Board of Finance Holds off on Bonding Approval

The Suffield Board of Finance delayed voting on the four bonding projects currently under consideration at their meeting on Monday night. The board voted to pursue their memorandum of understanding, which outlines restrictions to keep financial impacts low if the bonding projects do pass, with the Boards of Education and Selectmen.

The four bonding projects, road and drainage improvements, new fire trucks, Town Hall improvements and a new library, will cost the town $13.2 million if they are approved by Suffield residents.

The finance board decided to create the memorandum, a non-binding document that sets maximum budget increases of 1.5 percent for the 2012-2013 fiscal year and 2 percent for the 2013-2014 fiscal year, . The memorandum will serve as an official statement from the boards to town residents as they vote on the projects.

The memorandum was then presented to the Boards of Selectmen and Education. The Board of Selectmen approved language supporting any budget restraints from the Board of Finance related to the projects at the selectmen’s meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 23. While the selectmen committed to the Board of Finance’s budget restrictions, they did not approve the memorandum as presented.

The selectmen advocated for a memorandum focusing on the agreement between the three boards that the projects are beneficial and necessary for the town, as opposed to focusing on financial figures. The selectmen suggested changes to that effect to the Board of Finance.

Board of Finance members believed such changes would reduce the impact of the document.

“[Town residents] are all used to hearing promises from the political side,” said Board of Finance Chairman Justin Donnelly.

Dennis Kreps, member of the board, said the board’s intent was to get the “meat,” or definite financial figures, into the memo. Board member Brian Kost said the concrete limits in the memorandum would help convince residents that the projects are both necessary and financially viable.

“Having a document with no stated target is unacceptable to me,” Kost said.

Joe Sangiovanni, member of the board, said there were no differences between the two drafts of the memorandum except for the focus on concrete financial target numbers in the Board of Finance’s version.

The Board of Education has not met since the memorandum was issued and will discuss it at their meeting on Tuesday, March 1.

Donnelly, noting that he was not speaking in an official capacity, said he believed the Board of Education was not wholeheartedly behind the detailed proposal. He said the selectmen’s version of the memorandum had a better chance of passing through the Boards of Education and Selectmen, based on his interactions with the Board of Education.

The Board of Finance meets next on Monday, March 7.