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Pursuant to the foregoing notice a regular Representative Town Meeting of the Town of Greenwich was held in the Moderator’s Hall of Central Middle School on Monday October 27, 2003 at 8:00 P.M.(E.S.T.)
The meeting was called to order by the Moderator Thomas J. Byrne
The Moderator announced that as all members had received a copy of the call of the meeting, the reading of the call would be omitted.
The members pledged allegiance to the flag.
Attendance cards were presented showing 154 present, 75 absent and no vacancies.
The Moderator announced that as all members had received a copy of the minutes of the September 15, 2003 meeting, the reading of the minutes would be omitted. The Moderator announced a correction to the September minutes. At the June meeting Sec. 21 of the Town Charter was amended in section C, line 6 and was retyped in the Septermber minutes, but the amendment was omitted in those minutes.
Section 21 of the Town Charter is restated below, with the amendments and corrections as it stands with action taken at the June and September meetings.
Resolved, that Sections 21 and 91 of the Town of Greenwich Charter be and the same are hereby amended to read as follows:
Sec. 21. Annual Budget [reports] and Operations Plans.
(a) By Departments, Divisions and Officers. The head[s] of [all] each department[s, officers or] and division[s] under the supervision and control of the Board of Education, the Board of Health, the Board of Social Services, [and] the Board of Estimate and Taxation and the First Selectman and all other officers and boards of the Town shall annually prepare and submit to their supervising authority [such boards, respectively,] a proposed budget report and an operations plan presenting the proposed financial and operational plans [of such departments, officers or divisions] for the ensuing fiscal year[, including detailed estimates]. The proposed budgets shall be presented at such time, in such form and with such content as shall be
prescribed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation and shall contain such additional information as is requested by the First Selectman or the Board of Estimate and Taxation. Such proposed budgets shall include a detailed estimate of the amount of money which will be required to meet the obligations of the Town [in] for such board, department[s], office[rs] or division[s and] to provide for [their] its expenses for the ensuing fiscal year, shall list capital requests separately from operating expenses and shall identify capital items that are anticipated to be requested within at least the next five fiscal years but are not being requested at the present time. The operations plans shall set forth in such form as shall be prescribed by the First Selectman, a concise and comprehensive report of the administrative activities of the board, department, division or office showing services, activities and work accomplished during the current year and to be
accomplished in the ensuing fiscal year. Such operations plans shall contain a table of organization for the agency preparing it and shall list any changes in personnel proposed in the budget request for the ensuing fiscal year. [The heads of all departments under the supervision and control of the First Selectman shall annually prepare the submit such reports to the First Selectman for review and revision by him. Such budget reports shall be made at the time and in the form prescribed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation.]
(b) Review and Revision by First Selectman. Upon completion of their review, and at such time as shall be prescribed by the First Selectman, such boards, departments, divisions and officers of the Town, shall submit such proposed budgets and operations plans to the First Selectman. The First Selectman shall review all proposed budgets received and shall make such revisions and modifications in such proposed budgets as the First Selectman deems necessary or appropriate, except for the operations budget submitted by the Board of Education, and, unless requested by the Board of Estimate and Taxation, except with respect to fixed charges as proposed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation. The First Selectman shall review all operations plans
received and shall make such revisions and modifications in such operations plans as the First Selectman deems necessary or appropriate, except for those submitted by the Board of Education and the Board of Estimate and Taxation and, with respect to those plans submitted by departments, boards or officers not under the supervision and control of the First Selectman, only after consultation with such department, board or officer affected. Revisions and modifications to such proposed budgets or operations plans by the First Selectman shall not be such as to prevent any Town officer or board from performing or exercising any power, duty or obligation specified or mandated by Town Charter or state statute. In connection with such reviews, the First Selectman shall (1) develop goals and objectives and establish priorities for spending for the ensuing fiscal year; (2) establish priorities with respect to recommended capital spending for all Town agencies; and (3) develop a
long range capital spending plan.
[(b)] [c] Submission to the Board of Estimate. On or before December 1 in each year, or at such other time as the Board of Estimate and Taxation shall prescribe, the First Selectman, for and on behalf of said boards, departments, divisions and offices [and the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Education, the Board of Health, the Board of Social Services, and all other officers and boards of the Town,] and the Board of Education, shall [prepare and) submit to the Board of Estimate and Taxation, with copies to the Budget Overview and Finance Committees of the Representative Town Meeting and such other Committees of the Representative Town Meeting as the Moderator may direct [a budget report] such proposed budgets, as revised, with such comments
as are appropriate, presenting [their] the proposed financial plans for [the] said boards, departments [under their supervision and control], divisions and offices for the ensuing fiscal year, including detailed estimates of the amount of money which [the Town] will [require] be required to [meet its obligations in such departments and] provide for [the] anticipated operating and capital expenses [of such departments] for the ensuing fiscal year[; provided, for good cause shown, the Board of Estimate and Taxation may extend the above submission date for the Board of Education for a period not to exceed thirty days. Such budget report shall be made in the form prescribed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation]. Such proposed budgets shall be in such form as the Board of Estimate and Taxation shall prescribe. Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing any board or officer from submitting a request for addition to, or
reinstatement of, any item omitted from, or deleted from its budget directly to the Board of Estimate and Taxation in accordance with procedures prescribed by said board.
[(c)](d) Publication of Estimates. The Board of Estimate and Taxation shall, on or before April 10 in each year, cause to be published in a newspaper published in the Town, a summary of such estimates.
Sec. 91. Commission budget.
On or before December 1 in each year, or at such other time as the Board of Estimate shall prescribe, the Commission shall prepare and submit [to the Board of Estimate and Taxation] a budget request presenting its requirements for the ensuing fiscal year in accordance with Section 21. [Such budget request shall be made in the form prescribed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation.] The Commission may accept gifts for its purposes, but all of its expenditures, exclusive of such gifts, shall be within the amounts appropriated for its purposes.
(additions bold; deletions [brackets])
The foregoing proposal for home rule action requires an affirmative vote of a majority of the entire membership of the Representative Town Meeting and approval at a referendum.
The Moderator asked if there were any other corrections or comments. Robert Richardson of District 10 noted a correction on page 3, next to the last paragraph. He stated that the paragraph should read as follows;
Robert J. Richardson, Chairman of the Special Committee on the Nathaniel Witherell, gave an update on the committee’s study of the proposal to build a new $45 million skilled nursing facility.
The minutes as amended were adopted by unanimous consent.
The Moderator suggested a motion to suspend the rules and combine items 1,2,3,5 6 & 7 and to consider separately Item No. 4. The motion was moved and seconded.
Motion Carried
The Moderator announced that the combined items were now before the meeting.
Nancy Brown, director of Community Development, offered the following resolutions, which were duly moved and seconded, regarding Items 1 and 2.
1. WHEREAS, the Policy of the Town of Greenwich requires that the Board of Estimate and Taxation shall annually make and file in the Office of the Town Clerk a Detailed Statement of the Appropriations, with its reasons for said Appropriations which it deems necessary to meet the expenses and to conduct the affairs of the Community Development Block Grant Program of the Town of Greenwich for the ensuing Fiscal Year, that is to say, for the Year January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004 inclusive; and
WHEREAS, the said Board has so filed in the Office of Town Clerk a Detailed Statement of such Appropriations contained in a document designated as the Community Development Block Grant Proposed Annual One year Action Plan, January 1, 2004 – December 31, 2004 pages 2 through 50 and pages 89 through 96, will also forward a copy of this resolution indicating approval of the Community Development Block Grant Plan and Budget for the Fiscal Year January 1, 2004 – December 31, 2004 by the Board of Estimate and Taxation; and
WHEREAS, the said Policy provides that the Board of Estimate and Taxation shall submit proposed Appropriations and make such Appropriations as may appear advisable, except that no Appropriations shall be made exceeding an amount for the same purpose recommended by the said Board; and
WHEREAS, said 2004 Proposed Community Development Block Grant Budget was forwarded to the members of the Representative Town Meeting on or about September 5, 2003 for action by the Representative Town Meeting at it’s Meeting to be held October 27, 2003.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the recommendations of the Board of Estimate and Taxation as contained in the said Proposed Community Development Block Grant Budget filed, as stated, in the Office of the Town Clerk and submitted at the meeting of the Representative Town Meeting be and the same hereby are approved as the Appropriations for the ensuing Year 2004.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Appropriations of $1,493,301.41 set forth, are hereby approved, made and adopted for the Fiscal Year January 1, 2004 to December 2004, inclusive and conditioned on the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approval of the projected entitlement of approximately $1,115,000, the receipt of an annual incremental loan repayment of $38,718; and the reprogramming of $339,483 from projects completed for less than the budgeted amount,
FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event the entitlement amount should be more than anticipated, the additional funds will be appropriated to a contingency line item, or if the entitlement is less than the projected $1,115,000 and the loan repayment is less than the $38,718, the priority for funding, after the staff salaries, will be based on an equal percentage reduction of the activities listed in the Community Development Block Grant Proposed Annual One Year Action Plan, January 1, 2004-December 31, 2004 plan on page 4 entitled “First Selectman’s Funding Recommendations For CDBG Funding Year 2004” and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the First Selectman, under the provisions of Title 8 of the Connecticut General Statues, Chapter 130, Part VI, Community Development and Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. §5301 et seq.); the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act (42 U.S.C. §3531 et seq.), be hereby authorized to accept grants for the purpose of carrying out an approved Community Development Block Grant Program for the Town of Greenwich; and
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Community Development of the Town of Greenwich, for purposes set forth in this Budget is authorized to accept grants or funds made available through the Community Development Block Grant Fund.
2. RESOLVED, that the Representative Town Meeting does hereby approve and adopt The Community Development Block Grant Proposed CDBG Annual One Year Action Plan January 1, 2004-December 31, 2004, for the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut as on file in the Office of the Town Clerk, and as it may be modified by adoption of the Resolution of the Board of Estimate and Taxation; and that the Representative Town Meeting does hereby authorize the First Selectman to prepare the Final Annual One Year Action Plan, January 1, 2004–December 31, 2004, for the Town of Greenwich and to apply for and accept funds for the purpose of carrying out housing and community development programs, as approved for fiscal year 2004 (January 1, 2004-December 31, 2004); and
RESOLVED, that in approving and adopting said Community Development Block Grant Proposed Annual One Year Action Plan, January 1, 2004–December 31, 2004, to become the Final Plan, the Representative Town Meeting finds and determines that the Community Development Block Grant program will be conducted and administered in compliance with Title 8 of the Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 130, Part VI. Community Development and Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C 5301 et seq.) the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act 42 (U.S.C 3531 et. seq.)
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the First Selectman, under the provisions of Title 8 of the Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 130 Part VI, Community Development and Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. §5301, et. seq.) the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act (42 U.S.C. §3531, et. seq.), be hereby authorized to accept grants for the purpose of carrying out an approved Community Development Block Grant program for the Town of Greenwich.
The Moderator opened the public hearing regarding Items 1 and 2 at 8:20 P.M.
Fred Baker, Director of Operations for the Board of Education, offered the following substitute resolution, which was duly moved and seconded, regarding Item No. 3.
RESOLVED, that the sum of $109,495 be and the same is hereby appropriated from "RESERVED FOR CAPITAL & NON-RECURRING FUND” to Account No. Z680129259560- Riverside School.
Curt Milton, interim Director of Nathaniel Witherell, offered the following substitute resolution, which was duly moved and seconded, regarding Item No. 5.
RESOLVED, that the sum of $45,000 be and the same is hereby appropriated in RESERVED FOR CAPITAL & NON RECURRING FUND” to Account No. Z450-59090-24103 – Nathaniel Witherell Technology.
Joshua Brown, chairman of the Finance Committee, made a motion, on behalf of the committee, to amend the substitute resolution by substituting the word “in “ to “from”.
The motion was adopted by unanimous consent.
Adrianne Singer, Assistant to the First Selectman, offered to following resolution, which was duly moved and seconded, regarding Item No. 6.
RESOLVED, that the following named person, nominated by the Board of Selectmen, be appointed a member of the Nathaniel Witherell Board for a term expiring 3/31/06.
FREDERICK E. SIEFERT
Peter Tesei, chairman of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, offered the following substitute resolution, which was duly moved and seconded, regarding Item No. 7.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Article 18, Section 301 of the Greenwich Town Charter, the salary of the Town Clerk shall be $74,340 the period January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004 and $76,756 for the period January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005.
The Moderator declared the public hearing closed at 8:40 P.M.
The vote was now on the combined items
In Favor - 149
Against - 2
Abstentions - 1
Items Carried
The Moderator announced that Item No. 4 on the call was now before the meeting.
Paul Toretta, a member of the Board of Education, offered the following resolution, which was duly moved and seconded, regarding Item No. 4.
RESOLVED, that the Representative Town Meeting of the Town of Greenwich hereby approves the agreement between the Board of Education and the Greenwich Organization of School Administrators, representing school administrators for the period July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2007.
The vote was now on Item No. 4.
In Favor - 141
Against - 8
Abstentions - 3
Item Carried
There being no further business, the Moderator adjourned the meeting, upon unanimous consent, at 9:20 P.M.
ATTEST:
CARMELLA C. BUDKINS
TOWN CLERK
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