There being no other first time speakers, the Chair calls on the individual asking to speak a second time during this public hearing. Tristan Donaldson (Tall Timbers): Responding to the previous speaker, he states that, in defunding the police that are talking about a specific reallocation and re-appropriation of resources to eventually reduce the need for police and create a new form of policing -- non-violent policing -- in its place. It is to supplement and replace it, not to leave a vacuum in which potentially worse, new violence can be created. He makes this clarification behalf of anyone, who lacks that understanding, and to the Council, if that is not abundantly clear. The Council Clerk states that Jeff Burn has his hand raised to speak again. Councilwoman Linda Salafia states that this is not a debate. The Chair calls on Jeff Burn. Jeff Burn (136 Hugh Street): To the last speaker, he states that he completely agrees with all that he has said, but, he does believe that clarification and outlining are required so everyone has a full understanding of what the end goal for the communities is years from now, so that this can be successful. The Chair states that he does not say this in a negative way. He notes that many are speaking for the first time. This is not the forum for dialog although he does appreciate his clarifications. 3. PUBLIC HEARNG CLOSES There being no further comment, the Chair closes the public hearing at 7:58 PM. 4. RESOLUTIONS Before moving in to resolutions, the Chair calls on Councilman Eugene Nocera, Council Majority Leader. The Chair adds that he may also make some remarks. Councilman Eugene Nocera states that before moving to adopt resolutions for the City’s FY 20-21 budget, he thanks those involved in this monumental task, especially during these difficult economic times. This proposed budget continues to supply essential services that we have come to expect. He assures that the City will continue on its path to a dynamic future. He notes that City Directors and staff thank the Mayor for proposing a very responsible budget, understanding that this is a difficult job, moving spending without losing sight of asking for a better future for all. The Common Council has met extensively over the past six (6) weeks to fine tune the Mayor’s proposed budget. It has been a bipartisan effort every step. Tonight, the Council will be voting on the City budget, as amended by the Council. It includes budget adjustments, carryover funds going back to this year’s budget, and CNR (capital non-recurring) adjustments. Using these measures, the Council has been able to present a budget with a 0.2 percent mill tax reduction for the first time in a very long time. Last year, the mill rate was 36.0; this year’s proposed budget is 35.8 mills. They recognize that the community – businesses and residents – need to get back on its feet. Covid19 and the massive shock of this pandemic shutdown measures, which were designed to contain it, have plunged local, State, and national economies. The Council and the Mayor’s Office recognize that they need to be proactive today more than ever. He urges his colleagues to support this amended budget. The Chair takes a point of personal privilege. He thanks everyone, who took time to be here tonight, to speak as the members of the public about this budget. He thanks those, who have contacted them during this process over the past serval months, adding that it has been a lengthy and involved process from the outset. They originally thought the budget would be their sole focus, but world circumstances dictated that other issues also had to be dealt with, He is proud of the staff and the council for getting everything done. They received upwards of 600 emails, phone calls, and text messages from residents, who expressed comments similar to those expressed tonight. There is concern about the police budget. He thanks the Middletown High School students, who have been engaged -- those who are still students and those who have graduated -- all who came back to talk about their important thoughts on these issues. In some ways, it is unfortunate that the bulk of this work came out in the past 24 hours. They have been working hard all day to make sure that the concerns of these speakers have been heard and addressed. They will be going through some changes and he wanted to provide information in plain language. The Council  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |7 caucuses have been working on this budget over the past several weeks, in addition to facing the challenges of this Covid19 pandemic. The budget picture has required that the City spend more money than ever imagined a number of things and less on other things. The budget proposal is reflection of that. There will be a reduction in the Parks Department budget and the Arts budget. It is not a retreat from the commitment to the arts, but due to the fact that the annual Children’s’ Circus cannot happen his year. They are working hard to make that happen in a different way. They will not know the full fiscal, economic, or public health impact for some time. This budget should be treated as a fluid document as they work to appropriate or rescind funds, as necessary, as this crisis continues to unfold. Before talking about the Police budget, he notes that they have taken extraordinary steps. This budget represents an extraordinary investment in public education, an extraordinary investment in housing and human services. It represents a unique investment in the small business community in the form of the reallocation and appropriation of funds for small business, adversely impacted by the Covid19 pandemic, They understand that the public is focused on some particular elements of the budget, but he echoes Councilman Nocera’s comments about the effort that was put into this budget and the unprecedented investments into human services while slightly reducing the tax burden on residents. They heard a lot tonight about policing. It is not lumped in with everything else, adding that it is at crisis level across the country. He thanks Councilmembers for engaging on this issue in a very compressed timeline as they received public feedback. They were all, on some level, drawn to this line of work, adding that their priority is listening and responding appropriately to constituents and what they have to say. They are all accountable for the actions being taken. It is not the reduction of the officer that is budgeted back in March. He offers background on the reasons. The officer added in this budget is part of a plan in place for several years to meet minimum staffing requirements in Middletown Police. The hiring process will be subject to review by the Anti-Racism Taskforce, among other things. To Chief McKenna and the police and those participating remotely: this is a police department that evolved considerably in recent years. It is not a reason to stop, but to continue what we are doing. Hiring practices are at the top of the list that will be focused on to ensure that a true community policing model is established in the City. Another reason that minimum staffing requirements are important to meet is that, as they deal with a police force that is not ached to the population, we spend a lot of money in overtime, putting officers in a position where they work beyond a regular shift. The budget reflects that increase in overtime needs and is an attempt to try to deal with that issue. We take into consideration the research and feedback from the public about policing, about reducing any new tactic that leads to violence. He thanks everyone, who spoke tonight on that subject. He thanks the Police Department for years as partners in trying to get the City to a continuously better place, not to a fixed destination, as there will always be room for change and improvement, but in positive direction. When it comes to overtime, they put their money where the proverbial mouth is. Part of the rationale between adding personnel is City police overtime usage. They looked at the Police Department budget earlier in the day and made an adjustment, which will set the record. He is speaking so people know what is being voted on. They made a reduction of $200,000 to private duty overtime in the Police Department. That $200,000 reduction is one that they discussed with the department on a compressed timeline. They can live with this. It is a much smaller amount of money for a full-time officer. They are proposing to reallocate that $200,000 to a line item for social services in the Mayor’s Office to be used for staffing and programming for the Mayor’s Permanent Taskforce on Anti-Racism, which was established at a meeting prior to this meeting. He thanks the Council for their support of this initiative. He will allow Councilmembers to speak at whatever length they would like regarding these changes. He is so grateful to Finance Director Carl Erlacher and the entire Finance Department. The Council worked with him on this budget. A. Adopting the General Fund Budget APPROVED RESOLUTION No. 37-20; K: review/ resolution/ CC general fund FY20-20 RES 37-20 – 11 June 2020 Be it resolved by the Common Council of the City of Middletown: That the City of Middletown General Fund Budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, as prepared by the Mayor and posted on the City website pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order addressing publication of legal notices the COVID- 19 pandemic, is hereby approved and adopted, as amended: CITY OF MIDDLETOWN - REVENUES COUNCIL ADJUSTMENTS TO BUDGET FOR YEAR ENDING 2021 1000-03000-41110-0033-00000-0000-000 COLL: TAXES-REAL ESTATE/MOTOR VEH - 597,063 1000-03000-49030-0030-00000-0000-000 FIN: FUND BAL BUDGET CONTRIB -90,000 TOTAL NET DECREASE IN FUND 1000 GENERAL FUND -687,063 June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |8 CITY OF MIDDLETOWN - PERSONAL SERVICES COUNCIL ADJUSTMENTS TO BUDGET FOR YEAR ENDING 2021 Account Account Description Position Position Description Change ------------------------------------ --------------------------------- -------------- ------------------------------ ---------- 1000-05000-51110-0170-00000-0000-000 HUMRES: SALARIES & WAGES, FT PERM 17000-10910-01 HR GENERALIST 5,081 TOTAL NET INCREASE IN FUND 1000 GENERAL FUND 5,081 CITY OF MIDDLETOWN - EXPENDITURES COUNCIL ADJUSTMENTS TO BUDGET FOR YEAR ENDING 2021 01000 MAYOR 53460 KIDS ARTS 1000-01000-53460-0011-00500-0000-000 ARTS: KIDS ARTS 1 BUSING ..................................................... -9,000 3 ODDFELLOWS ................................................. -28,450 5 COUNSELORS ................................................. -42,880 NET DECREASE - KIDS ARTS -80,330 NET DECREASE - MAYOR -80,330 55450 SOCIAL SERVICES 1000-01000-55450-0010-00000-0000-000 MAYOR: ANTI RACISM TASK FORCE 1 ............................................................ 200,000 NET INCREASE - SOCIAL SERVICES 200,000 NET INCREASE - MAYOR 119,670 18000 POLICE 51358 PRIVATE DUTY OVERTIME 1000-18000-51358-0180-00000-0000-000 POLICE: PRIVATE DUTY OVERTIME 1 PRIVATE DUTY ...................................-200,000 NET DECREASE - PRIVATE DUTY OVERTIME -200,000 NET DECREASE - POLICE -200,000 28000 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 51576 EMPL BEN: PENSION CONTRIBUTION 1000-28000-51576-0000-00000-0000-000 EMPL BEN: PENSION - TEACHERS' R 1 ............................................................ -261,814 NET DECREASE - EMPL BEN: PENSION CONTRIBUTION -261,814 NET DECREASE - EMPLOYEE BENEFITS -261,814 35100 CAPITAL EXPENSE 59500 CNR CONTRIBUTION 1000-35100-59500-0000-00000-0000-000 CAP EXP: CNR CONTRIBUTION 2 BOE CAPITAL PURCHASES .............................-350,000 NET DECREASE - CNR CONTRIBUTION -350,000 NET DECREASE - CAPITAL EXPENSE -350,000 TOTAL NET DECREASE IN FUND 1000 GENERAL FUND -692,144 CITY OF MIDDLETOWN - EXPENDITURES COUNCIL ADJUSTMENTS TO BUDGET FOR YEAR ENDING 2021 Be it further resolved: That the mill rate be set as 35.8 to cover this budget, and said rate shall be due and payable in two (2) equal installments on July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021, in accordance with the Charter of the City of Middletown, Chapter VI; and Be it further resolved: That the Tax Collector be and is hereby authorized to collect said taxes. Councilman Darnell Ford reads the resolution and moves for approval. Councilman Philip Pessina seconds the motion. Councilman Edward McKeon make a point of order, stating that a word was misspoken when real aloud. It is noted for the record. The Chair asks if there is any discussion. He calls on Councilman Philip Pessina. Councilman Pessina thanks Council Majority Leader, Councilman Nocera. They have been on multiple calls, back and forth, since that started this budget process. He is pleased to have worked so closely with the Majority Leader and the diverse Council. June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e |9 A letter from Councilman Edward Ford. Jr., who left the meeting at 7:30 PM to attend another meeting, is read into the record by Councilman Pessina. It is with great honor that I support this budget tonight. I believe it is a budget that through bipartisan efforts reflects the values of our city. In this budget we fund our schools and support the hard work of achieving educational equity that our administration led by Superintendent Conner are doing every single day. We also carefully considered the needs of our taxpayers in this time as we go through a global pandemic and provide them the necessary relief they need right now. I’m glad that we will commit funds to our soon to be formed Task Force on Anti-Racism and that we have heard the voice of the community to take strong action and do what is right in pursuit of racial equity. In my absence, I want to express my thanks to the mayor and my colleagues on the council for all working together to make this budget possible. This was a great bipartisan and inclusive effort and I’m glad with the outcome. Councilman Pessina states that he supports Councilman Ford’s comments. The Chair calls on Councilwoman Linda Salafia. Councilwoman Salafia states that she will not be voting for this resolution for a number of reasons. First, again, the actual changes to the budget are being given out tonight. She had been told that no changes were being made to these resolution after Tuesday morning (June 9th). She was pleased, believing that, for once, they would all have the numbers beforehand. She has a problem with the cut to police overtime, private duty. Because she is just seeing these numbers tonight, she is unable to go back to see if there could have been other adjustments. She notes that police overtime for private duty is subject to the contract, adding that the City typically makes a profit. The $387,000 originally shown in the budget number: all that did was accurately reflect what it cost and the City would receive. She does not understand why they are taking $200,000 out of this line item, which is a wash with the revenue. She asks how that is technically correct as they are removing an item, knowing the City will spend $387,000 for private duty, which is the police working private construction. That is set by State statute. The City will bring in the same amount of profit, adding that the City has to pay that amount as it is set by union contract and by payroll. It is being spent. She also has a problem with the worksheet that they were increases in expenditures. Of these, she notes payments for Mattabassett (inaudible), but the full budget increased $10M. They City could have found (inaudible) . . . the teacher pension contribution was removed, which should not have been in there anyway. They could have done a better job with more cuts. Personally, she would have liked, seeing that all of the money for Covid 19, that should have been coming out of the City side, but it is being handled by the Board of Education. This now means that it is included in the Board of Education budget permanently, from year to year going forward. She reiterates: the City is now going to have to cover this now and going forward. A budget increase of $10M and we covered most of it by raiding the General Fund – the rainy day fund savings account – to cover these costs. She reiterates that they could have done a better job. She will vote “no.” The Chair calls on Councilman Grady Faulkner, Jr. Councilman Faulkner states that he is concerned about the young people, acknowledging that they did not take the Youth Development worker out of the budget. He hopes that the position will be filled, noting that he finds it hard to believe that it has remained unfilled for over a year. There is something wrong with that. He also points out that in the Arts budget, of the $80,000, there is $70,000, asking if the funds being removed are for summer jobs. The Chair states that was a Council adjustment, asking if anyone can speak to that change. Councilman Edward McKeon states that these funds are obviously for counselors, as there will be no need for camp counselors. The Chair calls on Councilwoman Linda Salafia. Councilwoman Salafia states that, from the budget hearing that the Council held – workshop -- they had budgeted the minimum wage increase at $15 per hour, noting that it is gradually reaching that amount, but that number is now too high. Councilman Faker replies that his point is, he brought this up at the Mayor’s Covid19 meeting about a week ago. The Chamber spokesperson, Larry McHugh, actually chimed in and said that the summer jobs coming out of the Chamber will be maintained. There were issues, but they would find something to do with the kids so that the kids would have something We cannot have these kids not having a job and walking around, adding that we need to be cognizant of that and see what we can do. He notes that Oddfellows indicated that it would try to get some of the kids as volunteers, but these kids need to earn some money over the summer. The Chair asks if there is any further discussion. The Chair calls on Councilman Edward McKeon. Councilman McKeon states that sometimes all of the zeros get in the way of what actually happened with this budget. He wants everyone to understand that the Mayor’s budget was passed, which mean that the entire Board of Education budget was passed; however the Superintendent asked for (inaudible). This means that he work he is doing for the children of Middletown will be ongoing, which is important to him and to everyone who ran in this past election as education advocates. The other thing that should be completely clear is that the police budget was reduced in a real $200,000 reduction, noting that this June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 10 $200,000 is going to fund the Anti-Racism Taskforce. He wants people to be clear about this. He states that he has watched the other side, quipping that the Council does not have a dais here. He has watched the budget process from the other dais for 15 years. He knows Councilwoman Salafia is a little upset that she didn’t see the numbers, adding that no one saw the numbers. That’s the honest truth. The Minority Leader was well aware of what was happening. He has never seen the kind of cooperation, the interaction between parties, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader. He offers kudos to Majority Leader Councilman Eugene Nocera and Councilman Pessina for working together to make sure that they brought the City together. Middletown is in a unique position as a City. He gives credit to the Councilmembers, who went before him, many of whom he criticized harshly, for putting the City in this current financial position at this time of crisis. Lots of other towns are scrambling to cover their budgets. Stamford, Connecticut removed $15M from its education budget. Middletown has a budget that came in flat, acknowledging that here are some set obligations, but the City is maintaining services for the City, providing for the schools. It is a credit to the Councilmembers, who put the City in this situation, to the current administration, who worked hard with City staff to get the budget there. He states that this is a good day for Middletown, adding that here are tough times ahead, a very difficult period, but the City is in a portion to weather this. He thanks his colleagues and the City staff, Board of Education staff, and Superintendent for getting us to where we are. The Chair calls on Councilman Vincent Loffredo. Councilman Loffredo calls Finance Director Carl Erlacher for a number of questions. As everyone has indicated. Mr. Erlacher has played an instrumental role along with other staff. These are clarifications. He asks if Mr. Erlacher is available. Director Carl Erlacher confirms that he is on the WebEx meeting, adding he is not sure of the proper procedure, but will answer. Councilman Loffredo states that he has asked for the opportunity to raise questions. He reiterates his request to the Chair; namely, that he be allowed to ask the Finance Director questions on this resolution. Majority Leader, Councilman Nocera states that they had all agreed that the Depoartment heads would be called into the WebEx meeting, if needed, so it is what the Council has been doing. The Chair replies that he has no problem with this request. He asks Corporation Counsel Dan Ryan if he wants to respond. Corporation Counsel Ryan states that, under these circumstances, the Council does not have Questions to Directors and he believes it would be helpful to the Councilmembers, and perhaps to the Mayor, himself, if Director Erlacher speaks. Attorney Ryan sees no impediment for Director Erlacher speaking. The Chair thanks Attorney Ryan and allows Councilman Loffredo to proceed, asking that Director Erlacher chime is, as needed. Councilman Loffredo states, for purposes of information, the documents that he is referring to is the resolution that was initially (inaudible) June 8th and then, of course, the one that the Council received today, dated June, 11th. He asks Director Erlacher to look at these documents. The proposed draft resolution on June 8th the mill rate was set at 35.8, which is a 0.2 mill decrease. He asks how that decrease was accomplished. (Inaudible) Director Erlacher replies that a 0.1 (one-tenth) mill decrease is $340,000. They cut the actual budget by $680,000, which brought it down 0.2 mills. He notes that $261,000 was removed from the teachers’ pension contribution. They canceled the purchase order that was in the Council Office and contributed that to the Fund Balance. They found $80,000 of Arts that was removed from the budget. Councilman Loffredo states that Director Erlacher is saying 60 plus 261 plus 8,000 plus 330 . . . he asks what that should total. Director Erlacher replies that it was 61, 260, and 80, which is $601,000. Councilman Loffredo replies, “Yes.” Councilman Loffredo continues with various calculations. He states the just wants to make sure that it is correct, as he looks closer and adding the numbers, he is looking for at least $340,000 for each point, mill decrease. The next document he is talking about builds off of the original. At the end of the day, the mill rate, while there are modifications in the next document that is now on the agenda and it maintains the mill rate as originally proposed. Before he moves to that, he just wants to be sure (inaudible). Director Erlacher explains that when they put the first $261,000 that made the cut, that actually bumped 0.1 mill because it was a bit of overage built in there on the expenditure side, which did not bump the 0.1 mill. That brought it down when they did the actual $260K, plus the $80,000, which was another $340K, that bumped the other 01 mill. Councilman Loffredo, states, with that as background, his next question, using the average value of a home in the City, assuming that the Finance Director knows. He asks Director Erlacher what the average value is in the wonderful range of housing in the community. If he tries to figure out how this 0.2 mills actually affects the dollar amount for the average (inaudible). June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 11 Director Erlacher replies that, off the top of his head, the fair value of the average house in Middleton is about $200,000. The assessed value is 70% of that or about $140,000. Every 0.1 mill is about $20 savings, so it is about $40 off the taxes of the average homeowner. Councilman Loffredo states that this is helpful. Moving forward to the resolution that is before the Council, some adjustments are being made and he wasn’t to be sure that he understands. There is a $350,000 change in the budget because they are decreasing the capital non-recurring contribution (CNR) for that budget, the CNR, not the operating budget. He asks if this is correct. Director Erlacher replies, “That is correct.” Councilman Loffredo state that, as he looks at the resolutions, the next increase in the fund for the General Fund was originally proposed at $337,063 add the $350 and that get us to the figure of $687,063. He asks if this is correct. Dirtier Erlacher replies that, without being on a calculator, it seems correct. Councilman Loffredo states that with this deduction of the $350,000 contribution, that money is not being proposed before us to be further reduce the mill rate. Director Erlacher replies, correct, adding that they had $7.5M coming from the General Fund to balance the budget of which a large chunk was the bond premium. That was reduced, brought down to $7.150M from $7.5M; they are using less General Fund contribution. Councilman Loffredo states that this money is accounted for in reducing . . . we are not spending that money, it is being reduced so we are increasing the General Fund contribution. This money is from the rainy day fund, correct? Director Erlacher relies, “Correct.” They are reducing the contribution coming out it into a revenue line item. Councilman Loffredo replies that here is $60,000 going back. He states that it could have been utilized, if it was utilized for a further 0.1 mill decrease in the budget, correct. Director Erlacher replies, “Yes,” if you feel confident about what collections will be next year. Right now, it is a grey area with what residents are going through. Councilman Loffredo concurs, noting that people are going through some very difficult times. He agrees 100% with Director Erlacher. We know from all the information that we read out there. He thanks Director Erlacher for these clarifications. He continues, stating that, in light of these clarifications, he wants to thank Director Erlacher for all of the additional comments made, the ordeal and efforts by everyone involved. He notes that many have not read the Mayor’s very detailed address to the City of April 27, 2020 when he released the budget. Toward the end of that budget document provided with the budget, the address clearly mentions, as someone who ran with his colleagues, door knocking an all, the Mayor mentioned and highlighted several different things in the budget, education, and a variety of other programs. Toward the end, the Mayor wrote, When I was running for Mayor, the issue that I heard more than any as I was knocking on doors because even though people love living here, the cost of living is getting too high. . . . Our tax structure (inaudible) most people in town, who are least able to pay. It’s a regressive taxation system. He also wishes to bring to the Council’s attention. As he looked over the past four (4) years, noting that this is a new Council and this is the first budget as they enter, move forward in their four year term, in the statement confidential annual financial report, dated June 30, 2019, on page 101, Table 6, fiscal report on tax rates. In 2016, the tax rate was 32.6 and by 2019 it was 36, which is a 3.4 mill increase. He divides by (inaudible) over that 4 year period, it is a 10.4% increasing the tax contribution (inaudible). He asks Finance Director Erlacher if he agrees with him. Director Erlacher replies that when he says 10% increase, it is probably 2.5 % per year Councilman Loffredo interjects (inaudible) and does more calculations on mill rate. All he wants to point out is that the time of the past 4 years, on closer analysis, after knocking on many doors, the cost of living and now faced with serious problem regarding folks making it through the pandemic, loss of jobs and all of that. In light of all of that, to spend -- noting that he contacted his colleagues and spoke with as many as he could – he proposes the following budget amendment to the resolution as now presented. He presents it in a broad way and asks Director Erlacher if he needs to be more specific and asks to be so advised. He would call everyone to look at the resolution and flip it over to page 2 and go the CNR contribution, reflected here, which were read. That part of the budget is on page 49 and Board of Education is number 2 and capital expense is number 1. He would amend that section for capital purchase for number 1 would also decrease by $350,000 making $700,000 in capital (inaudible), using that particular money, would make the necessary adjustments of all of the $750 as reflected in the initial part of the section where all of the other items come in, where the Mayor, where the kids arts $80, the contribution originally proposed the $600,000, contribution pension contribution. Those contributions equally on the capital side of the City and Board of Education and then adjusting for those decreases the mill rate would reflect  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 12 (inaudible) a 35.8 it would be 35.6. He moves that they make these changes and asks for a second to have further discussion. The Chair thanks Councilman Loffredo. He calls on the Council Clerk, who has a question. The Council Clerk states that the proposed amendment is not clear, so asks that it be submitted in writing. Councilman Loffredo states that he cannot do that this evening. He asks Finance Director Erlacher if he followed what he said. Director Erlacher replies that he is sort of following, but, if they don’t fund some of the CNR, then they will just be . . . (inaudible/ multiple speakers). Councilman Loffredo interjects, saying that account, the funding this budget in terms of CNR contributions is well above normal so the capital line for the City would go from $1,500 to -$350, so the balance would be $150,000 and the proposed incase already been made minus the board of Education (inaudible) it’s on the agenda for modification is the CNR part. The CNR hasn’t been . . . . For the record, what was the CNR in the current budget for the City of Middletown? Councilman Edward McKeon interjects with a point of order. He states that a motion was placed on the floor, but he did not hear a second. There is continued discussion. He asks for clarification as to what should be happening now The Chair thanks Councilman McKeon. He states that this is not the appropriate time to have a dialog with Finance Director. There is a motion on the floor and he leaves it to the Councilmembers, but the rules provide that. There is a motion on the floor. The Chair asks if there is a second. Councilman Loffredo interjects, offering point of order. He states that he spoke because the Council Clerk needed clarification. If there is no desire, he has no problem. People understand what he is proposing. Instead of a $40 average tax reduction, it’s helped our folks, he is doing the math. It would be dollars in their pocket. There is no second, so there would be no further discussion. The Chair asks if there is a second to the motion on the floor. The Chair asks the Council Clerk is she has a question. The Council Clerk replies, “No,” adding that she is simply asking that, at some point, Councilman Loffredo please send his amendment in writing as it would be helpful to complete the minutes. The Chair asks if there is any further discussion on Item 4A. There being none, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia nay The Chair states that the resolution is approved by a vote of 11 aye votes and one (1) nay vote. (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, and Pessina voting aye; Councilwoman Salafia voting nay). The Chair states the matter is approved. B. Adopting the Middletown Fire District Budget APPROVED RESOLUTION No. 38-20; K: review/ resolution/ CC fire budget FY20-21 RES 38-20 – 11 June 2020 Be it Resolved by the Common Council of the City of Middletown: That the Middletown Fire District Budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, as prepared by the Mayor and posted on the City website pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order addressing publication of legal notices during the COVID-19 pandemic, is hereby approved and adopted. Be It Further Resolved: That the mill rate be set as 8.4 to cover this budget and said rate shall be due and payable in two (2) equal installments on July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021, in accordance with the Charter of the City of Middletown, Chapter VI; and Be It Further Resolved: That the Tax Collector be and is hereby authorized to collect said taxes. Councilman Edward McKeon reads the resolution and moves for approval. Councilman Philip Pessina  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 13 seconds the motion. The Chair asks if there is any discussion. There being none, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia aye The Chair states that the resolution is approved unanimously with 12 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina, and Salafia). The Chair states the matter is approved. C. Adopting Sanitation Collection District Budget APPROVED RESOLUTION No. 39-20; K: review/ resolution/ CC sanitation FY20-21 RES 39-20 – 11 June 2020 Be it resolved by the Common Council of the City of Middletown: That the budget of the Sanitation Collection district for the fiscal year July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 as presented by the Mayor and posted on the City website pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order addressing publication of legal notices during the COVID-19 pandemic, is hereby approved and adopted. Councilman Edward Ford reads the resolution and moves for approval. Councilman Philip Pessina seconds the motion. The Chair asks if there is any discussion. There being none, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia aye The Chair states that the resolution is approved unanimously with 12 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina. and Salafia.) The Chair states the matter is approved. D. Adopting Water Pollution Control Authority Budget for the Sewer Department APPROVED RESOLUTION NO 40-20; K; review/ resolution/ CC sewer FY 20-21 RES 40-20 -- 11 June 2020 Be it Resolved by the Common Council of the City of Middletown: That the budget prepared and adopted by the Water Pollution Control Authority for the Sewer Department of the City of Middletown for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021 and as posted on the City website pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order addressing publication of legal notices during the COVID-19 pandemic, is hereby approved and adopted. Be It Further Resolved: That the rate of sewer use charges as adopted by the Water Pollution Control shall be due and payable effective July 1, 2020; and Be It Further Resolved: that the Tax Collector, be, and she is hereby authorized to collect said sewer charges. Councilman Philip Pessina reads the resolution and moves for approval. Councilman Grady Faulkner, Jr seconds the motion.  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 14 The Chair asks if there is any discussion. There being none, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia aye The Chair states that the resolution is approved unanimously with 12 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina, and Salafia). The Chair states the matter is approved. E. Adopting Water Pollution Control Authority Budget for the Water Department APPROVED RESOLUTION No 41-20; K: review/ resolution/ CC water budget FY20-21 RES 41-20 – 11 June 2020 Be it Resolved by the Common Council of the City of Middletown: That the budget prepared and adopted by the Water Pollution Control Authority for the Water Department of the City of Middletown for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021 and as advertised in the Hartford Courant on May 8, 2020 is hereby approved and adopted Be It Further Resolved: That the rate of water use charges as adopted by the Water Pollution Control Authority and approved by the Common Council on May 4, 2020 shall be due and payable effective July 1, 2020; and Be It Further Resolved: that the Tax Collector, be, and she is hereby authorized to collect said water charges. Councilman Eugene Nocera reads the resolution and moves for approval. Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell seconds the motion. The Chair asks if there is any discussion. There being none, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia aye The Chair states that the resolution is approved unanimously with 12 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina. and Salafia.) The Chair states the matter is approved. F. Adopting the Special Business District Budget APPROVED RESOLUTION 42-20; K: review/ resolution/ CC business district FY 20-21 RES 42-20 – 11 June 2020 Whereas, the Business Improvement District Board of Commissioners has met and in accordance with the ordinance, Sec. 272-14, Subparagraph G, has set the budget and proposed a mill rate on the assessed value of taxable real estate property within the district for fiscal year 2020-2021. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Common Council of the City of Middletown: That the mill rate be set as 2.18 mills to cover this budget, and said rate shall be due and payable in two (2) equal installments on July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, in accordance with the Ordinance Section 272-14 Subparagraph G, 2 (a) of the City of Middletown; and Be it further resolved: That the Tax Collector, be and she is hereby authorized to collect said taxes. June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 15 The Chair calls on Councilman Vincent Loffredo to read the resolution. Councilman Loffredo states that, before he starts, he wishes to make a point of clarification. The Council is adopting these resolutions with the date of July 1st, the traditional date. He recalls that the Governor changed all of the dates. They are adopting a budget in June, which they ordinarily would have done in May. He believes that the payment date is also moved for various taxes and he does not see that reflected in these resolution. They say July 1st. He asks the Finance Director or the Chair: can these resolutions be corrected to reflect that. The Chair calls on the Council Clerk. The Council Clerk states that, when preparing the resolutions, she specifically asked Tax Collector Lee Muscatello about that issue in light of the fact that the Council had adopted the extension of time for submitting tax payment. Tax Collector Muscatello explained that the taxes are technically due on July 1st and people can start paying their taxes on July 1st. There will be no interest charge until the day of, when the extension ends. The Clerk continues, explaining that she asked Tax Collector Muscatello if it was appropriate to use the July 1st date in the budget resolutions or the extension date. The answer from Tax Collector Muscatello was the taxes are still due on July 1st with a defined extension of time without interest. Councilman Loffredo states that his problem is what the extension date is. It should be on the record for the public listening, assuming that they are under the traditional (inaudible), adding it should be reflected at least for the record. He asks if these resolution should state this, specifically directing the question to Finance Director Erlacher, Mayor Florsheim, or the Council Clerk. Hopefully, this is 30 days forward and it’s not even mentioned here. The Council is acting as if the Charter and this time is not reflected in these resolutions. Maybe the City Attorney -- or someone -- should opine to be sure that the rights of the public, which are beyond what they normally are, are reflected this evening. The Chair states it is an important point. The date is 30 days from the regular due date, which he believes is about November 1st. He states that this has been publically announced at the Council meeting when it was adopted, It was not a State change, but the State provide municipalities with the option of adopting the deferment. This body adopted the deferment at a previous meeting. It was announced to the public. We can reflect that tonight. Councilman Loffredo proposes a friendly amendment that (inaudible) we are living in 2020, pandemic time. When is it due and payable instead of July 1st? What should it be, 30 days before November 1st, November 1st plus 30 days, adding that he does not think that was the intent. He asks if the Finance Director or somebody . . . that should be on the record. We need to be sure it is clear so please don’t get into arguments about this or that. We need to be clear as representatives. Can someone put this on the record? He asks the Chair if he knows the date, asking if it is it November 1st. The Chair replies that the due date is actually October 1st. That is the 90 day extension date. The Chair calls on the Council Clerk. The Council Clerk states, if it would be helpful, for the purpose of the minutes, Resolution No. 25-20, which was adopted on April 6, 2020, provides for the extension. Perhaps, to include something substantive in the record, a reference to that resolution can be included. The full resolution, as approved, states: Resolution Number: 25-20 Date: April 3, 2020 RESOLUTION WHEREAS, on March 10, 2020, the Governor of the State of Connecticut declared a public health emergency and civil preparedness emergency for the State of Connecticut, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes Sections l9a-131 and 28-9, in response to the global pandemic of COVID- 19 disease associated with a novel coronavirus that is currently affecting multiple countries and states; and WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency to combat the coronavirus that is currently infecting the population of the United States; and WHEREAS, the effects of the transmission of COVID-19 has resulted in the spread of infections in Connecticut and throughout the country, as well as resulting in shortages of personal protective equipment and other supplies that could jeopardize public safety and civil preparedness; and WHEREAS, on April 1, 2020, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order #7S, which recognized that Chapter 204 of the Connecticut General Statutes sets forth tax collection deadlines that will be difficult for residential and commercial property owners to meet in light of the significant job and economic losses experienced by Connecticut residents and businesses; and WHEREAS, municipalities have sought relief on behalf of taxpayers who are struggling due to business operations being suspended or ceased, layoffs and other complications due to the COVID- 19 pandemic; and WHEREAS, Governor Lamont’s Executive Order #7S created a Deferral Program to assist taxpayers in dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 16 MIDDLETOWN that the City of Middletown will participate in the Deferment Program created in Executive Order #7S, as amended, as follows: 1. From March 10, 2020 through and including July 1, 2020, all taxes on real property, personal property, motor vehicles, sanitation, municipal water, sewer and electric rates, charges or assessment shall be deferred by ninety (90) days from the date that such tax became due and payable. 2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, financial institutions and mortgage servicers that hold property tax payments in escrow on behalf of a borrower shall continue to remit property taxes to the City of Middletown, so long as the borrower remains current on their mortgage or is in a forbearance or deferment program, irrespective of the borrower's eligibility for or participation in the Deferment Program. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor shall be authorized to notify the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management no later than April 25, 2020, of the City of Middletown’s participation in the Deferment Program. Fiscal Impact: To Be Determined Submitted by: Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim Councilman Eugene Nocera, Majority Leader Councilman Philip Pessina, Minority Leader Status: APPROVED by Common Council, City of Middletown at its meeting held on: APRIL 6, 2020 Councilman Loffredo states that all of the resolutions should be amended to reflect the actual dates, just as we are reflecting the budget on or before. He asks if October 1st Is the appropriate date. Councilman Grady Faulkner states that the legal due date is stated. The Chair states that, as far as he knows, from following this process, the fiscal year is still starting on July 1st, so everything is in order as presented. The deferment of tax payment is strictly related to the collection of interest. Councilman Loffredo states that folks have the opportunity, if they wish, they would not knowingly (inaudible). He states that the Council Clerk referenced the resolution, which sets forth those dates, noting that those dates should be reflected in all of these resolutions. The Council took an action and is now taking another action. He does not understand why it is not happening. Councilman Faulkner states that one date is the collection date and one date is the due date. The appropriate date is in the resolution, adding that July 1st is not the due date. (Inaudible/ multiple speakers) The Chair asks that Councilmembers avoid cross talk. He calls on Councilman Anthony Mangiafico. Councilman Anthony Mangiafico states that he is not sure that Councilman Loffredo make a motion. If not, then the Council should move on. Councilman Loffredo states that no one is clearly interested in pursuing this in behalf of the public, he will move on and present the resolution as stated. Councilman Loffredo reads the resolution and moves for approval. Councilman Philip Pessina seconds the motion. The Chair asks if there is any discussion. The Chair calls on Councilman Eugene Nocera. Councilman Eugene Nocera states that he wants to put out to the audience, that they are adopting a budget that has no increase to fire, sewer, water, sanitation, and real estate is reduced by 0.2 mills. He commends the Mayor’s Office, the staff for working so diligently on behalf of residents and the business community. This was a difficult task and he thanks everyone for their very hard work. He knows that the results will benefit the community over the next 12months and beyond. There being no further discussion, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 17 Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia aye The Chair states that the resolution is approved unanimously with 12 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina. and Salafia.) The Chair states the matter is approved. The Council Clerk alerts the Chair that the next item has a substation that requires the two (2) votes. G. Approving that $350,000 of the Board of Education’s unexpended FY 2019-2020 balance shall be placed in the General Fund to be used by the City of Middletown and the remaining unexpended balance, up to a total of two percent (2.0%) of the total budgeted appropriation for education for such prior fiscal year, shall be placed in a non-lapsing account. This carryover complies with the governing provisions of Connecticut General Statutes Section 10-248a, as amended, as the dollar amount to be carried over amount: (1) does not exceed two percent (2.0%) of the total budgeted appropriation for education for such prior fiscal year, (2) each expenditure from such account shall be made only for educational purposes, and (3) each such expenditure shall be authorized by the local board of education for such town. APPROVED RESOLUTION 43-20; K: Review/ resolution/ BOE unexpended funds FY19-20 RES 43-20 – 11 June 2020 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN: Approving that the unexpended balance of the FY 2019-2020 Board of Education budget be placed in a non-lapsing account, provided such carryover amount, pursuant to the governing provisions of Connecticut General Statutes Section 10-248a, as amended: (1) does not exceed two percent (2.0%) of the total budgeted appropriation for education for such prior fiscal year, (2) each expenditure from such account shall be made only for educational purposes, and (3) each such expenditure shall be authorized by the local board of education for such town. The Chair calls on Councilwoman Meghan Carta to present a substitute resolution. Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell seconds the motion. The Chair states that there being no discussion, they will take a voice vote. Councilman Vincent Loffredo interjects, saying that the substitute resolution has not been read. The Council Clerk indicates that this vote is to make a substitution only. The Chair confirms that it is for a substitution only and that Councilwoman Carta will then read the resolution. There being no further discussion, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia nay The Chair states that the resolution is approved with 11 aye votes and one (1) nay vote. (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, and Pessina voting aye; Councilwoman Salafia voting nay, stating that it is not clear what is being voted on.) The Chair states the matter is approved. Councilman Grady Faulkner makes a point of information. He asks if this resolution is in Granicus. The Clerk confirms that it is posted in Granicus. Councilwoman Meghan Carta reads the substitute resolution and moves for approval. Councilman Eugene Nocera seconds the motion.  June 11, 2020 COMMON COUNCI:` BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING P a g e | 18 The Chair asks if there is any discussion. There being none, the Chair calls for a roll call vote, asking the Council Clerk to read the roll: Councilwoman Blackwell aye Councilwoman Carta aye Councilman Faulkner aye Councilman Darnell Ford aye Councilman Edward Ford aye Councilman Gennaro aye Councilman Loffredo aye Councilman Mangiafico aye Councilman McKeon aye Councilman Nocera aye Councilman Pessina aye Councilwoman Salafia nay The Chair states that the resolution is approved with 11 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, and Pessina voting aye; Councilwoman Salafia voting nay.) The Chair states the matter is approved. The Chair thanks all of the Councilmember’s for their work over these many months. 5. MEETING ADJOURNED There being no further business, Councilman Grady Faulkner, Jr. moves to adjourn. Councilman Anthony Mangiafico seconds the motion. There being no discussion, the Chair calls for a vote. The motion to adjourn is unanimously approved by voice vote with 12 aye votes (Councilmembers Blackwell, Carta, Faulkner, D. Ford, E. Ford, Gennaro, Loffredo, Mangiafico, McKeon, Nocera, Pessina, and Salafia). The motion to adjourn is approved. The Chair declares that the meeting is adjourned at 9:26 PM. ATTEST: LINDA S.K. REED, COMMON COUNCIL CLERK K: review/ minutes/ 20 June 11 – budget approval meeting - 11 June 2020