Citizens Take New Board Members To Task For "Micromanaging" [With Poll]

During the November Board of Finance meeting, members were presented with line transfers totaling $7,798. The transfers, requests from different town departments to move budget items from one line to another, were designated as "routine and appropriate for approval by a single action by the Board of Finance, if so desired."

Members are allowed, however, to request removal of any of those transfers if they want to review any of the requests in more detail or ask questions about them.

Scott Gyllensten, a new member of the board, asked that a $4,000  request from the police department be removed from the consent agenda so that he could "obtain additional information on the training expenses and why this item was not included in the original budget," according to minutes from the Nov. 16 meeting. The motion was seconded by Bennett Pudlin, another new member of the board, and unanimously approved.

"This is micromanaging"

At the Board of Finance meeting Wednesday night, board members got a bit of a scolding from two Madison residents who said the action looked like "micromanaging."

"The [police] chief requested that certain funds be transferred," said Walter Lippmann in the public comment section of the finance meeting. "We have a CEO of the police department, and he reports to the Police Commission. This is micromanaging when the funds are there and the department is trying to make do ... let the police department function."

Madison resident George Egan then stood to speak.

Not fair

"To micromanage is not fair. The police department is doing a tremendous job," he said. Then he added, with a smile, "My name is George Egan and I approve this message."

Also attending the meeting Wednesday night were Police Commission Chairman Eric Thornburg, along with several police officers and a member of the police department staff, along with Madison Police Chief Jack Drumm.

Gyllensten responded that it was not his intent to micromanage.

An issue of understanding

"That was not my intent," he said. "Being a new board members, it's important that we understand what we are approving ... I'm not second guessing strategy."

He added that he had a conversation earlier Wednesday with Chief Drumm that satisfied his questions about the request. "It's just an issue of understanding what we are voting on," he said. "That was my only interest.

Board of Finance Chairman Jennifer Tung said it always the intention of board members to "provide respect and full appreciation for all town employees."

Additional training time and materials needed

Chief Drumm said the department was requesting a transfer of $2,000 from the holiday differential account to the staff development account, and a transfer of $2,000 from the holiday differential account to the armory supplies account. He explained that the department was doing this because department members are now required to shoot twice a year, instead of once a year, and that they are required to shoot not just with their service revolver, but with other weapons as well. As a result, additional training time and supplies are needed.

The motion passed unanimously at Wednesday's meeting.

Following the meeting, Drumm stayed to talk with board members about the budget and other related issues.

$90,000 reserve fund request remains tabled

Also at Wednesday's meeting, a special appropriation request from the Madison Public Schools to add $90,000 to the reserve fund for unanticipated external placements for Special Education students for tuition and transportation related services remained tabled and was not voted on.

According to the minutes from the Nov. 16 meeting, the goal is to have a balance of $250,000 in that reserve fund. Board members decided to keep the request tabled until more is known about the costs associated with Tropical Storm Irene, and whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the town for costs associated with clean up and repair.

At Wednesday's meeting, Emergency Management Director John Bowers said a request has been submitted to FEMA to reimburse about $250,000 in clean up costs that were incurred.

In other action

Also at Wednesday's meeting, the board unanimously approved the following items:

• setting the interest rate for the Garnet Park Water Main Project at 0.25 percent
• setting the interest rate for the town tax deferral program at 1.89 percent
• transfering property taxes to suspense, based on the recommendation of the tax collector, in the amount of $37,169.34. Director of Town Services and Tax Collector Alma Carroll said that the town will continue to try to collect this amount, but that it will be removed as an asset to the town
• a five-year lease/purchase agreement between IKON Office Solutions and the Madison Public Schools that should save the town more than $22,000 a year
• a special appropriation request for $12,470.30 for emergency communications equipment
• line transfers in the amount of $7,763.70

Also at the meeting, Madison resident James Deephouse recommended that the finance board review a proposed contract between the town and Covanta Bristol Inc. He said that the contract could potentially be worth more than $1 million and that it would be worthwhile for the board to review it before it goes to a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 19.

Board members and First Selectman Fillmore McPherson said they would talk with town counsel about whether that review is necessary before the special town meeting Monday.