The Litchfield Budget Committee met tonight (5/28/20) and all members were in attendance.
4/23 Minutes (as amended) were accepted by the committee.
Town Business Updates Included:
-Mr. Leary provided an update on Board of Selectmen meeting, which included updates on the A/C at Town Hall, including repair work to be determined and Hazard Pay in the amount of $200k for the town of Litchfield.
School Business Updates Included:
-Mrs. Harrison provided an update from the school board. She provided updates on end of year expenditures, facility and maintenance summer work. No votes have been taken on those items, however discussions have taken place regarding opening of facilities in the fall and potential increased costs including PPE supplies, sanitation items. The board will be putting together a task force after the end of the school year to determine the plan for the fall, including remote, hybrid, and full opening options. The school district is anticipating approximately $75k from the CARES funds, however no decisions have been made as to how those funds will be spent, as guidelines have not been provided.
-A vote was approved 9-0-0 to have the school board provide a monthly line item report to the budget committee which includes detailed expenditures.
-Mr. Hodgins asked about revenue being returned to the tax payers, and Mrs. Harrison said the board is anticipating returning approximately $750k to set the tax rate for next year.
-Mrs. Harrison provided an update on enrollment, and said the board is monitoring Grade 1 and options for next year, should the school need an additional position to support enrollment.
Member Input / New Business:
-The committee reviewed the draft calendar for 2020-2021 year as presented by Mr. Cutter. Highlights included monthly meetings through September 2020, and then weekly budget reviews for the town and school in October and November. Discussion took place between committee members on days of the week, timing of voting and review sessions.
-Mr. Son provided an update on the communication / social media plan, that includes utilizing the town website as a means to provide high-level updates to the community. Currently, the town website is setup to publish to the town social media platforms.
-Mr. Son provided an update on the recommended bylaw changes pertaining to communication and social media that will be shared with the committee via email and voted on during the June meeting.
-Mr. Cutter provided an update from the Town Capital Planning Committee that met in May, that included an update on the needs from the police department, including a potential new police station. Proposals were reviewed and share with the planning committee.
-Mrs. Fordey provided an update from the School Planning Committee that met on May 27, and updates included collaboration between the school & town, infrastructure funds that are allocated for capital projects from the state, and priorities that included a potential new PreK-5 school building, lighting and HVAC needs at LMS, and CHS stadium field lighting.