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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Tallarita in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Wednesday, October 18, 2006. The meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m.
ROLL-CALL – Present were Councilmen Edgar, Kaupin, Lee, Mangini, Maxellon, Nelson, and Tallarita. Councilman Ragno entered at 6:33 p.m., and Councilman Peruta entered at 6:38 p.m. Councilmen Crowley and Hilinski were absent.
Present from the Enfield Board of Education were Judith Apruzzese-Desroches, Donna Corbin Sobinski, Joyce Hall, Albert Harrison, Charles Johnson, Susan Lavelli Hozempa, Samuel McGill and Sharon Racine. Andre Greco was absent.
Also present were Town Manager, Matthew Coppler; Deputy Town Clerk, Karen Coolong; Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Anthony Torre and Business Manager, Christopher Drezek
DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION RE: CREATING THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP COMMITTEE
Ms. Racine stated her belief this meeting will be helpful in coming to an agreement regarding the wording of this resolution.
She stated in Hartford’s merger of their two technology departments, it was agreed there would be ownership by both sides and they would have the ability to prioritize what they wanted and what was important to both sides. She stated her belief this is a great idea because both sides have ownership and both sides have a say in what’s going on. She pointed out a concern the Enfield Board of Education has is that they’ll get left out or their needs won’t be met.
Chairman Tallarita stated the Town Council has not yet had an in depth discussion about this resolution. He explained the Town Manager has been working with the Superintendent about this concept. He noted the goal is to improve the efficiency of the Town. He pointed out they’re looking at going forward from the success they had with the consolidation of the grounds crew. He noted it seemed IT was a logical area to look at because there may be a redundancy of functions. He pointed out this has never been about the Town or Council taking ownership of anything, but rather it’s been about a true partnership whereby everyone has an equal place. He noted it was not the intent for this Committee to start making decisions about types of technology or software to be used in the school or town systems, but rather it’s more about the Committee making sure the services are being provided on a town-wide level and that there aren’t redundancies.
He spoke about the need to become more efficient because it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to provide those services with the tax dollars available.
Councilman Kaupin stated this is an effort to clean the slate. He noted what has happened is in the past. He stated it’s understood that by working together, both IT departments can get stronger and deliver better services to the Town. He noted the original resolution was probably more of a vision of taking them through the entire process, and it’s understood there was some hesitancy in going to that extent. He stated they’ve since learned this is a multi-step process. He envisions the first step being the development of the partnership committee, which would be the driving body behind this. He noted they’ve committed funds to hire a consultant to assist in the process, and the committee has to come up with a merger plan. He explained that could be a merger of departments or a merger of specific operations. He noted that plan can come back to both respective bodies and it gets hashed out again resulting in another resolution, which moves them to the next step and another resolution to get to the following step, etc. He pointed out this resolution would just get the ball rolling.
Chairman Tallarita suggested reviewing each paragraph of the resolution and providing everyone an opportunity to give their input on each paragraph.
Everyone agreed the first and second paragraphs of the resolution are acceptable.
As concerns the third paragraph, Councilman Ragno stated he would like to see a time line included. Mr. Coppler stated they did not include a time line within the resolution because they weren’t sure exactly when this resolution would be approved by the Board of Education and Town Council. He noted he spoke with Dr. Gallacher and Councilman Peruta about this and it was agreed there would be a time line put together as the process goes on.
Councilman Ragno stated he would like to know the time frame they are going to allocate to this entire process. He noted he does not want this to be open-ended. He stated his belief that once this committee is in place, there should be a certain amount of time within which they have to appoint a consultant and a time frame in which the plan should be submitted. He encouraged having time lines so that they can move this forward.
Councilman Mangini stated she has no problem with any of the language. She disagreed with Councilman Ragno because she doesn’t believe it’s the intent of the third paragraph to state a time frame. She noted when the committee begins to do work, they can ask for reports back, and she feels that’s when they will be looking for timelines. She stated her belief it’s not the role of the Council to micromanage this committee and tie their hands.
Ms. Hall agreed with Councilman Mangini. She noted if they were to specify a length of time, it would be within the charge of the committee which is located in the final paragraph of the resolution.
Chairman Tallarita suggested that rather than the Council and Board setting time lines, perhaps they can allow the committee to develop those time lines. He noted this could be the first charge of the committee. Everyone agreed with this suggestion.
Mr. Coppler stated he and Dr. Gallacher discussed this and today they put together a time line. He distributed this time line to the Council. He noted they believe April, 2007 is a reasonable date for the committee to present a plan to the Council and Board. Dr. Gallacher agreed with this time frame.
It was agreed to insert the time line in the final paragraph of the resolution.
Councilman Ragno stated he would like more direct language in the resolution in that they are going into this with the intent that they are going to plan a merger. He referred to the second paragraph and noted he would like to change the word “investigate” to “plan the merger”.
Ms. Racine stated her belief the Board isn’t at a point where they’re willing to say they’re definitely going to do a merger. She noted the whole point of a consultant is to find out how this could work. She stated the Board is satisfied with the wording in the first three paragraphs.
Ms. Apruzzese-Desroches agreed with Ms. Racine and stated her belief that at this point they’re moving towards the merger, but they need to see how this could function.
Councilman Mangini pointed out she has been through two of these attempts, and she believes this is the best attempt so far, and she does not want to jeopardize or compromise the good, working relationship that the Council has with the Board of Education. She agreed they need to take baby steps before taking giant steps; therefore, she would not be in favor of changing that language.
Councilman Kaupin stated he understands where Councilman Ragno is coming from, but he believes this involves semantics and whatever the language, they’re still moving toward the development of a plan.
Councilman Ragno stated he is not hung up on words, but noted they are going to spend $90,000 on a consultant.
Councilman Peruta stated he shares Councilman Ragno’s concern about spending a lot of money and then not moving forward. He noted he does not sense a commitment for this merger. He stated the Town is asking for some trust. He pointed out he would not do anything to jeopardize IT services for the school system.
Councilman Nelson voiced his concern about spending more money to look into a merger. He stated his belief this goes back to a trust issue. He stated his impression the communication between the Board and Town Council is much better than it has been in years. He voiced concern that if they do merge, the Board might decide to split again. He noted there needs to be a clause to stop this from happening again. He stated his belief merging IT is a great idea.
Councilman Lee referred to the second paragraph and suggested wording as follows, “a wish to investigate the merger and or reorganization…”
Councilman Lee questioned from a Project Manager’s viewpoint, would it become clear through the initial risk assessment where things might break down. Councilman Peruta responded absolutely and explained a risk assessment lays out the possible bad things that could happen and then a strategy is developed in case those things actually happen.
Councilman Lee suggested in addition to the time frames or the goals set forth, there be some kind of mandatory update or formal presentation every 30 to 45 days as they move through that process so that they can learn about the risk assessment early on.
Mr. McGill stated his impression this resolution doesn’t trigger the use of any money other than the time involved by the Superintendent and the Town Manager. He noted this is a step in the direction they want to head.
Chairman Tallarita stated the idea is to improve the efficiency of Enfield and save tax dollars if possible. He noted there’s nothing in the Charter or statutes that mandates the Board of Education or Town Council do this. He stated there has to be some trust in this matter. He noted the whole idea behind showing what could be done with the grounds maintenance program was to establish trust. He suggested rather than wordsmithing this to death, they go with the intent of this resolution. He noted they can let the public choose and judge them on what their actions are and where they’re going.
Ms. Racine agreed with Chairman Tallarita and also agreed things have changed between the Council and the Board. She stated the partnership committee is just a formalization of what is already happening in the background. She noted there’s so much more communication between the school and town systems and a nice working relationship. She acknowledged this is a leap of faith. She stated her belief the resolution doesn’t need any more wordsmithing as far as being more specific.
Ms. Hall stated as far as the plan is concerned, the Board of Education is required to submit a technology plan to the State. As concerns reporting back to the Board and Council, she noted the partnership committee described here was perceived by the Board of Education as doing just that because it included the Town Manager and the Superintendent, therefore, the very existence of that partnership committee creates that reporting process.
Discussion followed regarding the fourth paragraph.
Councilman Nelson noted previous suggested changes weren’t incorporated. Chairman Tallarita stated the mission for tonight is to go through each paragraph and if there’s a majority of people who want to amend a paragraph, then it will be amended. Councilman Nelson stated they should be listening to their liaisons. Chairman Tallarita stated his perspective that overall, he’s listening to the direction that the liaison has pointed them, and he feels this meets the requirements of the Blue Ribbon panel regarding what they suggest happen. He noted as concerns specific commitment to making a decision within the resolution, he’s not willing to force that issue at this point because he doesn’t believe it’s necessary.
It was agreed to go with the following language for the fourth paragraph:
“WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education desire to create a governance board that will act cooperatively in the best interests of the two organizations in matters related to Information Technology; and”
It was agreed the fifth paragraph is acceptable.
Councilman Kaupin questioned where does the selection of the fifth member of the business community fit into the time line. Mr. Coppler noted that could happen fairly soon.
Councilman Ragno stated he will be very disappointed if there is no merger at the end of this effort. He noted it’s not his intent to ramrod this merger through, but rather to be responsible to the taxpayers of Enfield in that they’re spending money wisely. He stated he would like there to be commitment and trust between both sides to make this department the best it can be with all politics aside.
Chairman Tallarita agreed with Councilman Ragno in that he would not like to see this idea shelved just because of politics or fears.
Ms. Corbin Sobinski stated as this effort moves forward, there will be feedback and input, therefore, in the end everyone should be on board. Chairman Tallarita agreed.
Councilman Peruta stated it’s all in the attitude they go into this with. He noted if they have the right attitude, they will work hard to resolve any issues that come up. He pointed out there will be roadblocks, delays, etc., but they have to have the fortitude to move forward. He noted if in the end it doesn’t work, they will know they tried their best.
Councilman Kaupin questioned if everything goes forward and they do a merger, which yearly budget would be impacted. Chairman Tallarita noted this could possibly be a phased-in type of plan that could happen over a number of years. He noted this can be determined as the process moves forward.
Councilman Edgar voiced his doubt about voting on the resolution tonight because it’s advertised on the agenda as a discussion of a resolution. Chairman Tallarita noted the agenda reads, “Discussion/Resolution”.
Councilman Edgar added his belief the resolution should be rewritten with all of the changes.
Deputy Town Clerk, Karen Coolong, stated she discussed this with the Town Clerk, and the Town Clerk indicated to her that the resolution could be voted on because of the way the agenda reads.
RESOLUTION #8977 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Kaupin. This resolution was also moved by Board of Education members Sharon Racine, seconded by Donna Corbin Sobinski.
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education desire to work together in an effort to improve the efficiency of the two organizations while enhancing the level of services to the Town’s residents and maximizing resources; and
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education, building on the success of the consolidation of the Building and Grounds Maintenance Departments, wish to investigate the merger of the Information Technology Departments of the two organizations; and
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education wish to create a process that will allow for a timely and a methodical review of a possible merger of the Information Technology Departments and address operational and governance issues related to the merger before and after the occurrence of any merger; and
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education desire to create a governance board that will act cooperatively in the best interests of the two organizations in matters related to Information Technology; and
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education believe the governance board should be composed of the School Superintendent, the School Business Manager, the Town Manager, the Town Finance Director, and a fifth member from the business community to be selected in cooperation by the four School and Town representatives.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Enfield Town Council and the Enfield Board of Education do hereby form an information technology governance board, hereafter titled the Information Technology Partnership Committee, consisting of the Town Manager, the Town Finance Director, the School Superintendent, the School Business Manager, and a fifth member from the business community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Information Technology Partnership Committee shall be charged with the following duties related to the review of a possible merger:
Upon establishment of the IT Partnership Committee by the Town Council and the Board of Education:
- Development of a Scope of Services for the IT Consultant 30 days
- Issuance of an RFQ for IT Consultant 20 days
- Selection of an IT Consultant 10 days
- Preparation of a Plan 90 days
- Presentation of a Plan to Town Council and Board of Education April, 2007
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #8977 adopted 9-0-0. Councilman Edgar noted he voted in favor with reservations on the procedure only.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken from the Board of Education on RESOLUTION #8977, the vote was 8-0-1, with Ms. Hall abstaining.
DISCUSSION RE: BOOK BID WAIVER
Chairman Tallarita requested Councilman Kaupin provide an overview of the discussion held by the Council recently.
Councilman Kaupin stated the majority of the Council felt very comfortable with the textbook selection process, however, this item is in the Town’s CIP. He noted there are Council members that are not comfortable about waiving bids that are not of an emergency nature. He noted according to Charter, any purchases over $10,000 are supposed to come before the Council. He stated they wouldn’t have to make a big presentation on each textbook and the whole process, but this would allow for the normal process to go forward and keep the Council apprised of how the money is being drawn down vs. giving carte blanc to the $322,000 all at once.
Ms. Racine distributed a list of textbooks which are in process. She noted the first two textbooks are under the $10,000 bid requirement. Councilman Kaupin noted a resolution could be done which would encompass the other textbooks on this list. He stated when another batch of textbooks is ready they could go through this process if they exceeded $10,000.
Chairman Tallarita stated his belief this only requires submitting the paperwork to Greg Simmons, the Director of Finance, and he can come to the Council for a bid waiver when necessary. He noted there will be a couple Council members who will vote against a bid waiver, however, he believes the majority of the Council will continue to vote for this because they feel comfortable with the school system’s textbook selection process, and they believe it’s in the best interest of the community to do this in this fashion.
Ms. Racine agreed with this process and noted they can submit their paperwork to Mr. Simmons.
Councilman Nelson stated he is not comfortable with the free material not being inventoried. He noted those free items could be going anywhere. He requested a listing of the $37,000 worth of free items. Dr. Gallacher indicated that can be done. He added Councilman Nelson is welcome to come over and see this material.
Councilman Kaupin questioned whether these items are truly free, and Dr. Gallacher and Ms. Racine stated those free items can be found in the catalogs along with their prices.
Councilman Edgar stated his belief he heard that the way textbooks were chosen was predicated on the amount of freebies offered. Ms. Racine stated selection of books is based on curriculum needs and has nothing to do with the freebies. She noted obviously the free teachers’ editions are appreciated, but the bottom line is that these books have to meet the curriculum and state standards.
Chairman Tallarita stated Executive Session will not be necessary this evening.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #8978 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Lee to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8978 adopted 9-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 7:50 p.m. |