Board of Finance

Approved by the Board of Finance October 17, 2023 MINUTES Vote: Unanimous Vol. 7. Page 405 BOARD OF FINANCE REGULAR MEETING CITY HALL AUDITORIUM / ZOOM September 19, 2023 A REGULAR MEETING of the Board of Finance was held on Tuesday, September 19, 2023. Attendance was by Zoom and in person. Present at City Hall were Mayor Elinor Carbone, Treasurer Dan Farley, and Board of Finance Members James Wright, Laurene Pesce, and Deborah Iannacito. Comptroller Robin Stanziale and Board of Finance Member Christopher Anderson joined via Zoom. Board of Finance Member Mark Bushka was absent. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 5:08 p.m. beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Anderson, 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. Anderson, seconded by Mrs. Pesce, the Board voted unanimously to accept the Regular Meeting Minutes from July 18, 2023. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mrs. Iannacito, the Board voted to accept the Joint Meeting with City Council Minutes from August 7, 2023. Mr. Wright abstained. DISCUSSION ON AUDIT Mayor Carbone told the Board that the Audit was completed and that they all received a paper copy. Also, CLA (Clifton Larson Allen, LLP) will be coming to do a presentation on the completed Audit in a Joint meeting with the City Council and the Board of Finance. BUSINESS BY DEPARTMENT HEADS On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Anderson, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by department heads. Comptroller Robin Stanziale shared with the Board that the Finance Department has been short-staffed. They are currently down a Deputy Comptroller, Accounts Payable, and a Purchasing Deputy. She told the Board that they have Alice the retired Comptroller coming in a few days a week to help, Michelle the old Accounts Payable is coming in on Fridays, and they have an employee who used to work in the Finance Department that is moving back to Connecticut and will be working there again. The postings for the positions are on the City Website. Mayor Carbone said that they have been working with a stripped-down Finance Department for a while now. Mr. Anderson said that he is very grateful to Alice for coming back. He asked if this was a good time to take a hard look at the shared services with the Board of Education, Mayor Carbone said that she would reach out to see if this was something that they would be interested in pursuing. Mr. Anderson said that the City and Board of Education would be leaving a lot of money on the table by not working together, and Mayor Carbone agreed. Treasurer Dan Farley is excited for Robin to have some help and the opportunity to breathe. Mayor Carbone added that the open position in Dan’s office was filled by Kerry Vitali from the Senior Center. Mrs. Pesce asked Assistant City Clerk Heather Abraham if they were ready for the upcoming election, Ms. Abraham told her that the Absentee Ballots and Regular Ballots had come in, along with some applications, so the office is ready to start issuing ballots. BUSINESS BY MAYOR & MEMBERS On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Anderson, the Board voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and members of the Board of Finance. Mr. Wright asked if the construction on Migeon Avenue and East Main Street is going as scheduled, Mayor Carbone told him that everything is moving forward as planned. She said that they have had a conversation with the Council of Governments about the reconstruction of Migeon Avenue. She went on to say that the Bogue Road bridge has been completed, the Animal Control Facility has passed inspection with the USDA, and there will be a ribbon cutting soon. Mrs. Pesce asked about the forensic audit that the Board of Education had requested, Mayor Carbone told her that nothing had come to the Mayor’s Office, or the Finance Department regarding that. Mrs. Iannacito asked for an update on the Yankee Pedlar, Mayor Carbone told her that on October 3, 2023, there is going to be a physical inspection of the building. Mayor Carbone told the Board that she is currently negotiating a contract with a candidate for the Human Resources office, with a wealth of knowledge and experience. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by Mrs. Iannacito, seconded by Mr. Anderson, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn at 5:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK