RTM Transportation Committee May 3rd, 2016 Meeting Minutes

The Transportation Committee met in the Mazza Room to discuss and vote on the 2016-2017 proposed budget.

Jay Domeseck of the Fleet Department was with us and asked if there were any further questions related to his department and all questions were answered. Jay also gave us a copy of his letter to the Budget Overview Committee responding to the proposal to reduce all departments across the board. His statement follows

Over the past 2 years I have reduced the budget far below the recommended
guidelines. I have requested what I believe the department needs. While I
understand that the reduction requested is small, any further reduction
could hurt when unforeseen repairs arise or extremely bad weather impacts
the fleet.
Jay

Further discussion ensued about the BOC Motion to Reduce that specifically focused on the departments reviewed by the Transportation Cmte. A letter from Amy Siebert, DPW to the BOC related to the proposed reductions was also forwarded to our committee and is attached at the end of this document. She requested that the BOC reconsider the cuts. The amounts of the proposed cuts for each department was detailed as was the facts that the department budgets were very prudent. Fleet came in with a negative increase, DPW was only up 1.4%, and Parking was also a well reasoned budget. It was stated that the Finance Cmte voted 3-9-0 against the BOC motion and that Fleet and DPW were mentioned specifically in their meetings as examples of good budget practices that should be rewarded and not penalized. Finance stated the obvious impact of such across the board reductions would be padding of budgets next year in order to plan for a reduction later. The committee members appreciated the fiscal responsibility shown by the departments under review. A vote was taken on whether to approve the BOC proposed reductions.

Vote: BOC Proposed Reductions to Fleet, DPW, Parking, and Other0-10-0

Next we had Jim Rickey, Operations Manager for the Board of Education with us to discuss the transportation issues and busing. He handed out a detailed sheet documenting the contract costs for busing students each year and that we are in the fifth year of a five year contract with a 2.5% increase for next year. Per pupil costs were compared as were costs of busing private school children and special education children. Mr. Rickey mentioned that the Board of Ed is currently studying changing school start times and that some studies were up on the BOE website. We asked that he keep us up to date on any reports as the come out and proposed cost increases related to added buses. Members appreciated his presentation.

Steve Warzoha discussed his research on the Other entities sections 440-57221 TAG was up 2% with an approximately $3,000 increase and 444-57225 Gems a 2.2% in the Town’s contribution. Some discussion of the structure of these entities and town involvement in the budgets ensued.

A general discussion of all the budget department under review of the Transportation Cmte was next as we had met as a committee with Fleet and DPW at our March meeting, and with Parking Services at our May meeting the minutes of those meetings had been distributed and then a motion was moved and seconded to vote on the budget in its entirety:

Vote: Proposed 2016-2017 Budget for Fleet, DPW, Parking, and Other10-0-0

The meeting was adjourned.

Attendance:

Transportation Budget MeetingP A

Dist. 1 / Varga, Helma H. / x
Dist. 2 / David, Franklin / x
Dist. 3 / Rubin, Steve / x
Dist. 4 / Bozzuto, Steven J. / x
Dist. 5 / Petersen, Jr., Thomas G. / x
Dist. 6 / Ducret, Carol / x
Dist. 7 / Fassuliotis, Karen / x
Dist. 8 / Bates, Jonathan / x
Dist. 9 / Warzoha, Stephen A. / x
Dist. 10 / Small, Alan A. / x
Dist. 11 / Wellington, Jr., Richard / x
Dist. 12 / Whyko, Donald T. / x
Alternate
Dist. 1 / Sanders, Elizabeth / x
Dist. 2 / Collins, Jude / x
Dist. 3 / Polo, Maude Ann
Dist. 4
Dist. 5 / deCsepel, John / x
Dist. 6
Dist. 7 / Ryan, John / x
Dist. 8 / Margenot, Richard
Dist. 9 / Russel, Sarah
Dist. 10 / Balidemaj, Granit / x
Dist. 11 / Fassuliotis, Despina
Dist. 12 / Ginsberg, Teresa
/ Town of Greenwich
Dept. of Public Works
Interoffice Correspondence

To:RTM Budget Overview CommitteeDate: 3 May 2016

Copy:P. Tesei, First SelectmanB. Branyan, Town Administrator W. McCormick, DPW J. Michel, DPW RTM Public Works Committee

From:A. Siebert, DPW

Re:Budget Overview Committee Operating Budget Cut Resolution FY 16/17

The Department of Public Works (DPW) was made aware that the RTM Budget Overview Committee (BOC) was pursuing general operating budget cuts across the town budget. It was our understanding that the cuts were meant to be a percentage applied across the department. We understood that $85,692 was proposed for removal from DPW’s overall operating budget, although our overall budget was brought in at 1.4% over the last fiscal year. While we were not in agreement with such a cut, we had expected it to be applied in a manageable fashion across the Department.

However, upon reading the BOC meeting minutes posted on the RTM website, I became concerned when I saw that the BOC had applied this reduction to only one Division within the Department – 351 Building Inspection. The BOC is proposing this for a Division that brings in millions in revenue and manages thousands of permits annually, and furthermore has no programs that can be removed from its operating lines to meet this budget reduction. Building permits can exceed 2000 per year, and when trade permits for electrical, HVAC, plumbing etc. and other permits are added together, the Division manages over 7000 permits a year. This Division already operates on a tightrope to keep up with the volume of work required to manage, review, document, and inspect projects across the entire Town, as well as providing records and reports for numerous customers.

DPW has striven to keep its operating budget under as much control as possible over the years – Mother Nature creating circumstances beyond our control in certain fiscal years! I hope that the Committee will reconsider this budget cut.