As an accountant who enjoys making lists, I submit this list of local news and notes.
- The bond advisor delivered a bond issuance overview to the Board of Finance on Oct. 26
- A Q & A for the bond questions will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Senior Center
- A Town Meeting on the bond questions will be held on Dec. 1 at the Senior Center
- Voting on the bond questions will be held at Town Hall on Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- The 34.47 mill rate includes 1.34 mills to pay for $1.8 million of debt service on bonds
- If all questions are approved, the 1.34 mills bond portion will remain stable through 2032
- Any bonds issued for sewer maintenance will be paid for by the users of the sewers
- The Town issues bonds instead of paying cash to honor a process called “generational equity”
- Generational equity is a term that describes how debt service is allocated to taxpayers
- Generational equity assures the benefactors of the equipment pay a proportionate share
- Through a competitive bid, Benesch was selected as the town’s “On-Call” Engineer
- Through a competitive bid, PhLow was selected as the town’s Sewer Engineer
- Through a competitive bid, Benesch, BSC, or SLR engineers will be onboarded to provide engineering support for the design of the athletic fields and running track
- Through a competitive bid, H2M or BL Companies engineers will be onboarded to provide engineering support for the design of replacement mechanicals at the GMMS
- None of that work will happen unless voters approve the bonding questions on Dec. 8
- The external FY26 audit of the Town was delivered to the Board of Finance on Oct. 26
- The FY28 Budget instructions were communicated to the Board of Selectmen on Oct. 19
- The property tax levy is based on “ad valorem” which is Latin for “according to value”
- Assessed home value is 70 percent of market value adjusted every five years through revaluation
- Revaluation does not raise taxes, but it does reallocate taxes “according to value”
- Fire truck procurement costs have doubled with a fire engine now costing over $1M
- The LAFD has six pieces of responding apparatus that need periodic replacement
- The Town needs to increase its $75,000 LAFD annual budget allocation for fire trucks
- Amended Purchasing Policies were communicated to the Board of Selectmen on Oct. 19
- The Parks and Recreation Analysis was distributed to the Board of Selectmen on Oct. 19
- CLA will prepare a report to consider the consolidation of administrative functions in January
- First Selectman Mark Fiorentino tapes a “Talk of the Town” episode every two weeks
- Talk of the Town episodes provide valuable information on evolving governmental issues
- The Board of Selectmen will consider hiring a Public Works Director on Nov. 2
- Governmental decisions weigh the need of all sometimes at the expense of the few
- Even the best governmental decisions can sometimes make public officials look inept
- Analytics, devoid of social media pressure, guide my governmental decision making
Understanding there’s a lot to unpack here, if you have any ques tions on any of the above thoughts, I can be reached at mwalsh@granby-ct.gov. The ability to share my thoughts is genuinely appreciated and I thank the Drummer for the monthly space afforded to me.