AGENDA–WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

January 11, 2011

6:30 P.M

AGENDA

1. Opening Prayer – Reverend Margaret Jay, First Congregational Church

2. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call

3. Consent Agenda

3a. Consider and Approve Tax Refunds (#486 - #508) totaling $13,428.24 Acct. # 001-1000-010-1170 - Tax Collector

3b. Consider and Approve the Appointment of James Seichter to the Planning and Zoning Commission as a regular member for a five-year term ending January 8, 2016 - Chairman Robert F. Parisi

3c. Consider and Approve the Appointment of Joe Rusczek to the Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate for a three-year term ending January 8, 2014 - Chairman Robert F. Parisi

3d. Consider and Approve a Transfer in the amount of $5,000 to Fuel Crisis-Community Acct # 001-3070-600-6810 from Contingency- General Purpose Acct # 001-7060-800- 3190 - Mayor

3e. Acceptance of Donations for Youth and Social Services Special Fund Adopt A Family Program and Approval of Appropriation of $1,050 to Donations Acct # 213-1042-070- 7010 and to Expenditures Acct # 213-3070-600-6000 – Youth & Social Services

3f. Consider and Approve a Transfer in the amount of $150,000 to Distribution

Plant-Overhead Conductors Acct # 365 from Distribution Plant-Poles, Towers, Fixtures Acct # 364 – Electric Division

3g. Consider and Approve a Resolution authorizing the Mayor to file an application for State financial assistance by the Town of Wallingford in an amount not to exceed $200,000 and to Execute an Assistance Agreement with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development to undertake the David Doherty Municipal Building Roof Replacement Project – State and Federal Program Administrator, Donald Roe

3h. Consider and Approve a Transfer of Ownership Agreement of a 1,500 kVA distribution transformer to Fastenal Company in the Amount of $1.00 and Special Quit Claim Deed Bill of Sale – Director, Public Utilities, George Adair

3i. Approve minutes of Regular Town Council meeting of November 9, 2010

4. Items Removed from the Consent Agenda

5. PUBLIC QUESTION & ANSWER

6. Discussion and Possible Action regarding appointment of Council Liaison to the Wallingford Housing Authority – Chairman Robert F. Parisi

7. Conduct at Public Hearing at 7:00 P.M. regarding Proposed Wallingford Project Solid Waste Participating Towns’ Reserve Fund Agreement with respect to the Covanta Trash Plant - Mayor

8. Consider and Approve Proposed Wallingford Project Solid Waste Participating Towns’ Reserve Fund Agreement with respect to the Covanta Trash Plant as discussed during Public Hearing - Mayor

9. 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

Blogs’ influence a matter of opinion

As printed in the Record Journal Monday, January 3, 2011

By Jesse Buchanan
Record-Journal staff
jbuchanan@record-journal.com  
(203) 317-2230

Two new blogs dedicated to Cheshire happenings have launched in the past few months, joining a number of blogs by area officials and residents.

Blogs are seen as an additional communication medium by some elected officials, as well as a way of drawing attention to projects. People such as Wallingford’s Jason Zandri have used blogs to muster support for community events, although not all blogs have been well-received by town officials.

Cheshire Board of Education member Anthony Perugini began his blog, http://tonyperuginilistens.blogspot.com , in November and has written primarily on education topics. Perugini, a Republican, was elected in 2009 and his blog’s name is based on former Town Councilor Tim White’s, timwhitelistens.blogspot.com.

Another blog, CT Curmudgeon, ctcurmudgeon.blogspot.com, began in early December. The identity of the “curmudgeon” is unknown, as the site contains anonymous opinions on state and Cheshire politics.

Cheshire Republican Town Vice Chairman Thomas Pinkham said blogs have been a mixed blessing in political campaigns.

“Sometimes they can help the message the party is trying to get out; sometimes it can hurt,” he said. While White’s blog allowed him to have greater contact with his constituents, Pinkham said the blog hasn’t always been successful.

“Has it hurt him at certain times? Sure,” Pinkham said, adding that the blog has been “mostly a positive thing.”

Former Meriden City Council Democrat Stephen T. Zerio began www.talk-meriden.blogspot.com in 2007, in part to indulge his interest in blogging. Zerio said the blog informed residents and provided him with space to talk about town issues not raised during meetings. After resigning from the council in 2007, Zerio continued the blog, although he said his intent isn’t to “backseat drive.”

“I kept it alive because, every now and again, I could make an observation,” he said. Zerio said he got some personal attacks in the comments on his blog, which he deleted.

“I got occasional attacks,” he said. “I controlled the comments, when there were comments.”

Zandri said his Wallingford blog, http://zandri.net/Blog, generally contains more news about events and town issues than opinion. He hopes to give attention to local issues that might not be covered by other media outlets.

“Sometimes they are not the types of stories that the newspaper might decide to cover,” he said of his blog subjects.

Zandri said his most successful effort was this year’s fundraising drive for the annual Wallingford fireworks show. He and Craig Fishbein, a Republican Town Council member, organized a fundraising drive to gather more than $30,000 to finance the annual Fourth of July fireworks display, which had been cut from the town’s budget.

Zandri also hopes his blog will get residents interested in local issues and voting in local elections.

Former Democratic Town Councilor Matt Altieri, a math teacher at Wallingford’s Sheehan High School, praised Zandri’s blog, which he said was informative and rarely negative.

“Generally, it’s about how to solve problems,” Altieri said.

White started his blog at the beginning of 2006. The Republican said the blog was intended to spark dialogue with constituents, but White has also found it helps hold other public officials accountable and has “brought public pressure to bear” in support of such issues as town pension reform.

Last August, Cheshire stopped offering pension plans to new non-union employees in an attempt to avoid high pension payouts. New employees will be enrolled in a deferred compensation plan in which the town will contribute up to 6 percent of the employees’ salary to a retirement account.

“That would never have happened without the blog,” White said. He estimated that the blog averaged 100 to 150 unique visitors per day in 2010. The blog wasn’t without critics, particularly among Democratic councilors. Altieri said anonymous comments helped perpetuate rumors and the blog focused on criticizing town officials such as Town Manager Michael Milone and Public Works Director Joseph Michelangelo.

White said his criticisms of town officials was intended to hold them accountable and the blog served as a record of statements and actions for residents to check. White defended anonymous comments, saying he preferred to “err on the side of letting people loose” rather than closely monitoring comments, although he has deleted offensive comments.

Altieri said White’s blog hasn’t helped discourse in town.

“I don’t think it’s helped in our specific situation,” Altieri said. “It spreads more things that are not true.”

Such blogs can also make officials wary of talking frankly with each other, Altieri said, in fear of private conversations appearing on the web.

“Then I can’t talk to you,” Altieri said.

FROM WALLINGFORD - Again: engage with the process

I thought I would start off my first “From Wallingford” for 2011 with a call to arms.

It was about this time last year when the school budget as proposed by the Board of Education was coming under scrutiny by the town administration, the council and parents alike for all the cuts and changes being proposed. For the first time in quite a while I saw many parents getting engaged and into the budget details, attending meetings, holding their own discussion groups with one another, and trying to raise additional awareness via email and Facebook.

Time passed, input was heard, decisions were made, some decisions were amended, people adjusted and things settled into the new fiscal year.

It was around that time that I watched conversations drop off online on Facebook which had over 800 members of which a good 50 were active daily.

I had made some comments there and in a prior “From Wallingford” piece about the need to stay engaged throughout if possible or at the minimum to pick back up when budget work began again. I am hopeful that some of those parents have been able to stay engaged and offer their input as it has never been more important. In times like these where budgets are tighter than ever, there has never been a time that it has been more important to be engaged with your local school board and with your local government.

There are pundits who will say “people have their chance to voice their concerns with their vote at election time” and I agree with that sentiment — but it is only a start.

You vote someone into office based on their character, their campaign, how well you know them and on how well they present themselves. No one can run a campaign knowing all that will come down the road. They can only run it based on how they assume they’d respond if certain situations come to pass. I don’t recall anyone running two years ago and indicating how they’d vote on cutting EMT services in the town if that decision needed to be made simply because few could predict we’d actual be in a place where we’d have to do that.

Voting at election time is not the end result of your involvement, it is the start.

The grand list is not expected to grow. Revaluations have been completed and how the disparity falls between residential, commercial and industrial remains to be seen. Everyone will be paying more but how much more and who pays the most remain to be seen.

More of the nice things to have will be cut from the budget; this is simply a given when you look at the critical services that are being scaled back like EMT coverage. The only thing that can be done to save these things that you like or want to have is to raise funds for them and keep them alive through public support like what was done last year with the efforts to save the fireworks display on July 4th.

There is talk from some residents who would like to see a playscape at Kendrick Park. There, too, just like Doolittle, if parents and neighbors feel it is something they want to see come to fruition they are going to have to solicit and fundraise and put some sweat equity in because there is no money in the budget for it.

It starts and ends with “the people,” in all cases. People’s desire to see something done, changed, or continued is based on your input and your level of influence and it has never been more badly needed than now.

2011 is a local election year; elections are in November but the time to get engaged is now.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved.

FROM WALLINGFORD - Downtown deadlock

This week’s FROM WALLINGFORD is written by my counterpart on the column - Stephen Knight

As Published in the Record Journal Sunday December 26, 2010

Well, for now, the Incentive Housing Zone for downtown Wallingford is off the table. Monday night, the Town Council deadlocked on the issue and the Planning and Zoning Commission postponed a vote on the plan. While support for the plan seemed to be building a year ago, it was clear that that support dissipated in the intervening months. While most of the opposition seemed to center around the need for more information, I think that there are three other factors that also figured into the resultant, lukewarm support.

First of all, major changes to existing regulations have to be driven by either 1) an actual proposal put forth by an entity with means to make the project actually happen, or, 2) a consensus among those most affected that the changes are in their best interest. Neither of those conditions was in evidence. The idea appears to have come to life because some of the social engineers in Hartford passed legislation offering financial incentives to consider development of this sort. Then financial incentives that got the town to the table in the first place were drastically reduced. That left little or no impetus for changes to be made, and what little momentum that did exist died.

Secondly, there are many in Wallingford skeptical of accepting state funds for an entirely local project, and I certainly share such skepticism. When the State of Connecticut offers money to local communities, it does so in order to induce compliance with whatever grand scheme it is that they are promoting. The proverbial “strings attached” to that funding has two results: 1) the town loses control over whatever the project is and 2) the completion of the project slows to a crawl. In this case, the money that the state is offering no doubt came with an enormous set of conditions, restrictions and impediments.

As illustration, I offer you the Christian Street bridge debacle of recent years. Do you recall how long that bridge took to replace? The Town had originally sought to work through the state’s local bridge program, but the project got so bogged down in red tape that the town administration finally threw up its hands, completed its own design and installed the bridge without any state assistance for hundreds of thousands less. In the present Incentive Housing Zone case, the question had to be asked: if we take the money, how much control over the area are we ceding to the bureaucracy in Hartford? Is it really worth it?

Lastly, the linchpin of this whole redevelopment idea is the commuter rail service that is supposed to be built over the next few years. Maybe no one brought this up in Monday’s meeting, but I am beginning to doubt if this operation will ever be built. The state is facing years of multibillion dollar deficits. And, to make the problem far worse, the federal government recently turned down Connecticut’s request for additional hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the project, leaving it for the state to bear the lion’s share of funding. In other words, no one in Hartford will say it, but I think this project is stalled. If that is indeed the case, a huge incentive for creating this special zone is gone.

I take a backseat to nobody in my support for downtown Wallingford and the creation of ways to keep it healthy and attractive. Perhaps sometime in the future, this Incentive Housing Zone will be revisited and the good effort of Town Planner Linda Bush will bring a different result. At present, however, the irony seems to be that the town’s best action was to take no action.

FROM WALLINGFORD - Let’s celebrate our real heroes

As published in the Record Journal Sunday December 19, 2010

The VALLEY BELOW American Flag as represented on the http://www.hear2heal.com website.

 

FROM WALLINGFORD - Let’s celebrate our real heroes

by Jason Zandri

A week before Thanksgiving, my neighbor David Gessert called one afternoon and asked me if I was going to be around on Wednesday. He mentioned that he and the neighbors were going to be having a little get together for U.S. Army Sgt. Jeff Sirois who was to be returning to Wallingford after nearly a year in Afghanistan. They were planning to line up along the final leg his travel route and wave the American flag and hold up some signs to welcome him home.

I thanked him for thinking of me and I apologized for being unable to attend. I had recently started a new job which requires me to go into New York City on a daily basis, a change from my previous job which offered me some flexibility for working from home some of the time.

When I think about how much attention in general America pays to which celebrity is cheating on whom and how long Bristol Palin was going to last on “Dancing With the Stars” it made me even more upset that I couldn’t make it that day.

As I was thinking of a topic to put together for this final article of mine before Christmas my thoughts went back to this event, a simple little gesture by family, friends and neighbors to welcome home this member of our armed forces from his recent deployment overseas.

We as a nation simply don’t celebrate our true heroes nearly enough.

We parade the winning World Series team down the main boulevard of whichever city they hail from for tickertape parades (and more times than I’d like to admit, this is the Canyon of Heroes, the lower section Broadway in the Financial District of New York City).

I read a lot of news stories: nearly everything in the Record Journal and a volume more from newspapers across the country online. Over the course of the year I’ve read stories about someone who saved animals from a burning animal rescue or another who heard an elderly woman’s cries for help and called 911.

Many of these stories called these people “heroes.” I absolutely agree that the actions that these people have taken are positively heroic but that is the maximum extent of credit I am willing to give them. You show me a police officer, a firefighter, an EMT, a member of our armed forces that puts their uniform on, pats their children on the head, kisses their spouse good-bye, and who puts themselves in harm’s way in an effort to make us safe and to preserve our way of life here in America for all, and I will show you a real hero.

A message is making its way across Facebook — “This Christmas, when you’re eating your dinner, smiling and laughing, remember that in another house somewhere, there’s an empty chair where a Hero should be sitting. They gave up their life or are presently serving overseas so that you can sit with your family. So light a candle for the Heroes that did not make it home and for those who are still serving.”

To my neighbors, the Siroises, whose house I have walked by dozens of times in nicer weather when I go for my walks downtown, thank you.

Jeff — thank you for serving our country and for protecting it.

Jen — thank you for all the support that you offer to Jeff and to your family while he is away.

To the Sirois’ children — thank you for your sacrifice of time with your father.

When you take the time to stop and consider this on a finite and personal level, it gives so much more meaning to “land of the free and home of the brave.”

To all the heroes — thank you. May you have the best of holidays and may you return home safely.

AGENDA – WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

December 14, 2010

6:30 P.M

AGENDA

Opening Prayer – Deacon Eugene Riotte, Most Holy Trinity Church,

1. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call

2. Executive Session pursuant to § 1-200 (6)(B) of the Connecticut General Statutes with respect to the matter of Janet Moore v. Town of Wallingford – Personnel

3. Motion to Consider and Approve settlement with respect to the matter of Janet Moore v. Town of Wallingford as discussed in Executive Session - Personnel

4. Consent Agenda

4a. Consider and Approve Tax Refunds (#471 - #485) totaling $6,288.95 Acct. # 001-1000-010-1170 - Tax Collector

4b. Acceptance of Donation from Napier Foundation and Approval of Appropriation of $6,000 to Donations Acct # 213-1042-070-7010 and to Expenditures Acct # 213-3070-600-6000 – Youth & Social Services

4c. Acceptance of Donation from Operation Fuel and Approval of Appropriation of $210 to Donations Acct # # 213-1042-070-7010 and to Expenditures Acct # 213-3070-600-6000 – Youth & Social Services

4d. Acceptance of Donation from Wal-Mart and Approval of Appropriation of $500 to Continuing Education & Training Acct # 001-2030-501-5700 and to Miscellaneous Revenue Acct # 001-1075-070-7040 – Fire Chief

4e. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of May 3, 2010

4f. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of May 5, 2010

4g. Approve minutes of Regular Town Council meeting of September 23, 2010

5. Items Removed from the Consent Agenda

6. PUBLIC QUESTION & ANSWER

7. Consider and Approve a Budget Amendment in the Amount of $32,000 to Transmission & Distribution Mains Acct # 433-9012-343 from Power Purchased for Pumping Acct # 431-8620-623 – Water Division

8. Consider and Approve a request for a Bid Waiver for New World Systems Record Management System in the amount of $13,500 – Police Chief

9. Consider and Approve a request for a Bid Waiver for bus transportation service with Durham School Services – Dr. Salvatore Menzo, Superintendent of Schools

10. Consider and Approve Wallingford Regional Solid Waste Project Reserve Agreement - Mayor

11. Discussion with Covanta representatives regarding Resource Recovery Plant, status of combustion unit off-line and environmental issues - Mayor

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

Citizen Mike Returns – Episode 6 – Recent Arbitration story

The Citizen Mike Show is on each night at 9PM except Sundays on Comcast channel 18 and on U-Verse channel 99.

Episode 6 is now available on demand. I have it cross posted here and it is available on the WPAA VideoAlive page on demand.

The episode covers, in layman’s terms, the recent arbitration award that has handed down regarding Local 1326 of the International Association of Fire Fighters and Local 1183 of AFSCME and the process by which all of this was handled.

It is a MUST watch for anyone that would like more information on all of the details on how we have arrived to where we are today and the simple way that this award can easily be paid for and handled within the current budget and without raising any immediate taxes.

As far as the future award for next year and years going forward – that will require planning and forethought and we as a town should get started on that now while we are still a year and a half out.

Again – I HIGHLY recommend the Citizen Mike Show as “must see TV”

VIDEO - Citizen Mike Show - Funding for the paramedics and the scale-back in paramedic coverage

This week on WPAA, at 9 p.m. every night except Sunday, the Citizen Mike Show returns with a talk about funding for the paramedics and the scale-back in paramedic coverage by the mayor in order to address an arbitration award.

Please tune in.

Next week, the show will cover the recent events at the Housing Authority.

As soon as this week’s show is available as video on demand I’ll get the link up here. In the meantime if you have Comcast it’ll be on Channel 18 and if you have U-Verse it is on Channel 99.

AGENDA – SPECIAL MEETING – WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

5:15 P.M

AGENDA

1. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call

2. Consider and Approve an Appropriation from Account 001-7060-801-3230 Contingency- Accrued Expenses in the amount of $327,486 for partial payment of retroactive pay owed employees associated with the 1183 Bargaining Unit - Personnel

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - NOV 9, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - NOV 9, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - NOV 9, 2010 - PART 2

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 26, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 26, 2010

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 2

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 3

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 4

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 5

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 2

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 3

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 4

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 14, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 14, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 14, 2010 – PART 2

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 14, 2010 - PART 3

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - AUG 17, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - AUG 17, 2010

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - JUL 13, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - JUL 13, 2010

FROM WALLINGFORD - Managing ability to pay

As published in the Record Journal on Sunday November 21, 2010

Jason Zandri

In last week’s From Wallingford, my counterpart, Steve Knight, reviewed recent election outcomes. He said across the nation’s “free-spending pols were shown the door,” but that here in Connecticut, the “Land of Steady Habits,” it would be more of the same with respect to spending money we don’t have.

I am willing to give the newly elected officials an opportunity to put their best effort forward before I assert that same conclusion.

As long as we’re on this subject — the “Land of Steady Habits” — I’d like to focus on Wallingford, because to claim that only Hartford and Washington are guilty is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Mayor Dickinson, true to his word, carried out his administrative decision to cut services if unions won their arbitration case. He is the Mayor and that is his prerogative.

Judgment in arbitration cases against the town comes as no surprise to most. One factor, for better or worse, when it comes to rendering a decision in these instances is a town’s ability to pay. Wallingford has solid ability to pay with (as of the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year) $20.4 million in its fund balance plus $11.8 million in undesignated funds that are not allocated to any one time capital purchases or expenditures. That doesn’t include an additional $7.2 million payment received from the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority when Covanta took over the trash plant.

Having ability to pay is a double edged sword. It means our reserves are bountiful and we only have gotten there through conservative management which I do appreciate. One consideration of this of course is that in order to build up a reserve like that you need to be overtaxing. Municipalities can build up reserves when they have excess tax dollars remaining at the end of an annual budget cycle. Taxes and mill rates are set to correspond so that money coming in matches money going out to pay for these services. If you overspend you go into an operating deficit which generally becomes a debt that is mortgaged into future tax payments.

Not a good thing.

Building up some reserve makes sense. If there is a small gap from something unexpected it can be covered with savings. If enough money can be put aside then tax payers reap the benefit of excellent interest rates like Wallingford has when it does need to go out and borrow money.

Once you cross a certain threshold of money in the bank all that additional excess is not going to further improve your bond rating. If your largest single contingency without bonding can be covered by the difference then all monies saved past that combined point are of minimal additional positive impact.

When met with a situation of funding a critical service like EMTs I think the last choice which a town with a surplus should be taking is cutting that service back. One percent interest on $20 million dollars is $200,000.00 — twice what is needed to fund the arbitration award. With interest only and as a stop gap measure we could solve this problem; that would keep present levels of EMT service in place and leave the principal balance untouched. When the economy recovers and the grand list grows you can cut that stop gap measure.

If we don’t want to do that for whatever reason then I suggest the choice of cutting other non-critical services back before cutting EMTs.

Coming in as last choice is a resort to raising taxes. The median household tax bill would go up about three dollars to fund the arbitration award. Any of these choices are better than cutting any critical service that could put people at unnecessary risk in times of dire need.

Certain scenarios could place Wallingford at a higher risk of possible liability if it can be shown the reduction of this critical service was directly responsible for additional injury or loss of life.

Juries will find Wallingford has ability to pay out in a lawsuit just as easily.

It’s official – The Wallingford Fireworks Fund is 501 (C) (3) tax exempt.

Craig Fishbein got the email off to me this week – The Wallingford Fireworks Fund is  501 (C) (3) tax exempt as of May 10, 2010.

Thanks Craig for all the foot work on this behind the scenes – you rock.

If you donated to the cause this past year you CAN take a deduction on your taxes as it IS effective as of this PAST May 10th of 2010.

Thank you for your support in 2010 and we hope you can support us again in 2011

School budget talks under way in Wallingford

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday November 9, 2010

By Jaclyn Hirsch
Record-Journal staff
jhirsch@record-journal.com  
(203) 317-2234

WALLINGFORD — The first of many discussions about next school year’s budget started Monday night during the Board of Education Operations Committee’s meeting.

“There’s a lot on our plate. I’m not going to deny that fact,” School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said.

The board invited Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and Patrice McCarthy, deputy director and general counsel for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, to talk about budget projections and get an idea of what next fiscal year could look like for the district.

Dickinson and McCarthy had little good news to report, but offered advice on how to look for money in this tough economic climate.

Dickinson said unless the state or federal government pumps money into the economy, town officials are not expecting any new money or increase in existing revenues.

About 85 percent of the town’s money comes from local taxpayers, which surprised many board members.

“We are tremendously dependent on what’s happening to the local tax base,” board member Jay Cei said. “I never realized it was that concentrated in local sources.

”McCarthy urged Board of Education members and educators at Monday’s meeting to continue pushing for state money from the legislature.

“The advocacy role is critical,” she said. “Advocacy does matter.”

She said the government is moving to more competitive grants with strings attached, which are more difficult for smaller school districts to win because of the manpower and time it takes to apply for grants.

“That’s sort of something that every community has to weigh,” she said.

Menzo said administrators still plan to hold onto the $1.2 million in federal money earmarked for job saving or creation, which Dickinson applauded. The money must be used by September 2012.

Menzo said he and his staff have started to look at budget numbers and are in the beginning stages of the conversation. He plans to meet parents in an open forum Wednesday night at Sheehan High School, and see teachers and principals at other schools next week to continue the budget conversation.

AGENDA – WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

November 9, 2010

6:30 P.M

AGENDA

1. Opening Prayer – The Reverend Margaret Jay, First Congregational Church

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll Call

2. Consider and Approve Appointment of James D. McManus to Pension Commission for a term effective immediately and expiring December 31, 2011 - Mayor

3. Consider and Approve the Appointment of Debra Buckman to the Wallingford Housing Authority as Tenant Commissioner for a five-year term effective immediately and expiring October 31, 2015 – Robert F. Parisi, Chairman

4. Consent Agenda

4a. Consider and Approve Tax Refunds (#428 - #458) totaling $2,422.85 Acct. # 001-1000-010-1170 - Tax Collector

4b. Acceptance of Donation from Jason Michael, Wallingford resident and local businessman, for Disc Gold course, removable targets valued at $2,893 for use at Lufbery Park – Parks and Recreation

4c. Consider and Approve a Resolution authorizing the Mayor to make application to the Department of Social Services in such amounts as may be made available for undertaking a Hispanic Human Resource Development Program – Program Planning

4d. Consider and Approve an Agreement that requires S.C.O.W. as our subcontractor to fulfill all terms and conditions of the Hispanic Human Resources Development Program Grant – Program Planning

4e. Consider and Approve Job Description for Stockperson - Electric Division – Personnel

4f. Consider and Approve Job Description for Drafting Technician - Electric Division – Personnel

4g. Consider and Approve a Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to enter into and amend Contractual Instruments in the Name of and on Behalf of the Wallingford Community Day Care Center Inc. with the Department of Social Services of the State of Connecticut for a Child Day Care Program – Mayor

4h. Consider and Approve an Agreement between the Town of Wallingford and the Wallingford Community Day Care Center, Inc. recognizing that the Town has executed a contract with the State of Connecticut Commissioner of Social Services for Funding Programs to be carried out by said Day Care Center Acting of Behalf of the Town – Mayor

4i. Consider and Approve a Resolution permitting the Wallingford Community Day Care Center Inc. to borrow from the Town of Wallingford amounts necessary to meet the essential operation expenses of said Day Care Center prior to the time its program is approved for funding from the state of Connecticut - Mayor

4j. Consider and approve a Transfer in the Amount of $22,000 to Tools, Shop and Garage Equipment Acct # 394 from Distribution Plant-Station Equipment Acct # 362 - Electric division

4k. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of November 1, 2010

5. Items Removed from the Consent Agenda

6. PUBLIC QUESTION & ANSWER

7. Consider and Approve a Transfer in the Amount of $8,200 to Purchased Professional Services - Negotiations Acct # 001-1300-901-9002-00 from Contingency General Purpose Acct # 001-7060-800-3190-00 - Mayor

8. Report regarding implementation of arbitration awards for IAFF, Local 1326 and AFSCME, Council 4, Local 1183 - Mayor

9. Consider and Approve Bid Waiver to utilize process other than public bidding for consideration and selection of pension portfolio investment managers – Pension Commission

10. 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