South Windsor Town Council Puts Freeze on Spending

The Town Council Monday night approved a spending and hiring freeze, directing the town manager to tighten the town’s belt in anticipation of possible decrease in revenue.

The measure passed 6-2, with Councilors Carolyn Mirek and Jan Snyder opposing. 

The freeze, which extends through April 30, 2014, is not in response to the town’s dire financial situation, rather to an anticipated decrease in revenue.

The motion allows for the hiring of a full-time police officer, two full-time public safety dispatchers, one full-time IT technician, one part-time fire safety code inspector in the fire marshal’s office, a part-time teen center supervisor and a full-time library assistant.

Those positions were filled before the hiring freeze was proposed and offers had already been made, Galligan said.

Overtime will only be authorized on a critical need basis, out-of-state travel shall be canceled and no vehicles or equipment at a cost of more than $5,000 shall be purchased without notifying the council.

Galligan said he understood where the council was coming from but that the freeze was unnecessary.

“I’ve been here 18 years and I haven’t over expended my budget once… whether you pass this resolution or not, I will always be monitoring and doing the best to keep costs down,” he said.

Councilor Jan Snyder opposed the resolution, saying it showed a lack of faith in the town manager.

“We have one of the top town managers in the state… I think we can depend on him. He doesn’t need a resolution to tell him how to do his job,” she said.

And while she and Councilor Carolyn Mirek, the only two Republicans present, chaffed at the resolution, Anwar said that former councilor Kevin McCann proposed a similar measure last year that was unanimously supported.

“We have to give the town manager direction and I think I want to give direction. If we have money we can not spend, don’t spend it because when it comes time to set the mill rate every penny counts,” said Councilor Keith Yagaloff.

Democrat Stephen Wagner voted for the measure but said he didn’t “like the idea of a freeze particularly” since it happened every year. A longer-term view of staffing would be preferable, he said.