Board of Finance - Minutes - 03/16/2022

Board of Finance Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Budget Hearing Waterford Town Hall
Present:
Elected:
Staff:
Chairman Glenn Patterson, Ronald R. Fedor, John Sheehan, Kevin Petchark;S
Robert Tuneski, Baird Welch-Collins, Joe Filippetti i.
gee WH
Robert J. Brule, First Selectman; Jody Narzarchyk, Selectwoman; Paul Golds stei
RTM Moderator, Thomas Dembek, RTM. "
Julie Watson-Jones, Registrar of Voters; Patricia Waters, Registrar of Voters vi
Paige Walton, Assessor; Alan Wilensky, Tax Collector; Kimberly Allen, Finance
Director; Maryellen McConnell, Secretary
Establishment of a quorum and call to order:
A quorum was established and a call to order was established at 7:13 pm,
March 16, 2022.
Public comment:
Standing Motion: was made by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to
tentatively approve the budget requests for FY22/23 for the remainder of the
budget meet.
Registrar of Voters Budget:
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to approve the
Registrar of Voters budget request for FY22/23 in the total amount of $78,204.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed
Assessor Department Budget:
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to approve the Assessor
Department budget request for FY22/23 in the total amount of $259,344.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed

Board of Finance Budget Minutes — March 16, 2022
Page 2
Board of Assessment Appeals Budget:
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to approve the Board of
- Assessment budget request for FY22/23 in the total amount of $1,620.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed
Tax Collector Budget:
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to approve the Tax
Collector budget request for FY22/23 in the total amount of $210,139.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed
Representative Town Meeting Budget:
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to approve the
Representative Town Meeting budget request for FY22/23 in the total amount of
$18,903.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed
Board of Selectmen Budget:
An opening statement was made by First Selectman Brule regarding the Board of
Selectmen’s budget. A copy of this statement is attached.
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Ronald Fedor to approve the Board of
Selectmen budget request for FY22/23 in the total amount of $207,605.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed

Board of Finance Budget Minutes — March 16, 2022
Page 3
10. Adjournment:
Motion by John Sheehan and seconded by Baird Welch-Collins to adjourn the
Budget Meeting of the Board of Finance at 8:22 p.m.
Vote: 7-0-0 Motion: Passed
Respectfully submitted,
WH WhdL
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/sstin Sheehan, Clerk Maryellen McConnell, Secretary

FIFTEEN ROPE FERRY ROAD
PHONE: 860-442-0553
WATERFORD, CT 06385-2886
www.waterfordct.org
First Selectman’s Statement to the Board of Finance — Board of Selectmen Budget
March 16, 2022
Thank you for Mr. Chairman.
| am proud to present you a budget tonight that features a minimal increase,
~ continued professional development and a commitment to our volunteers and
elected officials in town who serve honorably and should be recognized formally
by my office.
|am also proud to share that Waterford’s Grand List has increased 1.69% and 3.7%
over the two past years, the two highest increases in the past 10 years. | would also
like to share that CT Magazine recently selected Waterford a Top 15 Hot Spot in
Connecticut, due to its red hot real estate market, low taxes, beaches and excellent
school system!
As we are all well-aware, the pandemic changed our lives forever. Changed how
we worked, how we provide services so no one fell between the cracks. It changed
how we assist residents who lose employment and support those who were forced
to choose between, feeding their family, or paying for electricity.
The great news, is that we maintained a vibrant Waterford Veterans Coffeehouse
70 members strong, and provided them meals. We delivered food baskets and
holiday dinners to seniors in town and checked on them, to ensure they were safe,
‘prior to storms, if power outages occurred.
| am proud to say, Town Hall never closed during the pandemic, Emergency
Responders showed up to work every day as did our amazing Department Heads
and staff, as well as elected officials. The town held numerous vaccine and testing
clinics both for Waterford residents and regionally. We saw our vaccination rate be
one of the highest in the state. And yes, when test kits, N95 masks needed to be

distributed, you found us at Waterford Beach distributing thousands of kits and
PPE,
| am proud, and honored, to work with Jody and Beth, because of them, the
Waterford Board of Selectmen held Food Drives all year, collecting thousands and
thousands of dollars’ worth of donations. All because we care about our community
and one another. | thank them both for working so closely with me over the past
year and appreciate them.
| focused on improving our ability to communicate with residents. With your
support and the support of the RTM, | purchased the Everbridge emergency
communication program, to announce emergencies to residents who register to
receive these phone calls. | have encouraged Department Heads to create and
utilize Facebook pages to communicate with their constituents, as | do. | have also
utilized the town website to make announcements, because many residents don’t
have Facebook, and have this past year created a Twitter and Instagram page for
our younger residents.
| would be remiss if | did not mention the number of positive changes in town that
have helped re-shape town government to be more efficient, more specifically, the
creation of a town-side Information Technology Department, Facilities Manager
and Human Resources Department.
| have listened and worked closely with this Board, the RTM the Superintendent of
Schools and Director of Finance over the past year to create an Information
Technology Department and a Human Service Department for the town, by
separating from the Board of Education and creating a transparent budget for each.
Over the past year, the town saw 8 retirements and 169 years of institutional
knowledge leave the town. The town hired a new Police Chief, a new Finance
Technician, a new Library Director, two Full-Time Firefighters, a new Assistant
Assessor, an Assistant Building Official, a new Recreation & Parks Program
Coordinator, a new Director of Fire Services, and the aforementioned, IT Manager
and Human Resource Director. All the while ensuring we provided quality services.
Inter-Departmental projects is the new norm, saved money and increased the pride
in town employees. The Beach Bathroom and ADA Pathway Project showed
Recreation & Parks, Utility Commission, Public Works and the Planning Department

could all work together, and instead of contracting out all the work, they could
perform the work, and in the end, take pride in the amazing work they did. The
Town Center Park Project could be another collaborative effort!
Has it been easy? No. Have | learned a lot about our amazing town, residents,
employees, volunteers and elected officials? | sure have. | have the best job in the
world...| get to help people every day, it’s hard for me to call that “work”.
My goals for this year will be on maintaining a stable Mill Rate, prioritizing public
safety, ensuring we deliver high level human services to all residents, creating a
more accessible Town Center and continuing to develop a 10-year strategic plan
for the town’s future to name a few. Again, | would like to thank the Board of
Finance for the work you do for our residents and the support you have provided
me. It is an exciting time for Waterford and | am excited about our future!
Respectfully submitted,
Rot Brule
Rob Brule
First Selectman