RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Board of Selectpersons voted Nov. 4 to recommend placing more than $1 million in unused capital project funds into the town's capital reserve account and scheduled a public hearing on a proposal to join the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority.
The board also reviewed changes to the town's pension plan, received an update on employment policies and approved appointments and reappointments to municipal commissions.
Finance Director Kevin Redmond presented a proposal to close out capital accounts for projects completed or no longer requiring their full allocations.
The proposed closeouts totaled $1,004,804, including more than $500,000 associated with Board of Education projects.
Redmond said approximately $400,000 of the school-related balance came from heating, ventilation and air conditioning work that ultimately cost less than anticipated. Some projects were not completed as originally proposed, while others were handled through operating budgets.
He explained that capital funds cannot simply be reassigned to unrelated purposes without the appropriate approvals.
The board considered whether the unused money should reduce future debt service or be reserved for additional capital projects.
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Redmond recommended placing the money in the capital reserve fund, where it could help finance future approved projects without additional borrowing.
Selectperson Geoffrey Morris made the motion to allocate the $1,004,804 to the capital reserve fund. Selectperson Maureen Kozlark seconded it, and the board approved the recommendation without recorded opposition.
One resident urged the board to consider using the money to reduce taxpayers' burden instead, noting that the town had accumulated substantial unused capital allocations while residents continued to face tax increases.
First Selectperson Rudy Marconi acknowledged the concern but said using the funds to reduce the mill rate could be complicated by the Board of Finance's responsibility for setting the tax rate.
The closeouts also require review by the Board of Finance.
The board voted to hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 on whether Ridgefield should join the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority, a state-backed organization that provides financing and technical assistance for qualifying development projects.
Authority Executive Director David Kooris explained that joining would be an initial step, not a commitment to approve development, establish a district or spend municipal money.
Any subsequent development district would require further review and agreement with the town.
Kooris said the authority could help developers close financing gaps through low-interest loans, but projects would first need local land-use approvals.
"We do not have any authority or ability to advance projects that have not gone through the local approval process," Kooris said.
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Potential participation would be limited by state law and local zoning, including areas near the Branchville train station and downtown Ridgefield. Kooris said the town would help determine the boundaries of any proposed district.
He estimated that reviewing Ridgefield's zoning and identifying eligible areas could take six to nine months after the town joined.
Selectpersons questioned how much control Ridgefield would retain over eligible locations and whether participation could expand beyond areas the town wanted to support.
Kooris said the authority would work with town officials to establish mutually acceptable boundaries.
Marconi and other board members favored holding a public hearing before deciding whether to adopt the membership resolution.
Kozlark moved to schedule the hearing for Nov. 18, and Morris seconded the motion.
Pension Commission Chair Christofer Christiansen presented a restatement of the town's pension plan, including changes reflecting the closure of the defined-benefit plan to newly hired school aides effective July 1, 2025.
Christiansen said the change marked the closure of the last employee group still eligible to enter that plan. Newly hired employees instead participate in a defined-contribution retirement arrangement.
Other revisions corrected references and standardized how benefits for certain bargaining units were described, without changing those benefits.
One provision prompted questions from Marconi and other selectpersons.
It would allow a previously vested participant who moved from town employment into an elected position — and consequently stopped accruing defined-benefit service — to resume accruing service if the position subsequently became an appointed town job.
Human Resources Director Lori Fernandez said the provision applied to one existing participant and would not reopen the plan to new employees.
Christiansen explained that the employee would not receive defined-benefit credit for time spent participating in the separate retirement plan.
Marconi expressed concern that the change could create a precedent for reopening the defined-benefit system, which the town had worked to close to new participants.
Christiansen and Fernandez said the provision was narrowly written and had been reviewed by legal counsel and the town's actuaries.
The discussion centered on the distinction between allowing an existing vested participant to resume service and admitting someone who had never participated in the closed plan.
Fernandez briefed the board on employment policy changes required by recent Connecticut legislation.
The updates include expanded wage transparency requirements, clearer explanations of payroll codes and new notices concerning reasonable accommodations under disability laws.
Fernandez said supervisors must recognize circumstances that could trigger an obligation to discuss workplace accommodations with an employee.
She also outlined an electronic monitoring policy addressing workplace surveillance, including security cameras, computer systems, telephone communications and timekeeping systems.
The town is reviewing its automated employment-related technologies ahead of additional requirements concerning artificial intelligence and automated decision-making.
Fernandez said a revised social media policy remains in draft form and has not been formally implemented.
She told selectpersons that employees must acknowledge receipt of updated policies and that her department tracks those acknowledgments.
The board appointed Rick Klutey as an alternate member of the Pension Commission.
Klutey described his experience in investment management, corporate pension oversight and auditing. Morris moved his appointment, Kozlark seconded it, and the board approved it without recorded opposition.
Marconi told Klutey he must be sworn in before voting as a commission member.
The board also unanimously reappointed Robert Roth to the Tree Committee.
Roth discussed the committee's work to replace aging and diseased trees along Main Street, including planting native species and monitoring the town's tree canopy.
He said the committee considers factors such as power lines, sightlines and available space when selecting replacement trees.
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Tree Committee Chair Tom McManus said a previous statewide canopy study included Ridgefield and offered to provide the results.
The board additionally approved the reappointment of Debbie Prieger to the Commission for Accessibility.
During that discussion, commission Chair Don Ciota raised concerns about town departments' responses to accessibility compliance reviews. He said requests for information had been sent to 15 departments, but only two had responded.
Ciota urged stronger oversight of compliance responsibilities, including consideration of whether department heads should be evaluated on their efforts.
Marconi questioned whether more automatic doors were needed in municipal buildings.
Residents also raised concerns about vehicles blocking accessible parking spaces and access aisles, particularly at the recreation center, and requested clearer signs identifying the location of an adult changing table there.
Marconi said the town could ask its parking enforcement officer to check the reported parking problems. Commission members suggested bringing the signage concern directly to Parks and Recreation.
The board also received an update on plans for new police and fire facilities, including a potential combined public safety building on Danbury Road near the recreation center.
Morris said the Public Safety Facilities Committee and its architects were developing alternatives for the town to consider.
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Those options include a combined police and fire facility on Danbury Road, a separate fire station at that location and police facilities at Old Quarry Road or the existing police station site.
Morris said the committee intends to present floor plans and explain why other sites were ruled out.
Marconi said the Danbury Road location remained the committee's preferred option for a combined facility, partly because of its central location and potential emergency response advantages. The proposal would require acquiring an additional parcel.
Kozlark stressed the importance of involving residents before a preferred option becomes a final recommendation.
She said the town should avoid repeating earlier planning efforts in which residents felt they were presented with a decision that had effectively already been made.
Morris said the committee would present its preferred alternative alongside the other options and supporting information.
Marconi said a consultant would evaluate emergency response times associated with the Danbury Road site, as had previously been done for Old Quarry Road.
The committee was expected to meet again Nov. 18. No date was established for a public presentation, although selectpersons discussed the possibility of receiving the plans around Thanksgiving.
The board approved prior meeting minutes with modifications.
During selectpersons' reports, Marconi said Ridgefield's home sales had slowed from approximately 40 per month to about 30 to 32, although prices remained high. He cited an average sale price of approximately $1.2 million and a median of about $1.075 million.
Marconi said the town continued to review its revenue performance and that finances were generally tracking satisfactorily.
The board adjourned without taking further action on the public safety facility proposals.
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