Harold Holmes

The agenda for this meeting of the Board of Commissioners included key items such as public comment, staff reports covering the Executive Director, Financial Report, Fire Department Chief's report (including January statistical data tabled from a previous session), Water Operations, and Communication Center Report. The board was also scheduled to address reports from standing committees, including the Public Safety Tower, and consider Old Business items like reports from the Town Council Liaison and various special committees (Health, Safety & Facilities, Volunteer Pension, Budget & Oversight). New Business items involved budgetary adjustments, approval of contracts/contractors, a project approval to apply for funding for an Emergency Interconnection, and consideration of financial contributions for the 2026 River Festival.

The Budget & Oversight Committee meeting primarily focused on reviewing and advancing the operating budgets and capital funds for the upcoming fiscal year (2026-2027) for both the Water Division and the Fire District. Key discussions for the Water Division budget, which includes no water rate increases, involved examining line items and utilizing approximately $75,000 from the Enterprise Fund Balance to offset expenses, while advancing the proposed budget to the full commission. For the Fire District's proposed budget, a 4.57% spending increase over the previous fiscal year was noted, achieved through the use of District Fund Balance to maintain the mill rate. Both proposed budgets were unanimously advanced to the full commission for consideration. Department Heads, the Finance Director, and the Executive Director were commended for their work on the budget proposals.

The agenda for this meeting includes receiving staff reports for January and February, covering executive, financial, fire department, and water operations, including the Fire Marshal's Office. The board will review reports from standing committees such as Executive, Water Operations, and Public Safety Tower. Old business concerns include the report from the Town Council Liaison, reports from Special Committees (Health, Safety & Facilities; Volunteer Pension; Budget & Oversight), and consideration of a tabled Utility 1 Motion. New business items involve budgetary adjustments, specifically a FY Capital Budget Line Transfer, approval of contracts/contractors, and personnel lists related to Fire Promotions and Water department hires, including a Crew Leader position.

The Water Operations Committee meeting focused primarily on the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget process. Discussions included structuring the budget presentation to allow for public comments during a public hearing, as requested, noting that the Water Department budget is funded by rates and services, not taxes. Wage comparisons between Water Department employees and the Cromwell Department of Public Works were reviewed, with discussions surrounding a percentage wage increase. The committee also addressed the acquisition of new utility billing software for FY 2026-2027. Personnel matters included a recommendation to promote Michael Fiddler to Crew Leader and an update on a single applicant for one of two vacant Maintainer III positions. Progress updates were provided on the ongoing Service Line Inventory project, the status of the Interconnections Project following necessary approvals, and the installation of the Sanford Lane Generator. Finally, an unexpected expenditure of approximately $44,000 was reported for the replacement of the pump, motor, and addressing deterioration issues discovered during maintenance on Well #2.

The meeting commenced with the approval of an amended agenda to include a discussion on the Co-Chair role. Old business included updates on the legal review of existing tower documents, completed by Attorney Boucher, and the status of engineering bids for tower inspection, for which no new quotes had been obtained. Regarding Verizon's proposed addition to the tower, no recent communication was reported. New business involved the unanimous approval of the FY 2025-2026 budget expenditures and the formal introduction of Attorney Kathryn Boucher, a specialist in Tower regulations. Furthermore, the Committee unanimously approved a motion to appoint the Police Chief as the Committee Co-Chair. Committee comments noted necessary maintenance work at the Tower site, specifically concerning the driveway and conduit to the powered gate.