Board Position Misrepresented—

Borst Letter Snarls CIP Recommendation Process

By Kendra Bobowick

A letter issued by the First Selectman on January 24 has left fellow selectmen, the Board of Finance, and the finance director with some untangling to do.

Typed on town letterhead and directed to the finance board, the correspondence began: “The Board of Selectman would recommend the following for the Capital Improvement Plan…” The Board of Selectman, however, had discussed but never voted on those capital items.

At the February 4 selectmen’s meeting, finance board Chairman John Kortze said he needed absolute clarity about how the entire Board of Selectmen wanted to see the town’s Capital Improvement Plan play out.

Holding his copy of the January 24 letter from First Selectman Joseph Borst, Mr Kortze approached the full board with the directive.

“That’s not signed!” Mr Borst said.

“Those are your initials,” Mr Kortze responded, pointing to the first selectman’s initials next to his printed name. “And, you sent it to me.”

Democratic Selectman Herb Rosenthal had first called attention to the letter during a special selectman’s meeting on January 31.

That evening, conversation about the issue grew tense. Selectman Paul Mangiafico had said he did not recall a vote about CIP projects.

“There was never any real, firm discussion and agreement among the three of us. I think if we say the Board of Selectmen agreed to something, we should in fact agree to it,” he said.

Mr Borst said, “I’ll contact the Board of Finance.”

“What does that mean?” asked Mr Mangiafico. “If you withdraw the [January 24] letter, they don’t have our response.”

Thinking for a moment, Mr Borst said, “I don’t know if there was a letter, I thought is was over the phone.” Immediately, Mr Rosenthal replied, “[Mr Kortze] said he had a letter.”

“I’ll ask him to send me a copy,” Mr Borst said.

Believing that the selectman needed to send a true representation of the full board’s CIP recommendations, Mr Mangiafico said on January 31, “We need to respond to them.”

Illuminating their bind, Mr Rosenthal said, “They already acted.”

The finance board had acted on the letter’s recommendations for projects on the town’s list of capital improvements: 1) A fire engine for Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue be replaced for next year; 2) The animal shelter be moved out of consideration; and 3) The recreation/senior center be removed from consideration.

Mr Rosenthal continued: “I haven’t seen [the letter]. I asked for it. I am disturbed you would send out communication that purports that the Board of Selectmen did something we never did… I know there had been discussion and we had questions, but we never got answers … They were your recommendations, not mine.”

Mr Rosenthal then appealed to the first selectman: “It’s inappropriate to send communications like that. It’s not a one-member board; it’s a three-member board. I want you to write a letter to the Board of Finance to that effect.”

“I’ll do that,” said Mr Borst.

But it was too late.

At the selectman’s meeting on February 4, Mr Kortze observed, “There are obvious issues on what the Board of Selectmen voted on … we acted on the recommendation the other night based on what [Mr Borst] sent us.”

After selectmen discussed, and at last agreed upon, revised recommendations this week, Mr Kortze said, “Whatever you decide to do must be consistent.”

Stating that it was not his position to choose what stays and what goes in the CIP, he just wanted the recommendation to be “financially consistent,” Mr Kortze asked that the recommendation also reflect the projected years in which projects are slated.

In the end, Mr Mangiafico moved that “we advise — in writing — to the Board of Finance that the current [Selectmen’s recommendations for the] CIP is acceptable except, number one, the [fire truck] is removed to 2010-2011, and the canine center is brought back to 2008-2009. We affirm the removal of the [the recreation center] until further notice.”

Now the finance board, with the assistance of finance director Ben Spragg, will have to entertain the revised CIP at its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, February 11, at 7:30 pm, at Town Hall South. The changes will have to be realigned with numerous other capital projects already prioritized in the plan, and overlaid against the town’s self-imposed ten percent debt cap to be certain the shifting does not push debt service over that cap in any subsequent year.

During the selectmen’s February 4 meeting, Mr Rosenthal addressed the CIP, explaining to the board that the request for a fire truck did not fall in 2008-2009, but in 2010-2011. He also stressed that he was not in agreement with shifting funding for an animal shelter out two years, he said.

The final motion clarified that the Sandy Hook Engine 441 replacement is pushed out to 2010; the animal shelter is back in for 2008-2009, and the rec center is temporarily out of the CIP until firm consensus is reached on the scope and occupancy of the facility is defined.

(See related story on the recreation centerin this  issue).