Search This Blog

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Town clerk changes as council shifts

By Dave Moran
Record-Journal staff
dmoran@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

As published in the Record Journal Saturday January 2, 2010

Follow all the news directly on the Record Journal Website for the most up to date information. www.myrecordjournal.com

Write a letter to the editor letters@record-journal.com

WALLINGFORD — Monday will mark the end of Barbara Kapi’s two years as town clerk. On Tuesday, Barbara Thompson, who served as clerk for two years before Kapi, will assume the po­sition again after the new Repub­lican controlled Town Council appoints her at its swearing in ceremony Monday evening.

Under the Town Charter, the Town Council is responsible for appointing a clerk. Typically, if control of the council shifts, the majority party appoints a clerk who is a member of the same party. On Monday, the Republi­cans gain a 6-3 advantage.

Since the charter was adopted in 1961, the position has changed hands 11 times (Monday’s switch will be the 12th), but three of those switches have occurred in the last six years. In January 2004, Rosemary Rascati, who served 12 years as clerk, was re­placed by Katherine Zandri, a De­mocrat. Thompson, a Republi­can, succeeded Zandri in January 2006, and Kapi, a Democrat, re­placed Thompson in 2008.

“It’s difficult,” Sue Colberg, who has worked in the office for 14 years, said Thursday. “It’s just repetitive that we have to go through it every two years, all the same things.”

Because the clerk is a promi­nent position, there has been a recent effort to find a way to sta­bilize the job. The clerk heads the office that keeps the town’s per­manent records and vital statis­tics, such as birth and death cer­tificates, and issues licenses.

One of the seven proposed re­visions to the Town Charter that voters rejected in November would have changed the clerk’s position to a merit job — hired, supervised and, if need be, dismissed by the mayor.

Thompson, a real estate agent, said the potential for volatility could be detrimental to the town.

“The drawback is there’s a lack of consistency of the head person in the department to move the department for­ward,” she said. “I think we’ve been very lucky to have very good clerks through the appointment process, but at some point that is not going to happen.”

Thompson said she sup­ported the amendment that would have made the clerk a permanent position. Kapi, who said she is looking forward to some time off be­fore looking for a new job, said the uncertainty did not influ­ence her decision to accept the post two years ago.

“You have to be wary of that,” Kapi said. “It just comes with the territory.”

She favors making the clerk an elected position, for a mini­mum term of four years, be­cause it took her more than a year to learn the job.

“The job is so involved,” Kapi said. “And there’s always changes. There’s been so many changes in the two years that I’ve been here.”

Despite having to learn a new computer system, Thompson said she does not expect the transition to be too difficult the second time around. “I figure about 10 days to two weeks and I should be up to speed,” she said.

The council sets the clerk’s salary when it makes the ap­pointment, but Thompson said Thursday that the council had already told her the salary would be the same as the last time she served — $60,900 a year.

MY TAKE - Mayor: Wallingford’s finances are ‘solid’

I have an article from the Record Journal posted on my other blog that was published on Friday January 1st regarding the state of Wallingford and the Comprehen­sive Annual Financial Report from fiscal year 2008-09.

The full article can be found at http://bit.ly/4r2fic

The summary points are:

  • The town released its Comprehen­sive Annual Financial Report on Thursday December 31, 2009
  • It was an audit of the 2008-09 fiscal year
  • It showed an increase in overall revenue of more than $300,000 when compared to expenditures
  • It showed a decrease in the town’s debt by more than $7 million.
  • Our revenue exceeded our expenditures by $335,000
  • Wallingford’s reserve accounts or the “budget balance” decreased this fiscal year from $5,880,000 to $5,801,000
  • That $80,000 difference was used and not transferred back into the various reserve accounts at the end of the budget year.
  • $500,000 was col­lected in delinquent taxes.
  • The town’s net assets increased from $322,156,000 to $344,196,000.
  • Wallingford’s debt / other financial obligations decreased from $70.71 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year to $63.28 million in 2008-09 because the town paid off sev­eral of its long-term bonds.

As usual, Wallingford is in a great place to start the budget process for 2009-10 and that kudos has to go to the Mayor for keeping a tight lid on increases and the Town departments for doing what they can to keep the costs down.

Where I am personally concerned this upcoming year is the tax collection part.

If the recession has hampered the ability for businesses and homeowners to pay their taxes then this might be a very tricky budget year.

Additionally, with costs rising despite the recession, I would expect to see some increase in taxes in the neighborhood of 2 to 3 percent.

The only way that can be avoided is by cutting services.

But what are your thoughts?

Do you think it will be more difficult this upcoming year for people to pay their tax bills or do you think it will be no worse than any other year?

Do you think the upcoming revaluation is going to cause your taxes to go up more than the increase of the costs of running the town?

Let the readers know – the comment section is open.