City Council

Approved by the City Council & WPCA MINUTES May 5, 2025 Vol. 27, Page 506 CITY COUNCIL Vote: Unanimous SPECIAL MEETING LOCATION: ZOOM APRIL 10, 2025 A SPECIAL MEETING of the City Council was held on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Attendance was by Zoom. Present were Mayor Carbone, Corporation Counsel Michael Magistrali, Councilors Anne Ruwet, Drake Waldron, Molly Spino, David Oliver, Paul Cavagnero, and Stephen Ivain. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Board of Education – Administrator Contract (2025-2028) On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted, by roll call vote, to reject the arbitrator’s award in the matter of Torrington Board of Education and Torrington Public Schools Administrators Association dated March 25, 2025, as follows: Councilors Spino, Cavagnero, Ivain, and Oliver in favor of the motion, Councilor Waldron abstaining. Councilor Spino stated the following reasons for the rejection: 1. The arbitrator failed to give priority to the public interest and the financial capability of the City of Torrington, including consideration of other demands on the financial capability of the City of Torrington; 2. No evidence was introduced and the arbitrator did not consider, in light of the financial capability of the City of Torrington, (A) The negotiations between the parties prior to arbitration, including the offers and the range of discussion of the issues; (B) the interests and welfare of the employee group; (C) changes in the cost of living averaged over the preceding three years; (D) the existing conditions of employment of the employee group and those of similar groups; and (E) the salaries, fringe benefits, and other conditions of employment prevailing in the state labor market, including the terms of recent contract settlements or awards in collective bargaining for other municipal employee organizations and developments in private sector wages and benefits; 3. The arbitrator failed to require, and no evidence was introduced, as to the last best offers of either the Board of Education or the Torrington Public Schools Administrators’ Association; 4. The stipulation entered into by the parties on the issue of wage increases that the arbitrator adopted renders the statutory requirement that the arbitrator consider the financial capability of the City of Torrington completely meaningless; 5. The stipulation entered into by the parties on the issue of wage increases that the arbitrator adopted renders the statutory right of the City Council to reject the agreement meaningless. Adjournment On a motion by Councilor Cavagnero, seconded by Councilor Oliver, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn at 4:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK Note: At 4:14 p.m., the following email was received from Councilor Ruwet: I wanted to share that, unfortunately, my Zoom connection zoomed out at the time of the vote, but although it won’t be officially acknowledged, I support the motion. Anne