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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
MAY 15, 2000
A Regular Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was held in the Council Chambers of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, May 15, 2000. Chairwoman Strom called the meeting to order at 8:15 p.m.
PRAYER - The Prayer was given by Councilor Fiore.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilors Dodd, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Hall, Kaupin, Mangini, McGuire, Strom, Surapine, and Vayda. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Town Attorney, Christopher W. Bromson; Assistant Town Attorney, Maria Stavropoulos; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons; Director of Community Development, Debbie U. Oppermann; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski.
MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETINGS
MOTION #4620 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Egan to accept the minutes of the April 26, 2000 meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4620 adopted 9-0-2, with Councilors Dodd and Strom abstaining.
MOTION #4621 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Mangini to accept the minutes of the May 1, 2000 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4621 adopted 10-0-1, with Chairwoman Strom abstaining.
MOTION #4622 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Surapine to accept the minutes of the May 1, 2000 Regular Meeting.
It was noted that at the top of Page 5, the date should be 5/1/2000.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4622 adopted 9-0-2, with Councilors Strom and Vayda abstaining.
MOTION #4623 by Councilor Mangini, seconded by Councilor Falk to accept the minutes of the May 3, 2000 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4623 adopted 8-0-3, with Councilors Kaupin, Vayda, and Strom abstaining.
MOTION #4624 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Vayda to accept the minutes of the May 6, 2000 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4624 adopted 8-0-3, with Councilors Kaupin, Strom and Surapine abstaining.
MOTION #4625 by Councilor Mangini, seconded by Councilor Falk to accept the minutes of the May 8, 2000 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4625 adopted 9-0-2, with Councilors Kaupin and McGuire abstaining.
MOTION #4626 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Dodd to accept the minutes of the May 9, 2000 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4626 adopted 9-0-2, with Councilors McGuire and Surapine abstaining.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Nancy Bent, 9 Abbewood
Spoke in favor of trash collection at condominium complexes. She stated her belief the private road issue has been resolved. She noted her condo is assessed exactly as a regular home is assessed. She pointed out condo owners are helping to fund the various departments that provide a variety of services. She stated condo owners are asking for a service that is being denied them. She stated her hope this will be handled the right way.
Mr. Bernard, The Laurels
Pointed out the police and fire departments do not have a problem entering private property, therefore, he does not see any problem for the Town to enter private property. He pointed out condo owners pay their fair share of taxes, however, they dont get their fair share of services. He urged the Council to look at this and be fair.
Steve Munson, 7 Bradley Circle
Questioned how the Town can let old decisions of condominium developers still stand today. He pointed out condo owners pay the same amount of taxes as everyone else. He noted he has a problem with condo owners not having the same services as everyone else. He stated this has been dragging on for a long time, and he feels theres a way to work things out. He urged the Council to work with the Condo Association to find a way to make things happen.
Earl Briggs, 84 Putnam Lane
Stated hes looking for a vote of confidence for the Purple Heart Committee. He informed the Council there will be a flag raising ceremony at the site of the Purple Heart Museum on May 30, 2000 at 10:30 a.m. He noted everyone is invited to attend.
Scott Cassarino, Brookside Village
Urged the Town Council to give consideration to the condo issue.
Robert Meunier, Still Meadows
Stated his hope the Council will reconsider the condo issue.
Robin Woods, 15 Elm Meadows
Pointed out trash collection is truly the only issue of condo owners. She questioned whether this really is a big issue. She added shes very puzzled why this is going nowhere.
John Egan, The Meadows
Stated his real estate taxes for his condo are approximately equal to a very large house he owned in Springfield. He feels its a great injustice that condo owners pay for trash collection, but do not receive that service. He requested the Council reconsider this.
Lillian Salter, Candlewood Village
Noted Candlewood Village has 112 households, and theyre asking for the Councils support in resolving the trash collection issue.
Marjorie Willis, Maple Heights
Urged the Council to reconsider the condo trash collection issue. She reminded the Council of all the taxes the condo owners pay.
Robert Tkacz, 1300 Enfield Street
Expressed appreciation to the Town Manager for action taken to resolve problems at the library. He went on to commend the Town Council for taking action for the Alcorn School. He added his belief there are some real air conditioning/heating issues at the Fermi High School.
Mr. Tkacz stated his belief condo owners are asking over and above what theyre entitled to.
COUNCILOR COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Councilor Mangini stated there will be a Community Policing meeting at 7:00 p.m. on May 17th at the Parkman Elementary School.
Referring to a letter from former Mayor Frank Mancuso, Councilor Kaupin requested an opinion on the definition of Councilor vs Councilmen. Chairwoman Strom noted the Charter refers to all of the elected people to the Town Council as "Councilman". She questioned if the title can be changed to "Councilor" without changing the wording in the Charter.
Councilor Kaupin, again referring to Mr. Mancusos letter, requested an opinion regarding the motion adopted by the Town Council regarding the destroying of police side arms. Mr. Shanley stated he spoke to Mr. Mancuso at length on that.
Councilor Surapine thanked the Town Manager for putting out the Town meeting sign. He also recognized the time and energy put forth by the Public Works Department for assisting him in areas such as potholes, street signs, and a sidewalk issue.
Councilor Surapine recognized Earl Briggs and his service to his country. He also voiced his support of the Purple Heart Museum and everything it represents.
Councilor Fiore stated he received a letter from one of the members of the Senior Center Building Committee requesting an informal meeting of that Committee be put together so that the members can get to know each other. Mr. Shanley stated they sent the Committee the charge. Chairwoman Strom suggested the Committee review a schematic for the senior center so that they have a "jump start". Mr. Shanley indicated they will try to put something together in the next couple weeks.
OLD BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
Items a. through d. remained tabled.
MOTION #4627 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Vayda to remove Item e. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4627 adopted 11-0-0.
Chairwoman Strom questioned what kind of time table are they looking at.
Mr. Shanley stated the only time table he heard was this summer, however, they did not give a definitive starting date.
MOTION #4628 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Mangini to retable this item.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4628 adopted 11-0-0.
Items f., g., and h. remained tabled.
NEW BUSINESS
All appointments remained on the agenda.
RESOLUTION RE: REALLOCATION OF PRISON FUNDS
It was agreed this item would be discussed at a Special Meeting.
RESOLUTION #4629 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Mangini.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council, Town of Enfield, hereby directs that rubbish collection service be extended to Condominiums and Planned Residential Developments to include collection on private property as outlined on the attached document by March 1, 2001.
(Attachment appended to minutes.)
Councilor Kaupin stated his belief its unjust that the Town does not collect trash for condominiums. He stated his belief it would be less expensive over ten years to pick up condo trash rather than giving a rebate.
Councilor Hall questioned the idea of changing the date in the resolution since that date wont work logistically without the appropriation. Councilor Kaupin stated if Councilors truly support the policy, then they have to fund it. He noted he would be against changing the date because he would not want to delay the motion. He stated the vote they did on the budget, and the vote theyre doing on the policy stand together. He noted if Councilors really support the policy, then they would have voted for the money.
Councilor Hall pointed out there are a lot of CIP projects and the way they have the years appropriated out for certain projects, it would be unfair to throw almost $300,000 out to fund something in one year. She stated she would like to see the date change because it doesnt make sense with no money to fund it. She noted by moving the date out, at least it gives these people a chance to see this funded next year or the year after without closing the door.
Councilor Fiore stated he would like to change the date to provide the opportunity to come up with some funds.
Chairwoman Strom questioned if the Council is looking to fund it again over two years, i.e., putting it in the July 1, 2001 budget to be implemented in July 2002. She stated if thats the plan, then an amendment should be made.
Councilor McGuire questioned what their options are, besides this resolution and saying "no" to the funding in this budget.
Councilor Kaupin stated the program drafted from Public Works called for the capital expenditure of $200,000 for the front end loader, $80,000 for the tipper barrels and bins, but $60,000 of that would come back to the Town, therefore, the outlay was $220,000. He stated there was also a savings in the Town budget. He explained, "if you wash what the cost would be for the person and his/her benefits and the additional tipping fees offset by the savings of no longer having the contract expense and the savings of no longer having to provide a recycling rebate to the condominiums because wed be picking up the recycling - to me thats a positive for the Town of $12,500." He noted theres money they tried to get allocated for capital, but theres also savings on the operating side of the budget. He stated either way, in the big picture, it still comes down to a difference of about $100,000. He noted if people are not in favor of the resolution, they could vote it down, and the resolution can always come up again if people wish to bring it forward.
Councilor Egan questioned why there wasnt an amendment made to phase this in over two or three years.
Councilor Dodd stated his belief the issue isnt money, but rather the issue of private land. He voiced his concern about opening a Pandoras Box by going onto private land.
Councilor Mangini stated her belief there are still issues to be resolved.
Councilor Hall stated she would like to see a date change so that this can be looked at again.
Councilor Vayda stated the Planning & Zoning Commission granted the permits for the building of condominium developments, and the agreement established with the Town was that the streets would not be plowed or maintained because they were private streets and that there would be no trash pick-up, and that was all part of the process whereby these developments were established. He noted now theyre saying that decision should be reversed. He noted he questions what that implies if the Council were to reverse that decision tonight and other decisions that occur in Planning & Zoning or other regulatory agencies. He stated at this point hes not convinced they should do this as a matter of policy, however, if some of these questions can be answered to his satisfaction and they can come up with some alternative solutions, hes willing to listen.
Councilor Falk noted at the last meeting he requested information on tonnage generated. He questioned what impact would there be on tonnage, disposal costs, and manpower if condo owners brought their trash to the street. Mr. Shanley stated they calculated the tonnage numbers into the collection concept.
Councilor Falk agreed with Councilor Dodd in that this is not a money issue, but rather a private property issue.
Chairwoman Strom stated when condo owners signed their agreements, they did know they were buying into a private complex and a complex that they had to pay certain fees for. She noted if the sales prices were lower because services werent being provided, that would reflect in taxes. She agreed this would be opening a Pandoras Box.
Councilor McGuire stated his belief the Council is in the business to review and change policy if it makes sense, and he feels it makes sense in this case to work with the condominium owners. Councilor Surapine stated he lived in a private development and paid for those services and knew up front he would be paying for those services. He stated his belief all condominium owners knew what they were getting involved with as well.
Councilor Egan stated her belief that going onto private property is something the Town should look at very seriously. She added her belief this would be setting a huge precedent. She pointed out buyers knew what they were buying into. She added when the Town looked at these developments, they took into consideration that they wouldnt have to provide services.
Councilor Kaupin stated people are willing to pay their fair taxes. He stated his belief they have to go beyond what exists today. He stated his belief whats in existence today is not right, nor fair. He suggested looking at what is policy today because he feels its wrong, and that is why its on the agenda to be changed.
Chairwoman Strom stated she has heard from many people who are saying they are paying taxes, but are not getting all the services.
AMENDMENT #1 by Councilor Hall, seconded by Councilor Fiore to change the date to read March 1, 2003.
Councilor Hall stated March 1, 2003 would provide some hope for funding this. She noted during discussions about picking up trash, it was made very clear to them, as a subcommittee, that this was not something that had to happen immediately.
Councilor Dodd stated he didnt see a reason for pushing this out to 2003. He noted this goes back to resolving the issue of private property.
Councilor Kaupin stated if the amendment and resolution passes, does it legally bind the Town to provide collection in 2003, or does it become another policy issue that when theres a new Council in May of 2002, they can just reverse the policy and say "no, theyre not going to do it". Mr. Shanley stated a resolution can be enacted and reversed by a Council. He added if it were to pass as written, he would be in a difficult spot because he would be required to provide a service for which there wasnt any funding. He noted it could be done, however, theyd have to re-prioritize the budget and eliminate costs elsewhere. He recommended that if this is to be amended in any way, it be in accord with approved policies to insure that they have all hold harmless in place prior to
being required to provide the service.
Councilor Kaupin suggested perhaps they should go back to the drawing board and start to look at the willingness to work with the Condominium Association on coming onto private property and working with the Town Attorney to come up with a hold harmless agreement. He noted as part of the subcommittee they told them numerous times theyre willing to come up with the proper safeguards to protect Town trucks when theyre on their roads picking up trash. He stated his belief if the date is not in this fiscal year, they should then keep working on those issues that are troubling the majority of the Council.
Councilor Mangini stated she doesnt recall the rebate issue being fully reviewed. She questioned whether the whole issue needs to be revisited.
Councilor Dodd questioned if the resolution is passed, and they begin to provide the parameters of the resolution, can a future Council remove that resolution. Attorney Bromson stated if they actually start to provide the services, then he believes theyd have to continue. He added he could look into this further.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared AMENDMENT #1 defeated by a 3-7-1 vote, with Councilors Fiore, Hall, and Vayda voting in favor, and Councilor McGuire abstaining.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4629 defeated by a 4-7-0 vote, with Councilors Dodd, Egan, Falk, Mangini, Strom, Surapine, and Vayda voting against the resolution.
MOTION #4630 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Fiore to recess the meeting for five minutes.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4630 adopted 11-0-0, and the meeting stood recessed at 10:18 p.m.
Councilor McGuire left at 10:33 p.m.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
All appointments will appear under New Business on the next Regular Meeting agenda.
DISCUSSION RE: JOINT TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
Councilor Vayda gave an overview of where the Joint Technology Committee is headed. He noted Gartner Group is a consultant who was brought on board to help them identify what organizational and structural changes should be made to the Information Technology Department. He noted they began this by doing an analysis of the current environment. He stated they interviewed those responsible for day-to-day operations, as well as decision making and those responsible for planning as well as customers and users of the system. He noted Gartners conclusion was that todays environment is not very productive, and they recommended changes. Gartner recommended a centralized environment, but to do so, theyd have to have proper controls and service level agreements in place. He noted the advantage of this type of environment is that it minimizes the duplication of hardware and personnel, and it also requires a good deal of coordination and planning between both the Town and Board of Education. He stated if theyre unable to accomplish these agreements, then they would have to move to a more de-centralized environment, whereby theyd split up portions of the network and the respective Town and Board of Education IT Departments would have to be responsible for the maintenance and on-going activity of each of their respective networks. He stated the results of the research and subsequent discussions that they had with the Board of Education members and staff have resulted in a conclusion that the best organizational structure for the Town and Board of Education is a de-centralized structure.
Councilor Vayda stated at the last Joint Technology Committee meeting it was decided to divide the two organizations, i.e., the Board and Town IT organizations would be separate, with each department being responsible for their own WAN and LAN infrastructure. He noted they did decide that the enterprise wide applications, i.e., the financial systems, things running on the VAX system at this time, or anything that is truly enterprise wide from a technology perspective would actually be maintained by the Town-side IT Department. He stated to oversee that relationship, the Joint Technology Committee would continue to exist in order to coordinate the shared resources and to serve as a technology advisor for both the Board and Town where necessary or appropriate.
Councilor Vayda stated one immediate benefit he sees is that they can begin defining a working environment for both sides that would allow them planning for the future and to begin working on the real business issues that need to be dealt with.
He summarized where they need to go at the next Joint Technology Committee meeting:
o Formalize the existence of the Joint Technology Committee and set a Charter.
o Set the process of splitting the network
Councilor Vayda stated there will be some costs and issues that need to be discussed. He stated its important they define the responsibilities of each IT organization. He noted they need clarity and unambiguous direction for both departments so that they can proceed accordingly. He added they need to begin the process of defining the service level agreements and how their shared operations should function.
Councilor Dodd stated his concern that although theyre going separate routes, they will be tied together in areas such as finance. He questioned if something goes wrong, will it have a negative impact on the system. Councilor Vayda stated theyre not tying together so closely that if something happens on the Board side, the Town side will go down. He noted hes speaking more in terms of the network.
Councilor Kaupin stated wherever theyre linked, they will have agreed upon service level agreements.
Councilor Fiore stated he was hoping for a centralized organization. He voiced concern about problems later on regarding Outlook.
Chairwoman Strom commended Councilors Kaupin and Vayda for their work on this. She stated her hope service level agreements can be structured in such as way as to not place an excessive burden on the Towns IT Department. She questioned when costs will be available. Mr. Shanley stated theyre working on that now.
Discussion followed regarding the need for a Special Meeting of the Town Council. It was agreed to meet on Tuesday, May 23, 2000 at 7:00 p.m.
MOTION #4631 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Vayda to suspend the rules to address Item d. under Miscellaneous this evening.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4631 adopted 10-0-0.
Item e. will appear under New Business on the next agenda.
MISCELLANEOUS
RESOLUTION #4632 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Mangini.
BE IT RESOLVED, that Scott A. Shanley, Town Manager of the Town of Enfield, is authorized to sign the agreement "PROJECT GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND THE TOWN OF ENFIELD UNDER THE LOCAL BRIDGE PROGRAM for Pleasant Road over Boweyns Brook, Bridge No. 048013.
Mr. Shanley pointed out theres a 32% reimbursement.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4632 adopted 10-0-0.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
Mary Ann Turner, 7 Meadow Road
Stated Planning & Zoning is having a Chapter 10 review on Thursday night, and this will make a complete change on planned residential, condominiums, etc.
Referring to the light at Enfield/Weymouth Street, Ms. Turner pointed out this light used to have an automatic left signal. She requested the Council look into having the automatic left signal put back in.
Referring to appointments, Ms. Turner questioned whether applicants applying for positions on boards ever get the opportunity to learn more about those boards.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #4633 by Councilor Mangini, seconded by Councilor Falk to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4633 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 11:04 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeannette Lamontagne
Secretary to the Council
By Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Town Clerk
Clerk of the Council
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