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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2005
A Regular Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Tallarita in the Council Chambers of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, April 4, 2005. The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m.
PRAYER - The Prayer was given by Councilman Tait.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilmen Crowley, Dodd, Edgar, Egan, Fiore, Kaupin, Mangini, Tait, and Tallarita. Councilmen Peruta and Reveruzzi were absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki; Town Attorney, Christopher Bromson; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons.
FIRE EVACUATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Chairman Tallarita made the fire evacuation announcement.
MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETINGS
MOTION #7763 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Edgar to accept the minutes of the March 21, 2005 Special Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7763 adopted 8-0-1, with Councilman Tait abstaining.
MOTION #7764 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Dodd to accept the minutes of the March 21, 2005 Regular Meeting.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7764 adopted 8-0-1, with Councilman Tait abstaining.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Jack Sheridan, 7 Buchanan Road
Expressed appreciation to Councilman Fiore for his hard work on the Council and stated he was glad to see him in good health.
Mr. Sheridan stated his belief the School Board should be audited before the Town gives them any more money. He noted the Town should be getting the "best bang for its buck". He feels the teachers' contract does a lot for the teachers, but not the students as demonstrated by test scores.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Stated she is happy to see Councilman Fiore in good health.
Ms. Jedziniak referred to test scores in the Enfield School System and noted the average for reading in the fourth grade is below the state average and the surrounding towns. She stated her belief this doesn't bode well for Enfield since this town keeps spending more and more money and test scores aren't going up.
Ms. Jedziniak spoke about reckless skateboarding on Town Hall property. She suggested erecting signs regarding this practice. She added her belief they should not have installed a skateboard park near Town Hall.
Charles Woods, 11 Westerly Drive
Stated his belief they aren't getting very much for their dollar in the Enfield Public School System. He feels since the Council holds the purse strings, they can pressure the school system to better manage their budget. He stated his belief Enfield should have an excellent educational system for the money that's being spent. He pointed out most people support the children, but they don't like filling a well that isn't being used properly.
Frank Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Questioned whether it's possible to get more public attention about meetings taking place in Enfield.
COUNCILMEN COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
MOTION #7765 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to move Items 13b., c., and d. to 10a., b., and c.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7765 adopted 9-0-0.
MOTION #7766 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to suspend the rules to address Items 13e., f., g., h., i., and j. under Miscellaneous this evening.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7766 adopted 9-0-0.
Councilman Mangini stated there will be a volunteer appreciation luncheon for Loaves & Fishes on Sunday. She noted the Town Council has been invited.
Councilman Tait urged Council members to attend the Loaves & Fishes volunteer luncheon recognizing over 230 volunteers.
Councilman Tait commended Raymond Warren, Director of Economic Development and his staff for the phenomenal job they've done. He noted the growth has been incredible. He referred to the amazing progress in Enfield with the following businesses coming into town - Bernie's, Mass Mutual, Best Buy, etc.
Councilman Crowley stated the Scantic River Spring Splash was a great event. He then commended the Public Works Department for the great job they're doing filling potholes.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Shanley referred to Ms. Jedziniak's comments about skateboarding. He noted this is a chronic problem and they're always chasing off skateboarders. He stated they've had the police there and they've talked with Skate Lair to get their help. He pointed out skateboarding was a problem on Town Hall property before the new skateboard facility was installed. He added it has slowed down a little, but occasionally there's a problem. He stated they do have signs on order.
Mr. Shanley stated he will be inviting Mr. Kazmarski to report to the Council concerning the Prospect Street problem.
He distributed a document updating the full-scale regional emergency exercise for May 15th.
Mr. Shanley stated he has a notice of a meeting by the DEP to discuss water contamination issues on Salerno and Rebecca Drive.
Mr. Kazmarski addressed the Prospect Street sewer issue. He noted on Wednesday morning, March 30th, a hole was discovered near Kelly-Fradet on Prospect Street. He stated it initially appeared as a large pothole, but it turned out it was a rupture of a major, 21" sanitary sewer line. He noted the volume of flows in that line were quite significant-at least one-third of the total flow coming into the treatment plant. He pointed out this event was following recent heavy rain storms, therefore, they had significant additional flows due to infiltration into the system. He noted groundwater was high as well, and this added to the problem.
He stated the sewer treatment plant is a 10-million gallon per day plant, and it was receiving flows at the peak of the storm that were close to 17 to 18 million gallons per day.
Mr. Kazmarski stated after seeing the condition of the pipe, it was evident it was probably leaking for some period of time. He explained the pipe is reinforced concrete and in some spots the pipe was non-existent because it had burst apart. He noted the thickness of the remaining pipe was basically half of what it was when it was new in 1965. He stated the wire reinforcement within that pipe was either non-existent or barely there, therefore, about two inches of the interior concrete and wire were eaten away by the hydrogen sulfate gas generated within the system.
He stated they were fortunate to have a large excavator available and they started digging and tried to use three or four small pumps to control flows. He noted they were not very successful with these pumps, other than being able to bypass the break area and keep the sewage contained. He stated they still weren't able to effectuate any kind of repairs, therefore, they had a pump company bring in two pumps, which were each pumping about 10,000 gallons per minute. He noted they were then able to draw down this area so that the contractor was able to make repairs.
Mr. Kazmarski stated the work began Wednesday morning and work was completed around 2:00 a.m. this past Saturday. He noted they had a number of people working constantly with very little sleep.
He stated he sent a recommended course of action to the Town Manager, and they will be looking for a consensus of the Council to take this action.
Mr. Kazmarski stated they went through a selection process for the Road 2005 project, and the firm awarded Section I (Prospect Street) was called in last week and given the go ahead to start a fast-track design of a replacement system because of what they saw in the video tape of the remaining system downstream.
He stated all the reconstruction work was handled by R.H. White Company, and they're the Town's on-call contractor. He noted they also used some local people. He pointed out this was a tremendous effort and he acknowledged R.H. White, Slanetz Corporation, the Jack Farley Company, Enfield Transit Mix, Godwin Pump of America, Connecticut Water Company, and the Yankee Gas Corporation. He noted these companies were very supportive through this entire process. He expressed his appreciation to Kelly-Fradet for volunteering their assistance by providing a forklift and helping with the off-loading of equipment. He noted Kelly-Fradet also provided their parking lot for residents whose driveways were being blocked off by this construction work.
Councilman Fiore commended staff and everyone for helping out with this project. He expressed his concern about more frequent sewage breakages and noted he would appreciate the staff being more prepared than normal this year to provide the Council with more in-depth opinions and observations about what's transpiring within the Town's sewer system and where they're going to go and are they adequately funded to handle these types of emergencies. He noted he will be asking a lot of questions about this during the budget process. He went on to express his appreciation to Mr. Kazmarski for this evening's report.
Councilman Edgar thanked Mr. Kazmarski and his staff. He noted he visited the site, and he's amazed the Town was able to cope with this problem this quickly. He questioned how soon they can get permanent repairs. Mr. Kazmarski stated he's concerned with the total integrity of the remaining pipe. He noted they're hoping they can start digging in about two weeks. He stated they're meeting with the firm this week to go over various alternatives.
Mr. Shanley stated as they look forward to the outer years, they will need to look at replacing some of these old systems.
Councilman Crowley questioned whether they could send letters of appreciation to the companies and employees involved in addressing this problem.
Councilman Kazmarski stated some employees spent a considerable amount of time on this project - Mike Dudek and Dan Parisi from Water Pollution Control and Hank Andersen and Bill Sferrazza from the Highway Division.
TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
Attorney Bromson indicated he had no formal report this evening.
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL
Councilman Mangini stated the Fourth of July Town Celebration Committee recently met, and they're right on target with the fundraising and all the committee selections. She stated with Councilman Kaupin's leadership, they'll have a fantastic Fourth of July.
PRESENTATION OF 05/06 BUDGET PROPOSAL/BRIEFING
Mr. Shanley highlighted the 05/06 Proposed Budget as follows:
" This is a $107,701,939 budget, an increase of 4.9%. This includes the School Operations budget which reflects an increase of 3.7%
" Town Operations budget up 4.1%
" Support Capital Project is up over $500,000
" Social Services Reserve is exhausted, therefore, they have to begin filling that hole
" A part-time, non-benefit position is proposed, but no new funded positions in the municipal budget
" Recommended authorization of two positions cut out from police budget last year, however, they're not funded because the likelihood is that they won't be filled for a couple years
" Replacement of eight cruisers this year
" $10,000 for introduction of police dog
" Additional funding to build a stronger ground maintenance effort
" Workers' Comp rate for the municipal side is zero again this year (he commended everyone who made this possible)
" Health insurance premiums up 14%
" Electric rate up 11%
" Sand up 64% per ton; salt up 14%
" Hazardville Water up 15%
" Natural gas up 30%
" A mill rate increase of 1.78 mills to support this budget
" A three-year reduction in use of reserves (goal is to be even in a revaluation year)
" This budget replaces about $700,000 of reserve utilization
" ECS up $450,000
" Housing Pilot eliminated (Payment-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes for state supported housing in Enfield)
" Conveyance Tax is down $250,000
" Gambling Revenue up $150,000 (Enfield is getting well over $1 million per year from slot machines)
" State prison pilot down $100,000
" ECS funding - per pupil allocation 1995/96 - $3,199
" Per pupil allocation 2004/2005 - $3,384 (Enfield picked up $185 over ten years for per pupil support by the state)-Adjustment for CPI inflation-actually lost 15% of the value of ECS in ten years - that gap has shifted to property tax - same trend for TAR, Machinery and equipment tax, LOCIP support, etc.
" Capital Investments - general fund support reduced from high of $2.7 million in 2001 to $1.4 million this year - this has significant impact on capital projects in years to come unless they start moving that back up, therefore, this budget increases the capital investment from the General Fund by $575,000
Mr. Shanley stated in summary they have inflation pressures on the expense side and a steady erosion of state revenue sources, they have a need to reduce and eliminate reserve use, and they have the need to reverse the decline of capital investment.
A brief discussion followed about scheduling the budget hearing.
MOTION #7765 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Mangini to suspend the rules to address Item 10B under Miscellaneous this evening.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7765 adopted 9-0-0.
OLD BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
MOTION #7766 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Mangini to remove Item #1 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7766 adopted 9-0-0.
NOMINATION #7767 by Councilman Fiore to appoint Robert Tkacz (R), 1300 Enfield Street to the Area 25 Cable Television Advisory Committee for a term which expires 6/30/06.
MOTION #7768 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Dodd to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7768 adopted 8-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Robert Tkacz appointed to the Area 25 Cable Television Advisory Committee by an 8-0-0 vote. Councilman Mangini absent at the vote.
MOTION #7769 by Councilman Crowley, seconded by Councilman Tait to remove Item #9 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7769 adopted 8-0-0.
NOMINATION #7770 by Councilman Crowley to appoint Zachary Boivin (D) to the Loan Review Committee for a term which expires 12/31/06.
MOTION #7771 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Tait to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7771 adopted 8-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Zachary Boivin appointed to the Loan Review Committee by an 8-0-0 vote.
All other Council appointments remained tabled.
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
There were no Town Manager appointments.
Items c. and d. remained tabled.
MOTION #7772 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to remove Item e. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7772 adopted 8-0-0.
MOTION #7773 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Fiore to waive the reading of the resolution.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7773 adopted 8-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7774 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Fiore.
Charge for Enfield Revitalization Strategy Committee
AMENDMENT #1 by Councilman Edgar, seconded by Councilman Fiore to strike the word "directly" in the following paragraph:
AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the ERSC shall directly interact with the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission in order to comply with any Federal, State and Local laws, regulations and bylaws.
Councilmen Dodd stated his impression this wording was put in by the Town Attorney's office.
Councilman Egan stated her impression this was based on past practices.
Attorney Bromson stated this may be a matter of semantics, and the word "directly" could be removed.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared AMENDMENT #1 adopted 9-0-0.
AMENDMENT #2 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to change the reference to March 31st to April 30th.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared AMENDMENT #2 adopted 9-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7774 adopted 9-0-0.
Chairman Tallarita suggested sending a letter of appreciation to the current members of the Revitalization Committee for their previous service, but also that they would need to reapply because the structure has been changed.
MOTION #7775 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Mangini to remove Item f. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7775 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7776 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Tait.
WHEREAS, the conservation easement granted to the "Autumn Fields" development disallowed removal of plantings in certain areas; and
WHEREAS, further review by town staff indicates removal of certain non-indigenous plantings would be beneficial;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby authorizes removal of plantings as approved by the Town Inland Wetlands Agent.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7776 adopted 9-0-0.
NEW BUSINESS
CONSENT AGENDA - ACTION
There were no Consent Agenda items this evening.
MOTION #7777 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Tait to waive the reading of the following three resolutions.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7777 adopted 9-0-0.
MOTION #7778 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Mangini to accept Item b1. Transfer $125,500 From AC#8030-840 - $90,000/AC#3700-120 - $35,500 To AC#3700-140 - $125,000/AC#3700-151 - $500
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7778 adopted
9-0-0.
MOTION #7779 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Dodd to accept Item b.2. Transfer $31,500 From AC#3700-339 - $10,500/AC#3700-490 - $21,000 To AC#3700-614 - $30,000/AC#3700-630 - $1,500
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7779 adopted
9-0-0.
MOTION #7780 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Egan to accept Item b.3. Transfer $30,300 From AC#3400-110 - $10,000/AC#3400-622 - $20,300 To AC#3400-140 - $30,000/AC#3400-630 - $300.00
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7780 adopted
9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7781 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Tait.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 8(f) of the Town Charter, the following transfer is hereby made:
TO : Various Accounts $426,730
FROM: General Fund Transfers $426,730
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the amount of $426,730 is available from Account #8030-930 as of March 18, 2005.
/s/ Gregory Simmons, Director of Finance
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7781 adopted 8-0-1, with Councilman Edgar abstaining.
MISCELLANEOUS
RESOLUTION #7782 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby appoints the auditing firm of Scully & Wolf, LLP to conduct the annual financial audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7782 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7783 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
RESOLVED, that Scott Shanley, Town Manager, is empowered to execute and deliver in the name of and on behalf of this municipality, an application and contract with the State Library for a Historic Document Preservation Grant.
Councilman Fiore stated his understanding the Town Clerk's office applied for this grant last year but did not receive it. He questioned if there's anything the Town Clerk would like to add.
Suzanne Olechnicki, Town Clerk, indicated they would do the same thing this year and that the second year of the project will allow for a 25+-year computer search of the land records.
NOTE: The Historic Document Preservation Grant application was successful last year.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7783 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7784 by Councilman Edgar, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Enfield Town Council does hereby authorize the Town Manager to submit a grant application to the United States Department of Homeland Security under the 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program for the purpose of pursuing funds to purchase a new ambulance.
Mr. Vindigni explained the Fire Act Grant which has been in existence for two years was available and fire departments and municipalities that have ambulance service are eligible to apply.
Mr. Shanley stated under Fleet Equipment the capital budget includes $100,000 for the ambulance and there's an offsetting grant in the revenue. Mr. Vindigni pointed out this is a competitive grant.
Councilman Fiore stated his understanding this would be a 90% reimbursement, and Mr. Vindigni responded that's correct.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7784 adopted 9-0-0.
MOTION #7785 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Fiore to waive the reading of the resolution.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7785 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7786 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
Homeland Security Funding Designation of Administrator
Councilman Fiore questioned when the federal government cuts the allocation, is the $101,000 actually earmarked for Enfield. Mr. Vindigni stated the formula is earmarked that way based on population, per capita, and a base amount that's given to each municipality in the state.
Councilman Fiore stated his understanding CRCOG is getting the check and administering this for Enfield. He questioned if Enfield will be receiving $101,000. Mr. Vindigni responded yes.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7786 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7787 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Fiore.
RESOLVED, that the Enfield Town Council will hold a Public Hearing in the Enfield Town Hall Council Chambers, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, June 6, 2005 at 7:20 p.m. to allow interested citizens an opportunity to express their opinion regarding the 2005 Neighborhood Assistance Act proposals.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7787 adopted 9-0-0.
MOTION #7788 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Mangini to waive the reading of the resolution.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7788 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7789 by Councilman Tait, seconded by Councilman Crowley.
School Readiness/Child Day Care Grant
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7789 adopted 9-0-0.
RESOLUTION #7790 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield values the opinions and comments of its constituents; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 4, of the Enfield Town Charter, any elector or taxpayer may have an opportunity to be heard regarding appropriations for the ensuing fiscal years and for the purpose of being heard on issues of vital community importance and concern; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council shall conduct a public hearing at the John F. Kennedy Middle School on Raffia Road, Wednesday, April 27, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. and
RESOLVED, that the order of business of the 2005-2006 budget hearing be arranged as follows:
1. Presentation of the Town Manager's Budget.
2. The Chairman of the Board of Education highlights Education Budget.
3. Comments from members of the public for the first time.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each speaker be requested to register with the Town Clerk his name and address and that no speaker be allowed to speak more than five minutes each successive time the speaker's name is called. Additionally, any speaker who has not registered with the Town Clerk will be allowed to speak only after those who have registered no longer wish to speak.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #7790 adopted 9-0-0.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
No one wished to speak.
COUNCILMEN COMMUNICATIONS
Councilman Fiore suggested Items 3 and 4 under Old Business be removed from the agenda.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #7791 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Tait to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7791 adopted 9-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
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