The Board of Selectmen may ask the Annual Town Meeting to approve more than $20 million in bonding, saying it could save the town money over time — but members are concerned that voters may not buy the argument.
The proposal is part of a broader effort to chip away at more than $150 million in infrastructure needs over the next 10 to 15 years — funding major upgrades to school and town facilities, but also increasing long-term debt.
With several unknowns still remaining, the Board of Selectmen did its best at a Special Meeting on Friday, Mar. 27, to begin deciding what — if anything — to propose for bonding for Fiscal Year 2027.
Juggling opinions from both the public and staff — as well as continuing to face unknowns with regard to financial planning — the BOS will meet again before making any decisions, hoping some preliminary number projections will help in the decision-making process.
Based on a plan to pursue state reimbursements for approximately 22.5% of the cost, the BOS is talking about sanctioning the first of two large Middlebrook School renovation projects totaling $13.4 million, along with three separate Cider Mill School projects that total $6.6 million. The town, however, wouldn’t borrow on the bonds until at least Fiscal Year 2028, and possibly even farther out.
At the same time, however, the BOS is talking about several different projects that members want to see happen and bonded this year, including funding $1.4 million for renovation of the Yellow House at Ambler Farm, new pickleball courts, parking lot paving, and roof repairs at Gilbert & Bennett School. These could add millions more to the bonding proposal.
The Department of Public Works is also looking for $2.1 million for road restoration, $200,000 to design a new fuel tank at its highway garage, $570,000 for the Kent Road Bridge rehabilitation, and $250,000 for concept design work at the Town Hall building and annex.
Together, those projects could push the total bonding request well beyond $20 million.
What’s on the table
The Wilton Capital Planning Committee, which was tasked with determining the prioritization of capital projects for town and school facilities, picked the three separate projects at Cider Mill School as its top priority. These include, in order of priority, $2.9 million for roof replacement, $2.7 million for exterior envelope renovation, and $1 million for sitework, doors and windows at the school.
The fourth project on its priority list was $13.4 million for continued school improvements at Middlebrook, while the fifth project on its list was $8.7 million for sitework, doors and windows at Middlebrook.
Project number six on its priority list was $500,000 for replacement of the elevator and HVAC system at Comstock Community Center.
The need to replace the town’s animal shelter by Jan. 1, 2029, per state requirements, was also noted at an upcoming need by DPW Director Frank Smeriglio.
“I don’t have a number,” he said. “It’s going to be over $2 million.”
Weighing the costs
One key unknown is whether the BOF will decide to go to market with its new bonds in June or July, which would be after the next fiscal year begins. According to Selectman Matt Raimondi, who formerly chaired the Board of the Finance, going to market in July could save around $700,000 in payments, but it would result in much higher debt service.
He and Selectman David Tatkow have been working on the Bonding Committee, which has updated a spreadsheet model originally designed by Raimondi to help determine long-term costs for various bonding scenarios, taking different factors into consideration, including time periods, rates, and more.
The BOS plans to use the model at its next to run different combinations of bonding-project numbers through different scenarios to provide a sense of what the short- and long-term impacts may be on the town’s finances.
“We’re setting ourselves up for some big costs going forward,” First Selectman Toni Boucher said, expressing trepidation about how the residents will react to the large ask at the Annual Town Meeting, and whether they will adequately understand the reasoning behind it in order to approve it. She seemed especially focused on how best to communicate the information, given she’ll be the official presenting it to town voters.
While she noted that the debt service was scheduled to drop significantly in the next few years, she didn’t think it would be prudent to add excessive debt, thereby burdening future boards and the town with many new bonds.
“I wouldn’t want to just throw the can down the road,” she said.
While it wasn’t among the items officially brought forward by the WCPC, the recurring question of renovating the Yellow House at Ambler Farms was broached by the BOS as a priority.
“Let’s just get it done and be done,” Selectman Rich McCarty said, with others in apparent agreement.
Smeriglio, who has expressed ongoing concerns about how projects impact his department in terms of personnel hours, stated that any of the projects sanctioned under the requests by the Parks and Recreation Department did not impact DPW in terms of management, suggesting that they could be bonded without further stretching himself and his staff thin.
P&R Director Steve Pierce said that his department’s first priority was securing $300,000 to build new pickleball courts. He also said that the artificial turf field at Kristine Lilly Field was due to be replaced next year at a cost of $1.2 million.
What’s Next
The BOF is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the BOS budget today, Monday, Mar. 30, at Middlebrook School Auditorium at 7 p.m., and intends to begin its budget deliberations on Tuesday, Mar. 31.
The BOS is scheduled to meet next on Monday, Apr. 6, when members are expected to continue refining potential bonding proposals.