Council Endorses Middle School Roof Funding,

Takes Action On United Water

By John Voket

The Legislative Council handled a number of administrative matters at its regular meeting June 2, including approving a bonding initiative to underwrite the cost of a middle school roof replacement. The council also unanimously supported the town moving forward in seeking “intervener status” in the matter of a local water company that is looking to draw from a Newtown aquifer to feed a neighboring Brookfield subdivision.

And just before the meeting adjourned, council members learned their vice chair, Mary Ann Jacob, was withdrawing from her position on the education committee to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest because she also works as a part-time library assistant in the local school district.

In a unanimous vote following more than 30 minutes of discussion, the council passed a resolution providing for a special appropriation in the amount of $4,257,690 for roof replacement at Newtown Middle School. The action authorized issuing $4,257,690 in bonds for that purpose.

A separate motion saw council members unanimously supporting the district in its seeking partial underwriting on the middle school roof project from the state.

 Following the motion on the bonding resolution, council member Gary Davis inquired about whether the motion had to be decided immediately. His initial answer came from school board member William Hart, who said the district was motivated to fast-track the project for review by the state School Facilities Unit, so it could subsequently be put out to bid.

“We want to get it to the state and have it reviewed in time to get work started during the summer,” Mr Hart told the council.

First Selectman Pat Llodra added that any such school project under consideration for public funding by the state had to follow a specific process in order to qualify. That process includes a full review and signing off on the project with the bonding resolution in place, but before the project can be sent out to bid.

The council was reminded that the school district had already hired a consultant to determine the approximate costs tied to the bonding approved in the latest Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) were accurate, and that three options for the project were developed.

Director of Facilities Gino Faiella told the council that the professional estimator’s number was as close as the district could come to an accurate cost for the project without going to bid.

No Impact Statement

Councilman Ben Spragg then noted that if the council was to move forward with the bonding resolution it would be doing so without a financial impact statement, which he said was required by local charter.

“I’m not looking to delay the project, I support the project,” Mr Spragg said, adding that he would prefer to see the vote on the bonding delayed at least a week so additional information could be presented.

But it was eventually determined in view of expediting the process for possible state reimbursement, to put the resolution to a vote with the promise that a detailed financial impact statement would be submitted to the Board of Finance before the actual appropriation is made.

The next order of business involved a controversial plan for the United Water Company to extend a water line in the Hawleyville section of town, tapping into Newtown’s water supply via the Pootatuck sole-source aquifer to feed a Brookfield neighborhood and future developments near the Newtown border.

Mrs Llodra briefed the council on a meeting that was held earlier in the week between all involved state agencies, the town, and United Water Company representatives. Representatives from the state Departments of Health and Public Utility Control were in attendance, as were officials from Brookfield.

“What was revealed at that meeting is that United Water has not been forthcoming to such an extent that the state agencies continued their halt on the project, and that the DPUC and DPH are committed to holding a public hearing in town,” Mrs Llodra said. (See separate story.)

Mrs Llodra said in the interim, she was hoping copious information would be produced by United Water about how the company determined the Newtown aquifer would remain sustainable in the event it was tapped to supply Brookfield’s needs.

Councilman James Belden who attended the meeting said that the a statewide water council review of the project did not occur.

“The biggest issue here is they’re planning to take water elsewhere based on what could possibly be erroneous information,” Mr Belden said. “We feel perhaps that our aquifer may be more sensitive to these withdrawals than they think. Long term growth in this town could be jeopardized.”

After a few more minutes of discussion on the matter, the council quickly and unanimously agreed to support the town seeking formal intervener status in the matter.

Jacob Resigns Committee

Just before the meeting adjourned, Chairman Jeff Capeci informed the council that he received a ruling from Town Attorney David Grogins in regard to a concern expressed during an earlier meeting about Vice Chairman Mary Ann Jacob casting a vote on the budget.

The latest ruling appears to be a complete reversal on an earlier opinion that Ms Jacob’s employment as a part-time library assistant in the district posed a conflict, or the appearance of a conflict of interest related to her position on, and as chair of the education committee of the council.

Mr Capeci said there was no initial concern because the council cannot rule on school district budget line items. But after the concern about a possible conflict nonetheless was registered by school officials ahead of a recent budget vote by the council, Mr Capeci said he was informed that in fact, while there is not a conflict of interest, Mr Grogins believes Ms Jacob’s effectiveness on the committee would be compromised if she was involved in discussion remotely related to her department, or other school personnel matters.

Ms Jacob told her fellow council members that “anybody would be hard-pressed to find a conflict when I voted to reduce my employers’ budget by $2.5 million, which would not benefit me in any way, shape, or form.”

But she said in order for the council to most effectively begin working on issues tied to the school district and its budget, “there can’t be any concern at all that my position might compromise that.”

Mr Capeci also reminded the council that there would be a special meeting the following Wednesday, June 9, to either set the mill rate pending a budget approval in the previous day’s scheduled referendum, or to further deliberate on a new budget proposal.