Board of Finance: $1M+ Surplus, But Legal, Fire Commissioners, Elections Way Over Budget
09/25/24
Accountant George Sinnamon of the Canaan-based Sinnamon & Associates CPA firm presented an audit report of the town of Goshen to the Board of Finance for the year ending on Sunday, June 30, 2024. At the beginning of the fiscal year, Goshen had a General Fund Balance of $2,674,987. According to Sinnamon, Goshen’s revenue for the year exceeded the original budgeted amount by $863,387 while expenditures were under budget by $150,029. By the end of the fiscal year, Goshen had a General Fund Balance of $3,122,383 resulting in a surplus of $1,031,590.
The board then reviewed and received financial reports submitted by Debbie Franklin for August 2024 as well as Tax Collector Rebecca Juchert-Derungs’ August 2024 report. Goshen’s legal fees are continuously increasing due to town employees and residents’ complaints. Scott Tillman asked who’s approving this budget to go over but First Selectman Todd Carusillo did not answer saying instead, “Well, it's a budget that next year we're going to have to increase because things are changing and it's not. And if people are not happy, they put in complaints.” Tillman noted that Chairman Allan Walker previously advised other boards and commissions that if their members go over budget without authorization from the Board of Finance, they’ll be personally liable for it for that oversight. “The point is that you should come here before you spend the money,” said Patrick Reilly. “That's the point… The fees can't go up if this board doesn't say they go up. That you don't spend the money until you ask.” Carusillo suggested the board allocate another $20,000 into the legal fees budget due to the increase of complaints and cost of attorneys working on cases. Paul Collins suggested that this allocation of funds may have to go to a town meeting later this year. Several other budgets are going over compared to the previous fiscal year such as elections which is 244% over budget and the Board of Fire Commissioners which is 785% over budget.
For the First Selectman’s Report, Carusillo has been speaking with Gary Stango Jr. who said they can acquire cameras for the ballot box for $250 and 365 days worth of iCloud footage storage for $2,000. With installation fees, Stango estimates they can set up Goshen’s ballot box cameras for about $2,400, a 75% decrease from a prior bid of $9,800 from a different vendor. Carusillo plans to use finances from Goshen’s general fund to cover the camera purchases and installation costs. A fiscal audit of the Region 6 school district is still pending but expected to be complete by December later this year. Carusillo claimed Region 6 is funding the audit despite only having $1,400 left in their budget. Due to all of the financial issues surrounding both Region 6 and Region 20, Carusillo suggested that at least one member from the Board of Finance from Goshen, Litchfield, Morris, and Warren review the school district’s budget to prevent further issues, “We have to do something with this Board of Ed even if we have to get a Board of Finance member from each town to look over their budget. For next year and every year after that…” Carusillo reported that the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) will raise tipping fees to $181 per ton by July 2025. In preparation for this increase, Carusillo will attempt to opt out of MIRA’s contract in February 2025 and may potentially sign up with USA Hauling & Recycling if necessary. If Carusillo is unable to opt out of MIRA or tipping fees remain high with other vendors, he may consider introducing a program similar to Harwinton which has residents pay for 25% of tipping fee costs. Carusillo claimed this will help encourage people to recycle.
