741 Colonel Ledyard Highway

Ledyard, CT 06339-1511

TOWN OF LEDYARD

Town Meeting

Meeting Minutes

Annual Town Meeting Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget

Monday, May 15, 2023

7:00 PM

Council Chambers - Town Hall Annex

In Person: Council Chambers - Town Hall Annex Building

Guide Sheet

Join Zoom Meeting from your Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83801923638?

pwd=ZWt4VWhONTJHdGJQZXNPaXdRdkM0UT09; or by audio

only telephone + 1-646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 838 0192 3638; passcode: 660211

CALL TO ORDER

Town Council Chairman Kevin Dombrowski called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. There

were 25 people in attendance and 3 remote attendees.

II.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The public stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

III.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR MODERATOR

Kevin Dombrowski called for nominations for Moderator. Bill Saums, 333 Pumpkin Hill Road,

nominated Kevin Dombrowski. Seconded by Tim Ryan, 62 Inchcliffe Drive.

Bill Saums, 333 Pumpkin Hill Road, then moved to close nominations, seconded by Tim Ryan, 62

Inchcliffe Drive. Those in favor of closing nominations: All present. Opposed: None.

IV.

ELECTION OF MODERATOR

Those voting in favor of Mr. Dombrowski as Moderator: All present. Opposed: None.

CALL OF THE TOWN MEETING

Moderator Dombrowski called upon the Town Clerk to read the Call of the Meeting.

Call of the Meeting - Legal Notice - Annual Town Meeting-Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget

T-MTG-LEGAL NOTICE-FY 23-24 BUDGET-2023-05-15.doc

Attachments:

Town Clerk Patricia Riley read the call to the meeting.

TOWN OF LEDYARD

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING

MAY 15, 2023 7:00 p.m.

All persons entitled to vote at Town Meetings of the Town of Ledyard, Connecticut, are hereby warned the

Annual Town Meeting for the consideration of the budget will be held in a Hybrid Format on the fifteenth day

of May, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.

Please join the Annual Town Meeting in-person or

remotely from your computer, tablet or smartphone as follows:

In-Person Attendance will be at:

Council Chambers, Town Hall annex, 741 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard, Connecticut.

Remote Attendance Via Zoom Video Conference at:

<https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83801923638?

pwd=ZWt4VWhONTJH>dGJQZXNPaXdRdkM0UT09;

or by audio only telephone + 1-646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 838 0192 3638; passcode:660211

The Annual Town Meeting is for the following purposes:

1. To consider and act upon a Resolution to adopt the Fiscal Year 2023/2024 budget

as proposed and recommended by the Town Council at the Annual Budget Meeting.

2. Pursuant to Article VII, Section 6 of the Town Charter to adjourn said Town Meeting at its

conclusion and to submit the question presented below to an in-person vote upon the voting

machines between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the sixteenth day of May 2023 under

the following heading:

"Shall the Town of Ledyard adopt a Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget as

proposed by the Town Council in the amount of $64,540,940?"

Voters approving said resolution will vote "Yes" and those opposing said resolution will vote "No".

3. To transact other business which shall properly come before said meeting.

Should the referendum fail, the adjourned Town Meeting will be reconvened on:

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the voting machines in accordance

with Chapter VII, Section 6, of the Town Charter.

Should the second referendum not approve a budget; the Town Council shall adopt a final budget by

the fourth Monday in June, in accordance with Chapter VII, Section 6, of the

Town Charter.

Electors will vote in-person at the following polling location:

District One: Town Hall Annex Building

District Two:Town Hall Annex Building

District Three: Town Hall Annex Building

Persons qualified to vote in Town Meetings who are not electors shall vote in-person at:

Town Hall Annex Building with District One.

Absentee ballots will be available. Pursuant to C.G. S. 9-396c, eligible persons requesting an absentee

ballot must apply in person at the Town Clerk's Office.

Central counting of absentee ballots will be conducted at Town Hall Annex.

Copies of the entire proposed Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget are available in the Town Clerk's Office,

Ledyard Town Hall and on the Town’s website at:

<https://www.ledyardct.org/proposed-annual-budget>

s/s Kevin J. Dombrowski, Chairman

Ledyard Town Council

==============================================================

RETURN OF PUBLICATION AND POSTING OF NOTICE

Kevin Dombrowski, Chairman of the Ledyard Town Council, caused a copy of notice of the Annual

Town Meeting to be held Monday, May 15, 2023 at 7:00 o’clock pm, in the Ledyard Council

Chambers, Town Hall Annex, 741 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard, CT to be legally posted in

the office of the Town Clerk and that a copy of said notice to be published in The Day, a newspaper

having a circulation in the Town of Ledyard, in its issue of May 1, 2023.

Dated at Ledyard, Connecticut

this 18th day of May 2023.

Attest:

Patricia A. Riley, CCTC

Town Clerk

VI.

MOTION MUST BE MADE AND SECONDED

Moderator Dombrowski then called for a motion to put the question.

"Shall the Town of Ledyard adopt a Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget as proposed by the

Town Council in the amount of $64,540,940?"

(General Government: $28,632,572

Board of Education: $35,908,368)

Mr. Gary Paul, 49 Avery Hill Road Ext., moved that the Town approve the

question. Ms. Mary McGrattan, 13 Lynn Drive, seconded the motion.

VII. PRESENTATION OF THE BUDGET

Town Council Finance Committee Chairman, Bill Saums, made a presentation on the General

Government and Board of Education Superintendent, Jay Hartling presented on the Board of

Education. The presentations are attached.

Proposed Fiscal Year 2023/2024 Budget for Annual Town Meeting (5/15/2023).

ANNUAL T. MTG BUDGET BOOK-2023-05-01.pdf

Capital request by funding source updated 4.5.23.xlsx

Attachments:

FY24 BOE Budget Presentation - Annual Town Meeting

(1).pptx

GG Budget Presentation - Town Meeting Final as of

05-10-2023.pptx

Proposed Fiscal Year 20232024 Budget Booklet- Public

Hearing-2023-04-17.pdf

VIII. MODERATOR CALLS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Mr. Dombrowski opened the floor for in-person public comments.

Joanne Kelly, 12 Thamesview Pentway, asked Superintendent Hartling to finish his conversation on

the impact data subject.

Superintendent Jay Hartling explained the impact data for federal support for the district serving

students with Mashantucket Nation and United States Navy and Military affiliation. In 2015, four to

five hundred thousand in revenue was received. Currently, they are working hard to receive 1.5 to

1.6 million using scientific principles and getting people to fill out the forms. Mr. Hartling

explained that from November to January his Assistant works hard and focuses on getting these

forms returned. They have a 97 percent return whereas other communities have about a 70 percent

return rate. The revenue goes directly to the Town of Ledyard and through budget allocation is

where they distribute the funds. The same happens with the agriculture science grants and other

revenues.

Christian Correia, 40 Laurel Leaf Drive, Mr. Correia thanked everyone for all their hard work and

that this was a great town, and he is proud to be a citizen of Ledyard. His concern is with losing

Ledyard visiting nurses (VNA). He feels it is a very important service to the town especially for the

military veterans that use this service and asked to reconsider closing the VNA. The corporate

companies such as Yale and Hartford Healthcare do not provide the quality service that Ledyard

does, they make them pay out of pocket and do not accept military insurance.

Bill Saums, Finance Chair, mentioned that there is another VNA service that does service veterans

however, Ledyard chose not to join with them.

Mr. Correia then asked what the budget is for the visiting nurses for this fiscal year?

Bill Saums responded that the projected loss is $355,000 and the proposed budget was 1.2 million.

Mr. Correia asked what the projected budget is for the roads.

Mr. Saums answered about one million and the Town of Ledyard is 64 million.

Mr. Correia stated that the Ledyard VNA has been around for 76 years for seniors and physically

handicapped and that Yale and Hartford Health will not offer the same care.

Chairman, Kevin Dombrowski, stated that only four other towns in the state offer this service.

Eric Treaster, 10 Huntington Way, Mr. Treaster wondered what the bond rating was, and does it go

up and down or does it remain stable. He also inquired about the dramatic increase in the teaching

of the English language.

Superintendent Hartling, Mr. Hartling stated that in 2016 there were fourteen students with a

part-time position teaching these students English and now there is forty-five students.

Mayor Fred Allyn, Mayor Allyn answered that we have not been out for bonding since the capital

school projects and currently, the bond rate has not changed.

S. Naomi Rodriguez, 6 Peters Court, Ms. Rodriquez mentioned that the council approved nursing

budget for the prior year was $785,600.00.

Chairman Dombrowski then asked if anyone online had any public comments.

There were none.

IX.

ADJOURNMENT

The Moderator adjourned the meeting at 7:54 pm to a Referendum to be held on Tuesday, May 16th,

2023 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Electors will vote at the following polling

places:

District One: Town Hall Annex Building

District Two: Town Hall Annex Building

District Three: Town Hall Annex Building

Persons qualified to vote in Town Meetings who are not electors shall vote at:

Town Hall Annex Building with District One.

Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk’s Office. Pursuant to C.G. S.

9-369c, eligible persons requesting an absentee ballot must apply in person at the Town Clerk's

Office.

Central counting of absentee ballots will be conducted at: Town Hall Annex Building.

Should the referendum fail, the adjourned Town Meeting will be reconvened on:

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 from 12:00p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the voting machines in accordance with

Chapter VII, Section 6, of the Town Charter.

In the event that both referenda fail to pass a budget, the Town Council is required to adopt a Fiscal

Year 2023/2024 Budget by June 26, 2023.