741 Colonel Ledyard Highway  
Ledyard, Connecticut 06339  
TOWN OF LEDYARD  
Finance Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
Chairman Gary St. Vil  
Joint Work Session- Finance Committees - Town Council & Board of Education  
Wednesday, August 20, 2025  
5:00 PM  
Town Hall Annex Building - Hybrid  
Format  
In -Person: Council Chambers, Town Hall Annex Building  
Remote Participation: Information Noted Below:  
Join Zoom Meeting from your Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet:  
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84407220410?pwd=OU8XlERy2RuSb93WFA75wrNahsKxyG.1  
by Audio Only: Telephone: +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 844 0722 0410; Passcode:  
223840  
I
CALL TO ORDER  
the Meeting was called to order by Town Councilor Tony Saccone and Board of Education  
Finance Committee Chairman Earl (Ty) Lamb at 5:00 p.m. at the Council Chambers Town Hall  
Annex Building.  
Councilor Saccone welcomed all to the Hybrid Meeting. He stated for the Town Council  
Finance Committee and members of the Public who were participating via video  
conference that the remote meeting information was available on the Agenda that was  
posted on the Town’s Website - Granicus-Legistar Meeting Portal.  
II.  
ROLL CALL  
Tony Saccone  
Jessica Buhle  
Tim Ryan  
Present:  
In addition, the following were present:  
Carmen Garcia-IrizarryTown Councilor  
Fred Allyn, IIMI ayor  
Matthew Bonin General Government Finance Director  
Earl (Ty) Lamb Board of Education Finance Committee  
Joanne KelleyBoard of Education Finance Committee  
Sarah TreasteBr oard of Education Finance Committee  
Brandon Graber Board of Education  
Jason HartlingSuperintendent of Schools  
Kenneth Knight Board of Education Finance Director  
Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Earl (Ty) Lamb stated that he would  
proceed with the Board of Education’s Agenda format and with Citizens Comment, noting  
that their agenda would then dovetail into the discussion items listed on the Town Council  
Finance Committee’s Agenda.  
BOARD OF EDUCATION CITIZENS COMMENTS  
Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Earl (Ty) Lamb noted that per the Board  
of Education’s Bylaws that if there were Board of Education Members, who were not on the  
Finance Committee, that would like to provide comments that this was their opportunity to  
speak, noting that once they get into discussing the Agenda Items that they would not be  
recognized to speak at that time.  
Board Member Lamb opened the floor for Citizens Comments. Hearing none, he proceeded  
with the Agenda.  
BOARD OF EDUCATION FINANCE COMMITTEE OPENING COMMENTS  
Board Member Lamb noted that he was happy the two Finance Committees were coming  
together, noting that the scheduling of Quarterly Joint Meetings was the result of “Lessons  
Learned” from the past year. He stated that he hoped the overarching meeting would lay  
some seeds and ground work for the upcoming budget year (fy 26/27). He explained while  
the Board of Education begins their process for the budget preparation in October; that with  
the November 4, 2025 Local Election that the current three Board of Education Finance  
Committee members would not be serving in this capacity, because none of them were on  
the slate for the Board of Education election. Therefore, he stated although they would be  
starting the budget process in October that a new Finance Committee would take on the  
process after they are sworn into Office which would take place the first week of December,  
2025. He stated up until his term ends in November that he planned to include the Town  
Council Finance Committee on the Board of Education Finance Committee’s monthly  
Agendas. He stated that he hoped they could build some bridges as they work to move into  
the next fiscal year.  
Board Member Lamb stated at this point the items on the two Finance Committee Agendas  
(Board of Education and Town Council) dovetail; and that he would turn the meeting over to  
Councilor Saccone.  
III.  
BUSINESS OF THE WORK SESSION  
Councilor Saccone opened the floor to the Town Council Finance Committee  
Members to provide opening comments.  
Councilor Ryan stated as he has stated at previous meetings that he believed Regular  
Quarterly Joint Meetings between the Finance Committees of the Town Council and  
Board of Education were a good idea in terms of communication.  
Councilor Buhle noted that she echoed Councilor Ryan’s comments. She stated that  
she believed there was a lot of positives in establishing a plan for Regular Quarterly  
Meetings between the two Finance Committees. She stated that she was looking  
forward to hearing suggestions from the Board of Education. She stated that she felt  
that all of the budgets that were presented to the Town Council’s Finance Committee  
were already essentially pared down. She stated having these conversations would  
help the Town Council Finance Committee to more fully understand all of the  
projects that they could collaborate on to save taxpayer money and to better inform  
them as they work through the process to make their town a better place to live. She  
stated that she looked forward to the Regular Quarterly Finance Committee Meetings.  
Councilor Saccone stated that he would echo all of the opening comments this  
evening. He stated by getting an early start on their budget conversations would give  
them time to mull things over as they bring them up; and give them time to work  
things out.  
Councilor Saccone asked that they try to follow the agenda and stick to the topic of  
each of the discussion items.  
Round table discussion to collaborate on initiatives for the preparation of the Fiscal Year  
2026/2027 Budget to include the following:  
1.  
ü Options to reduce expenses and minimize budget increases;  
ü Guidance for negotiation and execution of contracts (labor, services, supplies, utilities);  
ü Recording expenses on the appropriate side of the budget ledger for accuracy and  
transparency.  
ü Employees & Retirees Healthcare expenses.  
ü Potential areas to share/consolidate/regionalize services, purchasing, contracts, etc.,  
between the General Government and Board of Education and/or for privatization;  
ü Long term planning for Capital Improvement Projects (CIP);  
ü Budget format, including the format of budget question presented to voters, (separate  
General Government and Board of Education);  
ü Potential ways to improve publicizing the Annual Budget and communication to avoid  
mis-communications and to engage residents throughout the process.  
Options to reduce expenses and minimize budget increases  
School Superintendent Jason Hartling stated that his perspective was that both the Town and  
Board of Education’s Budgets were lean. He stated the Board of Education has streamlined  
every function in the District Business Office; and he noted that every year they look for  
ways to reduce Administrative Support though the use of technology in areas such as:  
Secretarial  
Staffing  
Mayor Allyn stated as Superintendent Hartling mentioned, the General Government Staffing  
was very lean, noting that most Town Hall Departments had 1.5 - 1.8 Full-Time Employees.  
Staffing: Mayor Allyn noted the following:  
Police Department - 24 Staff  
Public Works Department - 19 Staff  
Library 13 Staff - Most were Part-Time Employees  
Mayor Allyn stated that the General Government Staff was almost dangerously lean,  
explaining that should a staff member need to be out of the office because of a seriously  
illness or accident the Department would need to be closed for some period of time; which  
the town does not want to do, because it would be counterproductive in providing services to  
the residents.  
Mayor note most recent cost saving measures as follows:  
Curbside Collection - Trash Hauling - Mayor Allyn stated the Town solicited Bids this year for  
Curbside Collection and Trash Hauling Services; noting with the new Contractor that the  
town would save a couple hundred thousands of dollars over the six-year contract period.  
Mr. Hartling stated that the Board of Education has worked with Public Works Director  
Steve Masalin on things such as the Trash Contract, noting that Mr. Masalin has been  
helpful with other projects to repair asphalt, etc.  
Councilor Saccone stated as a member of the Town Council’s Finance Committee and as a  
taxpayer, that he understands both the General Government and the Board of Education had  
lean budgets. Therefore, he stated what they need to try to address was “Where do they go  
from here?. He stated if the taxpayers would attend their meetings and listen to their  
discussions as the Finance Committee reviews the materials, they would understand that  
Ledyard’s budget was very lean.  
Councilor Ryan stated tonight’s Agenda included “Budget revenues and process to  
record and expend additional revenues received”; noting that there were two sides of  
the budget those being “Expenses and Revenues”. However, he stated they often  
focus on cutting expenses because it seemed to be easier than generating more  
revenues. Councilor Saccone stated in working to reduce expenses that it gives the  
appearance that they were trying to do something. Councilor Ryan stated that he  
agreed with Councilor Saccone that the optics of reducing expenses was more visible  
than working to increase revenues. He stated that he would like to think that the  
ultimate arbiter was the tax bill that residents receive.  
Councilor Ryan stated that the only direction the State was moving toward was  
pushing more expenses onto Municipalities with unfunded mandates year after year;  
and reducing some of the town’s tax revenue received from the commercial  
businesses operating at the Mashantucket Pequot Foxwoods Resort & Casino. He  
noted although the State has indicated that they would provide grant funding to  
Ledyard for the loss of tax revenues generated by the commercial businesses  
operating at the Mashantucket Pequot Foxwoods Resort & Casino, that there was no  
guarantee that the State funding would continue. He stated these were realities that  
their town was facing and that they would either have to find revenue to replace the  
revenue losses or look for reductions. He suggested going forward for future budgets  
that they should all try to strive to not create new recurring expenses. He stated  
although they could all use more staff as a measure to provide coverage should  
someone experience a serious illness; that adding more staff creates an overhead  
burden such as retirement expenses, medical expenses, etc., noting that these  
expenses were not readily visible in the immediate budget when funding additional  
positions. He provided clarification stating that he was not referring to replacing a  
current service that was sunsetting in which the net expense was not increasing.  
However, he stated speaking in generalities that what should not be pursued was  
introducing new expenses, especially expenses that were initially funded by grant  
opportunities.  
Councilor Buhle stated she does not believe that Annual Budget was recklessly  
spending money. She stated she could sit down with a spreadsheet of the Annual  
Budget for the next 365 days and try to find a way to cut expenses. However, she  
stated that it would not fix the fact that Ledyard does not have a Grand List that  
supports the needs of their town. She stated when they begin working on the Annual  
Budget in February, they cannot go back and grow the October 1st Grand List that  
would be funding the next year’s budget. Therefore, she stated that they were left  
with the option to try to cut expenses, because by then it’s too late to grow the Grand  
List. Therefore, she stated that they need a long-term plan to grow Ledyard’s Grand  
List. She stated that a town’s budget was a reflection of their values. She stated with  
Ledyard’s School District per pupil spending ranked as153 of the 165 in the State  
they were saying they do not value education. She stated that she was not saying that  
Ledyard does not value education, noting that they provide exceptional education for  
what they pay for it. She stated the answer to their budget was to seek long-term  
revenue and not to continue to go at the budget with a chainsaw. She stated the only  
way for to be heard about the need for revenues was to show up in Hartford and  
speak loudly; noting that nobody from Ledyard was doing that.  
Mayor Allyn addressed Councilor Buhle’s comments about appealing to Hartford to  
increase Ledyard’s revenues, stating that all 21 Southeastern Connecticut Council of  
Governments (SCCOG) Towns showed up in Hartford to beat the drums. However,  
he stated they had a group of Legislators that did not listen and disregarded the  
SCCOG towns concerns.  
Veterans Tax Exemption - Councilor Buhle stated that Ledyard was hit harder than any  
other town in the State by the Public Act 24-46 “An Act Establishing a Property Tax  
Exemption for Veterans Who Have a Service-Connected Permanent and Total  
Disability Rating”; noting that Ledyard’s Grand List was impacted more than 1% .  
Therefore, she stated that although being represented by Southeastern Connecticut  
Council of Governments (SCCOG) was a good approach, that Ledyard needed to  
speak up on the issues that they specifically needed help with.  
Councilor Buhle stated that she would rather go to Hartford 10-times in a year and  
ask for help from the State to make sure their students get what they deserve, than  
come back with another chainsaw at the budget.  
Superintendent Hartling addressed Councilor Buhle’s comments stating that he has  
had more conversations with State Senator Cathy Osten than he could count. He  
noted that both he and Mayor Allyn, III, sat down with Senator Osten just last week  
to advocate for things that were important to their community, stating they talked  
about the unfunded mandates that go through the Implementer Bill and were back  
doored through the process without a Public Hearing. He noted a recent unfunded  
mandate required school districts to give per diem substitute teachers sick days. He  
commented on the unpredictability of the School Budget explaining that every year  
he could have 200 new faces that come with new demands, expectations, and needs.  
He stated sometimes a student’s needs could be an expense of $150,000; or the  
student may not need any additional support and the cost would be $16,000 per pupil  
expense. He stated that he did not think that Southeastern Connecticut was  
adequately being listened to or respected relative to the State Legislature.  
Mr. Hartling noted the following Risk Categories they have to be aware of because  
they would be driving the overall costs for next year’s Budget (Fiscal Year  
2026/2027):  
Special Education Services  
Healthcare Expenses - Mr. Hartling stated the Board of Education Teachers pay 25%  
of the cost, which was the largest contributions of any of their labor groups. He  
noted that most of their non-certified groups and town groups pay 20%.  
Mr. Hartling stated the costs drivers he mentioned above do not include the following  
costs:  
Student Profile Needs.  
Strategic Opportunities  
Board of Education Finance Committee Member Joanne Kelley addressed Councilor  
Ryan’s suggestion that they try to strive not to create new recurring expenses. She  
stated this suggestion illustrated that there were fundamental differences between the  
Board of Education - School District and General Government. She noted that  
Superintendent Hartling noted some of the moving pieces that the School District has  
to deal with all the time, noting that it was a reality.  
Ms. Kelley addressed this Agena item “Options to reduce expenses and minimize  
budget increases; stating if the School District does not: (1) Fully fund the basic  
education services that they need to provide; (2) Do the early assessments; and(3) Do  
not implement the appropriate interventions to their students, that it would  
drastically impact their need to spend more money on Special Education as that child  
goes through the school system. She stated this was something the School District  
was highly deficient in until recently; and therefore, they were going to begin to see  
less of an increase in Special Education services; which was the way it was supposed  
to work, if they have these systems in-place, noting that they these services would  
need to be supported all the time. However, she stated they were not even at baseline  
yet, because they still had deficiencies, and therefore, they needed to continue to  
support the Intervention Model, noting that it was going to save the taxpayers money  
in the long run. She stated failing to fully fund these systems was setting the kids up  
for failure instead of success.  
Superintendent Harting noted Ms. Kelley’s comments regarding the importance to  
conduct early assessments; and implement the appropriate interventions to their  
students because it would reduce their Special Education costs. He stated in 2016  
Ledyard was outplacing 47 students for Special Education Services; and in 2024 they  
were outplacing 17 students for Special Education Services. He stated Ledyard was  
able to mitigate their Special Education costs over the last 7 - 8 years by building  
programs in-District to better serve those students, noting that the children should be  
in their home-town schools with their friends. He went on to explain that the State  
was now studying private and special education providers and were setting costs for  
private providers in the state. He stated that local school districts were not involved  
in those State conversations; and they were not driving their costs, noting that  
Ledyard was not seeing the gigantic 5%- 8% increases per year in their Special  
Educations costs that they had seen in past years.  
Guidance for negotiation and execution of contracts (labor, services, supplies, utilities)  
Teacher Contract Negotiations - Mr. Hartling stated the Contract Settlements around the  
State were about 5.25% per year. He noted the following Board of Education Labor  
Contracts:  
Secretary’s Contract was currently closed.  
Custodian Contract was still open and in negotiations.  
Teachers Contract was in negotiations and was their largest group. Mr. Hartling stated  
by law the negotiations would be closed through an Agreement, Forced Mediation;  
or Arbitration in October.  
Construction/Building Contracts - Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman  
Lamb commented on the End-to-End Process stating that from defining a need to the  
time they close-out a contract on the town side was a huge issue. He stated they were  
having delays after delays, incurring additional costs, noting that the town was losing  
money on their Building Projects. He suggested the Town Council establish another  
Ad Hoc Committee to conduct a full End-to-End from the defining a need to the  
time they close-out a contract, noting that they could save a lot of money.  
Councilor Saccone noted the Juliet W. Long Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning  
(HVAC) Project was an example of the project being delayed and costing more  
money. However, he stated that was not the fault of the Permanent Municipal  
Building Committee (PMBC), noting that the root cause of the delays and costs  
increases was because the State changed the HVAC requirements after the  
COVID-19 Pandemic, which cause the project to be delayed because the HVAC  
System had to be redesigned causing the cost to increase.  
Mayor Allyn, III, stated in October, 2024 the Town Council adopted Amendments to  
Ordinance #100-015 (rev.1) “An Ordinance Establishing a Permanent Municipal  
Building Committee for the Town of Ledyard”. However, he stated that they have had  
a number of projects that have been a huge challenge, noting that the Gales Ferry  
School Roof was currently having issues. He stated with the Ordinance Amendments  
the PMBC was now using Owner Representatives more favorably for the town. He  
stated it was a mistake not to use an Owner Representative with O&G Industries  
when they Renovated as New the Ledyard Middle School and the Gallup Hill School.  
He agreed that the process should be looked at.  
Supplies, Services, Fuel, and Utilities - Mayor Allyn stated much of these purchases  
were done through consortiums such as the Capital Region Council of Governments  
(CRCOG), and other Purchasing Agreements such as: State of Connecticut bids,  
other states' bids, purchasing cooperatives (i.e. Sourcewell) , and federal government  
bids. He stated Ledyard was utilizing these opportunities and was saving the town  
money.  
Solar Projects - Utilities - Councilor Saccone noted the Solar Pannels at the Juliet W.  
Long School and the Gales Ferry School would provide some savings in electrical  
costs. He also noted that the new Chiller at the Gales Ferry was more efficient and  
would also provide some savings in electrical costs.  
Superintendent Hartling explained that part of the Board of Education’s budget  
calculus for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 was the electrical costs savings at the Juliet W.  
Long School and the Gales Ferry which would be Base Zero, because of the new  
Solar Array Pannels on the schools roofs. However, stated with the delays in the roof  
replacement at the Gales Ferry School that he was now having to figure out was  
where he was going to find the $30,000 - $40,000 for electricity expenses because the  
Solar Array at the Gales Ferry School cannot be installed and turned on unit the roof  
has been completed.  
Mr. Hartling went on to state that delaying the replacement of the Chiller at the Gales  
Ferry School was a good example of what happens when they push the replacement  
of the unit out another year, noting that through the budget process the community  
approved to replace the Chiller next summer. However, he stated this summer the  
Chiller had a critical failure, and it had to be replaced this summer, after being in  
service for 25-years.  
Councilor Buhle questioned whether: (1) The Gallup Hill School and Middle School  
also had Solar Array Systems; (2) Whether the town owned the solar panels; and (3)  
The length of the contracts. Mr. Hartling stated all of Ledyard’s Schools: High  
School, Middle School, Juliet W. Long School, Gallup Hill School, and the Gales  
Ferry School all have Solar Array Systems to help offset the electricity expenses. He  
stated the Town does not own the Solar Array Panels, explaining that they were a Pay  
for Use under a town generated contract. Mayor Allyn stated the term of the Solar  
Array Contracts were about 20-years.  
Councilor Ryan stated tonight’s Agenda basically follows the Committee to Review  
the Budget Process’ October 31, 2023 Final Report. He noted the Section in the  
Report titled “ Guidance for Negotiations and Execution of Contracts (labor,  
services, supplies, utilities)  
Recording expenses on the appropriate side of the budget ledger for accuracy and  
transparency.  
Mayor Allyn addressed the importance to record expenses on the side of the budget  
ledger where the expenses were incurred so the voters could see and know what the  
actual expenses were.  
Healthcare Expenses - Mayor Allyn stated the healthcare cost for the Board of  
Education Employees and Retirees needed to be displayed on the Board of Education  
side of the budget ledger in some format, stating that it could be a summary at the  
front of the budget. He stated the Board of Education Employees and Retirees  
Healthcare was the largest single expense that resides on the General Government  
side of the budget ledger. He stated there was a long history as to why the Board of  
Education’s Healthcare Expenses were moved to the General Government side of the  
budget ledger that goes back to 2001, that he would not get into this evening.  
However, he stated that this expense needed to be shown appropriately.  
Mayor Allyn went on to note at their January 21, 2025 Joint Finance Committee  
Meeting that Councilor Buhle made a comment to show a similar level of  
transparency. He stated that Councilor Buhle stated, as an example, “That it would be  
helpful if the Board of Education could identify in the budget how many Math  
Teachers were being paid from a particular budget line, was it one, five, or ten  
teachers”. He stated identifying how many employees were being paid from each  
budget line and recording the healthcare expenses on the Board of Education’s side  
of the budget ledger were important to provide transparency for their residents. He  
stated although they may not have to move the healthcare expenses out of the General  
Government side of the budget ledger that it needed to appear so when residents read  
the budget summary they can understand the where the expenses reside.  
Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Lamb stated as the Historic  
District Commission Chairman that he includes a number of things along with  
justification in their Operations Budget Line, which may include a variety of  
expenses such as painting exterior walls, or cutting trees. He questioned whether all  
of the sub-categories had separate budget lines in the Munis Financial System.  
Finance Director Matthew Bonin stated there were multiple budget categories in the  
Munis Financial System. Mr. Lamb questioned whether they count down to the penny  
or whether there was a fidelity. He suggested, as a town, they decide what that  
fidelity should be and then execute it.  
Superintendent Hartling stated one of the challenges of a community budget was that  
the Board of Education’s Departments and budget lines were very different from the  
General Government. He noted as an example that the General Government’s Town  
Clerk budget may have one employee, where the Board of Education has more Math  
Teachers than the General Government has employees in five departments combined.  
Mr. Hartling stated that he had issues fundamentally with making changing during  
the budget process because people compare expenses year over year. Therefore, he  
stated when they start shifting large amounts from one year to another that it  
artificially decreases one side of the budget and increases the other side of the budget  
in comparison to the previous year. He stated the Board of Education could add a tab  
for In-Kind Expenses to their budget presentation. Mayor Allyn stated that there was  
more to it than just adding an In-Kind Expenses tab to the budget, noting that the  
General Government budget has a tab for In-Kind Expenses; stating that residents  
question “What is this In-Kind?” He stated that he believed that expenses (see below)  
can and should be shifted over from the General Government side of the budget  
ledger to the Board of Education side of the budget ledger. He stated that initially he  
proposed making the changes during the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget process.  
However, he stated that Mr. Hartling did not like that proposal and that he respected  
his position; and therefore, has since agreed to Mr. Hartling’s request to make the  
changes during the fiscal year. Mr. Hartling stated that he was pleased that they came  
to an agreement to make the changes during the fiscal year; and not during the budget  
preparation process.  
Mayor Allyn provided Superintendent a copy of the Town of Colchester’s Budget,  
noting that he was impressed with the layout.  
Mayor Allyn continued by addressing the following expenses that could and should  
be shifted/recorded from the General Government side of the budget ledger to the  
Board of Education’s side of the budget ledger:  
Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency. (CIRMA) - Mayor Allyn stated that  
this Insurance Coverage for executives at the Board of Education should also be  
recorded on the Board of Education’s side of the budget ledger.  
Superintendent Hartling questioned whether CIRMA was a Town Policy with the  
Board of Education as an Addendum to the Policy. Mayor Allyn stated that Mr.  
Hartling’s understanding was correct. However, he stated that CIRMA could bill the  
Board of Education directly for their cost of the Policy. Mr. Hartling stated as long as  
they were not making these changes during the budget season. Mayor Allyn stated  
that he understands that a lot of this seemed like minutia, but in reality they were  
creating a budget. He stated that he was impressed with Colchester’s Budget, which  
was the reason he provided Mr. Hartling a copy of it, noting that their budget was  
presented by each school and that it breaks down the costs for each school. He stated  
this budget format would eliminate a lot of questions regarding the validity of the  
information.  
Mr. Hartling stated that the Colchester Board of Education had about $5 Million  
more to spend and their Central Office was double the size of Ledyard’s, noting that  
Colchester’s school population was about 2,161 compared to Ledyard school  
population that was about 2,445.  
School Nurses - Mayor Allyn stated the expenses for the School Nurses can and should  
be recorded on the Board of Education’s side of the budget ledger. He stated that he  
would like to see the School Nurses Contract be moved over to the Board of  
Education side of the budget ledger by December 31, 2025, because the Town would  
no longer have a Nurse Supervisor at that time.  
Superintendent Hartling stated that the Town should consult with their Attorney  
relative to the process to disband a Bargaining Unit; and no longer being the fiduciary  
and fiscally responsible for the Bargaining Unit. He stated they could coordinate that  
work noting that there was a set of notices and obligations that have to be done to be  
sure they were honoring their School Nurses; so he Nurses were fully informed and  
understand what was going on and that there was an appropriate process in-place.  
Councilor Saccone stated that he believed the School Nurses should be recorded on  
the Board of Education’s side of the budget ledger. He stated that he was aware that  
the Mayor was working on the process. He stated that he understands that currently  
the Board of Education does not have the School Nurses on their payroll.  
Mr. Hartling stated this was the first time that he was hearing that moving the School  
Nurses to the Board of Education’s side of the budget ledger was going to occur this  
year, noting that he thought it was going to be next year. Mayor Allyn stated that  
everything he has brought up moving the School Nurses to the Board of Education’s  
budget that Mr. Hartling always has something new. Mr. Hartling stated the last word  
they had on the School Nurses was that their contract was extended through 2027;  
and that they would move the School Nurses to the Board of Education Budget in  
2027. He stated if the move was going to be this fiscal year that he would ask that  
they meet, because there were a number of legal requirements that could put the  
Town in jeopardy; and therefore, he wanted to make sure that they do it right; and  
that they were respectful to those employees, because they deserve that. He stated if  
they were going to accelerate the schedule to move the School Nurses to the Board of  
Education in December, 202; that they need to begin to communicate with the School  
Nurses so they do not have that added stress. Mayor Allyn stated this came up  
two-years ago and that they were not going to blindside the School Nurses, noting  
that he believed they knew that this change was coming.  
Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Lamb noted that the expenses the  
Mayor was referring to were In-Kind Expenses. He stated for clarification that there  
was no proposal for the Board of Education to take over the healthcare, stating that it  
would only be for recording purposes. Mayor Allyn stated that Mr. Lamb’s  
understanding was correct. He stated recording the expenses on the Board of  
Education’s side of the budget  
ledger would show that this was an expense that the Board of Education does bear;  
and it was baked into the cost per pupil expenditure calculation. Mr. Lamb stated that  
he would not mind recording the expenses on the Board of Education’s side of the  
budget ledger ad Mayor Allyn noted, because there was some confusion when they  
talk about the per pupil expenses, noting that some think the per pupil expenditure  
was a lot more because the In-Kind expenses were not included in the per pupil  
expenditure calculation, noting that the Board of Education does include these  
expenses in their per pupil expenditure calculation.  
Mr. Lamb suggested they change over the recording of the expenses that were being  
discussed this evening now, to allow them to become part of their baseline budget, so  
when they go into their budget preparation season that their budget increases and  
decreases would be based off the new baseline, as though the expenses were always  
there. Therefore, he stated by having all of these expenses aligned that it might help  
residents when discussing the per pupil expenses. Mayor Allyn stated he agreed with  
Mr. Lamb’s suggestion, noting that was the purpose of recording expenses on the  
appropriate side of the budget ledger. He noted that tonight’s Agenda also included a  
discussion regarding Misinformation, explaining when people do not know the facts  
they jump to conclusions and that generates misinformation.  
Employees & Retirees Healthcare expenses.  
Superintendent Hartling stated by recording the Board of Education’s Employees and  
Retirees Healthcare Expenses on the Board of Education side of the budget ledger;  
that the Board of Education would become fiscally responsible to manage those  
funds. He stated that the Board of Education would be legally liable for the  
Healthcare budget line, noting that if they were to over expend that budget line, that  
the Board of Education would be responsible, noting that this has happened in other  
Municipalities.  
Mayor Allyn addressed Mr. Hartling’s comments explaining in years leading up to  
2001 that Ledyard’s Board of Education over expended their Healthcare budget line,  
which was the reason the Board of Education’s Healthcare was shifted from the  
Board of Education’s side of the budget ledger to the General Government’s side of  
the budget ledger. Mr. Hartling stated at that time Ledyard’s Healthcare was  
self-insured, noting that a self-insured entity was very different from how Ledyard’s  
Healthcare was now being handled. Mayor Allyn stated that he agreed that being  
self-insured was different from the way they currently handle their employees’  
Healthcare Insurance. However, he stated prior to the decision to record the Board of  
Education’s Employees and Retirees Healthcare on the General Government side of  
the budget ledger that the Board of Education over spent their Healthcare budget line  
by $500,000.  
Councilor Buhle stated about three-years ago the Board of Education changed the  
way they titled some of their positions; which skewed some of the budget data. She  
explained the budget history showed that two years prior they had zero people in a  
position, when they actually had people in those positions, but they were working  
under a different position title. Therefore, she stated if they only looked at budget  
lines and percentage increases or decreases that the data would show that something  
was increased by 24% when it was just a change in position title, etc. She stated they  
could put all this data into a 42-page description budget booklet, however, she  
commented as Councilor Ryan has mentioned, that some people were not going to  
read budget information presented, and would say “No” because their tax bill  
increased. Therefore, she stated when they prepared the proposed budget that they use  
the Healthcare Expenses from prior years to show that it was a reallocation of where  
these expenses were residing; and not an increase to the Board of Education’s budget.  
Mr. Hartling stated that the State of Connecticut dictates how the Board of Education  
buckets certain things so that they were uniform across the State. He stated the Board  
of Education spends the month of September imputing data into a separate system  
that were classifications for every certified employee in the School District. He  
explained when the State changes those allocations, that the Board of Education has  
to go back when they do their Education Financial Systems (EFS) Reports and  
shuffle where the bucketed and classified expenses. He stated about four-years ago  
the State completely changed how things were bucketed and classified, explaining  
that the Board of Education received all these things from the State typically in  
August.  
Councilor Buhle stated to be clear that she was not suggesting the Board of Education  
modify the way they report instructors, etc., to the State. She stated that what she was  
talking about was how they present housing the Board of Education’s Healthcare  
Expenses on their side of the budget ledger. She stated by including the Board of  
Education’s Healthcare Expenses data from Fiscal Year 2023/2024; 2024/2025 that  
when they put the percentage changes in the budget that it would not look like the  
General Government budget decreased by 34%; and the Board of Education  
increased by 20%. She stated that they need to be honest with what this actually  
means, noting that all they were really doing was moving the numbers from one  
bucket to another bucket. She stated all of this falls into a number of other things  
such as the way the budget was presented, etc. She stated that she was not opposed to  
essentially keeping the Board of Education’s Healthcare on the General Government  
side of the budget in how it was managed/administrated, but that she also wanted to  
make sure that it was reflected accurately on the Board of Education side of the  
budget ledger for taxpayers to understand what their expenses were.  
Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Lamb noted Councilor Buhle’s  
comments about showing the previous years’ expenses, noting that was the point he  
made earlier about the baseline.  
Finance Director Matthew Bonin stated that he presented all the data Councilor Buhle  
was talking about to the Finance Committee during the budget preparation process.  
He stated there were also a number of Board of Education expenses that have been  
carried in the General Government side of the budget since before he joined the town,  
noting that he had no idea why these expenses would not be included in the Board of  
Education budget, such as the Deferred Compensation Contributions.  
Councilor Ryan stated the whole point of the Budget Public Hearing and Annual  
Budget Town Meeting was to talk about the changes to the budget. He stated that this  
would also fall into “Communication” which they would discuss later this evening.  
Councilor Saccone noted only seven residents attended the Annual Town Meeting on  
May 19, 2025.  
Board Member Lamb suggested the Board of Education and Town Council Finance  
Committees keep these type of conversations on their Agendas so that they could  
come to a joint consensus.  
Board Member Kelley stated that she did not have a problem with putting all of the  
Board of Education’s expenses on their side of the budget ledger, so that it was all  
inclusive.  
Potential areas to share/consolidate/regionalize services, purchasing, contracts, etc.,  
between the General Government and Board of Education and/or for privatization  
Shared Services- School Superintendent Hartling stated that  
CONTINUE  
RESULT:  
Budget revenues and process to record and expend additional revenues received.  
2.  
Councilor Buhle stated because the State changed the funding stream for Agricultural  
Science Program by removing the town’s tuition-based system to relying on State Grant  
funding the Town would be receiving an increase $481,385 in the Agri-Science Grant  
Revenue from the State. Therefore, she stated after speaking with School  
Superintendent Hartling that she suggested they increase the Agri-Science Grant  
Revenue by $481,385 in the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget.  
Councilor Buhle continued by explaining if they do not accurately report their revenue  
when they develop the Annual Budget that the taxpayers would be paying money for  
Grant Revenues they were expecting to receive; which then resulted in a budget surplus.  
However, she also stated that they also do not want to overstate their expected revenues.  
Mayor Allyn addressed the challenge to plan for State Revenues because for most years  
the State does not approve their budget until after Ledyard has completed their Budget  
process and has presented the budget at the Referendums. Therefore, he stated that State  
Revenues were always somewhat unpredictable and a challenge to project in the Annual  
Budget.  
The Group agreed to take the topic of the recording of additional revenues received  
and how they were expended up at their next Quarterly Meeting.  
CONTINUE  
RESULT:  
Joint Quarterly Meeting Dates.  
3.  
Board of Education Finance Committee Chairman Lamb noted all the topics  
discussed this evening were the reasons that prompted him and Councilor Saccone to  
strategize the need for the two bodies to schedule Quarterly Meetings. He addressed  
the importance for the Board of Education and Town Council to work together as a  
partnership for the preparation of the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026/2027 Budget.  
Mr. Lamb went on to state that the Town Council and Board of Education was the  
leadership of their community; and he commented that if they attend each other’s  
meetings and worked as a Team that perhaps the small arguments they saw during the  
current fiscal year’s budget process could be cleaned-up during their Finance  
Committee Meetings and before they present a Budget to the community. He stated if  
they were all on the same page that it would eliminate misinformation.  
Councilor Saccone stated that he thought they had a great discussion for their First  
Quarterly Meeting of the Finance Committees and that it was a good step forward. He  
stated he decided not to seek reelection to the Town Council because his new job was  
more demanding; and because he would be returning to serve as a volunteer at the  
Gales Ferry Fire Department. Therefore, he stated that he would not be participating  
at this same level with regard to the Annual Budget and financial needs of the town.  
However, he stated that they had a great conversation this evening; and that the next  
Town Council and Board of Education would have their work cut out for them with  
the Property Revaluation and in making decisions with regard to the optics as to  
where budget expenditure lines would reside within the budget.  
Councilor Saccone continued by noting School Superintendent Hartling’s comments  
about pitting the two groups (Town Council and Board of Education) against each  
other. He stated although some might seem to think that was the case, that the Town  
Council and the Mayor was not doing that at all. He stated they were just trying to  
show different ways of presenting the budget for both the General Government and  
the Board of Education.  
The Group noted with the upcoming November 4, 2025 Local Election that there  
would be changes to both the Town Council and Board of Education Finance  
Committees. Therefore, they agreed that the incoming Elected Officials should  
determine the dates for their Quarterly Meetings.  
CONTINUE  
ADJOURNMENT  
Councilor Buhle , moved the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Councilor Ryan.  
RESULT:  
IV  
Board Member Lamb moved the be adjourned, seconded by Board Member Kelley.  
3 - 0 Approved and so declared, (Town Council Finance Committee)  
3 - 0 Approved and so declared (Board of Education Finance Committee)  
VOTE:  
VOTE:  
The meeting was adjourned at 7:17 p.m.  
Respectfully submitted,  
Anthony Saccone, Sr.  
Finance Committee Chairman  
DISCLAIMER: Although we try to be timely and accurate these are not official records of the  
Town.