AGENDA - WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 6:30 P.M

AGENDA

Opening Prayer –  Reverend Dean Warburton, First Congregational Church of Wallingford, Connecticut

1. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call

2. Correspondence

3. Consent Agenda

3a. Consider and Approve Tax Refunds (#86 - #186) totaling $23,764.94 Acct. # 001-1000-010-1170 - Tax Collector

3b. Acceptance of Grant and Appropriation in the Amount of $2,897 to Police Overtime Acct 10020050-51400 and to Revenue Highway Safety Acct # 1002001-45208 – Police Chief

3c. Acceptance of Donation and Appropriation in the Amount of $20 Youth & Social Services Special Fund to Donations Acct 213-1042-070-7010 and to Expenditures Acct # 213-3070-600-6000 – Youth & Social Services

3d. Acceptance of Historic Documents Preservation Grant and Appropriation in the Amount of $6,000 to State Grant 2012 – Revenue Acct # 2281002-45114 and to Program Expenditures Acct # 22810650-58830 – Town Clerk

3e. Consider and Approve a Appropriation in the Amount of $6,000 to Revenue Preservation – Town Revenue Acct # 2281002-42030 and to 2011-2012 Fund Expenditures Acct # 22810650-58830 – Town Clerk

3f. Consider and Approve Removal of an Easement from Town’s Land Records for the Property at 8 Catlin Road (temporary cul-de-sac) - Engineering

3g. Consider and Approve Transfer of Town-owned land (former cul-de-sac) to property owners at 45 Old Lane - Engineering

3h. Consider and approve change in name of Poppy Road (previously approved on 6/21/11) to Poppy Lane – Chairman Robert F. Parisi

3i. Approve minutes of Special Town Council Meeting of August 30, 2011

4. Items Removed from the Consent Agenda

5. Presentation by DOT with regard to the Railroad Project - Mayor

6. PUBLIC QUESTION and ANSWER

7. Conduct a Public Hearing for September 13, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. to consider Repeal of existing Ordinance and enactment of revised Ordinance regarding Open Burning, Chapter 93 of the Code of the Town of Wallingford - Co-Chairmen Cervoni and Farrell, Ordinance Committee

8. Conduct a Public Hearing for September 13, 2011 at 7:15 p.m. for Repeal of Ordinance #513, dated 2003, leaving in its place the new Private Sewage Disposal Systems Ordinance #566 adopted on September 28, 2010 – Town Attorney

9. Consider and Approve a Bid Waiver for Public Bid 10-176 Single-Phase Kilowatt-Hours Meters to other low bid – Electric Division

10. Discussion and Possible Action on the Repeal of the Town Council’s resolution of  August 9, 2011, approving Lease Agreements of the parking lots at 2-26 North Main Street, 36-40 North Main Street, 60 North Main Street and 48-50 North Main Street - Councilor Nick Economopoulos

11. Discussion and Possible Action on setting a date for a referendum vote on the repeal of the Town Council’s resolution of August 9, 2011, approving Lease Agreements of the parking lots at 2-26 North Main Street, 36-40 North Main Street, 60 North Main Street and 48-50 North Main Street – Councilor Nick Economopoulos

12. 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

Emails illustrate tense relationship between WHA board and Nere

As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday September 6, 2011

By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

WALLINGFORD — Hundreds of emails between the Wallingford Housing Authority’s director and members of its board of commissioners shows a pattern of tension and apprehension.

By any account, it’s been a contentious stretch at the housing authority for its director, Stephen Nere, and the board, which has seen about a half dozen configurations in the past 10 months. In fact, the five-member board is still without a tenant representative, who will be chosen in a first-of-its-kind election on Thursday.

In an enormous cache of emails between Nere and officials tied to the authority, Nere expresses concern more than once to the board’s latest chairman, Michael Misiti, that his job may be on the line in the face of requests for documentation.

“I am beyond baffled about your true agenda and how I can respond without being fired?” Nere writes in one message. Another request elicited this response from Nere: “I think your request borders on suggesting that some impropriety occurred. I am insulted,” he wrote in late July.

Neither Misiti nor Nere was available for comment Monday.

The emails, dating from April to August, were requested from unspecified housing officials by a local man who says he wants to remain anonymous. He would not say which housing officials had released the materials as part of a request.

The messages bring to light a very stressful time for Nere amid state, federal and local scrutiny of the authority and its policies and procedures, while he is inundated with requests for documents.

Earlier this year, Nere requested early retirement from the board, which it subsequently denied. Nere retracted the request via email, but it is unclear whether the retraction was submitted before or after the board’s decision.

Nere, 60, has worked for the authority for 26 years and earns about $100,000 a year. The WHA operates 317 low and moderate-income rental units and has an annual operating budget of about $1.5 million.

The board, through Misiti, has said it is going in a “new direction” after two recent high-profile changes in longstanding personnel at the authority. Two months ago the board replaced its attorney, Jim Laughlin, after 15 years, and on Friday it eliminated the maintenance supervisor position, which was held for 10 years by Paul Inserra.

At the end of July, Misiti asked Nere for a list of all authority staff, how long they’ve worked there, what their titles and duties are, how much they are paid, when and how much their last raises were and when their last evaluations occurred.

The board’s longest-serving member, at seven years, is 81year-old Thomas Mezzei, an outspoken former bank manager who has called for more strict policies and adherence to bylaws. The other members, all appointed by the Town Council this year, are Misiti, a building and grounds supervisor for Quinnipiac University; and local developers Robert Wiedenmann Jr. and Joseph DiNatale.

Mezzei said he felt the present membership of the board was “a bit aggressive,” but noted that previous members, including former Chairman William Fischer, put through measures such as a comprehensive forensic evaluation late last year and a forensic audit that is expected to be completed sometime next month.

“They’re doing a great job,” he said. “A lot of things were in the works but it took time to get things going. They’re holding him (Nere) to do his job. We’re there for the tenants.”

Three of the four commissioners were appointed this year, after the resignations of long timers Fredrick Monahan and Robert Prentice, who left just days apart. Shortly thereafter, Tenant Commissioner Debra Buckman resigned, just months into her five-year appointment.

Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos praised the new configuration of the board at last month’s council meeting and has publicly questioned the authority’s competence and its financial practices.

Lot owner won’t charge school for parking - But McGuire could limit public access

As published in the Record Journal, Thursday September 8, 2011

By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224


WALLINGFORD — The owner of a property tied to a group parking lot uptown who has vowed to pull out of a lease agreement with the town if a referendum goes through to reverse the lease said he will not charge a church school to use his parking space if the lot is no longer public.
 
John McGuire owns 2 N. Main St, home to TD Bank and part of a large four-building parking lot that is part of a 30-year public parking agreement approved by the Town Council last month. Two town councilors and members of the public opposed the decision, calling the agreement’s stipulation that the town maintain the space a foolish use of public funds on private land.
 
McGuire was part of a previous yearto- year lease agreement with the town that began in 1961 and gave the town the same privileges. However, when he felt the town was not keeping up with paving and other maintenance of his space, he gave his one-year notice to quit the arrangement.
 
Shortly after, he verbally withdrew his notice, but not officially. He worked on a more detailed agreement with the town and other property owners instead, hammering out the deal that was approved by the council last month. The deal says the town “may” spend up to $500,000 to pave the lot, install lights, and reconstruct a cement wall

In McGuire’s 2009 letter to the town’s law department, he said that his decision to leave the agreement “will obviously impact Holy Trinity School, who uses our parking lot on a regular basis. We will have to work out a payment plan for them going forward.”

That never came to pass, however, andMcGuire said his lot remained for public use, and that he had no plans to charge the school to park in his space if the council’s decision is overturned by the referendum.

“I’m waiting for the referendum to go through, and go all the way through, but I will not charge the school,” he said. “But if it’s not going to be a municipal parking lot, then you can’t just allow everybody to park in your parking lot.”

Holy Trinity School Principal Katie Kelly said the school has never had a formal parking arrangement with McGuire or with any of the previous owners of the parking space. The school, with students up to eighth grade, only has about 10 parking spaces on its property, and uses half a dozen spaces in McGuire’s lot and a few on the street.

“If we had to pay to park on his property, we would be making other arrangements,” she said. “We’ve been here 100 years, and his decisions are not going to impact the future of Holy Trinity School. We are going to adjust, if need be.”