Wallingford Politico

Downtown rezoning recommended for Meriden

2013-05-22T04:49:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday May 22, 2013

By Dan Brechlin
Record-Journal staff
dbrechlin@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2266
Twitter: @DanBrechlinRJ

MERIDEN — A plan that city leaders hope attracts residents, businesses and development downtown was recommended by the City Council’s Economic Development, Housing and Zoning Committee Tuesday night.

The committee voted 4-1 during a 3½-hour meeting in favor of changing zoning regulations in the city’s center. The modifications will create five zoning sub districts to streamline the approvals process for development and create a more pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented area.

“What we’re trying to do is put this ordinance in place to encourage development going forward for just before or just after the rail service opens,” City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior said, alluding to an improved rail line scheduled to open in 2016. “A lot of things are actually happening.”

City Councilor Dan Brunet was also the only dissenter to the overall plan.

The state Department of Transportation has made a significant investment in the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line. With Meriden a stop along the way, officials have coordinated a downtown improvement plan that includes a new park at the Hub site, upgrades to traffic flow and improved housing.

In order for development to occur, city officials targeted zoning as an issue because it inhibits construction and delays the process of opening some businesses. It has also created a parking issue, with too many spaces required per unit being constructed.

In many cases, the new zoning regulations decrease parking requirements and hasten the approval process through the city planner. It also conforms the five districts to ensure that buildings appear to fit in the area, and that only certain types of businesses and operations are in the same areas.

A key discussion involved the razing of Mills Memorial Apartments, a 140-unit, five-building, low-income housing development. The Meriden Housing Authority has been looking at redeveloping the property for several years and is seeking the financing to do so. The MHA would be responsible for coming up with a plan that explains how it would relocate all 140 units within the city.

In order to ensure financing could be secured, MHA Executive Director Robert Cappelletti encouraged the committee to amend a specific requirement in the Historic- Commercial sub-district along West Main and Colony streets. As written, developments that include replacement units would require 80 percent of the units to be affordable housing and 20 percent to be rented at market rate. Cappelletti requested it be shifted to a 90-10 percent split.

“This is critical for the success of our ability to develop these construction projects and critical to the redevelopment of the Mills,” Cappelletti said.

Brunet was the lone dissenter in the committee’s 4-1 vote to recommend a change to 90-10 percent. Brunet said he doesn’t want any more affordable housing units downtown, because it could affect public perception of the area. Kendzior also disagreed with changing the percentages, stating he thought financing could be secured without it.

Councilor Brian Daniels noted that the MHA is proposing an 80unit development at the corner of Colony and Church streets as part of the redevelopment plan. Shifting the percentage by 10 points would mean only eight more affordable housing units. He added that the plan could also lead to the DOT funding a 200-plus-vehicle parking garage.

“If we miss this opportunity because we are worried about eight units ... when this opportunity is lost, the people of Meriden are going to look at downtown and see the same downtown people have been looking at since 1999,” Daniels said.

Some minor changes were made to the zoning regulations, which included an amendment that would allow mortuaries in any of the zoning sub-districts. Another amendment approved Tuesday exempts Rockfall Business Park, at 29 Cooper St. and 80 Cherry St., from the zoning regulations. The Rockfall owners said they did not believe their industrial business fit in the guidelines and the committee agreed.

Wallingford budget passes with additional cuts

2013-05-16T07:34:00.002-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Thursday May 16, 2013
By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — In adopting Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s $147.4 million budget Tuesday night, the Town Council approved additional cuts to an already tight Board of Education budget.

Dickinson revised his initial spending proposal last week, cutting expenditures by $531,411 from his initial $147.94 million request in early April. Spending cuts were made by Dickinson to counteract a reduction in state aid by the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee. Of the cuts made to the budget, the largest was $279,411 in funding to the Board of Education.

“Is this something I’d hope we’d be doing right now? Absolutely not,” School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said on Wednesday. “It’s not going to be easy.”

Menzo prefaced comments about his concerns by saying he has the “utmost respect for the mayor and the tough position he’s in.” Menzo said that while his job and that of theBoard of Education is to secure as much funding as possible for the school system, “we have to balance that with the realization we are a member of a community.”

If Dickinson needs to reduce funding to the Board of Education to create a balanced budget, “we’re going to make that happen,” Menzo said. “I have to trust his decision is the right decision.”

The Town Council passed the 2013-14 budget just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday after a six-hour meeting. It reflects an increase of $2.27 million over the current fiscal year and will raise the tax rate to 26.22 mills, up 0.24 mills. Dickinson said that the owner of the average residential property, assessed at $191,000, will pay $5,008 in property taxes, compared to $4,962 under the current rate, an increase of $46. A mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in taxable property value.

Besides the Board of Education budget, Dickinson, a Republican, also cut seven projects in the Public Works and Engineering Department budgets in order to adjust forreduced state aid. The second largest cut was $110,000 necessary for the comptroller’s office to perform revaluation.

“Very little of anything here is not something that is needed,” Dickinson said of the revised cuts made to the budget. “None of these things are easily thrown away. It’s under the pressure of finding $500,000 to balance a budget.”

Due to the budget cut and increased expenditures, Menzo said the Board of Education needs to make up about $550,000 in its budget.

“My goal is not to stir up alarm,” Menzo told councilors Tuesday night. “There will be most likely some initiativesthat won’t be able to move forward and we will have to reduce the things we’re doing at present.”

Menzo said Wednesday that the board may consider reducing the purchase of technology by $400,000 and development of curriculum by $150,000 to balance its budget.

Town Councilor John Sullivan, a Democrat, was opposed to cutting the Board of Education budget any further and proposed an amendment to reappropriate money to the board.

“What’s important to us in this town? Education,” Sullivan said. “Next to public safety, it’s education.”

Sullivan said he would rather see the tax rate increased to offset reductions in state aid than cut money for education. But Sullivan’s amendment failed because a majority of councilors couldn’t support an additional tax increase.

“I think the tax increase here is too much as it is,” said Fishbein, a Republican. “I can’t support expenditure without an offset in the revenue.”

Fishbein proposed five budget amendments to offset reductions in state aid through different avenues than the mayor, the largest of which would have reduced the library’s budget by $200,000.Fishbein reasoned that the library has accumulated a $500,000 surplus and could afford the cut. None of Fishbein’s amendments passed.

“I’m just not comfortable supporting any additions to the budget” due to the fluid situation with state funding, said Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, who supported Sullivan’s amendment, said increasing the tax rate to balance the budget instead of cutting education money would only mean an additional $5 a month for the average household.

“The lesser of the two evils here is to charge a little more in taxes,” said Zandri, a Democrat.

Town Councilor John Le-Tourneau, a Republican, suggested the town use reserve funds in order to restore the Board of Education budget, but Bowes said using reserves would not be prudent since the town already used $4.3 million in reserves to balance the mayor’s original budget proposal.

“We’ve got to get ourselves off that reliance,” Bowes said.

“Now is the time to use it,” LeTourneau responded, referring to the reserve, or “rainy day” fund. “It can’t pour any more than it is right now.”

Responding to LeTourneau’s point, Dickinson said “inevitably I’m going to disagree,” reasoning that the state’s tendency to spend is what caused cuts in aid to the town in the first place, and “we shouldn’t repeat it here.”

The council took two separate votes to approve the budget. On the revenue side, the budget passed 7-2, with Economopoulos and Zandri voting no. On the expenditure side, the budget passed 5-4, with Economopoulos, Fishbein, Sullivan and Zandri voting no.

Dickinson said that he was told by the town’s legislative delegation an additional $1.2 million in state aid to the town “is still under discussion.”

Wallingford Budget to be decided upon at the 5/14 Town Council Meeting

2013-05-13T19:30:00.001-04:00

This is your last chance to speak on any items that come up for change on the budget; I will post the full agenda but I can tell you right now it will be a long meeting.

Please see the below information regarding the changes being proposed due to an expected $531,411.00 shortfall from state funding.

The proposal is to make changes to nine general fund expenditures, the largest of which is expected of the Board of Education budget. This is being done to prevent a further increase in taxes.

Before this shortfall of funding from the state, taxes were proposed to go up approximately $46.00 per household on an median assessed home ($191,000.00). If your property is less than this, you could have expected a smaller increase and if it was larger then it would be more.

If these changes are not made or some other changes are not proposed and adopted then the only way to gap the $531,411.00 would be to raise taxes further. To do that the tax increase would need to go up by about an additional $26.00 so the total change for this year would be about $72.00 as listed above rather than the current $46.00

Special Request regarding child exploitation / missing child investigation

2013-05-12T11:15:00.001-04:00

This has nothing to do with Wallingford directly nor is the following political but this is my largest blog with the biggest following so I am posting it here and making a mass push.

I am also asking my readers and Facebook, Google+ and Twitter followers to push this far and wide via this link:

http://wallingfordpolitico.blogspot.com/2013/05/special-request-regarding-child.html

I received an email this AM from the Wallingford Little League from a forward note from Daniel P. Kirby, Vice President, Risk Management, Little League International who was being asked for help regarding an ongoing investigation.

In the note it said it was from “Gregory D Squire, Special Agent Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations”.

Being in the Information Technology field for over 15 years I have seen way too many of these types of emails, sent with the sole intent and as a hoax, just to see how much it will perpetuate.

However, I hate the idea of not helping, even remotely if I can so I did a BING search on Gregory D Squire and came up with the following Boston Globe story

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/07/28/led-innocent-into-web-evil/Sk9VoLSnM9uQqZQAggmQJL/story.html

So then I decided to email the agent to see if there was any follow up and he responded within an hour:

Good Morning Jason,

Thanks for reaching out, yes this is an active investigation and we are thankful for your assistance. We are seeking the help of the public in CT, MA, ME, and RI. Any insight or information you may have can be sent directly to me.

Thanks again,
Greg

Gregory D Squire
Special Agent
Homeland Security Investigations
10 Causeway St, Suite 722
Boston, MA

So that’s good enough for me to want to help and push this near and far.

Please read the article; they are still searching for the boy and many other children like them.

The specific request in the current investigation is as follows (as forwarded from Daniel P. Kirby, Vice President, Risk Management, Little League International):

We have been contacted by the Department of Homeland Security requesting assistance in a child exploitation/missing child investigation that dates back to 2002. Please review the information below from Special Agent Gregory Squire. It contains specific information pertaining to the investigation. The photograph included shows an area located in the home where the exploitation was/is taking place.

One of the trophies, if you zoom in, has a red "faceplate" on the marble base. This was noted as unusual by the trophy industry folks we talked to and they thought it might be helpful as it was unique

If you recognize this photo or have any additional information, please contact Agent Squire at gregory.squire@dhs.gov.

If you have any relative knowledge of the above photo please contact Agent Squire at gregory.squire@dhs.gov.

WALLINGFORD Paying the piper

2013-05-05T07:20:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Sunday May 5, 2013

EDITORIAL

Kevin Markowski’s above-placed editorial cartoon hits the nail on the head (or, if you prefer, delivers “shattering” news).

Echoing Wednesday’s news story (R-J, 5-1), Wallingford Town Council voted unanimously to increase its annual mayoral salary by $12,000 at a budget workshop, April 30. In Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s $147.94 million budget proposal for the next fiscal year, he perpetuated his salary at a figure that has been static since at least 2002: namely, $73,140.

If this increase comes to full fruition (pending final approval hurdles while surviving potential flaming budgetary veto hoops), Wallingford’s mayor would eventually be paid $85,140 annually. Whether Dickinson wants it or not doesn’t change the fact that he deserves salary improvement. Moreover, the chief administrative post itself is worthy of a salary realignment.

In our editorial of April 8, Dickinson received a nod for reserve through self-denial. His is a disciplined, unselfish response to budgeting during adverse economic fiscal seasons.

Still, compensation of $85,140 (though a distinct betterment) keeps Wallingford in a stubbornly noncompetitive zone among municipal peers. Whether in the fullness of time or more immediately, salary adjustments should be made to keep remuneration commensurate with posts held. Whether city manager, town manager or, say,superintendent of schools, municipal salaries would do well to have reasonable basis of comparison.

Thus, it’s gratifying that councilors would also like to see the mayor’s pay incrementally increased to about $130,000 over time.

Why?

We’ve noted that the overarching consideration extends to a time when this mayor is no longer officeholder, whether by his choice or future election results. To attract top quality candidates, Wallingford may need to up its ante by around $60,000 annually, give or take. An eventual new chief executive must not be “compared” in a pejorative light of requisite salary differential (i.e. what “used to be acceptable” vs. what no longer cuts fiscal mustard).

It’s said that comparisons are odious but inevitable. Here, then, are a sobering few: As of 2011, the following annual salaries were paid — Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback, $149,000; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior, $139,000; Michael Milone, Cheshire Town Manager, $131,350.

At this budget-planning juncture, Wallingford seems poised to advance in the right direction, even if by relative baby steps vis-à-vis municipal apples-for-apples salaried counterparts. Paying the piper for a quality tune represents prudent investment in the town’s future.

Mayor’s barring of town councilor from meeting stirs discussion

2013-05-05T06:50:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Sunday May 5, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — Town Councilor Nick Economopoulos believes he should have been allowed to attend an April 29 meeting at which Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and leaders of the town’s health and water departments met with state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials.

Dickinson said the meeting was held to discuss the status of contaminated wells at five homes on South Broad Street. It enabled DEEP officials to explain the process of obtaining state funding to extend public water to the area, he said.

On April 24, Dickinson sent a letter to Economopoulos, a Democrat, explaining why he would not be allowed into the meeting.

“The meeting scheduled for Monday involves personnel from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Wallingford Health Department and Wallingford Water Division,” wrote Dickinson, a Republican. “It is an administrative meeting and as such attendance is limited to those parties.”

“Something leads me to believe they don’t want us to know what’s going on,” said Economopoulos, who has advocated for two of the five families dealing with contaminated wells — the Sherwoods at 1179 S. Broad St., and the Lincolns at 1175 S. Broad St.

Nicholas Sherwood and Harold Lincoln also attempted to attend the meeting but were not allowed in. Several fellow councilors said they understood the mayor’s position.

“I’ve been on the council for 30 plus years, and the mayor’s policy has consistently been that councilors don’t normally go to these meetings unless initiated,” said Town Council Chairman Bob Parisi, a Republican. “I have absolutely no problem” with Dickinson’s decision.

Town Councilor John LeTourneau, a Republican, said “I agree with the mayor.”

“He handled that right,” Le-Tourneau said. “It’s not a councilors’ place to be. It’s not a function for us. We don’t get into the micromanaging of things.”

Because town councilors are not members of the administration, they are “not entitled” to attend administrative meetings unless invited, said Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican.

In agreement with his fellow Republican council members was Tom Laffin, who said the efforts of Economopoulos are “usually for good.” Laffin said he just doesn’t always “agree with the strategy.”

Because the meeting was administrative, Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat, doesn’t think Dickinson was wrong in not permitting Economopoulos to attend.

But Zandri, who said he is also “very sensitive” to the issues of the Sherwood and Lincoln families, understands why it would have made sense for Economopoulos to attend the meeting as a “watchdog in the room.” Zandri said the Sherwood and Lincoln families feel “they’ve gotten the runaround” from the town after they found their wells to be contaminated with trichloroethylene 18 months ago and asked the town to hook them up to the public water supply. Zandri said he understands why the families “would have felt more comfortable if a councilor was present to represent them.”

“I don’t see the problem with the families inviting one watchdog of their choice to these meetings,” Zandri said. “Just to listen and not interject.”

Wallingford Town councilors plan to raise mayor’s salary gradually

2013-05-03T04:52:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Friday May 3, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — While town councilors successfully voted to increase the mayor’s salary Tuesday night, some believe the position’s salary still needs to be increased more in coming years.

A unanimous vote cast by the Town Council Tuesday night brought the mayor’s annual pay to $85,140. Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., a Republican, kept his salary at$73,140 in his proposed budget for the next fiscal year — a figure that has not changed in about 12 years.

Councilors voted to increase the mayor’s salary by $12,000. The increase will go into effect after Dickinson’s current term ends because, under the Town Charter, an incumbent mayor’s compensation cannot be changed during his or her term.

Councilors would like to see the mayor’s pay incrementally increased to about $130,000,which they see as more in line with similar positions in similar municipalities. Democrats argue that they need to be able to attract qualified candidates to run against Dickinson, while Republicans want to attract qualified candidates once Dickinson decides to step down.

“I’m content with what occurred if the plan is to continue to do so until it’s brought up to a reasonable number,” Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat, said Thursday. Zandri is a candidate in the upcoming mayoral race. Dickinson has yet to announce his candidacy.

Zandri said the “smart way to do it” would be to gradually raise the mayor’s salary over the next four or five terms. A term lasts two years. A smart salary range for the position is between $135,000 and $140,000, Zandri said.

As of 2011, Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback was paid $149,000 per year; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior was paid $139,000 annually and Cheshire Town Manager Michael Milone earned $131,350 per year.

Zandri said the Town Council is hampered by the fact that past councils haven’t voted to change the mayor’s salary over the previous 12 years.

Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican, said he had a brief conversation with Dickinson urging him to accept the raise.

“We’d like to gradually bring it to more-competitive pay,” Cervoni said.

Dickinson has argued that accepting raises sets a bad example. Cervoni said Dickinson acknowledged that the raise wasn’t for him personally, but for the position. Reached by phone on Thursday, Dickinson declined to comment.

With leaders in similar-size towns being paid almost twice as much as Dickinson, Town Councilor Tom Laffin, a Republican, said, “We’ve got to do something to incrementally raise the mayor’s salary.”

Town Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, said that the mayor’s salary needs to be increased incrementally instead of all at once because “we don’t want a shock to the system.”

“The position deserves a raise,” Fishbein said, adding that in 2004 the Town Council attempted to raise the mayor’s pay but Dickinson vetoed the budget, voiding the increase.

Wallingford’s plan for a senior center walking trail still in budget

2013-04-26T06:09:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Friday April 26, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — Town officials are questioning why $1 million was set aside in Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s budget to construct a walking trail connecting the senior center to the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail by Community Lake Park.

The proposed capital project has drawn the ire of some who say the walking trail is a“questionable amenity” for residents during tough economic times. Town Engineer John Thompson said the project will beautify Hall Avenue in a manner similar to work done 12 years ago on Quinnipiac Street. Plantings and period lighting will be added. Directly connected to the streetscape project is a 2,400-foot walking trail from the senior center to the parking lot at Community Lake. Thompson said the project will cost the town just over $2 million. About $1 million has already been raised through previous budget appropriations, with the final million coming from a reimbursement grant recently awarded by the state.

“I didn’t talk to all the seniors, but I can tell you the response made to me by Executive Director Bill Viola is ‘We would like the opportunity to get from the senior center to the Linear Trail,’ ” Thompson said.

Town Councilor John Le-Tourneau, a Republican, said he is “adamantly against” the project. While LeTourneau said the walkway is a “good project for good times,” he doesn’t believe stable economic times have arrived. He’d rather see the money used for streetscape improvements on Quinnipiac Street.

“This is such an unworkable trail behind the senior center, it defies words,” LeTourneau said.

“Coercive terms”

LeTourneau has sided with School Roof Building Committee Chairman and former Town Councilor Mike Brodinsky, who wrote an op-ed piece in the April 21 edition of the Record-Journal criticizing the project.

“This trail is a strange priority,” Brodinsky wrote. “The mayor has elected to pass on additional infrastructure improvements in favor of a new, niche amenity few will use.”

Brodinsky said in his piece that Dickinson merged the Hall Avenue streetscape project with the construction of the trail purposely, forcing the Town Council to fund the trail if they wanted Hall Avenue beautified.

Dickinson “has warned that if the council had any interest in upgrading Hall, it would have to accept the construction of the new trail, because ... well, because he says so,” Brodinsky said.

In late 2011, the Town Council voted 5-4 to allow Thompson to apply for the $1 million grant. By that vote, Brodinsky said, the Town Council accepted a “combo application” including the walking trail and the Hall Avenue project. Therefore, Brodinsky said, town councilors accepted Dickinson’s “coercive terms.”

But Dickinson said the entire project has been a long term priority.

“It’s meant to be an improvement to that entire area,” Dickinson said. “It’s been a focus for a project years in the making. It should be something everyone can enjoy.”

Thompson said Thursday that to win the $1 million grant it was necessary to combine the Hall Avenue and walking trail projects. Both projects have been linked since 2005, when the town did the design work concurrently, Thompson said. The federal grant program, administered through the state, sought projects that included transportation alternatives, such as a walking trail, Thompson said.

“They both fall under the broad transportation blanket,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who said he is friendly with both LeTourneau and Brodinsky, understands that not everyone is as passionate about the project as he is.

“In all honesty, there are people who are not for this,” he said. “I think it’s going to be one of the most attractive trails in the area.”

The $1 million grant is a reimbursement, Thompson said, meaning the town must front $1 million through capital funding until the state and federal governments pay out the grant money. Thompson said the process of winning the grant was highly competitive, and he doesn’t want to see the money lost. If the Town Council should decide not to go forward with the project, the grant money would be awarded to another town, he said.

“I understand what they are saying,” Thompson said of the project’s critics. “However, if the town of Wallingford said we don’t want this money, what would happen is my friend (Meriden Public Works Director) Bob Bass would say ‘We’re ready to take it.’ ”

“A huge mistake”

Members of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Advisory Committee and advocates of the trail from the senior center, including Dickinson, met Monday to work out a response to Brodinsky’s Sunday op-ed piece. Thompson said Dickinson suggested visible support. Thompson said a petition is being put together, and a band of supporters will be at the May 6 budget hearing that will address the issue. State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, (D)Wallingford, has also submitted an op-ed piece to the Record-Journal countering Brodinsky’s opinion.

“If we don’t use the grant money, someone else on that list will get it,” Mushinsky said Thursday, adding “It would be a huge mistake on the town’s part” to let the grant slip away.

Mushinsky said the $1 million grant “is a major deal to get,” adding that surrounding municipalities such as Meriden would be “happy if we screw this up.” She asserts that the senior center trail has been a part of Wallingford’s Linear Trail plan since designs were first put together in 1999.

Town Council Chairman Bob Parisi, a Republican, said he’s supported the project from its inception, but added that he is “a little concerned about the economy and stress and strain on money” it presents. Still, he said, “You either take the grant money or someone else will.”

Vincent Cervoni, a Republican and vice chairman of the Town Council, said he gets the impression “there are enough members of the public who would look forward to the opportunity” of using the walking trail to justify its existence.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat, agreed, although he said he doesn’t like that the town has to front the $1 million for the grant.

“While I wish there was a way to not put money up and wait, we have to,” he said.

The Town Council will vote on the budget on May 14.

Fishbein’s action causes council stir

2013-04-12T07:19:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Friday April 12, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

Photo by Christopher Zajac courtesy of the Record-Journal

Wallingford Town Councilor Craig Fishbein sits in the back of the Town Hall auditorium during a recent Town Council meeting.

WALLINGFORD - To the dismay of his fellow Republicans, Town Councilor Craig Fishbein refused to take his assigned seat during Wednesday’s Town Council budget hearing, opting instead to attend the meeting as a member of the public.

Fishbein sat by himself in the back row of Robert Earley Auditorium during the public hearing, protesting a decision made by Town Council Chairman Robert Parisi, also a Republican, a night earlier.

“My opposition to the chairman’s dictatorial rule is quite evident,” Fishbein said Thursday.

Fishbein’s opposition arose when Parisi would not allow him to make a comment during the public question and answer portion of Tuesday’s council meeting.

“I can see if the conduct was disruptive,” Fishbein said Thursday. “As a councilor, I was attempting to bring a condition to the attention of a body.”

Fishbein said there is no rule against councilors speaking during the public comment portion of meetings. In the past few meetings, Fishbein said, he has asked Parisi for permission to make comments during that part of the meeting and “got his graces to speak.”

On Tuesday, Fishbein said he did not approach Parisi before the meeting to ask him permission to speak, but during the public comment period he asked Republican Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni to pass along his request to Parisi. Fishbein said he wanted to express his displeasure that booklets outlining the mayor’s budget were only made available on Tuesday, a day before the public hearing.

“That is not good government,” said Fishbein, adding that it gave the public only one day to examine the 92-page document and formulate questions. Wednesday’s public hearing was the only opportunity for residents to question the budget.

Parisi told Fishbein Tuesday night that he is an elected official and has no place speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting.

“I thought I told him (Tuesday) that I don’t care where he sits; he’s an elected official of this town, and as such he’s a town councilor,” Parisi said Thursday. “You might as well say he was absent (Wednesday) because he didn’t take part as he was supposed to and as all his colleagues did.”

Parisi has more than 20 years of experience as a town councilor, and several terms as chairman. He said he’s “never had a problem with councilors wanting to speak.”

“Most know when they’re supposed to speak and where,” he said. “If (Fishbein) has a problem with rules or precedent, I can’t help him. I take a lot of pride in my meetings. I’m not going to change. I’m not going to have people running roughshod, debating when it’s not time to debate.”

“I’m not going to be censored,” Fishbein responded Thursday. “I see the chairman employing rules only when he wants to.”

Parisi said he regretted departing from his usual approach by allowing councilors to speak during the public comment portion of meetings during the last few months.

“That’s my fault,” he said. “I broke precedent. When I was on the council and others were chairman, I didn’t speak.”

Parisi said that it’s an “unwritten rule” of the Town Council that councilors aren’t to speak during the public comment period of meetings. From now on, Parisi said, councilors won’t be allowed to comment during the public question-and-answer period whatsoever.

As for Wednesday’s meeting, Fishbein said he disagreed with Parisi’s assertion that he was “absent.”

“The duty of a councilor is to be in attendance and hear from the public,” Fishbein said. “Certainly I was in attendance and heard from the public.”

Cervoni said Thursday that he didn’t think Fishbein’s actions were appropriate. “I think there was a more constructive way to deal with his displeasure of Chairman Parisi,” he said. “I think historically the public question-and answer period is for the benefit of the public. They have a much more limited ability to get issues on the council agenda.”

If a councilor is to make a brief statement, it’s courtesy to tell the chairman before the council meeting, Cervoni said. As for Parisi’s decision to disallow Fishbein from speaking during the public comment period, Cervoni said “the chairman exercised his discretion.”

“I felt that as an elected official (Fishbein) should have been at the council bench,” Republican Town Councilor John Letourneau said Thursday. “He should have been with the rest of the councilors at the table. It’s our duty to be here, not in the audience.”

LeTourneau said, “It’s upsetting having a councilor stray from his duties.”

Town Councilor Tom Laffin, a Republican, said that for Fishbein to sit out the meeting while fellow Councilor John Sullivan is “apologizing profusely for missing meetings with cancer” is insulting.

I don’t have time for the games,” Laffin said. “I think it’s insulting to the public but it’s insulting to the rest of us up there.”

Sullivan, a Democrat, began a leave of absence after Tuesday’s meeting to undergo cancer treatment.

In response, Fishbein said his fellow councilors “can’t think for themselves.”

Parisi said he’s not sure whether disciplinary action against Fishbein is “appropriate, necessary or constructive.”

“My opinion and my feeling is that the public will discipline councilors when in fact they don’t uphold their duty,” Parisi said.

While Cervoni said he didn’t agree with Fishbein’s actions, he did agree with his fellow councilor on the availability of budget booklets, and said “it’s probably more beneficial to the public to have these books available in advance of the hearing.”

In the future, Cervoni said, he will look at “padding the time” between the release of the book and the public hearing.

On Wednesday night, a resident complained that the booklets weren’t available in time. Comptroller Jim Bowes said that the booklets were supposed to be in from the printer on Friday, but the company the town contracts with ran into an unexpected delay. Bowes said the company has been reliable for the last six years.

Looking back, Parisi said he should have scheduled the public hearing at a later date to give residents more time to inspect the budget, but he was “rushing to get it in.”

Dickinson budget attracts discussion

2013-04-11T05:26:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Thursday April 11, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD - The Town Council held a public hearing Wednesday night on Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s proposed budget.

The public hearing gave residents their only chance to publicly question town employees and officials on Dickinson’s proposed $147.94 million budget for 2013-14, which represents a 1.94 percent, or $2.81 million, increase over the current budget. The council offered no opinion on the budget during the hearing, instead withholding questions for budget workshops that are held with each town department over the next month.

Only four residents asked questions during the hearing, with most of the questions asked by Bob Gross. Of the 46 entities that were budgeted for and available for comment on Wednesday evening, questions were only asked of 12.

One of the more contentious topics of discussion came about when the government access TV budget was opened for discussion. Gross asked about putting town meetings online.

“Why isn’t this being accomplished?” he said.

“It’s not being done because it hasn’t been approved to be done,” Dickinson responded. “We’re not doing it. It means more cost, and we’re not doing it.”

Dickinson said that as long as the state requires the town to provide DVDs upon request, meeting videos won’t be put online. Dickinson also argued that more people can be reached through television anyway.

Gross responded that it being 2013, “the Internet would be the easiest way to reach most people.”

“You are wrong,” Dickinson said. “Most people have televisions. There are large portions that are not going to be on the Internet, but most own televisions.”

Scott Hanley, manager of the government access station, said he estimates it costs about $20 in staff time to make a DVD for one resident.

During discussion of the mayor’s portion of the budget, Gross said that he hopes the Town Council will raise the mayor’s salary.

Dickinson, mayor since 1984, makes just over $73,000 and hasn’t taken a pay increase in more than a decade.

“Whoever the mayor is deserves a salary greater than $73,000,” Gross said.

Dickinson wouldn’t comment Wednesday.

Also discussed were the Police Department, Board of Education, Program Planning and Planning and Zoning.

Town Planner Kacie Costello, asked if the town is moving forward with refurbishing lower downtown, said that “it’s hard to say at this time” whether the Incentive Housing Zone will be approved. The IHZ is a state program that creates an overlay zone, in this case over several areas in downtown Wallingford, that includes zoning restrictions written to attract developers.

Even if the IHZ isn’t approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, Costello said she’s going to try to encourage development downtown.

The mayor’s proposed budget will next be discussed tonight, with the focus on the Board of Education, in a special council meeting at Town Hall. The meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium, will give town councilors a chance to look closely at and question the Board of Education’s budget. Members of the public will not be allowed to ask questions at this meeting.

PUBLIC HEARING on the 2013-2014 BUDGET

2013-04-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

Special Town Council Meeting

WEDNESDAY

APRIL 10, 2013 - 6:30 P.M.

Town Council Chambers

PUBLIC HEARING

on the

FY 2013 – 2014 BUDGET

AGENDA

1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll Call

3. PUBLIC HEARING

Ambulance/EMS Transport Fund
Animal Control

Board of Assessment Appeals
Board of Education
Board of Ethics
Board of Selectmen
Building Department

Cafeteria
Capital Appropriations Reserve
Capital and Non-Recurring
Capital and Non-Recurring Fund
Civil Preparedness
Conservation Commission
Contingency Account

Debt Services

Economic Development Commission
Employee Insurance and Other Benefits
Engineering Department

Finance Department
Fire Department
Fire Marshal

Government TV

Health Department

Inland Wetlands
Insurance-Property & Casualty

Law Department
Library

Mayor

Parks and Recreation
Pension Fund
Personnel, Pensions, & Risk Management
Planning & Zoning
Police Department
Probate Court
Program Planning
Public Utilities Commission
Public Works Department

Registrars of Voters

Six-Year Capital
Social Services Contributions

Town Council
Town Clerk

Utilities –Electric, Water & Sewer Divisions

Veterans Service Center

Youth & Social Services Bureau

Zoning Board of Appeals

Snow-day pay: The issue isn’t melting away

2013-04-08T08:45:00.000-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Sunday April 7, 2013

By Jesse Buchanan
Record-Journal staff
jbuchanan@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2230
Twitter: @JBuchananRJ

WALLINGFORD - Although it’s rare for Town Hall to close due to bad weather, the question of paying workers under those circumstances has become a contentious issue between Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and town employee union leaders.

Dickinson said the town is under no obligation to pay workers for Feb. 11, the day Town Hall was closed due to a blizzard. To get paid, employees must use a vacation day, Dickinson said in a Feb. 14 memo.

Dickinson said he can remember closing Town Hall one other time, but couldn’t recall the year. He has been mayor for almost 30 years.

Despite the infrequency, Dickinson said he’s trying to establish a policy.

“These things do arise,” he said. “You can’t look at it as a one-time expense. It becomes a potential ongoing issue.

Town Personnel Director Terence Sullivan said he can only remember a handful of times that Town Hall has closed due to weather in the last two decades.

“It’s so infrequent you can probably count on one hand,” he said. “It’s a very infrequent occurrence.”

Based on adding the salary and overtime costs of Town Hall departments in the 2011-12 fiscal year budget, Wallingford pays more than $22,000 per day in employee compensation. The yearly salary costs were divided by the 248 workdays to estimate daily employee pay.

The salary figure didn’t include police, fire, public works and utilities, since those departments operate in all weather.

Departments at both Town Hall and 6 Fairfield Boulevard were included in the daily salary estimate.

Dickinson didn’t have an estimate of how much a day’s pay would cost Town Hall.

Jason Zandri, a Town Council Democrat running for mayor, said it’s unfair to expect town employees to use a vacation day when Dickinson closes Town Hall. Paying employees who stay home in a storm isn’t a common occurrence, Zandri said Refusing to pay employees for a snow day was “completely in character” for Dickinson, according to Zandri. He said the mayor is looking to save money by not paying employees, but risking thousands of dollars in a legal battle that the town will likely lose.

“You get to 20 hours of legal fees and you’re already halfway there,” Zandri said.

Town leaders shouldn’t be intimidated by unions threatening arbitration, according to Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein.

“Merely to run away and cower in the corner because of the arbitration process is, in my opinion, not the appropriate way to deal with these issues,” Fishbein said.

Fear of losing arbitration and incurring legal fees is often used as a reason by the council to avoid conflict with the unions, he said.

Chuck Ballard, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Co. 4, Local 1183, said the union has filed for an arbitration hearing date with the state labor board. He declined to comment on the issue and its effects on employees.

“This is definitely an ongoing process,” he said.

No date has been set for arbitration. “Typically these take awhile,” Ballard said. “If it takes less than a year, I’d be surprised.”

Wallingford’s Non-competitive edge

2013-04-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

Editorial as published in the Record Journal Monday April 8, 2013

“I won’t stop saying ‘no’ until I’m the lowest-paid employee in the town.”

Thus quips editorial cartoonist Kevin Markowski in his caption atop this page vis-à-vis Wallingford Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s decision to (yet again) forgo a salary increase. It’s a practice perpetuated since at least 2002, whereby he’s kept a steady salary of $73,140.

Markowski’s tongue-in cheek humor reflects a concern among some Wallingford residents and town officials that perpetuating a manifestly low chief executive’s salary year after year produces something of a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it gleams when sparkling in the sunlight of Dickinson’s disciplined determination to set, by way of personal example, restraints on municipal spending during what he refers to as “bad times.”

On the other metaphorical hand, it presents a blunted, non-cutting competitive edge among mayoral/manager peers in other Connecticut towns and cities. In our April 4 news story, for examples, we reported that, as of 2011, the following annual salaries were paid: Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback, $149,000; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior, $139,000; Michael Milone, Cheshire Town Manager, $131,350.

Though some question Dickinson’s non-progressive salary in relation to other Wallingford top municipal staff (including, say, that of the Superintendent of Schools), the overarching consideration extends to a time when this mayor is no longer office-holder, whether by his choice or future election results. To attract top quality candidates, Wallingford will necessarily have to up the ante by around $60,000 annually, give or take.

When that fullness of time naturally occurs, one hopes that the new chief executive will not be “compared” in a pejorative light of requisite salary differentials but on the merits of his or her leadership abilities.

For his part, Mayor Dickinson deserves a nod for reserve through self-denial. Taxpayers should bear in mind, however, that the above-mentioned two-edged sword will inevitably be held to the standard of competitive daylight.

Wallingford - Mayor’s proposed budget cuts are smallest in years

2013-04-05T07:45:00.000-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Thursday April 4, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD – Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. trimmed just more than $1.5 million from general government budget requests for fiscal year 2013-14 — the lowest amount he has cut in the last four years.

Last week, Dickinson proposed a $147.94 million budget for 2013-14, which represents a 1.94 percent, or $2.81 million, increase over the current budget. Government departments other than education and utilities requested $57,918,538, which Dickinson cut to $56,407,204. Even with that reduction, the figure is an $856,571, or 1.54 percent, increase over the current year.

The reduction is the lowest since 2009, when Dickinson reduced general government requests in his budget proposal by $953,900. Dickinson, a Republican, said “two things” played a large role in the lessened reductions.

“Certainly departments aren’t requesting as much,” Dickinson said, and “our ability to add so many items back in through the use of reserves” offset some reductions. Since Dickinson became mayor in 1984, he said, reserve funding has regularly been used to supplement the budget.

In Dickinson’s latest proposed budget, he recommended that certain capital expenditures that were reduced be funded using the fiscal year 2012-13 operating surplus. He also suggested that money distributed by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority be used to fund a shift command vehicle and generator requested for the Fire Department, along with another generator for Public Works.

Comptroller James Bowes said that there is less than $200,000 left in the CRRA fund. The town received a payment of $7.2 million from

CRRA in 2009, a surplus distribution for its participation in a long-term trash disposal agreement. With about $4.3 million in reserve funding earmarked for the current budget, the town still has a healthy balance of $12 million in reserve cash, Bowes said, a balance he’d like to maintain in order to receive a solid credit rating.

There is concern from town councilors over the mayor’s dependency on reserve cash when forming a budget.

“We’ve been burning up these savings,” said Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat and a candidate in the upcoming mayoral race. “We’re going to hit a situation there where all these monies will be gone.”

Without extensive reserves, Zandri said, the town will have to raise taxes or borrow money to balance the budget.

Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos, a Democrat, characterized Dickinson’s proposed budget as “same old, same old.”

“To me, the budget is a facade,” he said. “The mayor over budgets every year ... it’s like an open checkbook.”

Town Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, said “Reserve funding is always a concern,” but added, “It seems every year we’re replenishing that” so that reserve cash “stays somewhat steady.”

Fishbein was happy with the amount of the tax increase, which will cost the average residential property owner only an extra $46 a year, although he’s still “not satisfied.” He said he’d like to see more things trimmed from the budget.

The Town Council makes the final call on the budget.

The small tax increase stands out to Democratic Town Councilor John Sullivan, but “while this all sounds great, I’m concerned about the 2014-15 budget,” he said.

Satisfied with the budget is Republican Town Councilor John LeTourneau, who said he didn’t see anything “earthshattering.”

“I don’t foresee any big issues with departments,” he said.

Vincent Cervoni, Republican vice chairman of the Town Council, said he was impressed with the mayor’s budget. Cervoni said “The use of reserve funds is a good way to use those funds and minimize the tax increase that must take place.”

Dickinson cut the current year’s general government budget by $1.6 million, following a nearly $6 million reduction in 2011-12 and $1.8 million cut in 2010-11.

Views differ on government-access tech in Wallingford

2013-04-05T06:18:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Friday April 5, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD -

Scott Hanley, manager of the town’s Government Access TV station, said there is frustration among some residents because town meetings are not available online.

Hanley said it would be easier to post video of meetings online rather than producing a disc version for every resident who requests a copy.

In 2009, Hanley posted several Town Council meetings on a blog website — wallingfordgovtv.blogspot.com — that was created specifically for residents who couldn’t attend meetings or watch recordings played on WGTV. After posting town meeting videos from July 2008 until April 2009, Donald Roe, the town’s program planner and grant coordinator, who oversees Hanley’s department, decided the videos should be discontinued.

Roe, along with Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., said that posting videos online was no longer feasible with Hanley’s schedule. At the time Hanley was, and still is, the only full-time employee of the station, which is a town department. In 2009 the town upgraded to a remote-controlled system of four cameras in Robert Earley Auditorium at Town Hall, and Roe said Hanley had plenty on his plate adjusting to the new system.

Almost four years later, Hanley still isn’t allowed to post town meeting videos online, a directive that he said leads to “frustration” for himself and some members of the community.

“It would be easier to put it online than put it on a DVD,” Hanley said. “But we can’t do it. The mayor looks at it like duplication.”

Dickinson said this is true, and that it would add to the town’s expenses if Hanley took time out of his schedule to post videos online if DVD copies are already provided on request. Hanley said the state requires municipalities to make DVD copies available at no cost except for the price of a disk, which he said is 50 cents.

“If the DVD requirement goes away, (Dickinson) said he’d be willing to put it on the Internet,” Hanley said.

“Maybe it will change in the future,” said Dickinson, adding that for now he “doesn’t see it as necessary.”

In Dickinson’s point of view, it’s wasteful to assimilate to every technological upgrade. He said that just because videos can be posted online doesn’t mean it should be done.

“Trying to do everything is counterproductive,” he said. Dickinson said he believes more people watch television, so it’s easier to watch meetings on WGTV “than other means.”

Roe said that much of the reasoning behind keeping town meetings unavailable online “comes down to allocation of resources and the ability to have staff time available to do things.

“I don’t think, at least from my perspective, we have the time to take on a lot of additional activities,” he said. Roe said there are three part-time employees in the WGTV department, but most of their time is taken up working town meetings.

Because it’s a tax-supported entity, “careful decisions have to be made,” Roe said, and there are only so many resources the department has, so putting video online is not apriority.

Hanley said the department hasn’t budgeted for putting video online this year.

“I don’t believe the cost would be that significant,” he said.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, who is running for mayor this year, said that Dickinson does not want videos of town meetings online because he is “not for open government.”

“They are not for being transparent,” Zandri said.

If meeting videos were online, someone interested in viewing a certain aspect of a Town Council meeting could quickly pull it up online and skip to the exact moment they were looking for, Zandri said. Instead, residents must request a DVD copy and go to Town Hall and pick it up.

Zandri disagrees with Dickinson’s view that not all technology should be adopted.

“If that’s what you said 100 years ago, we wouldn’t have an electric plant,” he said.

Roe said of Hanley that “there’s no technology he doesn’t want to embrace.”

“I know it gets frustrating to him,” said Roe, who added that just because the town hasn’t embraced online video doesn’t mean technology is being ignored. An example, he said, is the remote-controlled camera system at Town Hall.

No pay raise for mayor in Dickinson’s new budget

2013-04-04T07:22:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Thursday April 4, 2013

Mayor’s aide to earn more in 2013-14 spending plan

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD - Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. will once again forgo a salary increase and some town councilors are concerned his decision could hurt the town in the long run.

In Dickinson’s proposed $147.94 million budget for the next fiscal year, his salary will remain at the figure he’s taken home since at least 2002 — $73,140. Dickinson, a Republican, has yet to confirm whether he will seek re-election this year.

“I think these are bad times,” Dickinson said, adding that if elected officials take raises, it adds to the argument of bargaining units seeking pay increases. “As a general rule, the private sector has had declining raises while the government is increasing wages. That can be troublesome.”

According to the Town Charter, compensation cannot be changed during the term of the incumbent mayor. Since Dickinson’s term ends after this year, the salary for the next term can be set now.

Democratic Town Councilor Jason Zandri, who is running for mayor, pointed out that under Dickinson’s proposed budget, the mayor’s annual salary will be $300 less than that of Joan Stave, the administrative aide to the mayor. Zandri said the information is in a budget proposal booklet that is not yet available to the public.

Dickinson, when asked if Stave would earn more than him in the next year, said “it’s possible.” He doesn’t see the pay difference as a problem.

“She does excellent work for the town,” Dickinson said, joking that Stave bosses him around most of the time anyway so the pay difference is appropriate.

“She’s a very capable person,” he said. “She’d be embarrassed about this. I certainly feel for her, and don’t want her to be the focus” in any budget discussion.

Town Councilor John LeTourneau, a Republican, said he’s baffled by the fact that the mayor’s aide may make more than the mayor.

“That’s embarrassing,” he said.

Letourneau added that Dickinson doesn’t seek a pay increase because “he feels that’s what the job is worth.” He’s not sure that in the future “more money means a better quality person.”

Zandri said that Dickinson, by not taking any pay increase, is “freezing the pay of the position” and making it unattractive to others.

Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican, said that Stave’s earning more than Dickinson “borders on inappropriate,” but not because Stave doesn’t deserve to earn what she does. He said the mayor needs to earn more so the town can “allow for some succession planning.” Cervoni said that if the mayor ever stepped down, the town needs to be able to “attract someone of similar caliber” with compensation on par with other municipal leaders in the area. As of 2011, Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback was paid $149,000 per year; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior was paid $139,000 annually; and Michael Milone, Cheshire’s town manager, earned $131,350 per year.

“I would think it’s absolutely unusual” that the mayor’s aide makes more than the mayor, said Quinnipiac University Professor David Cadden, who has worked in the department for entrepreneurship and strategy for 30 years. Cadden said that the ongoing mindset in business is that pay increases and higher salaries at top positions are necessary.

“You need salaries like that in order to attract the best and the brightest,” he said.

That mindset has not necessarily been proven, Cadden said, but a lower than average salary “might be an impediment” to attract other candidates. As the chief executive of Wallingford, just as in any business, Cadden said “a hierarchy must be maintained atoll costs,” and that Dickinson’s making less than his aide destroys that hierarchy.

When Dickinson leaves office, Cervoni said, the town will have to form a plan to incrementally increase the salary of the chief executive.

Wallingford water use drops, but rates will rise — and so will sewer bills

2013-04-03T05:46:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Wednesday April 3, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD – Maintenance costs and reduced water consumption by residents have persuaded the Public Utilities Commission to unanimously approve water and sewer rate increases.

The new rates, effective June 1, will impact the average residential customer’s combined water and sewer bill by adding $2.33 monthly, said Bob Beaumont, commission chairman. The average resident — defined as having 5/8-inch water pipe and a yearly consumption of 8,800 cubic feet — will pay an additional $1.61 per month for water and 72 cents for sewer service.

Water rates have increased almost yearly in Wallingford, due almost entirely to a “general trend to declining consumption” of water, said Roger Dann, general manager of the town’s Water and Sewer divisions.

Dann said water conservation devices in homes are more common, in part because of his own department’s effectiveness in getting the message out to residents to reduce consumption. Dann called the situation a “double-edged sword.”

“As crazy as it seems, we encourage people to use less of our product,” said commission member David Gessert.

As labor and material costs increase and water usage declines, Dann said, the trend of rising rates will likely continue. Even if water usage increases, Dann said, “we have largely fixed costs;” therefore,“few expenses go down if we sell more water.”

Sewer rates had been slated for a larger increase, but the rate agreed upon on Tuesday night was “a third of what it was projected to be prior to tonight,” Beaumont said.

Four years ago, Dann said, a sewer rate increase was adopted and was supposed to go into effect this June, but the increase was cut Tuesday night. The increase, initially 39 cents per hundred cubic feet of consumption, was lowered to 13 cents.

Consumption is an issue for both the Sewer and Water divisions.

“The billable consumption in sewer, like water, has trended down for the same reasons,” Dann said.

The maintenance of mains, pumps and the aging sewage treatment plant also come as a cost to the town. As water and sewage treatment facilities get older, Dann said, “they require generally more maintenance.”

“We have to continue to make investments in sewer infrastructure,” Dann said.

Regulatory issues, such as phosphorous removal, also cost the town money.

A public hearing was held before the passage of increased water and sewer rates. Two residents attended the meeting, but did not object to the increases.

“These are rather conservative increases,” Gessert said.“They’re not outlandish.”

Drop-off boxes: at police stations or nowhere

2013-03-31T07:19:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Sunday March 31, 2013

By Jesse Buchanan
Record-Journal staff
jbuchanan@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2230
Twitter: @JBuchananRJ

WALLINGFORD - The idea of a medication drop-off box at the police station has drawn opposition from town officials, but pharmacies are also reluctant to host the boxes even if they were allowed to under state and federal law.

Federal Drug Enforcement Administration rules don’t allow pharmacies to take back leftover medicine, according to Marghie Giuliano, executive vice president of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association.

The state Department of Consumer Protection requires that the boxes be located in the lobbies of police stations.

Wallingford Chief Douglas Dortenzio said he doesn’t want the Police Department to bear the cost of hosting a drop box, saying the department can’t be a substitute for responsible citizens. Republican Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. has supported Dortenzio’s position.

Supporters of the box have said the cost is minimal and an easy way to tackle the serious problem of prescription drug abuse.

A founding member of the Coalition for a Better Wallingford, Ken Welch, has advocated for the drop box as a way to counter prescription drug abuse. His partner’s daughter Taylor Short, 20, died in November of an apparent drug overdose.

Welch said he looked into having drop boxes at pharmacies but found it was illegal. He’d like to see it, though.

“I think the industry does bear some responsibility,” he said. “We’re flooding the market with this stuff and there’s no good way to retrieve it.”

Rules on drug returns are being examined, but Giuliano said pharmacies shouldn’t bear the cost of installing and monitoring drop boxes when they’re not entirely responsible for the medications.

“I don’t think it would be fair to put the burden on the pharmacies,” she said. “The pharmacies are selling them, but should it be the doctors? Should it be the pharmaceutical companies who are manufacturing them?

“The end user should be in some way responsible for disposing of medications properly,” Giuliano said.

State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, said changing state and federal laws to allow drop boxes at pharmacies isn’t the easiest way to address the problem.

“Whether one group in Wallingford could change a federal law, I don’t know how feasible that is,” she said. “We have to do what’s possible.”

Thirty towns in the state have drop boxes at their police stations, Mushinsky said.

“It seems to be the easier way to go,” she said.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat running for mayor, pointed out the large quantity of prescription drugs collected at the Southington Police Department.

“If Southington in four months collected 400 pounds (of drugs), clearly someone’s using it,” Zandri said.

Volunteers have offered to install the box, and Zandri said police pay related to cataloging the drugs taken in could be donated.

“I’m sure we could fundraise it if this town is so broke,” he said.

Zandri wasn’t aware of any studies that quantify the effectiveness of medicine drop boxes, but said it was an inexpensive measure that could help.

“It probably would be hard to prove anyway,” he said.

Jerry Farrell Jr., a former state consumer protection commissioner, also didn’t know of any data on whether drop boxes have helped reduce prescription drug abuse. The department sponsors drug take-back days on which unused medicines are collected.

Conscientious citizens are likely already disposing of their drugs properly, while those most at risk likely wouldn’t use a drop box, he said.

The “moderately conscientious” would be the ones most likely to benefit from having somewhere to deposit unused medicines, Farrell said.

“I think it’s a good thing to have out there,” he said. “You want to offer people an opportunity to get rid of them.”

“As a culture we need to be doing more of this,” Farrell said.

According to the federal Food and Drug Administration, some drugs should be flushed down the toilet but only if it’s recommended on the drug’s label. If not, drugs can be mixed with something undesirable, like coffee grounds, and thrown away. Drugs can also be brought to drug take-back days, the FDA said.

At some pharmacies, drug envelopes can be picked up that allow customers to mail back unused drugs, according to Giuliano. Drugs containing controlled substances, such as Oxycontin, can’t be mailed back, however, and those drugs are the ones most often abused.

“Certainly we’re all concerned about the excess of medications in individuals’ homes and the potential for drug abuse,” Giuliano said.

She said the best place for drop boxes is in police stations where the boxes can be monitored and secured. Taking drugs back at pharmacies introduces the risk of mixing returned drugs with new drugs, she said.

“What seems like something simple can be very complex,” Giuliano said. “It would certainly be a real cost to provide this service for pharmacies.”

Opinions vary on wisdom of using arbitration in Wallingford Unions’ dispute

2013-03-28T06:28:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Thursday March 28, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD – Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said Wednesday that he’d rather resort to arbitration than deal with the ongoing cost of paying town employees every time Town Hall closes due to inclement weather.

Town Hall was closed on Feb. 14 as the cleanup effort began after the blizzard, and two days later Dickinson filed a memo stating that town employees who didn’t report to work that day must take a vacation day in order to be paid. Nonessential town employees had been told not to report to work that day, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy closed the state.

Personnel Director Terrence Sullivan said in early March that six of the town’s seven employee unions filed a grievance in opposition to Dickinson’s ruling. The police union did not file a grievance. Sullivan, who could not be reached Wednesday, said earlier this month that he had heard the arguments of several unions, but could not reach any compromise. He said he expected several unions to resort to arbitration,which Dickinson referred to Wednesday as “a one-time cost.”

“If every time Town Hall closes there’s a cost associated with that, that’s an ongoing cost,” Dickinson said.

Earlier this month, Sullivan said he still had to hear from two unions.

On Wednesday, Dickinson said, “I think it’s still in the grievance process,” so there’s no indication that any town employee union will decide to go to arbitration. Shelby Jackson, president of United Public Service Employees Union Local 424-14, which represents municipal managers, and Chuck Ballard, president of Local 1183 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union representing public works, clerical and sewer workers, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Sullivan explained in February that there are two options when settling a dispute through arbitration. Either the Connecticut State Board of Mediation & Arbitration or the American Arbitration Association can settle the grievance as a neutral party. Sullivan said settling a dispute through the state board is cheaper, but can take more time.

“The state board is flooded with grievances“ from both municipalities and private companies, he said. “It can take a year to a year and a half to get an initial hearing.”

There is a $25 filing fee when dealing with the state board, while the association charges between $250 and $300 to file a complaint, Sullivan said. Going through the association is much faster, he said, with an initial hearing usually held within 90 days, and a conclusion reached 30 days after the final hearing. But there could be arbitration fees of$1,500 per hearing when working with the association.

Town Councilor Craig Fishbein said there are two schools of thought when settling union complaints. The town can either “run and hide in the corner and agree” to what the union gives as their last offer, or “fight on behalf of the taxpayers,” a method Fishbein would agree with “more often than not.”

Fishbein said he’s been hearing in council chambers that “we’re just going to lose in arbitration,” but the councilor feels if the town doesn’t fight unions through arbitration, there’s no chance of winning.

Town Councilor John LeTourneau said fighting town employee unions through arbitration is a “huge mistake.”

LeTourneau said the cost of arbitration and personnel hours dealing with the grievance and arbitration process is wasteful and will end up costing the town more money than if Dickinson decided to change his mind and pay employees for the day Town Hall was closed.

“This is going to open up such a large can of worms that it will be years until it gets unwound,” LeTourneau said. “We’re paying (employees) to take time to file grievances. They’re on the clock.”

LeTourneau also said the town doesn’t do well in arbitration battles with town unions.

“It sounds good on the surface ... take a stand, don’t pay your employees,” he said. “But if you get into the weeds of this thing, it’s going to cost the town a lot of money. There’s a reason why unions are strong in this town, and this is an example.”

Bill would expand governing boards’ ability to meet in private sessions

2013-03-28T06:18:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Thursday March 28, 2013

By Ed Jacovino
Journal Inquirer

HARTFORD — Open government advocates Monday railed against a bill that would give state and municipal governing boards more ability to meet in secret to discuss important issues.

“One of the fundamental precepts of democracy is that the meetings of those the people elect to serve them in their government should be as open and public as possible,” James Smith, president of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, said.

Smith questioned why lawmakers would consider a system that would allow elected officials to meet privately to discuss and conduct public business, and then emerge to a public meeting essentially just to vote. The proposal “flies in the face of well established law in what constitutes a meeting of a public agency,” Smith said.

The bill would change the definition of a public meeting under the state Freedom of Information law. It would enable board members to discuss public business behind closed doors even if they have a quorum — or more than half of the elected body present and more than one political party represented.

Under the proposal, those groups could meet to discuss public issues without notifying the public of the meeting, and could bar residents from attending the session. They’d just have to say the meeting was limited to “leaders.” It’s not uncommon for more than half of the members of a town council, for example, to have leadership titles.

Any board that under current law must give notice of a meeting — including boards of education and selectmen, town councils, planning and zoning commissions, and ethics boards — would be covered under the measure.

Mary E. Schwind, managing director and associate general counsel of the state Freedom of Information Commission, also criticized the proposal at the hearing Monday before the legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee. The measure was raised by the committee, so it’s unclear which lawmaker or lawmakers proposed the plan.

“In essence, the public would have the opportunity to view the rubber-stamping decisions already made,”Schwind told lawmakers.

She questioned why the law should change. “The law has worked well over all these years and public agencies have managed to conduct their business in public,” she said.

Sen. Michael A. McLachlan, R-Danbury, said the top four lawmakers on legislative committees often meet behind closed doors in “screening meetings” to determine what bills can pass and what changes to make to bills before they reach the House or the Senate floors.

The privacy of those meetings is important to the process, he said.

Screening meetings are allowed under current law because they don’t involve a quorum of members.

But Smith said the measure would have far-reaching consequences in terms of the public’s right to know what their elected officials are doing.

“What we oppose is legislation that would shut that process in yet another attempt to restrict the transparency laws,” he said.

FROM WALLINGFORD - Terminal timidity; “The incentive housing zone is near death”

2013-03-24T06:56:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal Sunday March 24, 2013

From the Editorial Pages of the Record Journal, as written by Mike Brodinsky host of public access show “Citizen Mike”.

The incentive housing zone is near death. When the end comes, the cause of death will be terminal timidity.

The IHZ was once the best plan to revitalize the area of downtown Wallingford near the railroad station. The plan had the potential to entice developers to invest substantial cash downtown, because the IHZ would have allowed more residential and commercial space than would have been otherwise permitted under existing zoning.

The town would have been able to dictate the appearance of any new development by imposing design standards, which are possible only in an incentive housing zone. New projects, therefore, would have looked spiffy and appropriate. We’d have gotten more taxes, too. This seemed like a win-win situation. But it’s not likely to happen.

The town planner introduced the concept of an IHZ to the town council on February 26, 2008. Five years later, the planning and zoning commission is still uncertain of what to do. It’s still groping for information. A glacier moves faster.

Many are happy with this result. Town Councilor Craig Fishbein, who never liked the IHZ, cheered the lack of progress. He said a quicker decision would be a haphazard rush to judgment. Council Chairman Bob Parisi, who was never sold on the plan either, also said the timeline was fine. He encouraged more discussion; he did not encourage a decision. The most recent hang up is a worry about the possibility of variances. A variance is government’s permission to build on or use property in a way that is not permitted by zoning. For example, if a developer buys properties intending to develop an IHZ project, but finds the IHZ regulations bothersome or expensive to satisfy, that developer has the right to ask the Zoning Board of Appeals to “vary” the regulations.

Would a request for a variance result in changes to the carefully crafted design standards? Would the ZBA allow a developer in the IHZ to provide less parking than is required? Would we see other surprises? The quick and clear answer is no.

Variances should be tough to get. They require proof of a hardship caused by the characteristics of the land. Following the law, the ZBA couldn’t properly grant a variance merely to reduce the cost of a project.

Nor could the ZBA properly grant a variance to fix a situation the applicant caused. For example, if a developer starts a project but isn’t prepared to spend what it takes to satisfy the IHZ regulations, it will not be able to benefit from some of the IHZ regulations, and get a variance to evade other regulations that are burdensome. That ploy wouldn’t work.

Progress in the downtown, therefore, shouldn’t be frustrated because of an irrational fear that the ZBA will issue variances when it shouldn’t. It’s too bad the P & Z and the ZBA can’t just sit and talk it through. Some officials also worry that if Wallingford adopted IHZ regulations, it couldn’t change them. Proposed amendments must be approved by the state. Experts have advised that routine amendments would be approved routinely as long as they did not weaken the core principles of the zone, such as requiring some affordable housing.

We should not expect the state to issue a written guarantee that it will approve amendments. Some may treat that uncertainty, however, as a reason to say no.

We need to act. The downtown will not get prettier or more vital by itself. There are no alternative plans. The town hasn’t moved to benefit from the coming commuter rail service, even though other towns have.

Those who would sink the IHZ, therefore, need to suggest Plan B. After all, they’ve had five years to think about it.

If they don’t have ideas on how to jump start re-development in the downtown; if they have nothing to offer except aimless drift and undue caution; maybe they should reconsider the IHZ.

Bill would create early voting pilot program

2013-03-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Tuesday March 19, 2013

HARTFORD — Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a pilot program for early voting in municipal elections.
While not fully drafted yet, the proposal is one of several bills being offered during this year’s legislative session to allow people to cast their ballots prior to Election Day.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill testified in favor of the legislation on Monday before the General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee. Merrill said Connecticut needs to modernize its elections and provide more options for busy voters.

She said she has already asked several municipalities whether they would like to develop the idea further.

Associated Press

Wallingford Downtown church plan encounters opposition

2013-03-19T05:56:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Tuesday March 19, 2013

By Eric Heredia
Record-Journal staff
eheredia@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2243
Twitter: @EHerediaRJ

WALLINGFORD - The Zoning Board of Appeals voted Monday to continue its public hearing on whether a church can move into a storefront at 144 Center St.

Pastor Arcadio Negron, of the Iglesias Church, and parishioner Fred Ortiz testified before the board. They were applying for a parking variance to allow 14 parking spaces where 93 are required.

Ortiz said the Pentecostal church has 30 to 35 parishioners who are carpooled in vans to attend the church’s largest service on Sundays. Ortiz said the church would have at most five or six vehicles in the parking lot at one time.

The church also would like to set up a day care area for church members in the basement of the 3,000-square-foot storefront, which for decades was home to Bolio’s Sporting Goods. Ortiz said it will be a place for children, so they do not disturb the church services, which are also held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

ZBA Chairman Michael Glidden told Ortiz that he should speak to the landlord and fire marshal about installing a sprinkler system. Town Planner Kacie Costello said another legal notice may have to run because the previous notice did not include the use of the basement.

During public comments against the application, downtown business owner John LeTourneau said he had concerns about the parking situation and giving up prime retail space. He did not oppose the church or its views, but was concerned about the overall view of downtown, and said another location away from downtown might be better.

LeTourneau, who serves on the Town Council, said if downtown loses another retail space, it probably won’t come back. He said the area is deteriorating and the business community has to “get its arms around what we want down there.”

Theresa Cipriani, co-owner of the Serenity Spa and Day Salon at 118 Center St., agreed with LeTourneau and said she would prefer the storefront space be leased to a retail business that would “help all the other merchants do better.”

Liz Landow, director of the Wallingford Center non profit organization, said she has heard concerns about parking from tenants who live above 144 Center St.

The public hearing on the church plan is expected to resume at the ZBA’s April meeting.

In other business, the board approved a special exception request by Steven Lazarus to operate a bed and breakfast at his 63 Curtis Ave. home, and denied a variance request and special exception request by Joel Kummer, who wanted to build a garage that would have been larger than his home at 6 Overlook Drive.

Wallingford: Drop-box decision – Editorial in the Record Journal Sunday March 17, 2013

2013-03-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Sunday March 17, 2013

Wallingford Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio should reconsider a recent decision to deny installation of a medication drop box in his department’s station.

Abuse of prescription pills is a harmful problem in communities of all types. Ingesting analgesic opioids like Oxycontin and Percocets causes euphoric feelings analogous to taking heroin, a similarly constructed compound. And like heroin, these powerful pain-killing medications, when used recreationally and frequently, lead to addiction, increased tolerance, greater doses required to achieve highs, escalating health problems and, in some cases, overdose and death. Doctors prescribe these potent drugs for individuals in extreme pain. After removing their molars, dental surgeons may send people home with a few Percocets. It’s not uncommon for discharged patients to take analgesics appropriately until physical anguish subsides, but then leave half-filled medicine bottles in household cabinets. Friends and relatives can then steal unguarded, unused opioids for personal abuse or to sell. Addicts sometimes break into residences in search of these narcotics.

Many citizens may not realize the danger of old pills stored in closets and bathrooms. Thus, one would think Wallingford law-enforcement representatives would support local systems for collection and destruction of unwanted prescriptions. Instead, Dortenzio dismissed reasonable requests from the Coalition for a Better Wallingford to establish a public drop box in police headquarters.

The chief’s arguments are illogical. The “most common method” for prescription disposal, he curiously proffered, is for residents to throw away unwanted pills (R-J, 3-14). Surely, Dortenzio in his long career must understand that mono-focused addicts, without second thought, could rip through someone’s trash should they think Oxycontins buried within. And his suggestion that drop-box installation would cause foot traffic issues in police headquarters and parking problems outside is an overestimation of logistics.

“I can’t be a substitute for responsible citizens,” Dortenzio stated in our news story. But wouldn’t responsible action for residents be bringing drugs to police for proper, documented, supervised destruction? The chief also believed maintaining a drop box would require from his department too extensive commitment of man-hours and paperwork. However, 27 state towns already provide comparable disposal services, including Cheshire and Southington. It’s worth the extra effort to save local lives and boost community safety.

Members of the Coalition for a Better Wallingford have secured state grants and local-business support so that drop box purchase and drug destruction would cost taxpayers nothing. Brought before Town Council, the concept received mostly warm reception. Legal approval, however, may remain under the authority of Dortenzio.

He should end his resistance. At the very least, this would be symbolic of town police supporting thorough means of limiting local drug abuse. But a public drop box could also accomplish much more — it would offer residents a safer option for ridding homes of unused prescriptions while also serving as a proactive step toward deterring crime and addiction.

A town-wide health issue – an editorial by Eric Cotton of the Record Journal

2013-03-17T08:35:00.001-04:00

As published in the Record Journal on Sunday March 17, 2013

Reach Eric Cotton at ecotton@record-journal.com or (203) 317-2344. Follow him on Twitter @ecotton3

Wallingford Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio last week recommended that people dispose of unwanted medication by simply throwing the drugs in the trash as opposed to the town creating a secure drop-off box in the police department lobby — even though similar drop-off boxes have been successful and uncontroversial in other communities.

While the town runs two drug take-back events per year, it’s just a bad idea for residents to leave items like powerful narcotic painkillers around the house until then — and it can be just as dangerous to throw them in the trash.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration recommends AGAINST throwing many narcotic painkillers in the trash under ANY circumstances, even though the state Department of Consumer Protection website says it’s OK with proper precautions.

The FDA provides a list of painkillers that it says should never be disposed of in the trash, including Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Demerol, Percocet and morphine — the kind of opiate painkillers responsible for many overdose deaths.

In the absence of a community drug take-back option, FDA officials agree with the state DCP that other unwanted drugs may be thrown in the trash, as long as they’re mixed with undesirable substances like kitty litter or coffee grounds and placed in a sealed bag.

But “drugs such as powerful narcotic pain relievers and other controlled substances carry instructions for flushing to reduce the danger of unintentional use or overdose and illegal abuse,” according to the FDA website, which explains that the risk of accidental exposure or abuse outweighs environmental concerns if there’s no take-back option available. “For example, the fentanyl patch, an adhesive patch that delivers a potent pain medicine through the skin, comes with instructions to flush used or leftover patches. Too much fentanyl can cause severe breathing problems and lead to death in babies, children, pets, and even adults, especially those who have not been prescribed the drug.”

The FDA website quotes Capt. Jim Hunter, senior program manager on the administration’s Controlled Substance Staff: “Even after a patch is used, a lot of the drug remains in the patch so you wouldn’t want to throw something in the trash that contains a powerful and potentially dangerous narcotic that could harm others.“ Flushing isn’t a great alternative from an environmental standpoint, so why not create a secure drop box? Dortenzio says it would be too onerous for his staff, but Southington police say it only takes about 15 minutes a week to clean out the box they installed in December. That includes weighing the medication and filling out a brief form.

Dortenzio also claims that safely disposing of medication is a matter of personal responsibility and not the town’s concern, which is frankly insulting. If the state and federal governments can’t agree on a proper procedure, what’s the average resident supposed to do?

Federal rules say that, if a city or town opts to have a drop box, it has to be in the police department. But it’s not enough for Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. to simply defer to his police chief as if this were a minor matter of department administration. It’s really a town-wide public health issue and thus it’s appropriate for the mayor to overrule the chief.

Will the drop box solve the problem of local drug abuse? Of course not, but it’s a step in the right direction and an important resource for residents.