Board of Finance

Approved by the Board of Finance September 19, 2023 MINUTES Vote: Unanimous Vol. 7. Page 403 BOARD OF FINANCE REGULAR MEETING CITY HALL AUDITORIUM / ZOOM July 18, 2023 A REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Finance was held on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Attendance was by Zoom and in person. Present at City Hall were Mayor Elinor Carbone, Comptroller Robin Stanziale, and Board of Finance Members James Wright, Laurene Pesce, Christopher Beyus, Christopher Anderson, and Deborah Iannacito. Board of Finance Member Mark Bushka was absent, and Treasurer Dan Farley joined via Zoom. Fleet Manager Emil Castro and Board of Education members Fiona Cappabianca, Ellen Hoehne, and John Kissko were present along with the Superintendent of Schools Michael Wilson, and the Torrington Public Schools Facilities Manager John Barlow. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC On a motion by Mr. Beyus, seconded by Mr. Wright, the Board voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public. No members of the public wished to speak. APPROVE MEETING MINUTES On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mrs. Pesce, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Regular Meeting Minutes from May 22, 2023. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Beyus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Joint Meeting with City Council Minutes from May 22, 2023. On a motion by Mrs. Iannacito, seconded by Mr. Beyus, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Public Hearing Minutes from May 22, 2023. On a motion by Mr. Beyus, seconded by Mrs. Pesce, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Special Meeting Minutes from June 8, 2023. Mr. Anderson arrived at 5:04 p.m. VEHICLE REPLACEMENT ADVISORY BOARD – TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT On a motion by Mr. Beyus, seconded by Mr. Wright, the Board voted unanimously to authorize the expenditure of $179,408.90 from the Vehicle Replacement Account for an F550 Bucket Truck, as described in the Purchasing Agent’s letter of July 13, 2023, pending Board of Public Safety approval. The City Council previously approved this and authorized the Mayor to act on behalf of the City to award, execute, and administer the purchase. Mr. Beyus asked for clarification if upgrading to the F550 was going to cost the City, Emil told him that the vehicle was not included in the original approval, so when he went back to MHQ they offered to upgrade the vehicle from an F450 to an F550 at no additional cost to the City. BOARD OF EDUCATION TRANSFER On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Beyus, the Board voted unanimously to transfer the $200,000 surplus from the Board of Education’s Operating Budget into their Capital Reserve Account for the Torrington High School Turf Field. BOARD OF EDUCATION CAPITAL FUND On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Wright, the Board voted 3/2, with Mr. Wright and Mr. Beyus opposed, to accept the Board of Education’s Capital Fund Projects plan for FY 23/24. Mrs. Pesce and Mr. Beyus expressed their concerns about replacing certain things at Forbes as it has been discussed that the School would close once the new High School and Middle School are completed. TPS Facilities Manager Mr. Barlow explained that anything that could close a building is a number one priority, and health and safety concerns are a number 2 priority. The entrance to Forbes is used as an emergency exit and must be repaired as it has falling bricks. Mrs. Cappabianca added that this entrance needs to be fixed because if someone is injured with it being documented it would cost much more. Mr. Beyus said that rebuilding this is a waste of money not knowing the fate of the building, he would like to see it fixed for $20,000 and then use the other $100,000 on other projects. Mr. Wright asked if it would cost less to repair than rebuild it, and Mr. Barlow told him that it would be the same cost. BUSINESS BY DEPARTMENT HEADS On a motion by Mr. Beyus, seconded by Mr. Anderson, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by department heads. City Clerk Carol Anderson shared that the Secretary of the State is pushing for funding for new tabulators for the elections. BUSINESS BY MAYOR & MEMBERS On a motion by Mrs. Pesce, seconded by Mr. Beyus, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and members of the Board of Finance. MINUTES Vol. 7. Page 404 BOARD OF FINANCE REGULAR MEETING CITY HALL AUDITORIUM / ZOOM July 18, 2023 Mr. Wright asked when the next Court date was for the Yankee Pedlar, Mayor Carbone told him that the trial continues on July 19, 2023. Mr. Anderson said he was able to tour the new Highschool and Middle School and said that there was amazing progress so far. Also, he said that City Clerk, Carol Anderson was nominated as Town Clerk of the Year. Mrs. Pesce also went on a tour of the new Highschool and Middle School and was very impressed with the progress. She asked what the status of the Audit was, Ms. Stanziale said that they have a draft and that they are currently working on the placement of an item. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by Mr. Anderson, seconded by Mr. Beyus, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 5:24 p.m. ATTEST: CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK