Date: Wed 28-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

council-capital-improvement

Full Text:

Council Wants A More Realistic Capital Improvement Plan

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

To town officials, Newtown's capital improvement plan has always been

considered a "wish list" for town departments looking to receive funding for

as many major projects as possible.

The plan is Newtown's five-year program of major capital purchases of a

non-recurring nature.

The "wish list," according to some members of the Legislative Council, has

included anything and everything under the sun. Council member Joe McGowan

said the list contained far too many "big white elephant projects."

Recently, the council's finance committee unveiled its new set of rules

designed to keep closer tabs on what goes into the capital plan by setting up

a screening system. Instead of a "wish list," council members hope the new

rules will cultivate more of a "what-do-you-need list," where expenditures are

listed in order of importance.

Previously, the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen submitted a list of

capital requests to the town's financial director, who would financially

analyze each item and show its impact to the town before finally submitting a

plan to the council. Now the capital improvement plan must make its way past a

tight screening by the finance committee.

The goal of the new rules, according to finance committee chairman John

Kortze, is to prioritize major capital projects, establishing a consistent

level of spending and integrate financial planning, budgeting and debt

issuance for the town.

The key is to get a more educated, studied plan, said committee member Donald

Studley. In short, the new rules would allow the committee to look at capital

improvement items and determine their importance and whether the town should

take them on.

"We're trying to create a real capital improvement plan with things that we're

really going to do. There are things in there now that will never get funded,"

explained Mr Kortze.

Under the new rules, the finance committee would meet quarterly to review the

plan, and in some instances, re-prioritize items, depending on their

importance.

Committee member Melissa Pilchard said the plan should contain no more than 10

to 20 realistic projects, so that it's "not a matter of whether they'll get

done, but when."

To be eligible for the capital improvement plan under the new rules, a

proposed purchase must have an estimated cost of at least .15 percent of the

entire town budget, which amounts to $74,000 in the 1996-97 town budget.

"The less expensive capital projects should be put in budget, that way we

present a real budget," Mrs Pilchard said.

Mrs Pilchard said she was shocked at the amount of capital expenses First

Selectman Bob Cascella was looking to fund through LoCIP this year, more than

an extra half million above and beyond the budget he presented to the

taxpayers.