At last night’s (Monday, April 1) Board of Selectmen meeting, board members continued their work on crafting a bonded capital spending plan.

The selectmen have been primarily focused on the more immediate projects they hope to begin in the upcoming fiscal year, FY 2025. The latest version of the broader 15-year bonded capital plan is posted on the Town website.

Picking up on the discussions in their previous meeting, the selectmen voted unanimously on the list of bonding referendums to present to voters for approval at the May 7 Annual Town Meeting.

Two factors of note: unlike the budgets, final bonding requests are not determined by the Board of Finance; the Board of Selectmen decides which projects move forward to be considered by voters at the Annual Town Meeting (ATM). However, the BOS does present each project to the BOF and hopes the BOF will recommend them to voters at the ATM.

Wilton’s Charter gives the BOF the right to opine on any bonding initiatives, either for or against. This opinion doesn’t bind the fate of the bond, but is communicated to the public at the ATM.

Also unlike the budgets, which automatically pass if less than 15% of registered voters cast ballots, each bonding referendum will pass or fail based on the simple majority of votes for each measure, no matter how many people cast ballots.

Specifically for FY 2025, the selectmen agreed to request the following bonded projects:

  • $2.1 million for road restoration and repairs on Scribner Hill Rd.
  • Nearly $1.6 million for Town Hall repairs including window replacement, heat, front entrance and other restoration and structural work
  • Nearly $5.8 million in Middlebrook School repairs, including roughly $1.9 million for replacing three sections of the roof, and $3.8 million for an HVAC chiller, unit ventilators and ceiling tiles

Beyond FY’25, the bonded capital plan shows tens of millions of dollars in potential projects arrayed from FY 2026 through FY 2039. First Selectman Toni Boucher emphasized that “all of this is subject to change” and a special committee will be formed to help fine-tune the planning. As a result, the BOS discussions did not focus discussion on long-term capital requests.

One exception is Ambler Farm. After discussing various alternative approaches to funding requests for Amber Farm’s “white house” ($950,000) and “yellow house” ($1.1 million), most of the selectmen seem inclined to include both projects in FY 2026 — but the board has not made a final decision. Selectwoman Kim Healy indicated she has lingering questions about the details of the funding request.

As the selectmen attempt to chip away at the long list of building repairs and upgrades needed at Wilton’s schools and municipal facilities, they must first determine which projects are eligible for bonding. In the past, Wilton has only considered projects that cost at least $250,000 and are a major component or structural part of a building, typically with an expected life of at least 10-20 years. Routine maintenance work does not meet the requirements for bonding.

Boucher noted that the minimum cost criterion is determined by the Town and could be changed. The board also has some discretion to “bundle” certain projects to meet the cost threshold — something that was not favored by the past first selectwoman but a method supported by Boucher and some members of the Board of Finance.

Fund Balance Reserve

The board is in the process of reviewing a draft policy on the Town’s general fund balance reserves. The Town’s reserve practices have been the subject of much discussion lately, with the Board of Finance indicating it would increase the reserve in the FY 2025 budget to satisfy guidance from Moody’s to maintain Wilton’s stellar Aaa credit rating.

Wilton currently does not have a written policy in place. As noted in the draft policy document, the purpose of the policy is “to document the Town’s practice with respect to the management of General Fund — Fund Balance Reserve in accordance with professional standards.”

“I am supporting this strongly for us to have this because anything that can help us maintain a strong rating will save us a lot of money going forward,” Boucher said. “Having a policy written like this will be helpful when discussing our rating with [Moody’s].”

According to the draft, “This policy is intended to provide for a fund balance which satisfies the cash flow and contingency needs of the community, support our positive bond rating with the rating agencies, and at the same time avoid over-taxing the citizens through an excessively large fund balance.”

The selectmen will further discuss the policy at their next meeting.

Budget Reminder

The Board of Finance begins deliberations tonight on the BOS and Board of Education budget proposals. All meeting information including the agenda and Zoom meeting link may be found on the Town website.

More BOS News

  • The selectmen heard an update on recent developments and plans for the Norwalk River Valley Trail from Charlie Taney, president of the Friends of the NRVT. Taney also requested a contribution from the Town to offset $20,000 in expenses from storm-related water and tree damage last year. Boucher informed him that the selectmen had already finalized the FY’25 budget request, but emphasized that the board could consider financial support in future budget discussions.
  • Housing Committee Chair Steve Parrinello approached the board to discuss the Committee’s responsibilities and how the Committee might be utilized going forward. Boucher believes such a discussion is very timely, given the board’s attention on maintenance needs at Town-owned properties as well as significant development activity in Wilton. The board agreed to continue discussions at a future meeting.
  • The board unanimously voted to appoint Penelope Maxwell to the Wilton Library Association‘s Board of Trustees.
  • The board approved a grant application for Wilton’s Dial-a-Ride program. The state’s Department of Transportation grant would provide $25,751 for the program, which provides over 2,000 rides per year.

Editor’s note: the story has been clarified to explain that while the Board of Finance does not determine which bonding initiatives are presented to voters for consideration at the Annual Town Meeting, the BOF does have the power under the town charter to provide an opinion on each referendum either in support or against.