Amidst continuing confusion and controversy over how the town disbursed $302,000 in funds without Board of Selectmen approval at the end of 2024, First Selectman Toni Boucher said on Tuesday, Mar. 18, that an additional combined $550,000 was likewise distributed without proper approval in 2021 and 2023.

At least two BOS members pledged that an investigation into the matter was warranted and would be called for — including an independent examination of internal operations — but nothing is forthcoming at this time. 

Instead, in a unanimous retroactive vote last week, BOS members approved disbursements of $243,890.93 in 2021 and $301,038.66 in 2023 amidst concerns from one member.

Further discussion was tabled until the next BOS meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 1.

Earlier in the meeting Selectwoman Kim Healy attempted to add a discussion item about “an internal control review” to the agenda to be held in executive session at the end of the meeting, though she did not state what it would be regarding. Healy had made a similar call for internal control review after the discovery of the 2024 disbursement.

Without inquiry, other BOS members supported her motion to do so, but later in the meeting it was nixed by Town Attorney Ira Bloom.

Appearing in the middle of the meeting via Zoom, Bloom told the BOS that the subject didn’t qualify as something they could discuss behind closed doors.

“Quote ‘internal controls’ is not a recognized topic for executive session,” he said, “so that could not be the reason for an executive session.”

Following disclosures — and conflicting stories — about the 2024 elderly tax credit disbursement, Selectman Josh Cole told GOOD Morning Wilton via email on Mar. 6 that he would “call for a formal investigation” on the topic at the next regular BOS meeting on Mar. 18. He was, however, silent on the topic during the meeting.

Asked for comment afterward, he said only, “It will be discussed at our next meeting.”

Background on the Issue

For the last several years Wilton has set aside $1.1 million for the senior tax credit, officially logging it as revenue that is not collected, in order to provide qualifying seniors with annual tax help. At the start of each fiscal year, approximately $750,000 is allocated to qualifying individuals.

As there are usually a good amount of funds left over, in 2019, the BOS amended the ordinance it had in place regarding the tax credit to allow any remaining funds to be equitably disbursed in a second installment among applicants, pending approval by either the BOS or its designee, by Dec. 1 of each year.

When it came to light recently that the second round of credits had been given out by the assessor’s office without approval, conflicting statements arose from both Boucher and Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker, who initially pointed the blame toward former First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice and later took full blame himself for what he described as a misunderstanding by staff members.

“As the immediate supervisor of all of the staff members involved,” Knickerbocker wrote in a statement, “it was my responsibility, not the First Selectmen, and not the staff members involved, who believed they were simply doing what was expected of them, to catch and correct any miscommunication or misunderstandings and prevent the errors, which clearly, I did not do. I accept that responsibility and deeply regret the error.”

Conflicting statements made by Knickerbocker to Board of Finance Chair Matt Raimondi also caused concern.

“I’m not sure anything nefarious was intended here,” Raimondi said earlier this month, but pointed out that Wilton residents should know exactly what happened.

Is Approving After the Fact OK?

At Tuesday’s meeting, the selectmen expressed no surprise nor particular concern when Boucher announced to them that she had discovered two more years in which the second tax credit installments had not been properly sanctioned per town ordinance.

“This has been an administrative oversight … There was inconsistency in the way in which it was approved,” she said, providing a memo that cited the minutes of some BOS meetings and the specified second-installment amounts.

“However, what was not inconsistent and went through properly was how much was disbursed … You had a chance to look at that. Hopefully you concur with my findings in looking into it,” she said.

According to Boucher’s timeline of second-installment credits:

  • $277,722.12 was applied Dec. 29, 2020;  BOS voted to approve Nov. 24, 2020
  • $243,890.03 was applied Dec. 19, 2021;  No BOS approval recorded
  • $483,753.74 was applied Dec. 8, 2022;  BOS voted to approve Nov. 21, 2022
  • $301,038.66 was applied Dec. 6, 2023;  No BOS approval recorded
  • $302,562.02 was applied Dec. 19, 2024;  No BOS approval by Dec. 1, 2024; BOS voted retroactively to approve Mar. 3, 2025

Having just recently retroactively approved the 2024 installment, Boucher suggested the BOS also vote on the 2021 and 2023 disbursements “to clean up the process.”

“We can do both of those and then make sure the process is cleaned up,” she said, suggesting that, going forward, the BOS always conduct its own full-board vote on the matter each November, and not consider picking a designee that could sign off on it.

“Lessons learned for sure,” Boucher said, having explained previously that she had never been made aware of the matter and simply took her staff’s direction on handling it.

Before voting, Healy expressed some trepidation about the retroactive votes, indicating she did not feel comfortable after the retroactive 2024 approval on Mar. 3.

“Is there a way to see that, or to prove that?” she asked Boucher regarding whether the payments did go out.

“Yes, it’s in the assessors’s office and the tax collector has records of all of these,” Boucher said.

Healy continued, “Is there a reason that we’re doing this? … I’m kind of torn … What are we actually saying? Are we saying we’re okay with it?”

Boucher said she checked with the attorney and he sanctioned the votes.

“I think it’s okay … There’s nothing to be lost by doing it,” Boucher said. “We’re just covering it in the event that someone would mention it to us.”

Selectman Bas Nabulsi, an attorney, said the action would cut off claims by third parties that the monies were paid out improperly or done without BOS authorization — ironically, both of which are true.

“I’m not sure who would bring an action to say that these monies were paid improperly, but the value seems to be … that we foreclose any potential claim that it was done with our authorization,” he said.

Healy said it still left her with questions.

“I have not been provided (with) anything that has comforted me,” she said, noting that this was specifically why she wanted to discuss an investigation into procedure.

“Do you want the receipts?” Boucher asked.

“No,” Healy said.

Boucher continued, “That’s a discussion we’re gonna have at the next meeting but not tonight. We have to give everyone notification.”

“Nothing untold occurred … It was a procedural, administrative oversight in previous years,” Boucher said.

Noting that the memo Boucher provided had no name on it, Healy asked where she had received this information.

“This all came to us from Hollie,” Boucher said, referencing Hollie Rapp, Wilton’s manager of assessing and tax collection.

Rapp did not respond to previous requests from GOOD Morning Wilton to talk about the matter, nor would Knickerbocker name which of his staff members were involved in the mistake.

In 2021, Sarah Scacco was the Manager of Assessment and Taxation, a role Rapp took on in 2023.

Vanderslice previously acknowledged that, at the end of 2023, as outgoing first selectwoman she had neglected to put the issue on the BOS agenda for discussion before her term ended simply because she forgot. As a result, she believed that no second tax credit was issued at that time, either before or immediately following when she left office.

Now, with a similar unapproved disbursement in 2021 — during her second term as the town’s chief executive officer — coming to light, she was surprised to learn of it. “This is the first I’ve heard of this,” she said.

“This is not the same situation as the two while [Boucher] was in office [in 2023 and 2024] and more frustrating, as it was done properly the year before [in 2020] and the year after [in 20202],” Vanderslice said. “Clearly the town needs additional control around the disbursement of senior tax relief.”

It’s advice she’s given to current town officials. “I shared a recommendation with Toni and others with Kim Healy,” she said.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story featured a screenshot of the Zoom stream of the Mar. 18, 2025, BOS meeting. During the discussion, Wilton DPW Director/Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio was on screen but not part of the discussion covered in this story. The main photo has been changed to show images from that Zoom recording of the Board of Selectmen members and Town Counsel Ira Bloom.