Town Council Chambers
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE BUDGET WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP FORMAT
Sub-Committee Meeting:
Wallingford Housing Authority Selection Process for Tenant Commissioner
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
FY 2011 – 2012 BUDGET
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
3. BUDGET WORKSHOP
Board of Assessment Appeals
Board of Ethics
Board of Selectmen
Civil Preparedness
Probate Court
Registrars of Voters
Zoning Board of Appeals
FUNDRAISER ![clip_image002[3]_thumb](http://zandri.net/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/clip_image0023_thumb2.gif "clip_image002[3]_thumb")
WALLINGFORD FIREWORKS FUND
CONCERT NIGHT
Scheduled to play
The Suspects
Bluzberry Pi
42nd Street
ZANDRI’S STILLWOOD INN – 7:00P.M.
1074 SO. COLONY RD.
FRIDAY MAY 6, 2011 TICKETS: $10.00
We are a registered 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization; our tax id# is 27-2576599
AD BOOK DONATIONS (All advertisements are black and white)
Full page ad ( 5 x 8 ) – $250.00
1/2 page ad ( 5 x 4 ) – $150.00
1/4 page ad ( 2.5 x 4 ) – $80.00
For more information, please contact:
Jason Zandri – (203)294-4647 – Jason.Zandri@wallingfordfireworks.org
or visit our website http://wallingfordfireworks.org/
Wallingford Fireworks Fund is looking for helpers for this weekend and over the next few weeks.
With the final five weeks of donation collecting upon us, we are in need of volunteers that can stand and collect donations.
We need help each of the next few weekends starting with this Saturday the 30th. If you can spare a few hours every other weekend we could use your help.
Please contact me directly at 860 614 6069 or via email at Jason@Zandri.net
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
FY 2011 – 2012 BUDGET
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
3. BUDGET WORKSHOP
Finance
Assessor
Purchasing
Tax
Debt Services
Contingency
Mayor
Pension Funds - Scheduled for May 5, 2011
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
FY 2011 – 2012 BUDGET
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
3. BUDGET WORKSHOP
Library
Economic Development Commission
Social Services
Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW)
Wallingford Center Inc. (WCI)
Senior Center
Master’s Manna
Police Department
Town Council Chambers
6:30 P.M
AGENDA
Opening Prayer - Reverend Margaret Jay, First Congregational Church
1. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
2. Correspondence
3. Consent Agenda
3a. Consider and Approve Tax Refunds (#659 - #668) totaling $1,444.87 Acct. # 001-1000-010-1170 - Tax Collector
3b. Approve Reappointment of Candace Brashears as a member of the Historic Properties Commission effective immediately for Term to Expire March 27, 2016 – Chairman Robert F. Parisi
3c. Approve Reappointment of Tara Knapp as an alternate to the Historic Properties Commission effective immediately for Term to Expire March 27, 2016 – Chairman Robert F. Parisi
3d. Approve the Appointment of William Austin as an alternate to the Historic Properties Commission effective immediately for Term to Expire March 27, 2016 – Chairman Robert F. Parisi
3e. Approve the Appointment of Kimberly Lode-Dellaselva as an alternate to the Historic Properties Commission effective immediately for Term to Expire March 27, 2016 – Chairman Robert F. Parisi
3f. Consider and Approve a Transfer in the Amount of $16,273 to Maintenance of Vehicles Acct # 2030-550-5000 from Volunteer Tax Abatement $4,598 Acct # 2030-101-1800 from Heating System Controls-Headquarters $ 9,500 Acct #2030-999-9028 from Radio Pagers for Volunteer Firefighters $2,175 Acct # 2030-999-9032 - Fire Chief
3g. Consider and Approve a Transfer in the Amount of $12,000 to Professional Services-Lawyers Acct # 001-1320-901-9002 from Professional Services- Specialists Acct # 001-1320-901-9003 – Town Attorney
3h. Schedule a Public Hearing for May 10, 2011 at 7:00 P.M.
AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $2,268,000 FOR THE PLANNING, ACQUISITION AND CONSTRUCTION OF VARIOUS MUNICIPAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS 2011-2012 AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUE OF $2,268,000 BONDS OF THE TOWN TO MEET SAID APPROPRIATION AND PENDING THE ISSUANCE THEREOF THE MAKING OF TEMPORARY BORROWINGS FOR SUCH PURPOSE
3i. Confirmation of Reappointment of the following Board of Ethics members Three-year term effective immediately and expiring 3/1/2014
Sean Doherty
Mary Paquette
Reverend Dean Warburton
Jon Paul Venoit (currently serving as alternate; is being appointed as full member)
Alternate: Iris Papale (effective immediately and expiring 3/1/2013)
Requested by Mayor
3j. Consider and approve the following Resolutions
Resolved, that the Wallingford Town Council authorizes the Wallingford Board of Education to apply to the Commissioner of Education and to accept grants for the Asbestos Removal Projects at the Cook Hill Elementary School, Dag Hammerskjold Middle School, Highland Elementary School, Lyman Hall High School, James H. Moran Middle School, Pond Hill Elementary School, Rock Hill Elementary School, Mark T. Sheehan High School and E. C. Stevens Elementary School.
Resolved, that the Wallingford Building Committee is hereby established as the building committee with regard to the Asbestos Removal Projects at the Cook Hill Elementary School, Dag Hammerskjold Middle School, Highland Elementary School, Lyman Hall High School, James H. Moran Middle School, Pond Hill Elementary School, Rock Hill Elementary School, Mark T. Sheehan High School and E. C. Stevens Elementary School
Resolved, that the Wallingford Town Council hereby authorizes at least the preparation of schematic drawings and outline specifications for the Asbestos Removal Projects at the Cook Hill Elementary School, Dag Hammerskjold Middle School, Highland Elementary School, Lyman Hall High School, James H. Moran Middle School, Pond Hill Elementary School, Rock Hill Elementary School, Mark T. Sheehan High School and E. C. Stevens Elementary School
3k. Approval of appointment of the following Building Committee members for the Asbestos Abatement Project- Tom Hennessey, Kathy Castelli, Salvatore Menzo, Mark Deptula – Superintendent of Schools
3l. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of April 11, 2011
3m. Approve minutes of Regular Town Council meeting of April 12, 2011
3n. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of April 13, 2011
3o. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of April 14, 2011
3p. Appointment of John J. Andrews as Deputy Fire Marshal effective immediately – Chairman Robert F. Parisi
3q. Appointment of Brian R. Schock as Deputy Fire Marshal effective immediately – Chairman Robert F. Parisi
4. Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
5. PUBLIC QUESTION & ANSWER
6. Discussion and possible action on appointing Thomas Dacey as Interim Tenant Commissioner to the Wallingford Housing Authority until (at least) a regular appointment is made. – Councilor Craig C. Fishbein
7. Discussion and possible action of nomination of former Tenant Commissioner Patricia Hogan as Interim Tenant Commissioner to the Wallingford Housing Authority until such time an election of such as set up by the Wallingford Housing Authority takes place – Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos
8. Discussion and Possible Action to appoint Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos to serve as a liaison between Wallingford Town Council and the Wallingford Housing Authority– Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos
9. Bid waiver for interruptible gas for 7/1/11 – 6/30/12 at Moses Y. Beach Elementary School, E. C. Stevens Elementary School, Yalesville Elementary School, Dag Hammerskjold Middle School, Lyman Hall High School and the Vocational-Agricultural Building at Lyman Hall High School (Dual fuel capability facilities) – Board of Education
10. Consider and Approve a Transfer in the Amount of $196,367 to Various Accounts (attached) for AFSCME 1183 Pay Raises from Various Accounts (attached) for AFSCME 1183 Pay Raises - Comptroller
11. Executive Session pursuant to §1-200 (6)(D) of the Connecticut General Statutes with respect to the purchase, sale and/or leasing of property – Mayor
12. Executive Session pursuant to §1-200 (6)(B) to discuss pending litigation involving the matter of Town of Wallingford v. Zapp– Town Attorney
13. Motion to Authorize action involving pending litigation as discussed in Executive Session – Town Attorney
by Jason Zandri
As published in the Record Journal Sunday April 24, 2011
With the end of May fast approaching, fundraising for the annual fireworks show is now in high gear. As you may recall, last year funding for the annual fireworks celebration was cut from Wallingford’s budget and the show was simply cancelled.
On April 18th, after the budget talks ended, I decided I was going to dedicate the time to try to raise the fund to save the event. With the help of some other dedicated citizens and very generous donations from major contributors like Choate as well as hundreds of smaller donations from other businesses and John and Jane Citizen, the show was saved; $30,347 was raised in 34 days.
This year too, the show is going unfunded so we have been hitting the ground since the beginning of March collecting for the event. As of this April 18th our fundraising balance is $13,000.
From the “good” perspective, we are $13,000 farther along than we were at this time last year. The “bad” perspective is the fact that if you average forward six weeks to the campaign deadline based on the take of the past six weeks you can see how we are going to potentially miss our goal by about $4,000.
I am not without hope that we couldn’t pull this off and I intend to collect it all or run out of time trying.
As with last year, we need about $30,000 to restore the show. We had originally hoped that by starting earlier we could collect $40,000 and restore the R Band and their performance to the event but given the current campaigning averages there is no way we’re going to be able to do that. Last year we didn’t consider trying but we were more hopeful this year.
We do have one final major fundraiser coming up on May 6th; a concert night planned at the Stillwood Inn at 7PM featuring The Suspects, Bluzberry Pi and 42nd Street. We are hopeful that with that event, the additional collecting of donations that we are doing at local businesses, and the one off donations that people are mailing to us that we can make that final amount as we did last year just under the wire.
This event is a nice thing to have. It is not a necessity but it is something I would like to see preserved and available for future generations to enjoy. I am in good company with respect to the generous donations that I am receiving from people. Clearly it is a minority of people, but with a town of 46,000 and an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 that attend the event it is only a minority of the town that goes to the show anyway.
The celebration of the birth of our nation is worth my time, effort and a fairly large sum of my own money to try to preserve the 4th of July fireworks celebration.
I get a lot of, “what a waste of money — to be blown up in the sky for a 30minute show” from the nay-sayers. They are entitled to their opinions.
I disagree, as does every single person that drops a dollar into one of my collection buckets. By offering a means to save the event through the collection of donations I am stimulating the economy — if there was no show there would be no vendors making money that night on do-dads and ice cream. There would be no overtime earned by the police, fire and public works employees (paid for by the fund — we are covering all costs).
All this and we are offering a nice family event for one and all.
In this day and age of “nothing to do and no time to do it” I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday night.
See you at the fireworks!
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
FY 2011 – 2012 BUDGET
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
3. BUDGET WORKSHOP
Public Utilities Commission
Water-Sewer Divisions
Electric Division
Program Planning
Government Television
Youth & Social Services
So there’s some good news / bad news / good news to be said here.
So the first good news piece here is that this time last year we didn’t have a dime towards the cause and already this year (because we started 45 days ago) we have nearly $13,000.00.
The bad news is that at this pace, we are going to reach the deadline of the end of May and be short by nearly $6,000.00. We also have some advertising costs to consider for the next fundraiser that will generate about $1,000.00 more in expenditures that we’re going to have to cover.
The other piece of good news is that we still have the WALLINGFORD FIREWORKS FUND CONCERT NIGHT fundraiser scheduled for May 6th and that should help us some of the way towards closing this gap. How much remains to be seen but I am hopeful it could pull us very close like the fundraiser dinner did last year.
The one nice thing about clearing $12,000.00 is that we now have all the money the town needs to pay for all of the town services. Every dime collected from this point forward goes towards paying for the fireworks cost themselves.
I plan to continue to collect every spare moment I get until I get everything we need or until I run out of time.
I’ll see you around town over the next 45 days.
Hi Gang,
Today, Saturday April 16th, we’ll be collecting at the Landfill and the Recycling Center from 8AM to about 2PM. That’s the plan at least. We may leave a little earlier if the volume of cars is low because of the weather
Our current collection totals stand at $11,488.10.
Last year we just started our collecting on April 18th so I am hoping to clear the total we need for all the town services before the weekend is over.
As I have them, they are:
I’ll update everyone on Sunday morning as to where we are.
If you can stop by and see us that would be great.
Don’t forget as well about our final major fundraiser on Friday May 6th:
WALLINGFORD FIREWORKS FUND
CONCERT NIGHT
Scheduled to play
The Suspects
Bluzberry Pi
42nd Street
ZANDRI’S STILLWOOD INN – 7:00P.M.
1074 SO. COLONY RD. FRIDAY MAY 6, 2011 TICKETS: $10.00
We are a registered 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization; our tax id# is 27-2576599
AD BOOK DONATIONS (All advertisements are black and white)
Full page ad (5 x 8) – $250.00
1/2 page ad (5 x 4) – $150.00
1/4 page ad (2.5 x 4) – $80.00
For more information, please contact:
Jason Zandri - (203)294-4647 - Jason.Zandri@wallingfordfireworks.org
or visit our website http://wallingfordfireworks.org/
Hi Gang,
Today, Friday April 15th my father will be at the Dunkin Donuts on South Colony Road and I will be at the one on North Colony Road from about 7AM to about 10AM.
Tomorrow Saturday April 16th we’ll be at the Landfill and the Recycling Center from 8AM to about 2PM (or whenever the rain starts coming down too heavy).
Our current collection totals stand at $11,060.27.
Last year we just started our collecting on April 18th so I am hoping to clear the total we need for all the town services before the weekend is over.
As I have them, they are:
Police Overtime
Total $11,812.00
I’ll update everyone on Sunday morning as to where we are.
If you can stop by and see us that would be great.
Don’t forget as well about our final major fundraiser on Friday May 6th:
WALLINGFORD FIREWORKS FUND
CONCERT NIGHT
Scheduled to play
The Suspects
Bluzberry Pi
42nd Street
ZANDRI’S STILLWOOD INN – 7:00P.M.
1074 SO. COLONY RD. FRIDAY MAY 6, 2011 TICKETS: $10.00
We are a registered 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization; our tax id# is 27-2576599
AD BOOK DONATIONS (All advertisements are black and white)
Full page ad (5 x 8) – $250.00
1/2 page ad (5 x 4) – $150.00
1/4 page ad (2.5 x 4) – $80.00
For more information, please contact:
Jason Zandri - (203)294-4647 - Jason.Zandri@wallingfordfireworks.org
or visit our website http://wallingfordfireworks.org/
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
FY 2011 – 2012 BUDGET
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
3. B U D G E T W O R K S H O P
Health
Building
Planning & Zoning
Inland Wetlands & Watercourses
Conservation Commission
Law Department
Animal Control
Town Council
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
FY 2011 – 2012 BUDGET
1. Moment of Silence
2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call
3. B U D G E T W O R K S H O P
A) Board of Education
B) Cafeteria
BY Jason Zandri
It’s that time of year again. Wallingford’s budget has been presented and was published as a legal notice in Wednesday’s Record Journal.
It was of little surprise that the education budget took the biggest hit, originally proposed at $91,573,029. Education spending is about 62 percent of the total operating budget even after the Mayor trimmed it down to $86,793,733. This is a cut of $4,779,296 from the Board of Education’s proposal. Of those cuts the Mayor outlined, the most heavily target ones were the certified salaries. That action cut the school board’s proposed $50,514,163 down to $47,302,695 which is a decrease of 6.4 percent or $3,211,468.
This 6.4 percent reduction doesn’t necessarily translate to layoffs as school administrators can find other ways to make up the difference. There is the possibility of retirements or the shifting of some smaller amounts of money from other small surpluses. Once the budget is passed the funds are sent to the Board to allocate to the outlined costs and some of the amounts can be shuffled around.
On April 11, 2011 at 6:00 pm in the Robert Earley Auditorium the Wallingford Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on the 2011-12 budget. People can attend and ask questions on the individual appropriations and requests.
I am sure we are going to see many parents and educators in attendance for these upcoming public hearings. April 11th is a Monday and historically the public hearings are not recorded or televised. If history repeats, one would need to be in attendance to hear the whole story and/or to provide any input.
You really need to be at many meetings before this event as all the monies that are directed and spent throughout the year have an effect as to how the budget is put together. Having said that, it is better to see people show up now rather than not at all.
The bottom line is, at this point it will make little difference.
I know of one elected official that received nearly 20 letters/emails from parents regarding the education budget over the past few weeks. This individual reviewed all the letters in detail and then took a look at the voter registration for the writers. Only two were registered voters. Knowing that only 37 percent of the registered voters show up for local elections, it is safe to assume that only one of the two made it to the polls in 2009.
Eighteen other people took the time to write a note but couldn’t be bothered to go and vote. I guarantee you that it takes longer to compose a message and mail it or email it than it does to vote in a local election.
The bottom line here is all the letters should be reviewed on their individual merits but we all know that never can happen. We also know that in most cases, self preservation of the elected official is their first priority. So are they going to cater to the younger people with families that do not come out and vote or to the “over 50” set that come out in spades every election?
Older people who are approaching retirement or who are already retired have already put their kids through the school system. They are dealing with smaller cost of living increases if they see any at all and the last thing they are going to be looking for is additional education spending that will increase their taxes.
It is commendable to write letters to your elected officials and to come once a year to a few budget meetings but if you’re not going to go out and vote and get involved with a political party and push an agenda you support then you need to understand you might as well be trying to blow out a light bulb.
Get informed, get involved and get out and vote.
I submitted our cause to the project; here is the response I received:
Congratulations! Your Pepsi Refresh Project idea fund the 2011 Wallingford Fireworks Celebration has been randomly selected for review out of all the submissions we received this month.
You’re one step closer to getting your idea out there! But before your idea can be posted for public voting, we need to review it to make sure it meets the Pepsi Refresh Project’s Official Application Guidelines. If it doesn’t meet all requirements, it won’t be posted.
On the first day of next month, we’ll let you know if your idea has been approved and will be up for voting. After that, you would begin promoting your idea for a chance to receive a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project Grant!
Thanks for participating in the Pepsi Refresh Project. Keep at it! It’s because of you, your votes and your participation that we’ve made a difference in refreshing the world.
Any questions? Please consult the FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions).
Sincerely,
From here, anything is still possible so stay tuned!
Today we did fairly well at Dunkin Donuts (I have yet to count the money but the donations were steady.) I’ll be checking in with my Dad later to see how he did.
I had the dates wrong for when we had permission to collect at Stop and Shop; the date we had reserved was for tomorrow, Sunday the 19th so I’ll be there from 11AM to about 4PM.
Our collected total right now is $9,210.27 and we have a lowered goal of $30,000.00 for the June 5th deadline. For all those details you can see out prior blog post – Update on the Wallingford Fireworks Fund efforts – 2011 goals have been lowered
For more information on any of our upcoming collections or to make a donation or to find out how you can help out please contact me at (203)294-4647 or via email at Jason.Zandri@wallingfordfireworks.org or visit our website http://wallingfordfireworks.org/
If you cannot come to us but want to make a donation you can make it via PayPal online on our website or you can mail it in.
Please make checks out to: “Wallingford Fireworks Fund” and send to: Wallingford Fireworks Fund, c/o Jason Zandri, 35 Lincoln Drive Extension, Wallingford, CT 06492
Thanks again for the support.
6:00 P.M.
Town Council Chambers
AGENDA
1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Roll Call
3. Public Hearing on the Town of Wallingford Budget for FY 2011-2012
Board of Assessment Appeals- No comments or questions
Board of Education
Board of Ethics-
Board of Selectmen
Building Department
Cafeteria
Capital Appropriations Reserve
Capital and Non-Recurring
Capital and Non-Recurring Fund
Civil Preparedness
Conservation Commission
Contingency Account
Debt Services
Economic Development Commission-
Electric Division-
Dog Pound
Employee Insurance and Other Benefits
Engineering Department
Fire Department
Fire Marshal
Government Access TV
Health Department
Inland Wetlands
Insurance-Property & Casualty -
Law Department
Library
Mayor
Pension Fund
Personnel, Pensions, & Risk Management
Planning & Zoning
Police Department
Probate Court
Program Planning
Public Works Department
Recreation, Parks and
Registrars of Voters
Six-Year Capital
Social Services Contributions
Town Council
Town Clerk
Utilities –Water & Sewer -
Veterans Service Center
Youth & Social Services Bureau
Zoning Board of Appeals
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