With minimal discussion at a Special Meeting on Monday, Apr. 13, the Board of Selectmen acquiesced to the $54,952 reduction in its Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget asked for by the Board of Finance.
While First Selectman Toni Boucher confirmed that she would not be seeking a new Department of Public Works facilities manager — a position she strongly advocated for during the two months — an additional $30,000 was still left in the DPW salaries line, possibly earmarked for a salary raise for DPW Director Frank Smeriglio, which Boucher has also championed.
On Sunday, April 12, the BOF approved a total general fund operating budget of $151,701,690, including a $100.5-million Board of Education budget and a $38 million BOS budget. The BOF, however, asked for a net reduction of just under $55,000, making recommendation that included adding fund to hire a new town administrator and eliminating funds for the facilities manager position.
Selectman Matt Raimondi, who praised the BOF for what he indicated was a thoughtful approach to the reduction, asked Chief Financial Officer Dawn Savo specifically why the DPW salary line had gone from $110,000 which was the BOF recommendation, to $80,000.
Savo said she wasn’t sure why the BOF had described that number as just being the cost of the new position, but said it did include an increase for Smeriglio.
“There was money in there as a potential for the increase of the DPW director and there was the addition of the facilities director position, what we were estimating that salary to be,” she said.
The BOS has scheduled a Special Meeting for today, Apr. 14, at 5 p.m., with the only item on the agenda an Executive Session scheduled for a “discussion concerning the appointment, employment, performance, evaluation, and compensation of the Director of the Department of Public Works.”
Raimondi also sought to reconfirm that Boucher was not going to pursue hiring a DPW facilities manager at this time.
“On the DPW line, to make sure I fully understand it, in [BOF Chair] Tim Birch‘s letter he said the notion behind this was to eliminate the facilities manager guy,” Raimondi said. “Let’s be very clear. By taking out that 80 [thousand dollars], that person is entirely eliminated. There’s no more left over funds for that.”
“That’s correct,” Boucher said.
In a memo to the BOS dated Apr. 10, Birch, writing on behalf of the BOF, noted five areas of reductions, including a $100,000 decrease in the town employee’s group insurance, along with $135,000 in miscellaneous reductions. Simultaneously, the BOF gave five expense additions including $159,899 toward a full-time town administrator.
With regard to that position, Raimondi asked why the salary allocation had been reduced to $160,000 when the previous town administrator had been making $185,000 per year. Boucher said that the responsibilities of the position were diminished, with some of the direct reports that had been under the previous town administrator’s supervision will now report to Wilton CFO Savo.
“We have changed the structure and reporting structure at Town Hall significantly,” Boucher said.
Raimondi suggested they may not find someone by Jul. 1 for the town administrator position, indicating they might not need the full amount for funding of the position.
Boucher, however, said they will try to move quickly to fill the post.
“Our search committee is still intact,” she said. “We did not dismiss. We did not sunset it. It’s still there, so we can do that as time allows.”