Wilton’s Board of Selectmen will formally ask the Board of Finance to release $330,000 from the Town’s Charter Reserve account to fund the purchase of a Department of Public Works dump truck and related sanding and plowing equipment — a move that avoids bonding for the purchase and effectively shifts how the expense is accounted for in the town’s budget.
During the nine-minute meeting the BOS held Friday morning, Mar. 6, to approve making the request, Selectman Matt Raimondi repeatedly clarified — and at times corrected — First Selectman Toni Boucher as she outlined the request.
Last year, the BOF moved $389,000 into the reserve account for what it hoped would be the seed money for the yet-to-be-established Capital Nonrecurring Fund, which town officials are hoping will be approved by the Annual Town Meeting this May. According to the town website, “The Capital Non-Recurring Fund exists to support one-time, non-operating infrastructure investments that enhance Wilton’s long-term capital stability and operational flexibility, in alignment with Town and School priorities.”
It was also during last year’s budget process that the selectmen had decided for the first time to bond a dump truck and accoutrements, something that left a bad taste in the mouths of several other town officials — especially members of the Board of Finance, who prefer to see such annual capital costs as the yearly DPW truck purchase handled under the BOS’s operating capital budget.
Friday’s decision to ask for Charter Reserve funds to purchase the equipment in Fiscal Year 2026 rather than go to bonding addressed that preference.
“The view of the current crop of elected officials is that we should not be doing that so this is basically fixing that, effectively,” Raimondi said.
Raimondi, who formerly chaired the BOF, suggested that — since the town had not yet bonded the $330,000 for the truck and accessories following approval by the Annual Town Meeting last year — the BOS could ask for that money to be moved over to cover that cost. He told the BOS earlier this week that some BOF members had indicated they would support the request.
“This capital that we’re talking about is legally in Charter Reserve, which is why we’re going to do it this way,” he said. “However, it’s money that the Board of Finance has already set aside in Fiscal Year ’26.”
Even though the topic was the only item on the agenda Friday morning, the meeting was not without its awkward moments, as Raimondi was moved to clarify and correct Boucher on a range of statements she made during the discussion.
Boucher began the meeting outlining the “request to the Board of Finance to use their Charter authority to pay for such items that would include — but I would say ‘not limited to’ — the dump truck, two sanders, and two plow apparatuses.”
Raimondi interjected, “I would say it does need to be limited to a dump truck, two sanders, and two plow apparatuses. It is specifically for the items we were going to bond last year in the Fiscal ’26 ATM meeting.”
He also explained while the Board of Finance typically puts 1% of the total budget in reserve, last year they did so but also put aside an additional $389,000 for capital projects “in the view that the operating capital at that point was likely a little too low.”
When Selectman David Tatkow asked to confirm that the money had been added last year, Boucher responded, “Yes, every year they do at least add some,” she said.
Raimondi was particular about making sure the details weren’t being confused.
“No, no, we don’t do it every year,” he said.
Boucher said, “Well, most times.”
“No, no,” Raimondi countered. “The 1% is every year. The additional, on top of that is, to my knowledge, the first time that we did that.”
Raimondi also explained that while the BOS has the authority to use 25% of the 1% put aside each year into Charter Reserve, usage of the other 75% of those funds as well as any additional amount added in must be approved by the BOF.
“Absolutely,” Boucher said. “It’s always 1% of the town budget, a quarter of which the Board of Selectmen can utilize when necessary, and three-quarters of it would have to be authorized through the Board of Finance.”
Again, Raimondi was particular about the details. “Sort of, like, not really,” Raimondi said. “It’s 25% of 1% we can use. The Board of Finance can do the remainder, [which] might be more … which it is in this case.”
Boucher agreed. “That’s a good clarification,” she said.
Boucher continued her remarks to suggest that the BOS’s move would provide a safety cushion to the BOS operating budget.
“It might be safe because we really don’t know between now and the end of June what may or may not happen,” she said.
Raimondi disputed this point as well.
“I want to be very clear — that’s not why I’m suggesting this,” he said. “I am suggesting this to keep this clean because the Board of Finance had already put money aside for this operating capital purpose … It has nothing to do with potential needs, for anyone else watching, it has nothing to do with potential needs for the Board of Selectmen.”
Boucher yielded to his opinion.
“Well, I think since you were there on the Board of Finance when this occurred, I think you have the best knowledge of it,” she said.