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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
DECEMBER 12, 2005
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council and Board of Education was called to order by Acting Chairman Hilinski in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, December 12, 2005. The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m.
ROLL-CALL – Present were Councilmen Edgar, Hilinski, Kaupin, Lee, Mangini, Maxellon, Nelson, Peruta and Ragno. Councilman Crowley entered at 7:12 p.m. Chairman Tallarita was absent.
Present from the Enfield Board of Education were Donna Corbin-Sobinski, Judith Apruzzese-Desroches, Joyce Hall, Al Harrison, Charles Johnson, Sam McGill, Jr., and Sharon Racine. Andre Greco and Susan Lavelli-Hozempa were absent.
Also present were Acting Town Manager and Town Attorney, Christopher Bromson; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni, Director of Finance Gregory Simmons, Director of Information Technology, Charlene Bond; Risk Manager, William Strachan; Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher; Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Anthony Torre; Business Manager, Christopher Drezek; Director of School Facilities, Arthur Pongratz.
DISCUSSION RE: JOINT TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE REPORT
Present from the Joint Technology Committee were Chairman Steven Moore, Guy Bourassa and James Pines.
Chairman Moore reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Joint Blue Ribbon Commission on Technology. He noted they recommend establishing a single point of authority and accountability, which would be the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He stated they talked about organizational redundancies and those things that could be joined or serviced by a single unit enabling them to expand that window of capability.
He stated the Commission discussed the funding and cost management, and he noted of all the recommendations, this is probably the most significant and the most serious one of concern. He noted they talked about the idea of establishing stable funding to “keep the factory open and the mission running” and keeping the technology piece separate from the budget structures of both the Town and School systems so that it is isolated and well managed.
Chairman Moore stated the Commission talked about funding for technology advancements to be sure it’s linked to business initiatives.
He noted the Commission talked about the vision and strategic planning in all the categories and discussed tasking the CTO with really taking ownership for setting the vision and setting the planning.
Chairman Moore stated the other component of strategic planning is legacy systems. He noted at some point in time, technology systems get very old and very fragile and the cost to maintain them can actually skyrocket. He noted they also looked to task the CTO as being part of the structure to say where they will be five years from now.
He stated they discussed software redundancies and collaboration. He noted people need to work together to start sharing information and sharing problems. He added they need to include performance objectives for some employees.
Chairman Moore stated they need to find common solutions that both organizations need.
As concerns the outsourcing question, Chairman Moore stated the Commission felt they had neither the will nor the means to seriously go after this area with any serious recommendations because individually or collectively the Commission felt that outsourcing can be a very dangerous path that organizations in the business world often get locked into and discover four or five years later, it’s not right. He added there was some view within the Commission that for certain things, it may be valid to look at outsourcing.
Chairman Moore stated there are some legal issues which need to be looked at, and they’re waiting for very specific next steps which the Board and Council wish them to do.
Ms. Racine noted the Board had questions about the legality of the recommendations and questions about the funding of the CTO, as well as Charter questions. She stated her belief those questions need to be addressed before moving forward.
Councilman Mangini questioned whether the Commission gave any thought to the issue of stable funding and separating the technology funding from the budget. Chairman Moore stated the Commission didn’t have any further dialog on this topic. He noted this Committee’s focus is technology, and their backgrounds come from the private sector. He stated his belief they need to get some finance people involved with this type of discussion to help them understand what the implications would be.
Mr. Bourassa stated after looking over the whole process, the Commission found both the Town and Board technology departments to be very efficient even though they have not been properly funded. He noted the idea of combining these departments to save money is not going to happen. He stated if anything, the infrastructures, machines and supplies have been cut down to the bare minimums. He pointed out their has to be an infuse of money into the technology department if it’s believed technology is important for people to do their jobs and for the Board to maintain its education system. He noted the Commission then came up with the idea of a segregated fund that wouldn’t reflect a 5% increase on the Town side and a 5% increase on the Board side.
Councilman Mangini questioned where they will get that infusion of money, i.e., will it come from taxpayers or the private sector. Chairman Moore stated the Commission did not go that far. Councilman Peruta stated funding will always be a question with any kind of initiative and he agreed that, as a Commission, they’re not ready to answer that. He noted technology has to be funded differently to be able to move forward.
Acting Chairman Hilinski stated they will need to investigate whether it’s legal from a Charter standpoint to combine the two organizations. Attorney Bromson stated that can be looked at. He noted as concerns creating positions, they’ve given opinions in the past that towns do have the ability to created departments or new positions. He stated his belief it’s a matter of how they’re going to do it, rather than whether they can do it. He noted his office will be looking at this.
Mr. Bourassa stated another issue has to do with leasing. Acting Chairman Hilinski stated his belief the Council has to approve all leasing.
Councilman Crowley questioned how much further they can progress if they combined the departments. Chairman Moore stated if things are left unchecked, the situation will get worse. He noted pressure will increase, especially as it pertains to the ability of the Town and Board to respond to federal and state legislation and with technology providing that information. He noted as they add on other things, such as machines that are eight or nine years old and classes where they have CAD CAM software, but they can’t run the hardware because the hardware isn’t enough, it’s anecdotal evidence that there are cracks in the foundation. He noted leaving the technology departments apart keeps them going down their separate paths to separate visions of what they have to solve. He stated technology is becoming more and more critical to everything that’s done, therefore, it should really be managed to a single vision for all of the Town departments. He noted as to whether this is done now or five years from now, the Commission believes the situation will get much more dire and this question will come up again as it has in the past.
Councilman Lee questioned if the focus of these recommendations primarily deals with operational, instructional or educational technology. Chairman Moore stated they mainly focused on the infrastructure which covers the classroom pieces as well as the government pieces, as well as all the pieces related to the business operations of the school and town departments.
Mr. Bourassa stated the instructional side is different from the other side, and it’s difficult to manage both of them. He noted they look at the CTO as someone who can communicate and bridge the gap between those two entities. He explained the way they run the business department, and the way he teaches his computer labs and provides services to students are two distinct things.
Councilman Crowley questioned how much can be combined right now without a big investment. Chairman Moore responded e-mail, network administration and other very standardized types of functions. He clarified they’re not recommending getting rid of one, but rather getting them working together as a team.
Councilman Peruta stated this would be a more efficient use of resources. He noted over the last several years, they’ve come to realize they can take advantage of some common things. He added they have to make sure that those things that are truly different are managed properly by each organization.
Councilman Crowley stated one thing discussed at the last meeting was the possibility of connecting some of the school libraries to the computer system at the Enfield Public Library. Chairman Moore stated to do something like that, the Commission recommends funding for such an initiative should be driven by the departments driving that idea.
Councilman Hilinski stated from a funding standpoint, there will always be a need for excessive funds since technology is changing so fast. He stated his belief that would be true of either organization. He noted there’s the aspect of whether they can truly run IT more efficiently by combining common services.
Councilman Ragno questioned if on-line training modules instead of textbooks could be the wave of the future. He further questioned whether financials could be handled through a query database for particular financial reporting aspects vs a financial application. Chairman Moore stated one of the recommendations is to utilize a piece of software that was purchased two or three years ago that would really enable the school department to better position themselves in their reporting capabilities.
Councilman Ragno stated he has seen on-line training modules work, and he feels there’s an academic application to it. He stated he would like to think there are ways they can be progressive and get the information out to the students who need it the most.
Mr. Pines stated colleges today leverage the same technology through computer-based training. He stated his belief it’s a great idea and definitely a vision that a CTO would put in their vision statement for IT.
Mr. Lee questioned if Enfield is on the Connecticut Education Network, and Mr. Bourassa responded yes and noted Enfield was one of the first towns to be on it.
Councilman Lee questioned whether the wiring shortfalls are hampering the use of the Connecticut Education Network, and Mr. Bourassa stated his belief they’re making maximum use of that with the equipment that they have on hand at this time. He noted just about every computer that they have can hook into the Connecticut Education Network.
Councilman Mangini questioned whether the Commission will be reporting back at some point. Chairman Moore responded yes and noted the Commission is offering their assistance until they’re released. He noted the Town Council and Board of Education representatives do not appear to be formally part of the Joint Blue Ribbon Commission on Technology. He stated because of the election, he’s unsure whether those representatives have to be reestablished or reappointed. He requested the Board and Town Council reappoint Mr. Peruta and Ms. Corbin-Sobinski to this Commission.
DISCUSSION RE: ENERGY CONSERVATION PLAN
Present for this discussion were William Strachan, Risk Manager, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher and Director of School Facilities, Arthur Pongratz.
Mr. Strachan stated they are forming an Energy Task Force to look at ways to save energy and to gather resources and information. He pointed out they are already doing things to conserve energy, i.e., lowering thermostats. He cautioned that turning thermostats down too low when buildings aren’t occupied can result in using more energy to bring the temperature back up again.
Mr. Strachan stated overall oil heating costs are going up about 27% to 28% this year. He went on to note the Town is making efforts to save energy by getting rid of under-the-desk space heaters, individual coffee makers, and individual refrigerators.
Councilman Peruta stated coffee makers, toaster ovens, and heaters can be a safety issue as well. Mr. Strachan agreed.
Mr. Strachan stated Town vehicles should be properly maintained, i.e., tune-ups, proper tire pressure, reducing excessive idling and travel management to cut down on excessive mileage. Councilman Ragno questioned whether they keep track of where vehicles are going and why they’re going, and Mr. Strachan responded they do this very generally.
Mr. Strachan stated personnel has to be made conscious of energy management.
As concerns long-range planning, Mr. Strachan noted in the future they could be looking at more efficient energy, i.e., co-generation boilers, which are big in a number of industrial manufacturing applications. He explained co-generation means the creation of steam and electricity at the same time, and the excess is sold. He noted hydrogen-powered vehicles are coming and fuel cells are also something to look at in the future. As concerns hydro-electric power, Mr. Strachan raised the possibility of looking at the Freshwater Dam in the future. He noted Enfield is already in a consortium with other communities in the state to buy fuels for vehicles and boilers, and they’re also looking at the same arrangement for electricity.
Councilman Ragno questioned how they control outside lighting, i.e., tennis courts and basketball courts. He questioned if the town could phase into passive solar, and Mr. Strachan stated that’s a distinct possibility. He pointed out a lot of outside lighting is for security reasons.
Mr. Vindigni stated the lighting at the tennis courts are already set by a timer. He noted at times the lights have to be adjusted in the winter season so that they turn off earlier.
Councilman Maxellon questioned how Brainard Park lights are managed, and Mr. Vindigni stated he’s unsure if Brainard Park lighting is on timers or done manually. He noted they can check on that for the upcoming season.
Acting Chairman Hilinski questioned the energy costs due to increased costs, and Mr. Strachan stated he doesn’t have that figure as yet, however, it’s his understanding CL&P is going for a 20% increase. He added his belief they can get an edge on the increase through consortium buying.
Councilman Crowley questioned the possibility of having parking lot lights on a motion detector. Mr. Strachan stated that’s a possibility, however, there are building security issues.
Councilman Crowley raised the possibility of replacing some vehicles with a hybrid-type vehicle.
Councilman Crowley questioned the possibility of police motorcycles to save on fuel.
Councilman Crowley noted the number of softball teams has decreased, therefore, perhaps it’s not necessary to have so many late night games which would enable them to turn off the field lights earlier. Mr. Vindigni stated if the Council makes a goal to have a limited amount of night games to save on energy, that can be conveyed to the proper parties.
Councilman Nelson stated his motorcycle gets 20 miles per gallon, and he owns a new full-sized Dodge pick-up diesel truck which gets 26 miles per gallon. He stated his belief diesel is the way to go.
Ms. Bond stated they started an energy conservation portal on the Town’s website and included some links to other government organizations.
Mr. Strachan stated another energy-saving measure is disconnecting the refrigeration units of the water fountains.
Councilman Maxellon questioned whether the Town has embarked on an energy survey of the Town buildings. Mr. Strachan responded not yet. Mr. Vindigni added his belief they’ve done some of that with the water pollution control facility over the years, and they received rebates back from CL&P for efficiencies from that facility.
Acting Chairman Hilinski questioned how they plan to flow down all of these initiatives to the departments and when will that happen. Mr. Strachan stated the Task Force will be made up of division heads. Acting Chairman Hilinski questioned if that will start now, and Mr. Strachan responded yes.
Councilman Lee stated the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund posted a new program on their website this week, and this was a follow-up to their fuel cell initiative over the last couple years which was very successful state-wide. He noted this one is an open program for long-term planning, and it involves a grant of up to $2 million dollars for anything from solar to fuel cells to hydro-projects. Mr. Pongratz questioned whether the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund still wants a town to have a percentage of the town population switched to clean energy, and Councilman Lee responded yes, and noted that is called the Connecticut Clean Power Communities Program., which is a separate program.
Councilman Mangini stated CCM did a study and they are offering some assistance to their membership. She noted the contact person regarding this is Andy Morola.
Dr. Gallacher stated over the years, the School Department has been very cognizant of the cost of energy, and they’re constantly looking for ways to save money in their budget. He noted he requested Art Pongratz to put together a list of the School Department’s main initiatives in energy savings. He noted the School Department has a strong interest in partnering with the Town on a lot of these initiatives.
As concerns energy conservation in the schools, Mr. Pongratz stated they’ve converted all the schools to the dual-fuel capability. He explained they can burn whatever is the best price. He noted in 2004-2005, the cost of natural gas went up, therefore, they used oil as their primary fuel at $1.15 per gallon. He noted oil has gone up in 2005-2006 and it is now around $2.00 per gallon. He stated they got the fixed 12-month price with the gas company and it’s equivalent to $1.66 per gallon of oil.
Regarding lighting improvements, Mr. Pongratz stated the School Department has worked with CL&P over the last several years, and they re-did all the schools to high efficiency lighting and installed infrared occupancy sensors. He noted because they participated in that program, CL&P gave the School Department a grant of $879,939.07. He estimated they saved about 20% in utilization over the long term.
Mr. Pongratz stated during the school additions, they also added energy management systems at eight of the elementary schools, JFK and the new Head Start building. He noted this involves a computer that picks out the optimum times to adjust the temperature of the boiler.
Acting Chairman Hilinski questioned what temperature they set the thermostat at night, and Mr. Pongratz stated typically they’ll only go back to the high 50’s. He noted they have to take into consideration the recovery time.
Mr. Pongratz stated they’re working with CCM on bulk purchase for multi-year contracts for electricity and natural gas. He noted Andy Morola from CCM e-mailed him late last week and said that with CL&P’s figures, they would be going up to about 9.8 cents to 9.9 cents per kilowatt on their generation. He stated on November 10th, CCM opened the bid, which Enfield participated in, and Enfield could buy a five-year contract from Trans-Canada beginning in January of 2007 for 9.54 cents per kilowatt. He noted they will be getting together with Gregg Simmons and Bill Strachen on Friday, and CCM is opening another bid this week. He stated the big reason they need the Council’s support in this is that for the School Department to enter into a multi-year contract, they also need the approval of the Town Council.
Mr. Pongratz stated the School System is a peak-time organization, which means schools operate during peak times. He noted street lights run during off times, therefore, in order to present a balanced load to a vendor, they would be in very good shape by aggregating with the Town and also combining the kilowatt hours would make this a much more attractive package. He noted this would be the same thing for natural gas.
Councilman Crowley questioned whether they purchase together now, and Mr. Pongratz stated they’re two separate groups purchasing. Councilman Crowley questioned if they’d have better buying power if they combined. Mr. Pongratz stated that’s possible because the School System is a larger volume user than the Town. He noted the school buses probably use more diesel than the snowplows, and when they do use oil in the schools, they’ll use more oil than the Town. He noted most Town buildings are on fixed gas, therefore, that could actually be leveraged. He stated he would have to ask the CRPC as to whether the Town and School could purchase together.
Mr. Pongratz stated the schools were on a church and school tariff, and now those tariffs are dissolving because of the DPUC rate structure change.
Councilman Crowley stated his belief the Town and School systems should be purchasing a lot of things together to save money. Mr. Pongratz agreed.
Mr. Pongratz stated all the construction done at the eight elementary schools, JFK Middle School, Head Start, and Enfield High School qualified the Town for Energy Conscious Construction grants. He explained those were grants provided by the State of Connecticut, CL&P and Yankee Gas. He noted that many of their construction projects through the CIP have been concentrated on energy conservation, i.e., the replacement of windows and door systems at Parkman and Stowe, replacement of the HVAC systems at nine elementary schools, and the installation of satellite hot water systems so that they were able to shut the boilers down in spring and fall months.
Mr. Pongratz stated they’ve notified all the school principals regarding the use of personal appliances and setting back the temperatures to the 65 to 67 degree range. He noted they’ll continue to work with CCM and the Town of Enfield to have them bid their purchasing for school electricity and natural gas.
Councilman Maxellon questioned how the school system stands regarding architectural improvements across the board. Mr. Pongratz referred to HVAC units and noted all the elementary schools, except one, have been done. He noted they have an energy management system, and they hope to build up money through the CIP to install it in Enfield High School because that school is still very rudimentary.
Mr. Pongratz stated they are looking to get grants and funding through the CIP for replacement of the boilers at Fermi High School with high efficiency stage boilers.
Councilman Peruta stated he heard complaints about heat and cold in JFK. Mr. Pongratz stated they’re saving up for an energy management system at this school. He noted the engineering for this is done already, however, the cost for the HVAC system came in higher than what they had in their budget. He stated his hope they’ll be able to get it this year.
Dr. Gallacher stated they are estimating they are short by about $493,000 in their energy lines. He noted they discussed with the Board how they’d pay for this, and the only area within the budget that they could see was in the Excess Cost Grant. He distributed an explanatory memo describing the Excess Cost Grant. He explained this grant is provided to the School System to offset their special education costs for outplacements. He noted about half of the students outplaced are placed by the School System and the other half is placed by the State of Connecticut. He stated they’ve worked hard to contain this cost over the years. He requested the Council look at this to see if there’s some way to assist the School System.
Councilman Mangini stated her belief this goes to the heart of the unfunded mandates. She questioned what percent is the Town currently at right now that the federal government is allocating to support unfunded mandates. Dr. Gallacher stated his belief they’re up to 17%. Councilman Mangini stated perhaps CCM or NLC might be able to lobby or approach the groups to learn what the avenues are and how they apply for that funding which might be coming to the Town.
Councilman Crowley questioned how much the Town is over budget for utility costs. Mr. Simmons stated that information has been requested from the Public Works Department.
Councilman Kaupin questioned the Finance Director’s opinion on the budgetary issue of addressing the Excess Cost Grant and how much has the Town budgeted as a revenue. Mr. Simmons stated the Town currently budgets $150,000 for revenue. Councilman Kaupin questioned whether it’s an option, based on the Charter, to appropriate additional dollars to the Board to overcome a shortfall vs having to cut a service. Mr. Simmons stated it’s an option of the Council to appropriate additional dollars.
Councilman Peruta questioned when the ECS is set, and Dr. Gallacher stated his hope January 1st.
Councilman Peruta stated at the end of every budget year on the school side, there’s some leftover money. He questioned what that figure has been on average. Acting Chairman Hilinski estimated about $350,000. Dr. Gallacher stated it was a little lower last year because they returned $156,000 for Project Choice.
Chairman Racine questioned if they do not get $700,000 for ECG, is the Town willing to cover that shortfall from the Contingency Fund. Acting Chairman Hilinski stated his belief the Council would have to have a discussion on that.
Councilman Crowley requested the Board of Education let the Town know as soon as possible if they foresee any problems because they don’t want to see services reduced.
Councilman Mangini questioned whether the School System has applied through the federal government for some additional funding that they’re required to provide. Dr. Gallacher stated they don’t really get a lot out of the federal government. He noted they have people who work on grants all the time.
Ms. Hall stated with this session of Congress, every time anyone proposed an increase in funding for education, it has been voted down by the Senate. She noted the towns are not level funded.
Acting Chairman Hilinski stated his belief the Council and Board of Education is going to have to work jointly to solve this particular problem.
DISCUSSION RE: SET DATE FOR DEMOGRAPHER’S REPORT
As concerns setting a date for the Demographer’s Report, Acting Chairman Hilinski suggested January 11, 2005, with a snow date of January 12, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.
MOTION #8163 by Councilman Crowley, seconded by Councilman Maxellon to take a brief recess.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8163 adopted, and the meeting stood recessed at 9:00 p.m.
Acting Chairman Hilinski reconvened the meeting at 9:12 p.m.
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
NOMINATION #8164 by Councilman Kaupin to reappoint Kevin Kibbe (R) to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term which expires 12/31/09.
MOTION #8165 by Councilman Crowley, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8165 adopted 10-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Kevin Kibbe reappointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals by a 10-0-0 vote.
Item #2 will appear on a future agenda.
NOMINATION #8166 by Councilman Kaupin to appoint Greg Stokes (R) to the Board of Assessment Appeals for a term which expires 12/31/2007.
MOTION #8167 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Lee to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8167 adopted 10-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Greg Stokes appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals by a 10-0-0 vote.
NOMINATION #8168 by Councilman Mangini to reappoint Thomas Kealey (D) to the Board of Assessment Appeals for a term which expires 12/31/08.
MOTION #8169 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Lee to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8169
adopted 10-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Thomas Kealey reappointed to the Board of Assessment appeals by a 10-0-0 vote.
Councilman Crowley stated he received a report from the Republican Town Committee in his Council package, and he requested these not be included in the future from either party.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #8170 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Mangini to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8170
adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 9:12 p.m. |