MEETING MINUTES
Board of Finance
June 21, 2001
CALL TO ORDER
The Special Meeting of the Board of Finance was called to order at 7:35 AM in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Office Building. Present were Board of Finance Chairman Paul Henault, James Belfiore, Candace Fitzpatrick, Peter Askham, Michael Wade, and Mary Glassman. Also present were Kevin Kane, Finance Director, Richard Sawitzke, Town Engineer, and other interested parties.
APPROVE MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 7, 2001 SPECIAL MEETING
Ms. Fitzpatrick made the motion to approve the minutes for the June 7, 2001 Special Meeting of the Board of Finance.
Mr. Askham seconded the motion.
Motion passed by a unanimous voice vote. Minutes stand approved.
SUSPENSE LIST
Mr. Henault stated that all the members of the board should have a copy of Kathy Hayes’s letter with them, and asked if there was any discussion to be had on the matter.
Seeing none, Ms. Fitzpatrick made the motion to approve the Suspense List as submitted by Kathy Hayes.
Mr. Belfiore seconded the motion.
Motion passed by a unanimous voice vote.
OPERATING BUDGET TRANSFERS
Mr. Henault noted the letter the board received from Kevin Kane, the Finance Director. He recognized that in order to prevent deficit spending on the part of the town, or any town agency, these transfers were necessary.
Mr. Askham asked Mr. Kane if the $36,000 Meadowood legal fees were all that they should expect.
Mr. Kane replied that since this fee was raised in anticipation of future costs, there should be no more fees in the 2000-01 fiscal year.
Ms. Fitzpatrick motioned to approve all transfers before the board.
Mr. Henault and Mr. Belfiore seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
CARL BANKS SPECIAL REVENUE FUND
Mr. Henault noted the letter he received from Mr. Kane on June 7th concerning the creation of the fund.
Mr. Kane explained that Mrs. Banks, the widow of Carl Banks, donated $30,000 to the town. In order to expend those monies legally, a special account must be created.
Mr. Belfiore asked if a project was being developed to spend the money on.
Mr. Kane replied that such a project was being discussed.
Ms. Fitzpatrick motioned to establish the Carl Banks Special Revenue Fund.
Mr. Belfiore seconded.
Motioned passed unanimously by a voice vote.
FISCAL YEAR 1999/00 OUTSTANDING ENCUMBERANCES
Mr. Kane explained that his office does not usually consider granting encumbrances for longer than one fiscal year.
Mr. Sawitzke explained the nature of the GIS project to the members of the board. He said that in order to successfully establish the program, he has had to coordinate with many different offices and departments. Work is slow, but the rewards will be well worth it. The program is very powerful, and will serve as a great resource for town planners and engineers, among others. Simsbury will be the first in the valley to implement such a program.
Mr. Henault asked what some of the specific benefits will be.
Mr. Sawitzke answered that it will provide a method by which to conduct quick queries about a wide variety of town data. It will give geographic information, quickly and graphically, and it will project future trends. It will be invaluable to planning and development.
Mr. Henault asked if the town has the hardware to immediately implement the software as soon as it is ready.
Mr. Sawitzke said yes, they have the hardware in place.
Mr. Askham asked what the total cost will be.
Mr. Sawitzke replied that the first phase will be done in 2 months and cost $18,000.
Ms. Fitzpatrick said that she felt comfortable granting the extension on the encumbrance because it has a clear purpose and a defined end date.
Mr. Askham made the motion to approve an extension (until October 1) to the outstanding encumbrance as requested by Mr. Sawitzke.
Ms. Glassman seconded the motion.
Motion passed by a unanimous voice vote.
LONG-TERM FACILITY PLANNING
Mr. Henault said that the board members had before them some information from a firm that does strategic facilities planning. They look at all capitol costs in planning a project, and help to prioritize projects as a neutral third party. He suggested the board discuss the merits of using such a firm, as well as the overall merits of cooperative strategic capitol planning.
Mr. Askham stated that he went to CCM Conference on building school buildings. Hopefully, he said, a firm can teach us how to prioritize. They certainly helped him understand the process a little better. He said that an objective firm would definitely help to prioritize projects. It is important to realize he said, that you can’t force anyone to join. The other boards have to sign on.
Ms. Glassman stated that it would be wise to allow staff to take a look at the proposal. She wanted more feedback before she put anything out to bid, perhaps from Rich Sawitzke and those involved in capitol projects.
Ms. Fitzpatrick stated that when it comes to the importance of the issue of strategic planning, there is little doubt that the entire board is in agreement.
After further general discussion of the merits and benefits of an objective firm involved in the town’s strategic planning of capitol projects, the board closed discussion. It was the consensus of the board that some form of strategic project planning was called for, and that it was in the town’s best interests.
Ms. Fitzpatrick made the motion to adjourn.
Mr. Wade seconded.
Motion passed unanimously. Meeting stood adjourned at 8:22 AM.
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