Goshen Board of Selectmen: R20 Debt Payoff, Town Employee Sick Days, New Backhoe
7/15/2025
Present: 1st Selectman, Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella (Zoom)
The town’s stance on the Region 20 budget deficit was discussed. Litchfield, Morris, and Warren were ready to sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to pay the deficit by percentages by town. However, Carusillo indicated a member of the Goshen Board of Finance is pushing back, saying that because the cost is over $20,000 it should go to a District Meeting.
“Goshen is the only one that is getting a little pushback from our Board of Finance,” Carusillo said.
The deficit is $2.7 million total, $2.3 million of which is due with the first payment. Part of the issue is uncertainty as to whether that deficit will get added to the already approved 42.7 million 2025-26 budget, which would in turn cause the Major Budget Requirement (MBR) for the following year to be north of $45 million.
In other words, the state would require the minimum budget for the region to be at roughly $45 million in 25-26 if the deficit gets added to this year’s budget.
Town attorney Chip Roraback is in support of signing the MOU, Carusillo said. “He thought it should be signed and he sent his opinion over... and I forwarded (it) over to the Board of Finance.”
Superintendent Jeffrey Villar is pursuing a waiver with the state to allow for the paying down of the deficit this year without an impact on the next MBR.
“You can’t argue to me that that’s part of this year’s operational budget,” Olson said. “I don’t agree with that determination.”
Adding to the issue is that within the deficit is $690 thousand past due to All-Star Transportation, which busses students. That is from last year, but the company says it will not transport students in September unless they get their payment in August.
“At the end of the day, we have a terrible problem in owing this money,” BOE member Susan Wheeler, who was attending virtually, said. “I think we need to figure it out sooner rather than later because it is going to impact the transportation of the kids to get to school.”
7/22/2025
Present: Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella (Zoom)
A discussion over town employee sick leave use consumed most of the meeting. It was added to the agenda after Olson mentioned in the previous week’s meeting that multiple town employees had reached out to him about the policy, which only allowed sick time to be taken in four-hour increments.
So, for example, when someone has a doctor’s appointment, they have to take four hours of time. Not only is that often more time than someone needs for medical appointments, Olson argued, but it in turn limits what operations like Public Works are able to do in a day when they’re down someone for half of it.
Further, Olson said he took Carusillo’s comments to mean that someone has to essentially be bedridden in order to take a sick day, not just needing to handle a medical appointment.
“It really impedes the progress for the rest of the team,” Olson said. “It caught me off guard because I’ve never heard of an employer that limits sick time specifically to when you’re sick only.”
Carusillo said his interpretation was “Sick time is you’re sick. And when somebody goes home at 11 o’clock because they’re feeling ill and they decide they have to go to a doctor, then they could use a sick day to go to a doctor if they’re sick. Not a personal day if they’re sick. That’s the way I read it.”
Olson had dug into the handbook, which he said was an “HR nightmare” – pointing to the current version having been originally drafted in July 2004. Presently, departments have been operating as though employees are able to use their sick time as long as it is signed off by their supervisor – not necessarily by the handbook, which is what set the four-hour increments.
“When we first broached this topic, it was because the employees wanted to be able to use their time in increments less than 4 hours,” Olson said. “As we get into it and we look at it, and I actually explore and see what's in the employee's handbook, I think that there's a bigger problem that's looming, and that's the actual handbook itself.
“Some of this language in here, when I look at it, may actually contradict what employees are now allowed under the Families and Medical Leave Act on the federal and state side.”
7/29/2025
Present: Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson (Zoom), Dexter Kinsella (Zoom)
The board looked into the aggregate materials bid between Stone Construction and Mountaintop Trucking. Public Works Supervisor Garret Harlow suggested splitting the big because, while the former has been reliable for Goshen for years, Stone was lower on eight of the 10 items.
Olson questioned – while acknowledging the fiduciary responsibility of the board to go with the lowest bid – whether the cost savings of splitting the bid were worth it when Mountaintop has been historically reliable.
“If we're talking pennies in the difference between the two, is it worth rolling the dice?” Olson asked. “I don’t mean to sound like I'm trying to micromanage your department by any means, and I have a lot of faith in the decision that you make in the recommendation, but is there a significance in savings that we're willing to roll the dice and hope for equal to what we get from Mountaintop?”
Ultimately, Olson deferred to Harlow, who explained that they have split bids in the past to ensure demand could be sufficiently met.
There was also a $140,500 proposal for a backhoe that raised concerns. Olson suggested tabling the item.
“I didn't know that it was before the town and that we were gonna be contemplating this tonight, and I think that we would be doing the people who elect us to serve them a huge disservice if we hear about this for the first time at this meeting and are asked to vote in favor of it. I'm not saying I'm opposed to the backhoe itself. There certainly are some concerns that I have. I think that if we're gonna do our job correctly, as opposed to quickly, that we would want to take another week and look at this.”
There also was discussion over the lone bid for an air conditioning unit at the fire company. The selectmen were surprised to have only received one bid, with Carusillo saying he advertised the proposal in the Waterbury Republican-American.
The selectmen recalled roughly this time last year having discussed being more proactive in pursuing local contractors who might be interested in bids. They lamented that they found themselves in the same place, this year.
“That was the discussion that was had, and here we are tonight, something as routine as putting air conditioning into the fire company's building, which is our building,” Olson said. “And we have one bidder that responds to an announcement that went out into a paper that – you said the Republican-American, which doesn't even exist anymore – and here we are now with one bid, so I'm frustrated by that.”
Ultimately, because the details of the one bid were still sealed, the deadline was extended so the board could directly contact local contractors who might be interested in bidding.
8/5/2025
Present: Todd Carusillo, Scott Olson, Dexter Kinsella
The board revisited the Region 20 memorandum of understanding (MOU), sick leave policy, and backhoe purchase.
Carusillo said the Board of Finance is meeting to discuss the Region 20 MOU between Goshen, Morris, Litchfield, and Warren. Region 20 Board of Education member Sue Wheeler, who was at the meeting, laid out the proposed debt split.
“Litchfield owes $1,515,240,” Wheeler said. “Goshen owes $570,510. Morris owes $394,200, and Warren owes $220,050.
Because of a payment north of $600,000 owed to All-Star Transportation, student busing for the upcoming school year is jeopardy.
“It’s critical for Goshen to vote yes on releasing our portion of funding to Region 20,” Wheeler said. “It’s not just a school issue, it’s a community-wide concern with some pretty severe consequences.”
Wheeler added that the region owes for things like animal feed, toner, printing service, all of which could be halted if the deficit isn’t paid.
“There’s no time to waste here,” Wheeler said.
After taking the week to look into the proposed backhoe purchase for Public Works, Olson balked at the cost against the backdrop of tax increases. Olson suggested a used backhoe for half the price with 800 hours of use, but Public Works director Garret Harlow was hesitant.
“I don’t feel comfortable that (buying used) is the best value for the town of Goshen,” Harlow said. “I’ve been burned too many times buying used things.”
“We have just had a significant tax increase,” Olson said. “Taxes are going up, but we have done everything in our power to try to keep taxes as low as possible. And at the same time, we're gonna sit here and give you the money to go out and buy a brand-new backhoe? I'm saying let's at least explore some used options,” So when we tell the taxpayers of this town that we have done everything we can to keep taxes low, that we are not only saying it, but it's truthful when we say it.”
After further discussion it was decided the value of a new backhoe justified the expense, and the purchase ultimately was approved.
The sick leave policy was updated with unanimous approval. Town employees previously had been able to take sick leave in four-hour increments. Because of that, it could leave departments short-staffed for needlessly long times when things like medical appointments can take less time. The board used its ability to amend the handbook to update the policy so sick time can be taken in one-hour increments.
