BOF Wants Public Info Session

By John Voket

At its last meeting July 27, the Board of Finance proposed hosting a public information session to allow both taxpayers and its members to ask questions and get specific answers about the most recent high school expansion proposal. That proposal, incorporating options with and without a gymnasium expansion, was approved by the school board in June with an estimated price tag of $47.3 million.

Finance board chairman John Kortze polled each board member present about what they wanted to see to help the board prepare to deliberate the school district’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and how the new high school expansion factored into the capital project financing process.

“Do you want to see a presentation on the CIP and ask questions, do you want a joint meeting, do you want a presentation by the architect? What do you want to see as this town approaches the largest capital expenditure this town has ever seen?” Mr Kortze asked.

Finance board member John Torok said he would like to see a static and not a fluidly dynamic plan.

“I would like to know [that] whatever option we are going to discuss is it,” Mr Torok said.

The chairman then pointed out that the school board produced a CIP removing priorities including items related to the high school proposal.

“My understanding is we have a number — a higher number — that includes different options they may or may not want to do,” Mr Kortze said. “But it’s such a large number, and the option they are talking about is $6 million-plus, so we probably should know exactly what it is they want, and it should be prioritized.”

Mr Kortze said the finance board’s latest response letter reiterates a need for the school board to prioritize its CIP. “It’s also in the regulation,” he added.

Finance board member Michael Portnoy said he wanted clarification on what data the school board looked at to determine the eventual projected high school student population of 2,137 students. Mr Torok then suggested that information be presented in a special joint meeting with the school board, and that meeting includes a representative from Bothwell Consulting Associates, a Carmel, N.Y., company that provides population projections and demographic analysis to the local school district.

Mr Portnoy then referenced a recent letter in The Newtown Bee by Fairfield Hills Authority member Walter Motyka suggesting the town consider putting its money into a large-scale renovation to the middle school, and moving the ninth grade back to that facility, thereby opening up significant space at the existing high school.

“Since we have that pending renovation on our CIP, probably a $25 million number, [Mr Motyka] suggests if we are going to renovate anyway, why not consider making the middle school seven, eight, nine?” Mr Portnoy asked rhetorically. “I’m sure there are programmatic or social things to consider, but I wonder if they looked at any of those options.”

Finance board member James Gaston said he would like to speak with the architect, and to specifically hear about the overall CIP projections the school district is making from school board members.

“I’d like a full hearing, the architect, the board, Bothwell — this is huge,” Mr Gaston said.

Mr Torok added that change orders and other considerations will affect the magnitude and dynamics of the project as construction activities plays out.

Mr Portnoy concurred that a full hearing was appropriate, and asked that an agenda be submitted to ensure the items each finance board member feels merits some focus is addressed. Mr Kortze further suggested the public be invited to ask specific questions and get answers on the high school expansion.

He referenced a public information session where many residents asked questions and put forth ideas, but pointed out that no real feedback to taxpayers was provided once that session concluded.

“I think when people left there was an expectation that the [school board] was going to come up with something based on what was talked about,” Mr Kortze said, adding that the outcome was totally different than any of the options presented at the information session.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to get anything passed because there is not a lot of confidence in this process to date. And I think the process builds cynicism. We need to have the public buy into this. I don’t think people feel comfortable in general — we just had a budget fail and we’re going back to them with a project that is very nebulous, and isn’t what was presented to the public [at the information session],” Mr Kortze said.

Mr Torok said, given the magnitude of the high school proposal, the public has to be involved.

“It’s a no-brainer,” he said. “The public has a right to voice their opinions.” Mr Torok suggested the presentation be hosted as a public forum by the finance board, with the school board members, the high school architect, and a Bothwell representative on the agenda.

“Whatever it is we decide to do, we need to get the public on board,” Mr Kortze said.

Mr Portnoy said he wanted the taxpayers to understand there was a debt limit above which the finance board did not want to venture. He reminded his fellow board members that they already allocated $25–$30 million, which would cause the town to bump up against its self-imposed debt limit.

“What if we ask the architect, ‘What could you do for the $25 to $30 million, instead of this $40 to $50 million project?’” Mr Portnoy asked.

Mr Kortze then said the meeting could also provide the opportunity for the architect to justify the absolute need for the project. He said if the case was made, the finance board could then examine other municipal and capital projects that could be bumped out in the CIP to make room for the additional debt service.

Town Finance Director Ben Spragg confirmed that the farther the high school project is pushed out, the more debt could be incurred because other projects will be paid off in the interim.

Mr Torok asked how the finance board could authorize a project if there was not a concrete project to authorize.

“It’s like signing a blank check and handing it over,” Mr Torok said. “Nothing is ever 100 percent concrete, but we have to get 90 percent of this high school project defined.”

School Board Chair Elaine McClure said she was hoping finance board members would attend the August 15 school board meeting. She said that any questions put forth by finance board members at that meeting would be answered, or that answers would be secured and passed on subsequently.

“We’re anxious to work with the Board of Finance on the CIP and the high school addition,” she said.

Ms McClure also said that she feels some type of public information session is necessary to help garner public support for the project.

“I’m excited to have that [public session] take place,” she said, adding that she is not speaking for the board. “But we need to decide as a board how to get the information to the town.”