Board of Selectmen's Minutes - November 2, 2006

Present: First Selectman Woody Bliss; Selectman W. Glenn Major; Town Administrator Tom Landry; Administrative Assistant Judy DeVito; Donna May Robinson; and members of the public.

This meeting was recorded and video taped and the tapes are available in the Selectmen’s office and the Building Department, respectively, for further reference.

Discussion/decision regarding the appointment of Donna May Robinson to the fill vacancy (Liz Ward) on the Commission for the Arts for a term to expire June 30, 2008. Donna May Robinson said she went to UCONN as an art major and switched to home economics and studied fashion design. She won a full scholarship to FIT for an extra year of fashion design. After working in the industry for a couple of years was a bit disillusioned by it because it was more copying than creativity.

She went back to college for nursing and worked in the operating room at Yale New Haven Hospital for about 17 years. She has done craft shows, mostly she works with cloth and she still does fashion design, wearable art but her main focus is doll making.

She would like to serve on the Arts Commission for two reasons, 1. Most people inherently start out with an interest that they tend to lose along the way and she would like to bring it to the fore~~fore~~ front of the public and stimulate the public that do not get to see it that often. 2. There are a lot of artist out there that are too involved with their art work or too shy to really promote themselves. She wants to help artists promote their work.

Mr. Major made a motion to appoint Donna May Robinson to fill the vacancy on the Commission for the Arts for a term to expire June 30, 2008. Mr. Bliss seconded and the motion passed Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss yes. Mr. Miller, absent.

Accept the resignation of John Cunningham from the Building Committee and the School Building Committee effective immediately. Mr. Major made a motion to accept the resignation of John Cunningham from both the Building Committee and the School Building Committee effective immediately. Mr. Bliss seconded and the motion passed Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss yes. Mr. Miller, absent.

Mr. Bliss said we have vacancies on both the Building Committee and the School Building Committee. Since the School Building~~building~~ Committee is winding down they will only fill the vacancy on the Building Committee.

Discussion/decision regarding entering into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Mr. Major made a motion to authorize the First Selectman to execute the Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security as submitted. Mr. Bliss seconded and the motion passed Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss yes. Mr. Miller, absent.

Discussion/approval of the Board of Selectmen’s minutes of October 19, 2006. Mr. Major made a motion to accept the minutes of the Board of Selectmen’s meeting of October 19, 2006 as submitted. Mr. Bliss seconded and the motion passed Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss yes. Mr. Miller, absent.

Any other business to come properly before the meeting: Mr. Major made a motion to add discussion regarding Interfaith Housing Association and the grant to the agenda. Mr. Bliss seconded and the motion passed Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss yes. Mr. Miller, absent.

Mr. Major questioned a memo that he had received from Interfaith Housing where they thanked us for the appropriation of $14,000. He asked if we had done a line item appropriation. Mr. Landry said yes. He said that he was concerned that the organization would see a line item and then they no longer had a responsibility to come before the selectmen to justify the appropriation.

Mr. Landry said that this was in the base budget along with First Night and Warm-Up Fund. Mr. Major said he thought that the problem was that we were going to put them in so that they were funded and it did not have to come out of the general fund but the organization still had to come to us and prove that they needed the funds, make a request for the funds and provide all the back up information. It was not just going to be given to them. Mr. Landry said that was not his understanding; however, he would ask them to come in.

Mr. Major said that for next years budget it was more important that it is appropriate for it to be in the budget as a line item but within ourselves we have got to somehow designate it that it is up to that amount.

Executive Session – Litigation and Labor Negotiations. At 7:48pm Mr. Major made a motion to enter into executive session. Mr. Bliss seconded and the motion passed Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss yes. Mr. Miller, absent.

ATTENDANCE: The meeting was convened at 7:50 pm in the First Selectman’s office by Chairman Bliss to provide a status report regarding the United Masons claim, as well as the status of attempted dispute resolution negotiations in the Nunziata suit. Mr. Landry also discussed labor negotiations concerning the newly formed AFSCME unit. In attendance were First Selectman Bliss, Selectman~~Mr.~~ Major, and Town Administrator Landry. No votes were taken.

ADJOURN: At 8:14 pm a motion (Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss second) to adjourn executive session and reenter open session passed by 2-0 vote. The meeting reconvened in the Meeting Room at this time.

UNITED MASONS SETTLEMENT. A motion (Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss second) to approve payment of a settlement sum of $26,552, for all outstanding disputed items totaling $186,000, passed by 2-0 vote. This vote was taken with the positive recommendation of the School Building Committee, which had approved the settlement at its November 1 meeting.

ADJOURNMENT: At 8:19 pm a motion (Mr. Major, Mr. Bliss second) to adjourn the meeting passed by unanimous vote.