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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
DECEMBER 16, 2002
A Regular Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Vayda in the Council Chambers of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, December 16, 2002 at 7:30 p.m.
PRAYER - The Prayer was given by Councilman Jones.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilmen Egan, Fiore, Hall, Jones, Kaupin, Mangini, Strom, Tallarita, Tait, and Vayda. Councilman Edgar was absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Town Attorney, Christopher W. Bromson; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Assistant Director of Public Works, Colleen Brand; Information Technology Director, Charlene Bond
MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETINGS
MOTION #6277 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Jones to accept the minutes of the December 2, 2002 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6277 adopted 9-0-1, with Councilman Strom abstaining.
MOTION #6278 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Tait to accept the minutes of the December 2, 2002 Regular Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6278 adopted 10-0-0.
Before Public Communications, Chairman Vayda read a brief narrative. He explained the intent is not to cross the line between being too autocratic, but at the same time allowing individuals the freedom and the ability to feel comfortable to address the Council and not feel intimidated or threatened in any way, shape, or form. The narrative was as follows:
"The structure of the Town Council meetings in Enfield allows for public comment on any issue at the beginning of the meeting under public communications. Rules set forth a five-minute limit for presentation. The Chairman will attempt to let the speaker know when 30 seconds remain and the speaker will be asked to step down at the end of five minutes to yield the floor. The second meeting of each month allows for a second round of public participation at the end of the meeting. The same five-minute rule applies at this point as well. Council rules do not allow for a back and forth bantering between Council members, staff, and the public. The proper rules of decorum will not allow for banter between members of the public at this public meeting. If a speaker has a question during public communications, it's requested they please be patient until the item can be addressed under Councilmen Communications or Town Manager Communications, at which point an effort will be made to answer that question. An orderly public meeting requires respect for all parties or those who currently have the floor. If a speaker wishes to have a discussion about something going on in the meeting, it's requested they step out into the hallway, but please do not interrupt other people's ability to speak or be heard."
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Mary Ann Turner, 7 Meadow Road
Stated she watched the previous Town Council meeting on television and she believes the meeting has to run under the direction of the Chairman, and the Council has to treat the audience with respect and operate under parliamentary procedure.
Ms. Turner referred to a petition submitted to the Council last summer requesting the Council reconsider breaking up the referendum questions. She stated her belief if the questions were broken up, the high school athletic field question would have passed. She stated if the Council wishes to raise the referendum issue again, they shouldn't do it mid-year. She noted if the Council has the money to finance a referendum, they should hold onto it and spend it wisely. She noted it's very difficult to get people out to vote in special elections. She suggested putting this on the ballot in November.
She referred to the Alcorn School and went on to state she sees short-sightedness. She noted she finds it interesting that the Superintendent all of a sudden needs 50 children and he expects the residents of that district to find them for him so that he can keep Alcorn School open. She noted the Town Council holds the purse strings for the School Board, and the Council needs to make them accountable. She noted it now appears they probably didn't have to build a Head Start building if the Alcorn School isn't needed because the Head Start could probably have been housed there. She pointed out the Town purchased a piece of property on High Street, and a building on that site will be demolished so that a Family Resource Center can be built. She suggested putting the Family Resource Center at the Alcorn School, sell the High Street property and use that money for some other project.
Charles Woods, 11 Westerly Drive
Referred to the recent referendum and stated the Town has an ordinance as to how the referendum is to proceed. He noted the Town is not only supposed to be putting out the "pros", but they're also supposed to put out the "cons" of whatever the proposal is. He stated he never saw the "cons" published. He stated his belief the Town is in violation of that ordinance.
Mr. Woods stated he has a press release that was proposed by the Enfield Taxpayers' Association and it calls for the resignation of any council member that won't take the word of the voters. He stated the Council is supposed to represent the voters, and he feels if the Council isn't representing the voters, there's no reason for them to be on the Council.
He stated he has been attending the EMS meetings and he feels a lot of issues are being missed. He stated this appears to be a territorial battle. He stated his belief estimated figures for the proposed service are very low and these service providers will do two things - they'll unionize and increase costs. He stated his belief many of these service providers will leave once they've been trained since there's a big cry for medical people and they can get better paying jobs. He stated his belief the Town needs to look at what the volunteers in the fire departments are doing for Enfield.
Mr. Woods stated his belief when the police station was built, they took into account space to house ambulances. He noted in the early 1990's, when the police submitted budgets; they requested manpower to drive those ambulances. He questioned why they'd need that personnel under the new EMS arrangement. He added they have only seen one set of numbers at this point, and that is for the proposed system. He noted perhaps the existing system with some improvements and changes in command and control would serve the Town just as well without increasing the taxes.
Mrs. Collins, Gordan Lane
Stated she is very satisfied with the current EMS arrangement and suggested not changing anything when it's running so well.
Mrs. Collins stated her volunteer group works eight or nine hours per day visiting and helping elderly people. She stated her belief volunteerism is when people give of themselves and ask for nothing in return.
Margaret Jedziniak, 233 Abbe Road
Referred to the Enfield Senior Center and stated her understanding the roof is leaking. She questioned who is overseeing this project. She noted the Assistant Director of Public Works stated this building was supposed to be complete by early January, but she hoped to see it open by Christmas, however, she now indicates they're not certain it will be complete in January. She questioned what is going on.
Ms. Jedziniak referred to the Head Start building and the Board of Education's Goal #3 which reads as follows: "To provide appropriate facilities to support the needs of the students and the Enfield community and actively participate in school construction projects." She further read, "the Board will give approval for only the expenditures relating to school referendum which meet the original construction outline as presented in the referendum question and approved by the voters". She stated the free-standing building was not approved by the voters. She noted the developer in that area is evidently suing the Town because of the runoff that went into a nearby pond. She stated she was able to get information from Town Hall that she was able to take before Planning & Zoning. She noted Mr. Giner has these records. She explained when Enfield High School was built, she recalls the Dellaquilla Construction Company did the project and they asked for a $50,000 overrun because of the terrain at that site. She noted she learned they were advised at that time not to build the Enfield High School in that area because of all the runoff. She pointed out they not only have the Enfield Street School in that area, but they're also including the Head Start building. She questioned who is looking after the taxpayers' interest.
Frank Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Referred to a Journal Inquirer article regarding two brothers, two injuries, two settlements on the same ball field. He questioned how this happened. He stated his understanding this was a $150,000 lawsuit. Mr. Shanley responded $145,000. Mr. Jedziniak stated his understanding the bases were supposed to have give-aways.
Mr. Jedziniak referred to the recent drownings in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He questioned the possibility of installing two or three big signs on the Freshwater Pond that are visible during the day and night. He noted the current marker is small and not visible in the evening.
Robert Tkacz, 1300 Enfield Street
Expressed his disturbance at the Council's performance during Public Communications.
Mr. Tkacz referred to maintenance of ball fields and noted in the past Angelo Lamagna did an excellent job of maintaining fields. He went on to note he spoke with an Enfield resident recently who plays softball. He noted this resident told him out-of-town softball players have a carte blanche to use Enfield's fields at any time without a permit. He noted this resident had to get a permit to use the Higgins field and the softball league from Suffield told him to leave. He stated his belief it's time Enfield started catering to the taxpayers of Enfield that wish to use their recreation facilities, rather than out-of-towners monopolizing the fields. He added his belief this is unfair and out-of-towners should be completely barred and leagues should have to get a permit like everybody else.
Mr. Tkacz stated the federal government is not going to reimburse the states for Medicare and there are now 45 states with a deficit. He noted school districts in other areas of the country are closing elementary schools. He stated one town is closing three elementary schools and is going to a four-day school week with longer hours and larger classes and eliminating sports programs at the middle school level. He noted there have been many government studies about larger class sizes and academic performance, and there's no difference in class sizes from 10 to 30.
He stated the CAPT scores in Enfield are poor, particularly math scores. He pointed out Windsor Locks and East Windsor are ahead of Enfield. He added studies have shown computers haven't done anything for education.
COUNCILMEN COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Councilman Mangini commended the Public Works Department and Town staff for the work done on the gazebo.
Referring to Mr. Jedziniak's comment about signage around the pond, Councilman Mangini requested Town staff look into placing signs around Freshwater Pond.
MOTION #6279 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Strom to add two items to the agenda - a discussion about the mid-year cuts coming from the State of Connecticut and a discussion item regarding the environmental study done concerning the potential prison expansion in Somers.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6279 adopted 10-0-0.
Councilman Fiore questioned when the Council can be provided with last year's tax suspense list. Mr. Shanley stated that will be provided as soon as it's ready.
Speaking as one of the liaisons to the Senior Center Building Committee, Councilman Fiore stated this project is still under budget. He acknowledged this project has been delayed a couple months due to some minor problems with the architect and the contractor, but it is proceeding.
Councilman Fiore concurred with Ms. Turner's comments about the Family Resource Center building and the referendum waiting until next November. He referred to Mr. Tkacz's comments about out-of-towners in Enfield's recreation program. He noted the Town had a plan that he was very comfortable with that was amended a few months ago, and he was against that amendment.
Councilman Kaupin referred to Councilman Fiore's mention of mid-year cuts from the state and requested a workshop sometime in January to go over the Town's financial condition and learn what the current impact is, as well as looking at the long term. Mr. Shanley suggested the second meeting in January.
MOTION #6280 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Mangini to add two items to the agenda - funding for homeland security and a patriot's award.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6280 adopted 10-0-0.
Councilman Strom referred to Mr. Woods' reference to the ordinance on "pros" and "cons' in a referendum. It was indicated the Town Attorney would address this under "Town Attorney Communications".
Councilman Tait commended Ms. Turner on her remarks. He noted during the Council's break he would like to learn about the volunteer group referred to by Mrs. Collins. He noted he is impressed with these volunteers.
Councilman Tait urged the public to speak before the Board of Education concerning Board of Education issues. He pointed out the Town Council does not have operational control over what the Board of Education does.
Councilman Hall questioned why there were surveyors around the South Maple Street bridge this past week. Mr. Shanley indicated he would address this under Town Manager Communications.
Councilman Hall stated she heard a comment from someone about there being an ice-skating rink in the Hollow on Town property. Mr. Shanley indicated he would address that item under Town Manager Communications.
Councilman Hall stated her belief it would be a good idea to include the Board of Education and Dr. Gallacher as active participants in the workshop concerning mid-year state budget cuts. She noted since the school system is a large part of the budget, they need to hear about this as well.
Councilman Strom referred to Ms. Turner's comments about separating the referendum questions, and stated she feels it was a mistake not separating those questions. As concerns the comment about Alcorn School, Councilman Strom stated her belief this has to do with the demographics of what the state and federal mandates are for numbers concerning low income and minorities. She stated this needs to be broken up so this means sending some students to another district or bringing in other students to the Alcorn district. She stated her belief this is the issue the school department is looking into at this point in time and how this can be addressed.
Councilman Jones stated he was speaking to a constituent recently about there being no crosswalk at Brainard Park. He suggested this be addressed in the spring. Mr. Shanley indicated he'd respond to this under Town Manager Communications.
Chairman Vayda referred to Ms. Jedziniak's concern about the Town accepting the senior center building in sub-standard condition and noted that won't happen. He indicated the Town Manager will address this further under Town Manager Communications.
Chairman Vayda referred to comments about the EMS arrangement and noted it was the fire department that came before the Town to say something has to be done about the current system. As concerns running this service entirely by volunteers, he noted there can be gaps in training and coverage with volunteers and there's the potential for problems. He stated he's not convinced that volunteer service in this area is the way to go. He noted there was also the concern about revenue recovery. He stated there will be a lot more discussion regarding this issue and they're attempting to get a lot of input from the professionals in this area.
MOTION #6281 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Mangini to hold the discussion regarding the prison environmental study at the end of "Items for Discussion".
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6281 adopted 10-0-0.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Shanley stated there will be a Public Hearing at Somers Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. on January 7th. He noted this will provide the opportunity to comment on the environmental impact statement for the expansion at the Osborn Correctional Institution.
He stated there are "no skating" signs already erected, however, they will take a look at those signs to make sure they're adequate and well seen, and if they're not, they will make sure that they are.
As concerns the Family Resource Center, Mr. Shanley stated the property was purchased with a federal small cities grant. He noted if they were to sell the property, they would have to return the money to the federal government.
Mr. Shanley stated EMS is a very complex subject and he will address that at another time.
He stated the senior center schedule is about one month behind. He noted it was scheduled to be completed on January 3rd, and they're now looking at the end of January or beginning of February. He stated there are a number of issues driving this. He noted they have very strong quality control, there are a lot of inspections, and the Town's building inspector, Project Manager, and architect are involved in this. He stated a lot of time is spent making sure the workmanship underway is going on. He noted the roof does leak in a spot, but the roof is not completed. He explained they were about to complete the roof when the snowfall occurred before Thanksgiving and it's been difficult to get up on the roof due to inclement weather conditions, and it's very dangerous to be up on the roof in those conditions. He stated as soon as there are better weather conditions, they will be able to finish the roof. He added they are under budget, and the Building Committee has worked very hard for a long time and he feels they've done a very good job. He pointed out the Committee designed the exterior and are very proud of their work. He feels the Committee should be commended for the amount of work they've put into this.
Mr. Shanley stated the Town received a complaint from Mrs. Pappas regarding silt getting into the pond from the Head Start construction site. He noted the Town has their engineers and construction firm working on this. He pointed out the Town received phone calls about other potential sources as well. He stated they need to make sure the Town is not causing the problem.
Mr. Shanley stated his belief that until 1997, municipalities were held immune from being sued for lawsuits relating to recreation. He noted there was a state Supreme Court decision which determined that municipalities could no longer enjoy the freedom from being sued. He stated it's taken a few years for people to know and understand this. He noted the Town does have insurance, and that insurance has a no consent clause. He explained the Town pays insurance, and it's completely up to the insurance company to make these decisions. He noted if the Town doesn't like the decision, the Town then takes over the responsibility. He pointed out there is no deductible on this, therefore, the taxpayers didn't have any out-of-pocket expenditure. He stated regrettably, it appears as though the Town didn't install new bases in time between these two incidents, however, they have now been installed. He pointed out the Town now needs to be far more aware of the investments made in recreation facilities.
Mr. Shanley yielded the floor to Mr. Kazmarski to respond to the query concerning the South Maple Street Bridge.
Mr. Kazmarski explained the survey party referred to by Councilman Hall is under hire by the Town. He noted they initiated all the field survey associated with this and another group will be working in this area regarding the archeological aspects of the project. He noted a report has to go to the state's historical preservation office before anything else can be done. He pointed out this is the first phase of the bridge replacement project.
Mr. Vindigni referred to the Brainard Park crosswalk and noted they did do a review with the Public Works Department and Public Safety Officer. He noted because there are no sidewalks on the north side of Brainard Road in the area of the park, they recommended against a crosswalk. He pointed out the proposed plan did include addressing this situation.
Mr. Kazmarski then updated the Council on roadwork. He noted the sidewalk work for the Hazardville streetscape has been suspended due to the inclement weather. He noted the only major remaining piece of work is the intersection of Hazard Avenue and North and South Maple Streets. He noted they were delayed with this due to the problems that Connecticut DOT has had in securing traffic signal apparatus. He stated all entrance walks that were to be poured concrete have been filled in with processed stone dust to make them safe and usable during the winter months. He noted loaming and seeding would be completed in the spring of 2003, as well as any pending items not yet completed. He stated all of the trees have been planted.
Mr. Kazmarski referred to Section 10 (School, Oak, Grove and Cooper Streets) are all completed. He noted Dusthouse Road has a drainage trench which has been patched with hot mix, and other than this patched trench, this road has not been touched, except for the section of road by the park past the last business.
He stated there are warning barrels and barricades set up by the contractor to warn motorist in all areas where there's a potential conflict between vehicles and uneven pavement.
Mr. Kazmarski stated Jackson Road and Sheridan Road in Section 12 are complete and Mead Lane has binder down. He referred to all of the roads in Section 10 that don't have the finish course down - all of the manholes and catch basins have been shimmed up and warning barrels and barricades are in place so that plow operators will know where they're located. He noted the same is true in Section 12.
He stated they have been checking periodically to try and get the contractors in Sections 10 and 12 to coordinate their activities to close up work and coordinate their activities with the bituminous plants. He stated the Town's engineering department sent out people to check out Sections 10 and 12 and some remedial work has been done this past week, and they will stay on top of the contractors to take care of the sidewalk areas that haven't been backed up by topsoil, stone dust, or whatever is necessary to make a safe transition from a new walk to one that is non-existent.
Mr. Kazmarski stated letters were faxed to contractors for Sections 10 and 12 advising them of their responsibility to maintain their construction areas throughout the winter months and if any accidents or problems occur in these areas, it will be the contractors' responsibility to handle the claims and process them as expeditiously as possible. He noted copies of these letters were also sent to Mr. Strachan, the Risk Manager.
He stated at this time they're concentrating on making walkways safe for pedestrians.
As concerns Councilman Hall's inquiry about a skating rink in Powder Hollow, Mr. Shanley noted Buildings & Grounds is constructing this. He apologized for the Council being unaware of this, but he did not know about this. He noted Buildings and Grounds is interested in constructing a rink in the area of the Higgins building. He added he appreciates the ingenuity and innovative of this idea, however, all plans have been suspended until there's an opportunity to discuss this.
TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
Attorney Bromson referred to Mr. Woods' inquiry about violation of the ordinance which allows "pro" and "con" writings during referendums, he noted there is not a violation. He explained state law requires if there is to be the opportunity for the Council to vote to allow "pro" or "con" statements written, an ordinance has to be passed to enable it. He stated it's not compulsory that this be done. He noted a number of years ago the Council did vote to do that. He added the Town also has the right to do an explanatory text, but that can't be pro or con and cannot advocate a position, and no funding may be spent for that.
Attorney Bromson stated all actions brought against the Town for negligence or personal injury are covered by insurance and the insurance company hires the lawyer and they have the sole discretion to determine whether or not a case is settled. He added there is a consent clause and if the Town does not consent, there's a deductible, and if they go to trial and the verdict is over what the insurance company recommended, the Town has to pay it. He explained the only cases where the Council is directly involved in litigation have to do with police cases.
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL
Councilman Mangini stated she recently attended an annual business meeting where the Financing Administration Intergovernmental Relations Committee (FAIR Committee) delivered its findings to the general assembly of the National League of Cities. She noted they discussed the federal role with regard to infrastructure, energy and different forms of legislation. She stated she would like to leave this documentation with the Director of Finance for his review.
Councilman Mangini stated she and Councilman Egan are liaisons to the Prison Liaison Committee and the last meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather. She noted they meet quarterly and the next meeting is scheduled for mid-March. She suggested the Council call a Special Meeting for the Prison Liaison Committee to meet immediately after the January 7th Public Hearing so they can discuss the re-grouping and moving forward of that committee. Mr. Shanley noted he would work toward setting that up.
Councilman Egan stated she attended last week's Senior Center Building Committee. She pointed out this committee scrutinizes every detail of that project. She noted it's unfortunate there's a slight delay, but it's being addressed on a daily basis by Town staff and this committee.
OLD BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
There were no Town Council appointments
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
MOTION #6282 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Fiore to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to remove Item #5 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6282 adopted 10-0-0.
MOTION #6283 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Tait to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to appoint Francine Roberts to the Commission on Aging for a term which expires 12/31/04.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6283 adopted 10-0-0.
MOTION #6284 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Strom to remove Item c. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6284 adopted 10-0-0.
DISCUSSION RE: CIVIC PARTICIPATION CHARGE
Mr. Jones stated there was a meeting on December 9, 2002 with the Civic Participation group, and it was the Council's consensus to go forward with a formal committee. He recommended nine citizens, two councilmen, and two members from the Board of Education.
Chairman Vayda stated his belief they need to come up with a charge. He summarized what he learned from that meeting. He noted the Town is heavily dependent on civic participation. He added the Town needs to set the standard for civic participation. He stated the Town shouldn't get into a situation where they're advertising for volunteers and they're trying to promote volunteerism, but at the same time people are falling through the cracks because of the system they're working with. He stated the "Statement of Purpose" developed by the Civic Participation group reads as follows:
"To identify the means of developing and maintaining a healthy, vital civic participation in the Town of Enfield focusing on broadening people's knowledge of the roles in civic government, exploring new and expanded forms of communication and information sharing with the public, sharing of information between boards and commissions, public recognition of volunteer service, and seeking out and encouraging a diverse group of people to volunteer for civic government."
Chairman Vayda stated his belief the commission should probably include civic government, but it probably goes beyond that. He feels they also need to be thinking about this in the context of other civic organizations and the problems they're encountering today trying to retain membership. He went on to state his belief the first order of business is for the Town Council to try and "clean their house first", in terms of how they do business and what they can do to help facilitate the process as a Town and then broadening this into the community.
Councilman Tallarita stated his belief there's an overall need for the entire community to attract volunteers. He noted the Civic Participation group came up with a lot of great ideas, and it's a matter of prioritizing these ideas and setting a long-term roadmap as to which direction they should go. He stated his belief at some point some type of funding will be needed to make some of these programs work. He noted this committee could come before the Council during budget time with priorities for the coming year, and the Council would determine the funding and where it could come from. He added the committee could also report back to the Town Council as to how the process is proceeding.
Councilman Mangini commended Councilman Jones and the Civic Participation group for their report. She suggested perhaps this group could get some direction from the Enfield Revitalization Committee since it appears they would parallel each other in some respects. She noted perhaps some innovative ideas would spring from both groups.
Councilman Kaupin agreed with the outline and stated the Civic Participation group has a long "laundry" list. He noted that could be broken down and that could become their charge. He stated his hope they will be able to get most of the members of the Civic Participation group to stay on as a Committee. He stated his understanding the Council has to come up with a proposed charge and committee structure. He questioned who does this, and would this be a subcommittee of the Council. He suggested to get things rolling, perhaps the Mayor could appoint a subcommittee to get the charge done.
Councilman Jones agreed with Councilman Kaupin regarding forming a subcommittee to get the charge done.
Chairman Vayda suggested Council members let him know if they wish to work on this subcommittee.
MOTION #6285 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Egan to re-table this item.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6285 adopted 10-0-0.
Items d. and e. remained tabled.
MOTION #6286 by Councilman Hall, seconded by Councilman Jones to remove Item f. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6286 adopted 10-0-0.
DISCUSSION RE: MEMORANDUM ON THE BOE PLANS TO PURCHASE A NEW FINANCIAL SYSTEM
Mr. Simmons provided an update. He noted they had a meeting initially with the Board of Education, school department staff, and their current software vendor to review some of the school system's specific issues to learn what kind of resolution they could get from the current vendor to meet the school system's needs. He stated his belief that meeting went very well and it seemed the issues the school system had could be addressed - certainly the issues with the financial software. He noted some of the issues that related to payroll and human resources could be addressed by the vendor, but it would require purchasing their modules to go along with the Town's finance software. He stated they
then went back and met with the technology group from the school department and the Board of Education and apparently the school staff at the meeting didn't share his opinion as to how that meeting went. He noted they certainly indicated that it didn't seem to go as well as he certainly felt it did at the time. He stated his feeling they are in a "no win" situation right now, and he still feels very strongly that the finance system needs to stay combined. He stated his belief that with some of these issues, no matter what is done, it won't be enough. He added he would like to continue with the process, which is to get the details back to the technology group, the details being what are the changes to the system that can be made to address the school system's needs and if there are any costs associated with that, what are the costs. He stated it would be up to the school system to decide what to do on the human resource and payroll side of it to go forward. He noted the next meeting is January 7th.
Chairman Vayda questioned if Mr. Simmons has met with the school department staff since the joint meeting. Mr. Simmons responded no, but he did get a prioritized list.
Councilman Tait stated his belief it's foolhardy to have two different financial systems. He questioned whether the items on the list are "nice to have", or "need to have". Mr. Simmons stated his belief it's a combination. He added some of the things on the list really do take time to do, i.e., there are some manual processes they do that could be refined and could free up some of their time. He noted some of those items are "nice to have", and he feels the school system really wants to go in the "nice to have" direction. He noted comments have been made that the system that the school system wants to go with is very easy to use; however, he doesn't want a system that generates checks from the Town of Enfield to be so easy to use that anybody can do it. He stated his belief part of the safeguard is that it's a little more complicated than that.
Councilman Tait stated the Town cannot afford to have any "nice to haves". He questioned if it's possible for the Board of Education to implement a system that they go out and buy without the assistance of the Town's technology department, and if so, he recommends the Town simply not fund it.
Councilman Fiore stated he had an opportunity to review the prioritized list, and he agrees with Mr. Simmons' comments. He noted he has been involved in this type of work for 25 years and understands the pitfalls they may potentially undertake. He questioned whether the school department's technical employees fully understand that if they proceed down this avenue, they will only accept a formatted file that the Town's system already would accept. Mr. Simmons stated he did communicate this. Councilman Fiore suggested there be one more memo clearly stating that the Town's IT staff will not be putting any time into re-formatting their files if the school system proceeds with this. Mr. Simmons indicated he could do that.
Chairman Vayda stated his belief this goes way beyond "nice to haves". He noted the issue for him is that if the Board of Education decides to purchase this software, the Council needs to make it clear what the rules of the road are going to be, what the obligation of the Board of Education is and what IT staff on the Town and School side will do. He pointed out this all has to be clarified. He stated this all has to do with financial controls and they need to be sure they are maintained. He noted this is not simply making sure the Town cuts the checks, but making sure they don't cut bogus checks, they don't have problems with data infiltrating the system that shouldn't be there, that they don't have crashes in the middle of the night because they get a bad file, and there can't be inappropriate data going to the ledger. He added there are vendor file issues, purchase order issues, numbering issues. He pointed out these are only some of the issues. He stated any interface with the Town system will have to be tested up and down since this is being built from the ground up. He noted Board of Education staff will develop the test plans because the test plans have to identify in advance and they have to be done by a said date, and they have to be approved by the Finance Director who has the responsibility for the finances and the legal authority. He pointed out test plans will include scripts, test conditions, expected results, along with assigned responsibilities by individuals. All plans and schedules will be approved by the Finance Director and IT Director from both departments. He noted if a defect is identified, they then have to do entire regression testing. He stated they do not play games with financial systems. He stated defect logs will be maintained and all defects will be documented with IT, Board of Education and the Town developing the minimum criteria. He stated enhancements will be implemented inversions. He noted they won't have enhancements coming up on the fly. He stated they will have to be spec'd out, documented and then approved before they're developed and then tasks will be assigned to Board of Education and Town staff, and they will then have to figure out how that's going to be paid for. He emphasized the cost of this has to be identified before they buy the software. He stated there needs to be a plan in place as to what should be done if there's a failure to meet these requirements. He stated his belief there are two options - one is the Board of Education maintains two parallel systems (their financial system and they continue to operate under the Town's system and rules), or they stick to the rules of the road as expressed. He stated if they don't meet the requirements or these dates, then they don't go into production. He recommended the Council pass this onto the school system in a memorandum form or as a resolution.
Councilman Fiore agreed with Chairman Vayda. He stated he's not sure where the money is coming from for the school system to purchase this financial package. He noted he is very skeptical of the $150,000 to $300,000 estimate. He stated he has been involved in these purchases in the past, and he does not believe they will be getting much for that amount of money. He stated his belief there are a lot of hidden costs, and he's unsure if the school system has thought this through. He stated his belief this figure will be doubled.
Councilman Kaupin agreed with comments from Councilmen Fiore and Vayda. He noted he sat through one meeting and questioned where the priorities are. He stated in today's environment "nice to haves" should not be a priority. He noted the Board of Education should focus on "nice to haves" for the students not for the staff. He stated these are well-paid, salaried people and they don't work just 40 hours per week. He noted if it takes longer to key in numbers, then they do so. He expressed his disappointment that this is an effort coming out of the Board of Education, especially in light of the difficult decisions that have to be made today and in the next budget. He feels the whole idea should be shelved, and they should work with the Director of Finance. He agreed with the outline that should be given to the school department, and he urged the Board of Education to reassess their priorities. He stated his opinion, as a taxpayer, that this is not a priority.
Councilman Hall stated she's not prepared to dictate to the Board of Education at this point. She stated if it's in the Council's capability to say they won't assist the school system in any transition because they don't think it should be done, that is where she would like to be. She stated she doesn't want to provide guidelines on what is expected in the transition, but rather she'd prefer telling them "no, you're not going to do the transition with our assistance".
Councilman Hall recalled when the Council gave the Board budget figures and received comments about not being able to afford custodians for the schools and Alcorn might be shut down because they don't have enough money to run things. She stated her belief it's appalling that they are looking at $300,000 to $400,000 for a system to make things easier for administrators. She pointed out she has been one of the biggest supporters for the Board of Education over the last five years, and she feels this is an embarrassment. She stated her feeling it was bad enough to split the IT department, and she feels going down this road is absolutely absurd.
Councilman Strom agreed with previous speakers. She referred to state budget cuts which make this a difficult budget year, and she feels the last thing on the Council's mind is making any kinds of upgrades or updates, and she feels this should be the last thing on the Board of Education's mind. She urged the Board of Education to look at what they have, see how they can make it work, and look into other areas where they can save money.
Councilman Mangini stated she does not support the Board of Education's thoughts on a new financial system. She added she supports the Director of Finance in that they need to keep the Town intact for all the previously mentioned reasons. She stated her belief the upcoming budget is going to be very difficult. She noted they need to send the message to the Board of Education that they need to run the Town harmoniously and that means at the direction of the Director of Finance. She voiced her support to the idea of a statement or resolution from the Council.
Councilman Strom stated her belief it's very important that the Council supports Town staff, and when the Finance Director comes forward with his concerns about this, and knowing the integrity that Mr. Simmons has, she really feels this is something that the Council needs to be very supportive of.
Councilman Fiore stated he would like to see the dialog continue. He stated his hope another avenue will be approached. He noted he's optimistic that perhaps they can proceed down the path of adding some of the enhancements to the current system and making that work to solve a couple of complaints.
Councilman Egan agreed with previous speakers and voiced her support of the Director of Finance. She stated if the Board of Education pursues this, it will be the children short-changed in the long-run because the money will have to come from somewhere and it's going to be cut from some program.
Councilman Jones agreed with previous speakers. He suggested simply saying "no" outright because it's not affordable. He noted companies all over the world are centralizing their software and why would they separate this. He suggested a resolution from the Council regarding this.
Councilman Tallarita agreed with previous speakers. He stated it frustrates him that the Board looks at themselves almost as a separate entity entirely. He noted they have to look at themselves as an entire community and do what's right for the community as they face the financial challenges in the future. He pointed out they have to put the needs of the students before the needs of the administration.
Mr. Shanley offered to craft a resolution and run that by Chairman Vayda to be available for the next meeting. Chairman Vayda responded yes, adding they need a statement to the Board of Education so that they can get out all their concerns.
Chairman Vayda stated there are a tremendous amount of costs that are not being analyzed. He noted he wants to be sure that the Board of Education staff is understanding of this, because they do not have the expertise to understand it. He stated the Town Council obviously cannot tell the Board of Education what to buy and what not to buy, however, if they do purchase this software, where does the Town go from here. He noted this is the other part of the issue, in that the Council has to make it clear what will happen. He went on to state his belief there are benefits to the community as a whole if they can find ways to fix problems, however, Town staff cannot fix problems for the Board of Education when they don't even show up for meetings.
Councilman Kaupin suggested the resolution be forwarded to the Board prior to adoption so that they understand this will be an item on the Town Council agenda.
MOTION #6287 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Tallarita to re-table this item.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6287 adopted 10-0-0.
Item g. remained tabled.
NEW BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
NOMINATION #6288 by Councilman Mangini to reappoint Deborah Fiore (D) to the Library Board of Trustees for a term which expires 12/31/05.
MOTION #6289 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Jones to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6289 adopted 10-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Deborah Fiore appointed to the Library Board of Trustees by a 9-0-1 vote, with Councilman Fiore abstaining.
NOMINATION #6290 by Councilman Strom to reappoint Joseph Jedynak (R) to the CRCOG Regional Planning Commission for a term which expires 12/31/03.
MOTION #6291 by Councilman Tallarita, seconded by Councilman Jones to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6291 adopted 10-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Joseph Jedynak appointed to the CRCOG Regional Planning Commission by a 10-0-0 vote.
NOMINATION #6292 by Councilman Jones to appoint Anthony DiPace to the CRCOG Regional Planning Commission for a term which expires 12/31/03.
Councilman Jones questioned why Planning & Zoning would appoint someone who is a regular member and will not be able to attend the CRCOG meetings. Chairman Vayda stated he talked to the Chairman of Planning & Zoning and he did not have any volunteers to fill this spot, so at this point in time they wanted to be sure they had a name so that the material would continue to flow back to Planning & Zoning.
MOTION #6293 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Strom to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6293 adopted 10-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Anthony DiPace appointed to the CRCOG Regional Planning Commission by a 10-0-0 vote.
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
MOTION #6294 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Strom to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to reappoint Lynn Marie Daniel (D) as a regular member on the Commission on Aging for a term which expires 12/31/05.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6294 adopted 10-0-0.
MOTION #6295 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Fiore to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to appoint Eileen Stroiney (D) as a regular member on the Commission on Aging for a term which expires 12/31/05.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6295 adopted 10-0-0.
RESOLUTION #6296 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Jones.
WHEREAS, the Town of Enfield has worked over several years to have the Secretary of State's Office make certain improvements to the State-wide voter registration system; and
WHEREAS, the Registrar of Voters, the Town Clerk and the Director of Information Technology concur that all necessary improvements have been made.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield authorizes the Town Manager, Scott Shanley, to execute all necessary documents to participate in the State-wide voter registration system.
Councilman Fiore stated he's in agreement with this, however, he requests a formal letter be attached to this asking the State to please add the Town's request for the enhancement for the voter tracking record. He noted this will have the Town on public record and on file as formally requesting that enhancement. Mr. Shanley indicated that will be done.
Councilman Kaupin stated he read in the newspaper yesterday that in 2006 every municipality has to be on electronic voting machines. He questioned if this is law or an unfunded mandate. He requested additional information on this. Ms. Olechnicki stated the law states the country does have to go to electronic voting machines. She noted the bill addresses funding, but the money has not been appropriated.
Councilman Jones stated he read today that this will be federal law in that voting will have to be done electronically.
Councilman Fiore reminded the Town Council they did put money aside in the Capital Improvement Project fund in anticipation of having to replace the voting machines. He stated his hope there will be some type of funding or grant money to help with this. He stated his belief the Town has set aside $50,000 or $75,000 for the future purchase of these types of voting machines. He noted once the Town gets on this type of machinery, it will allow for same day registration and voting.
Councilman Tait expressed his frustration with state and federal mandates and then talk about cutting budgets with reductions in the amount of money coming back to the towns. He added he's not particularly enamored with same day voter registration because he feels that's an accident waiting to happen.
Councilman Fiore stated in Washington there are a majority of elected officials who believe the federal and state governments should be doing less and that the burden should be at the local level.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6296 adopted 10-0-0.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
Appointments to the Historic District Commission and the Prison/Town Liaison Committee will appear under New Business on the next agenda.
DISCUSSION RE: RESOLUTION RE: BID WAIVER FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION - 2003-2004
Mr. Vindigni referred to the memo before the Town Council. He explained since the mid-1990's the Town Council has chosen to waive the RFP process for a co-sponsor for the Fourth of July Celebration. He noted there was only one Enfield-based, non-profit organization that submitted a proposal. He pointed out the Fourth of July Town Celebration Committee is the only non-profit agency that has ever bidded on this since the 1980's. He stated he has sent a letter requesting the Town Council to consider waiving the RFP process for the next six years. He noted as stated in the memo, the Town of Enfield does not pay the Fourth of July Town Celebration Committee any revenue for the event. He stated any municipal funding goes for the municipal services of fire, police, public works and support activities. He noted the non-profit organization is responsible for raising all the revenue necessary to run the event, i.e., entertainment, food, vendors, etc.
Mr. Vindigni stated the Council has a draft resolution that was prepared by the Town Attorney's office.
MOTION #6297 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Jones to suspend the rules to address Items c. and d. under Miscellaneous.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6297 adopted 10-0-0.
MOTION #6298 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Jones to recess the meeting for five minutes.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6298 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood recessed at 9:50 p.m.
Chairman Vayda reconvened the meeting at 10:00 p.m.
MOTION #6299 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Mangini to suspend the rules to address Item f. under Miscellaneous.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6299 adopted 10-0-0.
DISCUSSION RE: FRESHWATER POND
Mr. Kazmarski stated the permit was obtained from the Inland/Wetlands and Water Courses Commission for all of the work involved in the pond project. He noted a provisional permit from the Army Corps of Engineers was obtained but will not become valid until the Connecticut DEP issues their water diversion permit and their own Section 401 water quality certification for the project. He stated this in turn has been drafted but they have to wait until the DEP's office of dam safety signs off on the project, and this will then allow them to issue the diversion and a 401 permit. The project design and all the documents relating to this are 98% complete at this time. There is an item pending - a resolution of some alternatives for replacement of the pond draw-down pipe and valve. There have been problems in the past with drawing down the pond. The old valve system will be replaced with a new system that will make it easier to keep the water level at a more constant elevation and make it easier to draw down the pond. Once the wetlands permit was in hand, Baystate Environmental was in the process of finalizing all plans and producing contract documents. During this process, additional historical information was discovered with the help of Jean Blaser, Records Manager. This information created a conflict because the information that Baystate had been using in the design improvements of the dam was not reflected on these documents. He explained the structure is very old and it has received numerous rehabs and modifications during its lifetime. The actual work that had been done could not be fully understood without destructive testing or expensive non-destructive evaluation. Baystate believes the existing pond drain may be piped substantially different than what everyone thought, and it was based on prior information. He referred to the front wall that faces the pond where the outfall pipe currently exists with a grate over it and where they've had difficulty draining down the pond because of ice and other conditions. He noted this past week they removed considerable amounts of debris in this area and they ended up pulling the entire grate off. He stated the outfall pipe downstream of the dam has been flowing full pipe, and some people have commented this is the first time in many years they've seen a full pipe discharging in that area. He pointed out there's ten feet of concrete in back of that wall that was put in over the years, and this is what the outfall pipe is encased in. He noted once the pond is drawn down, they will send in a camera to determine its condition and to see if this can be salvaged and utilized for the new draw down valve system. He stated Baystate feels if this new information reflects actual conditions, the rehabilitation of the dam valve and the low level outlet could cost considerably less than the work currently contemplated in their present design. He noted it's conceivable it could be $100,000 less in cost. He stated because of this potential savings, they've been working with the engineer. He noted they requested a pond draw down so that they could do the evaluation from the downstream side, and they also want to evaluate the upstream side to get further survey data. He stated once this field work is completed, the design can be totally completed and submitted to DEP. He noted it's estimated that it will take DEP one to two weeks to review the revised plans and shortly thereafter issue their intent to issue the permits, and this will then trigger the release of the other permits. He stated the engineers will incorporate any comments that DEP and/or the Town may have prior to finalizing the bid documents and the bid advertisements could occur within four or five weeks of completion of field work with a bid opening of about four weeks later.
Mr. Kazmarski stated a contractor could be on site working by the end of February, beginning of March. He noted this is not the original time table that was envisioned, however, they have been having serious discussions with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Connecticut DEP because their original preliminary permit indicated they could not do any work whatsoever in this pond until the latter part of the summer when the migratory fish season ended. He noted this was debated, and they backed off on that and opened up the window in which this work could be done. He stated it appears they can start at the end of February, beginning of March. He noted the contractor will be required to construct the pond improvements prior to any dredging of the pond so that they can control and divert the flow around the work area and through the dam. He stated this work can in fact be started in the late winter or early spring, and the dredging work can be done in the late spring/early summer. Landscaping work to be done in conjunction with this project can take place and be substantially completed by this time next year.
Mr. Kazmarski stated if the field work and re-inspection is inconclusive, the engineers will proceed with completion of design based on the best available information.
Councilman Fiore requested a copy of this memorandum be supplied for the next Council packet. Mr. Kazmarski indicated this would be provided.
Councilman Fiore stated his impression work was to be done in the winter to cut down on odors. Mr. Kazmarski stated his belief the original schedule was to begin work in February. Mr. Shanley added if they can get all permits approved, they should just move forward. He noted the process to get this project permitted has been absolutely astounding.
Councilman Fiore questioned whether they're still planning to truck the dredged sludge to one of the open space areas that the Town purchased. Mr. Shanley responded yes.
MISCELLANEOUS
DISCUSSION RE: MID-YEAR STATE BUDGET CUTS
The Council agreed to defer this discussion until January.
DISCUSSION RE: FUNDING FOR HOMELAND SECURITY
Councilman Strom stated this involves a request from John DeStefano, the new President of the National League of Cities, that a letter be sent to the President, Congressmen and Senators requesting promised money be freed up for homeland security. She noted there is a proposed letter, and they're requesting towns send either a police or fireman's patch or badge. They believe attention will be brought to this matter if enough communities across the country do this. It was the consensus of the Council that the Town Manager could draft a letter for this purpose.
DISCUSSION RE: PATRIOTS' AWARD
Councilman Strom stated this was an idea raised by Jason McClennan, the owner of a barber shop on Pearl Street. He had an idea for an award to be given to individuals who have a history of being patriotic. He suggested perhaps this could be given out during the Fourth of July Celebration, and it was also suggested this award have a name. It was suggested perhaps this could be called the John Liro Patriot's Award. She noted John Liro was an individual who felt very strongly about his country and he was a prime mover behind the honor guard. She added he was also a Town employee. She noted this would be a very nice way to honor him along with honoring the people who come forward for this award. She stated they'd have to figure out a way to determine who gets the award.
DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION RE: AUTHORIZATION TO PROCEED INTO PREPARATION OF FINAL CONTRACT DOCUMENTS (BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVED)
Present for this discussion were Colleen Brand, Assistant Director of Public Works, George Rypysc, Chairman of the Enfield High School Building Committee and Richard Lawrence of Lawrence Associates.
Mr. Lawrence displayed and described several drawings depicting the design of the addition at Enfield High School.
Mr. Rypysc stated his committee had extensive meetings with all the users and maximized all the space. He noted he is very pleased with the work of the architects thus far.
RESOLUTION #6300 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Jones.
WHEREAS, the Enfield High School Building Project Charge requires the Town Council to approve the design development phase of the project, and
WHEREAS, the Town Council, having just met with the Enfield High School Building Committee, will review the presented design development plans and finds them acceptable.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby authorizes the building committee and the Architect to proceed in the construction development of the addition and renovation of the Enfield High School Project.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6300 adopted 10-0-0.
It was agreed the date of December 18, 2002 as listed on the resolution before the Council will be corrected.
DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION RE: EMS CHARGE EXTENSION
RESOLUTION #6301 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
WHEREAS, the EMS Advisory Commission has accomplished the first task of the most recent charge dated March 18, 2002 by developing and submitting an EMS Plan to the State Office of EMS; and
WHEREAS, the EMS Advisory Commission has worked diligently on several aspects of the second charge and find that any possible changes require a more thorough investigation and additional deliberation; and
WHEREAS, the Commission feels that extra time is necessary to develop recommendations that will be in the best interest of the Town of Enfield;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby extends the completion of the second item in the charge to February 18, 2003.
Councilman Tait stated his hope this will be approved. He noted this Committee has been working very hard and they have an enormous amount of information to digest with the proposal that was recently put forward.
Chairman Vayda shared his perception of what a Council liaison really is. He believes the role of the Council liaison is to provide a means of communication between the commission and the Council. He noted this would keep Council members who are unable to attend these commission meetings informed. He added this is also to providesome support for the commission, primarily allowing the commission to ask for clarification through the liaisons, to either bring it back to the Council or provide an answer right on the spot to help speed the process along. He stated his belief the benefit of the liaison is that various commissions can act more quickly with less time and effort wasted chasing down blind leads or going off on tangents. He noted the Council is also better prepared and better briefed. He added a more efficient communication is also developed as individual Council members do not have to ask questions individually forcing commission members to answer questions repeatedly.
Chairman Vayda stated one of the concerns is that they've had a change in the structure, and both caucuses do not have a representative as liaison. He stated his belief both sides need to have one liaison, therefore, he's replacing Carol Hall with Deputy Mayor Tallarita. He noted as Mayor, he is using the authority which he believes is vested in this position and it's stated in the resolution that formed the commission that the Mayor appoints this position and that it be one from each party. He pointed out he already communicated this to the Town Manager, and he let Councilman Strom know that this was what he intended to do.
Councilman Tait questioned if the resolution that the Council voted on states the Mayor shall make this appointment. Chairman Vayda responded yes. He pointed out over the years they've never voted on it, therefore, he does not believe it's necessary to vote on it. He stated his belief the role of the Mayor is to sometimes step up and take a leadership position and do what he believes is correct.
Councilman Strom stated her belief there are many ways this can be looked at. She noted the resolution does say appointments are by the Mayor. She stated there are many resolutions in the past that have stated this, however, it's always been in the Council's rules and procedures that it is with consent of the Council. She noted one of the reasons they never had to vote on it was because by consensus they came up with the appointments. She stated they always worked it out and made sure the Council agreed to the appointments before they were actually made by the Mayor. She stated her impression this change seems retaliatory rather than making the process work better.
Chairman Vayda stated they are not changing every commission, but EMS is a high priority issue. He noted they've already had two instances where they've been caught a little off guard because they didn't have someone acting as the liaison. He noted the advantage of each caucus having a liaison is that when they do meet, they have an opportunity to ask that liaison questions and have a back and forth discussion. He stated without that they have to make a list of questions for someone else to ask later on, and that makes things less productive.
Councilman Strom pointed out any Council member could go to an EMS meeting and any Council member could get a packet for that meeting. She noted there's nothing to say you need to have the term "liaison" in order to go and get that information. She stated her belief that taking that liaison position away from someone while anyone can attend those meetings or get those packets doesn't make any sense.
Councilman Fiore stated 90% of the boards and commissions have a Democrat and a Republican liaison, especially the important ones. He stated there are two high priority boards where the Democrats do not have a liaison. He noted one of those boards seems to be running fine, however, the Democrats feel they need an official liaison for the EMS Committee. He pointed out a liaison can be invited by the Chairman of a particular board or commission to participate in an executive session.
Councilman Kaupin referred to the guide for elected and appointed officials. He pointed out the Mayor appointed Councilmen Tait and Hall and their term expiration is November 10, 2003. He questioned if the Mayor has the right to un-appoint people. He stated he has never seen that happen since they usually need a letter of resignation. He feels they've put themselves into a very tangled web, and it will take legal advice to get them out of this tangled web.
Attorney Bromson stated he could provide legal advice, however, he would like the Council to work this out and then come to a consensus in the future as to how they wish to proceed and ask the Town Attorney for guidelines. He suggested perhaps between now and the next meeting the Council could come to some accord on this and they could then look to the future as to what the real legal format would be in the future.
Councilman Strom questioned if they are to formalize liaison appointments, does this mean someone couldn't fill in for a liaison that may be unable to attend a committee meeting, and if they do fill in for that liaison, can they sit in on executive sessions. She noted the liaison position is not a voting position, but rather it exists to bring back information. She added some of the points which have been brought up cause her to further question why this change is necessary at this point in time.
Councilman Hall referred to the Council's rules and procedures and stated her belief that the appointments made by the Mayor must be with the Council's consent. She noted if there is not a majority consent, how can the appointment take place. Attorney Bromson stated this will not be in the Charter, but he believes the rules and procedures do mention advice and consent. He added his belief the practice has been they haven't taken an outright vote, but they indicated they reached a consensus. He noted if the Council wishes a formal challenge, they would need a question in writing as to specifically what the Council wants to look at. He added his hope that between now and the next meeting perhaps the Council can resolve this.
Councilman Tait stated he and Councilman Hall were at a recent EMS meeting and recognized no one from the Democrat's caucus was present, therefore, Councilman Hall asked the Chairman to be sure that the Town staff included that entire package in the Council packages so that the Democrats would get the information. He stated his belief a very bad precedent is being set at this time.
Councilman Tallarita stated this appointment is not retaliatory, but rather it's a matter of just trying to be able to understand the information first-hand as it's communicated within the committees and to be able to effectively relay that information at the caucus level so that questions and answers can be given directly to the rest of the caucus. He acknowledged in the very beginning, he was interested in this EMS Committee, but he stepped aside because he didn't want to fight over it. He noted since this is becoming more important and the issues are current with regards to this plan, the caucus feels they need to have someone sitting at these meetings getting the information on a first-hand basis so that it can come back and be discussed. He pointed out the Council felt it was important to include in the initial resolution that there would be two Councilmen appointed as liaisons - one from each party.
Councilman Strom explained the original recommendation was for one Council liaison. She noted Peter Falk had suggested two liaisons similar to what they have for everything else, however, he wasn't suggesting specifically one from each party. She explained he meant two Council people being liaisons, not committee members. She concluded stating if eleven council members can't have two liaisons without believing they'll get information if one isn't from a particular party, she feels this is saying they can't work together. She noted this is making it political, and this shouldn't be political.
Chairman Vayda stated Attorney Bromson should know that under no circumstances would anyone hold him accountable with any opinion he offers in the best interest of the community.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6301 adopted 10-0-0.
RESOLUTION #6302 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 8(f) of the Town Charter, the following transfer is hereby made:
TO : Account No. 1300-0340 $5,000.00
Town Attorney
Technical Services
FROM: Account No. 8030-0840 $5,000.00
Contingency Account
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the amount of $5,000.00 is available from Account #8030-0840 as of 11/25/2002.
/s/ Gregory Simmons, Director of Finance
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6302 adopted 10-0-0.
DISCUSSION RE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT EVALUATION-PRISON EXPANSION
Councilman Fiore stated he had the opportunity to review the environmental impact evaluation for the prison expansion. He stated his understanding if this project is a "go", there will be no reimbursement to the Town of Enfield for any impact of this prison expansion in Somers.
He stated on June 26, 2002 a meeting was held with the Town of Enfield Department of Public Works staff to hear their concerns about this project. The Town of Enfield requested a formal public scoping meeting with the CEPA, and that meeting was held at the Connecticut Department of Public Works in Hartford on September 3, 2002.
Councilman Fiore stated there will be 45-day comment period, and comments will be accepted until January 16th. A public hearing is scheduled for January 7th in the Town of Somers.
He stated the proposed location for the expansion is between Osborn C-1 and Northern C-1. The expansion will consist of six additional housing units, each containing 30 double-bunk cells on each two floors for a total of 720 beds. New housing units will be Security Level 4 and would be joined to the Osborn C-1 by some type of connecting corridor. The Osborn expansion will also require additional parking spaces. Inmates housed in these cells require both a high level of security and a separation from the general prison population.
Councilman Fiore stated locating this new facility in another location within an existing Enfield/Somers property was also considered, however, despite a relatively large amount of vacant land, much of it contains natural resources that they did not want to disturb.He stated according to the study, the expansion will not generate a significant amount of traffic, therefore, impacts on air quality from increased traffic at local intersections will be minor. He pointed out that later in the report they do indicate it could be more substantial…"the proposed expansion will result in an increase in the number of DOC staff, visitors and service vehicle trips to the prison".
Councilman Fiore recommended everyone read Pages ES-6 through ES-9. He read as follows:
"The Town of Somers will receive an increase in their payment-in-lieu-of-taxes from the State of Connecticut. (He pointed out nowhere in this document does it state that the Town of Enfield will receive anything). The increase in inmates and staff at the Osborn C-1 that will occur as a result of this proposed expansion may result in an increase in the number of requests for responders for the Enfield and Somers fire, police, and ambulance services. The proposed expansion will have no significant adverse impact on the Town of Enfield or Somers' educational or social service system. An additional 575 employees will be required for operation." As concerns there being no impact on social services, Councilman Fiore noted there are some charts within the documents that outline this, and he personally totally disagrees with that analysis.
He referred to the sewage impact on Enfield's sewer system and stated his belief the Town of Enfield probably does have the capacity to handle this expansion, however, that capacity is something Enfield was counting on for its future growth without having to enlarge the sewer capacity. He reiterated there's no reimbursement from the State of Connecticut.
Mr. Shanley pointed out there's no PILOT money because this expansion wouldn't be taking place within Enfield's borders.
Councilman Fiore stated they will be re-routing the curve at the Route 220/Route 440 intersection. He noted the proposal from the consultants is that this curvature be expanded to impact the length in the stop and start so that they don't have traffic back-ups.
He referred to Page 377 and read, "Finally, it should be noted that a stepped up effort to enforce current traffic controls through this intersection should be encouraged. Periodic posting of police officers at this intersection, coupled with an awareness program at all five correctional institutions should reduce violations and foster a safer intersection for all travelers." Councilman Fiore stated his niece almost had a serious accident on Shaker Road. He noted the amount of speeding is atrocious on this Shaker/Elm Street section.
He stated his belief the correctional office needs to step up and educate their employees to remind them they're driving through residential areas.
Councilman Fiore stated the Council needs to pay attention to this proposal. He emphasized Enfield is getting no help from the State and there will be an impact on the Town of Enfield, i.e., increased traffic, police, fire and ambulance services will be called upon when needed, more pollution and noise, and he believes more people with unfortunate needs will be moving into Town as a result of 720 more beds. He noted all of this with no reimbursement from the State, as well as Enfield losing some of its sewer capacity needs to be addressed before this expansion occurs.
COUNCILMEN COMMUNCIATIONS
No one wished to speak.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #6303 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Jones to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6303 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 11:20 p.m.
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Last Updated: Tuesday, Dec 31, 2002
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