While First Selectman Toni Boucher strived to paint a positive picture of progress in the Finance Department on Tuesday night, Sept. 16, key question still remain.
There’s still no clear answer about what additional personnel Joseph Centofanti, the interim chief financial officer, intends to employ on a per diem basis to help him do his job, what the additional costs will be, or how soon he’ll be able to provide town officials with reliable budget information, including actuals and estimates for next year.
Since the Board of Selectmen approved hiring the temporary CFO on Aug. 27, following the sudden departure of CFO Dawn Norton, Wilton’s Controller Tony DeFelice also gave notice, leaving the already-struggling department in a dramatic lurch.
“A Report from our Interim CFO”
At Tuesday’s BOS meeting, Boucher read what she said was “a report from our interim CFO,” although the report also spoke of Centofanti in the third person.
“As members of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance are aware,” Boucher read, “the Finance Department has experienced unanticipated vacancy of a CFO and a controller, who is now part time at Town Hall. Fortunately, we have had an excellent person in municipal — as a municipal interim CFO — who is working with our staff, Tony DeFelice, our controller, and auditors, and doing a very deep dive into the Finance Department as we speak.”
While Boucher had said that DeFelice would be staying on in his position as controller for Wilton until a replacement was found, this was the first public mention that he was now serving only in a part-time capacity.
DeFelice was also someone Town Hall had expected to rely on heavily after Norton’s sudden departure.
“Who’s running the Finance Department?” Selectwoman Kim Healy had asked Boucher at the Aug. 27 BOS meeting, prior to word of DeFelice’s departure.
“Tony DeFelice is doing it very well,” Boucher had said, “and he said he’d done this many times before. He’s been through other transitions, previously, and he picked up the mantle.”
At that same meeting, Selectman Josh Cole had said he hoped to quickly learn specifics from the interim CFO about the state of affairs in the Finance Department.
“At our next meeting in September, we should hopefully be provided — be in a position to get, a report — this is what they see; this is what they need; this is what it’s gonna cost — and we’ll be able to get our arms around exactly the level, scope and depth,” Cole said.
“Not Tonight“
Instead, Boucher previewed the report from the interim CFO — which offered no cost nor personnel projections — by stating, “We’re not going to pursue this tonight.”
She did, however, in describing Centofanti’s qualifications, note that he is currently working with 15 other towns. She explained that along with the one day a week he is scheduled to be in Wilton for in-person work, he is also in touch with Town Hall staff by email and phone.
Reading from the report, Boucher said Centofanti has identified significant matters that will have to be addressed even before he is able to provide “a more detailed review.”
Boucher read, “In reviewing the budget and the actual reports for June 30, 2025, he noted the following that would be required for a more detailed review:
- “For most departments, the salary line and payroll postings will need to be reviewed to verify the amounts reported are actually correct, Number One.”
- “Number Two, certain other departments or budget lines need further review to determine that that activity is complete,” Boucher read.
- “Number Three, since the former CFO had not completed the Munis implementation before leaving, our interim CFO needs to verify that all activities recorded in NewWorld was also recorded in Munis.”
“So that’s what he’s doing right now with staff, which will give us much more accurate information,” Boucher said.
“He’s also currently assessing the dates payrolls have been posted to Munis as well,” Boucher read. “Since the reports for certain accounts will need adjustment, he recommends holding off discussing the reports at this meeting until he has time to adjust the items that we just mentioned.”
“He’ll prioritize implementing a formal process and policies on procedures for timely reporting, and reconciling of payroll activity from NewWorld to Munis to allow for more time on reporting,” she read.
The next BOS meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6.
Board of Finance — Waiting on Info it Requested
Last week, the BOF gave the BOS a “Data Request List for Budget Guidance,” something the BOF said it expected to be provided with by Oct. 10, even as the interim CFO’s works to get up to speed on the current status in the Finance Department. That list includes:
- FY26 Year-To-Date budget to actual by major line item
- Forecast by line item for FY27 and FY28, consistent with prior years
- Staff projections by department for FY27 (with comparison to FY26)
- Schedule of union contracts with wage escalators and known step increases for FY27
- FY27 and FY28 debt service projections
- FY27 forecast net taxable grand list. If not available, provide a list of all new projects in development, with estimated additions to the grand list and timing
BOF Chair Matt Raimondi was firm on the deadline his board had issued. “I would suggest that our interim CFO make this a priority, because we do expect to get it in October,” he told Boucher at the BOF meeting on Sept. 11. “I want to be very clear. This is not an option for Town Hall.”
At her own board’s meeting Tuesday evening, Boucher seemed to indicate Town Hall was cooperating. Raimondi was in the room to hear her comments as well.
“An FOI [sic] to everyone,” Boucher said, “not withstanding the delay in the changes in the Finance staff, we have already started the process of developing an FY 27 budget with the departments already, that were giving their assignments on that, and have also invited the Board of Finance chair, who is with us here tonight, to join us when we schedule department head meetings in the weeks coming ahead.”
Boucher said she was anticipating Centofanti would attend the next BOS meeting on Oct. 6 and provide a more detailed report.
“He wants to check,” she said. “He wants to verify the information we have is correct, and if not, then it needs to be corrected and he’ll be doing that with the staff.”
Understanding the Charter
Healy asked if there was someone helping Centofanti understand the nuances of Wilton’s Town Charter, “how it works and what’s required and different things about that, because obviously every town is unique.”
Boucher responded, “Sure, it is, but fortunately he works with so many towns. In fact, he’s working with 15 of them now.”
Healy replied, “Wilton’s Charter obviously is unique to Wilton.”
Healy also recommended a close look at the BOS review for Fiscal Year 2025. “As you know, we had, during the budget process, identified a bunch of transactions that hadn’t been done in ’24 that needed to be done in ’25,” she said.
Boucher said Centofanti was doing just that and had, in fact, brought it up to her.
“Okay, so he’ll review that with us?” Healy said. “He’ll come and we’ll have like a working meeting?”
Boucher grew annoyed. “Kim, that’s what I’m working with him on,” she said, with a long silent moment following.
“So you can send me any notes on some of the things that you’re looking to see at the next report,” Boucher finally said.
“Just as updated as possible,” Healy said.
“Absolutely,” Boucher said. “These are interesting times we’re living in and an unusual time that we’re living in and we will make sure we get what needs to get done, done.”
Cost and Coworkers?
Selectman Ross Tartell asked if Centofanti had “sufficient staffing” to get the job done.
“I ask him that all the time, and if not, we will get some,” Boucher said.
The contract Boucher signed with PKF O’Connor Davies, Centofanti’s firm, said that pay would range from $325 to $375 per hour for Centofanti and anyone else engaged from the firm, dependent on their skills and speciality. To date, however, there has been no disclosure on what PKF is charging for Centofanti’s services.
“The word on the street is, ‘How can a one-day-a-week guy do all of this?'” Tartell said. “Well, the answer is, He can’t. He brings in his minions.”
Boucher said, “Well, he also is communicating with us every single day and every employee has his phone number. He has a town email address, so he differentiates work coming from them and he answers them expeditious. In fact, I was talking to him last night at six o’clock and he was also talking to our payroll clerk, Diane, at six o’clock.”
“And he’s in communication with the auditors. They know who he is. The auditors even have a Munis expert at our disposal, when and if we need it, and we’re moving very quickly to fill the vacant positions as we speak,” Boucher said.
Selectman Rich McCarty asked about the hours being logged.
“So, if you had to guess, how much time is the firm spending a week?” he said.
Boucher was unable to answer the question, but said that along with a full day every week on site, he was also engaging with staff for “a couple hours every day.”
The question was something McCarty had brought up before, when he said at the Aug. 27 BOS meeting that he’d like to be getting updates from the company.
“I would hope that we could establish a regular reporting from them,” he said.