Board of Mayor and Burgesses

MINUTES BOARD OF MAYOR AND BURGESSES SPECIAL MEETING SET THE MILL RATE – FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021 MAY 13, 2020 Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Board of Mayor and Burgesses are practicing social distancing per executive order of Governor Ned Lamont. The meeting was held by Zoom Webinar, a remote video conferencing platform, and by phone. 1. Mayor “Pete” Hess called the special meeting to order at 12:20 a.m. with the following in attendance: BURGESSES: PRESS: L. Taf Jackson C. Marenghi A. Yilma M. Bronko J. Mizeski F. Dambowsky R. Neth RESIDENTS: J. DeOliveira R. Vitale Unable to determine due to the format C. Herb DEPARTMENT HEADS: E. Murray, Fire Chief P. Russell, Deputy Fire Chief A. Bruce, Controller B. Rizk, BOE Business Manager S. Hunt, Chief of Police C. Montini, BOE Assistant Superintendent J. Kallipolites, IT Director OTHERS: K. Hanks, Board of Finance D. Sheridan, Board of Finance Chairman J. Savarese, Board of Finance D. Scinto, Board of Finance Vice Chair 2. Motion by Burgess Neth and seconded by Burgess Bronko that the tax rate for the fiscal year July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 on the Borough of Naugatuck Grand List of October 1, 2019, as amended by the Board of Assessment Appeals, be and hereby is laid at 47.75 Mills on the Dollar, due and payable 50% July 1, 2020, 50% January 1, 2021 on real estate tax and personal property tax. All real estate and personal property tax bills $100.00 or less will be due and payable July 1, 2020. Motor vehicle taxes are hereby laid at 45.00 Mills on the Dollar, due and payable 50% July 1, 2020, 50% January 1, 2021 on motor vehicle taxes over $100.00. All motor vehicle tax bills $99.99 or less will be due and payable July 1, 2020. Burgess DeOliveira, Burgess Neth and Deputy Mayor Taf Jackson opposed. For the record: Mayor “Pete” Hess: “The mill rate today is lower than it was in my first budget. My first budget was 48.55. It’s lower today. We have increased spending but we’ve done a very excellent job increasing revenue from a whole variety of sources. We stopped kicking the can down the road. We’ve invested in roads. We’ve invested in infrastructure. We’ve bought equipment that hasn’t been bought for years. Property values are rising more dramatically in Naugatuck than any other town in the area. We’re doing well. Now having said that, I don’t want to raise the mill rate. But I’ll tell you this, next year is going to be even worse and we will, we can’t take a big hit on our bond rating. We can take a  -2- Minutes – Board of Mayor and Burgesses Special Meeting – May 13, 2020 hit just for what we did last year. I’ll note Jack, last year I’ll give you credit, you were the only one who was with me who didn’t want to raid the fund balance further but we did and that was a mistake. And that makes it even harder this year. The fund balance is important because it’s tied to the mill rate. We are going to be doing some bonding and that four hundred, five hundred thousand a year extra every year is going to be expensive. Sort term I agree. Long term I think we made the right choice.” 3. VOTED: Unanimously on a motion by Burgess Neth and seconded by Deputy Mayor Taf Jackson that the special meeting be adjourned at 12:26 a.m. A digital recording of this meeting is available in the office of the Borough Clerk for further review. Attest: Nancy K. DiMeo Borough Clerk cc: A. Bruce/E. Cornacchia/C. Tyler/J. Goggin/File