2009

Posted by Bob on August 27, 2009 under Daily Blogs | Be the First to Comment

Wednesday, August 26, 2009, marked the one hundredth (100th) day of our administration. During the campaign, we proposed several initiatives that we would attempt to accomplish early in our administration. Please view that post here.

The following is brief analysis of progress made in the areas referenced in the campaign post as well as other items addressed during the first one hundred (100) days.

Government Reform – A core group of individuals familiar with the Mt. Auburn process have met twice and exchanged numerous emails to plan the process for a Government Reform Council. Creation of such a larger, representative council will be formalized in the next few weeks, and the first order of business will be to discuss dissemination of a survey about local government to residents and the identification of focus groups.

Negotiate Contracts – The Borough has successfully reached agreement with the Local 1219 Firefighters Union and Chapter 90 Supervisors Union to extend their respective collective bargaining agreements for three (3) years. Both extensions contain wage freezes for the 2009-2010 fiscal years, which was a significant concession made by the bargaining units. The Chapter 90 agreement also achieved a historic concession in that all new members entering the bargaining unit will have defined contribution pension plans. Our administration has successfully restored a climate of respect and common sense to the negotiating process. We commend the bargaining units for understanding that we all are facing difficult economic times. Negotiations with the AFSCME public works employees continue to progress in a productive manner.

Senior Tax Relief Analysis – A Senior Property Tax Review Committee was appointed at the June meeting of the Board of Mayor and Burgesses and is being chaired by Deputy Mayor Tamath Rossi. The committee is currently reviewing existing Borough, senior tax breaks and programs from other municipalities. Recommendations will be forthcoming after the analysis is complete. Our administration would like to command Deputy Mayor Rossi for her time and leadership chairing the committee.

Appoint Burgess Leaders and Encourage Open Communication – Some Burgesses did not feel comfortable having regular caucuses and reporting through a designated leader. Respecting such opinions, our administration has instead communicated electronically on a regular basis to inform Burgesses of day-to-day and pending matters such as personnel, upcoming meetings, appointments to boards and commissions, contract negotiations and fiscal analysis of matters to come before the Board.

Community Policing – The Naugatuck Police Department currently engages in community policing in several forms. While ongoing discussions will continue regarding expansion of community policing efforts, our administration places high value on the professional operation of our police department under Chief Chris Edson.

Turf 2015 Council – A group of stakeholders have met twice, once on-site at Naugatuck High School, to discuss the logistics of implementation of synthetic grass at the complex. The consensus is to focus efforts on the upper field at Naugatuck High School, and play football, soccer, baseball and softball on a state-of-the-art synthetic field complex. The Borough Engineering Department completed a cost estimate of a complete synthetic grass renovation for both the upper and lower high school fields. Our administration continues to seek federal and/or state funding for the project as well as grant opportunities and potential business sponsorship.

Renaissance Place – The Borough, in conjunction with the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation and Conroy Development Company, have continued to pursue Renaissance Place in spite of extremely difficult economic times. While other projects in the Naugatuck Valley have stalled or been terminated during the recession, all partners continue to work towards implementing this historic process. Unlike other economic development efforts which suffer under the change of administration, there was a seamless transition from one administration to another despite a difference in party affiliation. The recent announcement of interest by Saint Mary’s Health System to construct a state-of-the-art, medical office building as part of Renaissance Place is a strong indicator that the project is very viable and progressing toward construction.

NauSSA Council – Representatives from Naugatuck’s youth and adult sports and support groups have met twice to create an organization to collectively address concerns facing all organizations, collaborate on common endeavors and increase communication. Organized under the Naugatuck Park Commission, the group decided to name itself the Naugatuck Sports and Support Group (NSSG). The next meeting of NSSG will be Wednesday, September 2, 2009, to discuss a potential field space ranking system proposed by the Borough Engineering Department.

Ethics Counsel – The Naugatuck Code of Ethics Commission met recently to discuss the possibility of updating Naugatuck’s ethics code. After consultation with a non-local attorney familiar with municipal ethics, our administration requested that our local commission review and possibly revise Naugatuck’s code. The commission decided to undertake a review of Naugatuck’s existing code and compare it to the state’s model code as well as codes from other municipalities. A September meeting has been planned to discuss future action.

Senior Student Mentoring – We have had brief discussions with the Superintendent and the Director of the Naugatuck Senior Center to gauge support for formalizing a senior-student mentoring program. Both were receptive to the idea, but further discussions are needed. Unfortunately addressing the Board of Education budget deficit and the yet-to-be-adopted 2009-2010 education budget has taken priority over any new initiatives. Our administration will increase efforts to establish such a program as school returns this fall.

End Work at Gunntown – Work to construct an active recreational field was halted in our first day of office. Our public works department is currently in the process of restoring the meadow at the Gunntown property.

Open Government – Our administration has taken unprecedented steps to disseminate information to the public electronically. I personally continue to use my blog as much as possible to inform citizens of local issues and activities. In addition, our office has undertaken efforts to electronically track all constituent contacts so that records will exist for future years regarding questions raised and actions taken by the Borough. As we look to restructure our public works functions, we will broaden this tracking system to other Borough departments. We are currently seeking grant funding and preparing a presentation for next year’s budget to increase online services to citizens and possible broadcast Borough meetings on the internet. More importantly, our office has worked with local and regional media to increase accessibility, provide the most possible transparency to our government and fully comply with the spirit and intent of Freedom of Information Act law.

Other Initiatives Taken but Not Necessarily Discussed During the Campaign

Blight and Beautification Council – Responding to numerous complaints and general disgust at the condition of blighted properties and littered streets throughout the Borough, the Board of Mayor and Burgesses approved the creation of a Blight and Beautification Council at our July meeting. The Council, which is divided into five (5) committees addressing legal, enforcement, resource, education and beautification components, is seeking to comprehensively attack this growing concern. The number of citizens expressing interest and a willingness to become involved is overwhelming and continues to grow. We hope to make Naugatuck a clean and green community of which we can all be proud.

Union City Revitalization – The Board of Mayor and Burgesses unanimously approved the creation of a committee focused on addressing the many needs of an important section of the Borough. Second Deputy Mayor Mike Ciacciarella has done a great job organizing the committee’s meetings, focusing the agenda and attracting interest from numerous Union City residents and businesses. While there is much work to do, our administration is confident that the committee is taking the appropriate steps to create a long-overdue plan for Union City revitalization.

Aging Infrastructure – Our administration has asked the Borough Engineering Department to create a list of priority areas in need of waste water and sewer pipe upgrades. Our infrastructure system is old, and a strategy must be developed to plan for necessary improvement.

We have worked hard to bring change to Naugatuck in the past three-plus (3+) months, but much remains to be accomplished. We look forward to the next hundred days.