During its regular meeting September 8, the Board of Finance approved contributing $47,185 the school district compiled from dozens of smaller line item surpluses in the 2013-14 budget, to a nonlapsing account earmarked for anticipated security-related “building hardening” expenses.

The distribution will act as matching funds to qualify the district for a larger security grant.

This new account, which was recently authorized through legislation, will replace a capital nonrecurring account, and will permit the school district to occasionally seek opportunities to transfer similar budget surpluses in the future.

Town Finance Director Robert Tait told the finance board that the multiyear fund would allow the district to earmark future surpluses for other specific purposes as well.

School Business Manger Ron Bienkowski said that the money was derived after he closed out multiple line item accounts that had nominal balances that added up to the total contribution. The Board of Education approved the transfers for the new account in August.

Mr Bienkowski said the major object code surpluses came from eight areas: salary ($300); employee benefits ($2,000); professional services ($20,000); purchased property services ($1,600); other purchased services ($8,700); supplies ($4,100); equipment ($201); miscellaneous ($745).

Surpluses that came from numerous subcategories are detailed in the district’s year-end financial statement.

The grant is in the final stages of completion, and will be part of the second round of state grants authorized by Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Mr Bienkowski said. The district also received an additional $25,000 each from a district security fund and designated security donations that would be cobbled together with the nonlapsing funds to complete the total grant match.

Before calling for a vote on the motion, Chairman John Kortze asked the school business manager about a term in his report that the finance board official had never heard before — “unliquidated encumbrances.”

Mr Bienkowski explained that the term refers to items encumbered at the end of a fiscal year, that exceeded the actual encumbered expense for any items or services after the fiscal cycle closes. He said the balances can then be used for other purposes.

“We had a repair on a building we thought would cost $10,000,” Mr Bienkowski explained. “But when the bills [were] submitted it was only $8,000, so you’ve got $2,000 that is an unliquidated encumbrance that becomes available.”