Selectmen Schedule

Conservation Plan And Pension Reviews

By John Voket

A fast moving Board of Selectmen meeting June 21 opened with the board setting dates to begin separate reviews of its role in suggesting possible enhancements to the town Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), as well as requests from the town Pension Committee.

While the Pension Committee acts as a liaison to Newtown’s current vendor for pension administration, Westport Resources, and in an advisory capacity to the plan’s fiduciaries, the board of selectmen, it is not empowered to change or establish town pension policies, or the plan itself.

As a result, the selectmen decided to call committee members to a regular selectmen’s meeting July 19 to consider two requests from the committee: to modify the current pension’s expected rate of return from its current 8 percent to a more conservative 7.75 percent; and to redistribute pension investments over a greater range of asset classes.

First Selectman Pat Llodra told The Newtown Bee that her board may decide to expand investments to include investing in more equity funds.

“This might represent a change in the distribution of assets across the entire scope of our pension plan,” Mrs Llodra said.

During the meeting, Mrs Llodra also told fellow selectmen Will Rodgers and William Furrier that her office plans to move forward, working with Town Finance Director Robert Tait to distribute a request for quotes (RFQ) to any other related financial service companies that might want to administer Newtown’s pension.

“That is not to say our current provider has not served us well,” Mrs Llodra said, adding that is was simply a sound financial practice to “test the marketplace.”

That same evening, July 19, selectmen plan to hold the first of what she expects will be several sessions with land use and zoning officials currently engaged in an overall review of the POCD. Mrs Llodra said she recently received a breakout of the existing plan identifying all the areas where there is required Board of Selectmen oversight or responsibility.

“I expect we will deal with those points item by item over a period of a few months,” she said.

During discussion, Mr Furrier explained that he would not be available July 19, but would review the POCD and would offer any suggestions during the second planned meeting involving the selectmen’s review of the various POCD points of concern.

In other matters, the selectmen unanimously moved to authorize using a $75,000 brownfields loan fund to continue hazardous substance and possible lead paint abatement of the Fairfield Hills duplexes, which are sanctioned for future public or private use.

In the past, Mrs Llodra said she envisioned the duplexes serving as a centralized location for social services agencies or offices, since the free Kevin’s Community Center clinic is currently planning to convert one of the buildings into a permanent home in the coming months.

The selectmen also approved transferring $80,000 from a highway department contingency fund interdepartmentally, so crews could complete $73,000 in overlays on parts of Meadowbrook and lower Hattertown Roads.

The balance of $7,000 will be applied to engineer requested change orders on a Coldspring bridge rehabilitation project. That transfer will now move to the finance board and Legislative Council for review and consideration. An additional $3,500 was transferred from contractual services to overtime, to compensate personnel involved with the establishing of an e-recycling program in town for electronic and technology refuse.

Part of the overtime was also applied to the regional hazardous waste collection day, which is held annually each spring in Newtown.

The selectmen also unanimously moved the planning and construction oversight for the town’s new animal control facility to the Public Building and Site Commission, along with the upcoming middle school roof replacement project. The PBSC, whose volunteers include architectural, engineering, and construction experts, handles the oversight, planning, and administration for most of Newtown’s public construction projects.

In moving the latter item, Mrs Llodra requested the PBSC consider added energy-saving suggestions that were made by the town’s Sustainable Energy Commission, including consideration of incorporating metallic materials into the school roof project.

Selectmen also approved advertising for a local emergency services dispatcher who will be hired to replace a member of the current staff who has left to pursue other work. Mrs Llodra made a point to say the advertisement is not to add personnel, but to maintain the existing staff compliment to ensure minimal use of overtime and to adequately protect the public’s safety.