Southington Reports Surplus As Council Revisits School Funding Dispute

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Southington ended one recent fiscal year with a $2.4 million budget surplus and expects a $2.6 million state payment tied to a decade-old middle school renovation, Southington Town Manager Alex Ricciardone told the Southington Town Council last week.

But much of the council's discussion centered on an $834,000 transfer to the Southington Board of Education and a disagreement over how that money was handled during the town's budget process.

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Ricciardone, reporting on the Southington Board of Finance's July 29 meeting, said the town completed its fiscal year 2025 audit with a clean result.

He said expenses were slightly lower and revenues slightly higher than projected, producing the $2.4 million surplus, which will roll into the town's undesignated fund balance.

The town also closed out the DePaolo Middle School renovation project, which dated back more than a decade.

Ricciardone said the state had initially been seeking a six-figure reimbursement from Southington.

After town officials researched and reconciled the project, however, the outcome was reversed: the state is now expected to pay Southington $2.6 million.

Councilor Christopher Palmieri said he hoped the town would soon close out the Kennedy Middle School project as well and potentially realize similar savings.

Council Revisits $834,000 School Funding Issue

The more contentious discussion involved approximately $834,000 that the finance board transferred from the general fund to the Southington Board of Education.

Councilor Kristen Guida questioned the transfer, saying the council had reduced the school budget by about $833,000 during the budget process because state money was expected.

Ricciardone said officials had initially planned to wait for the state money before transferring the funds to the school district.

Instead, he said, the finance board decided to provide the money to the Southington Board of Education and have the general fund receive the state reimbursement when it arrives.

Council Chairman Paul Chaplinsky said state grants are received through the general fund.

Palmieri raised broader concerns about how the issue was handled during budget deliberations.

He said the Southington Board of Education's budget figure should be $125,780,343 rather than $126,542,278 and expressed concern that the district could enter the next budget process with an $834,000 gap.

Palmieri said he had sought confirmation from town officials about his interpretation and submitted documentation for the meeting record.

Chaplinsky said officials understood during the budget process that the state funding was nonrecurring and that the Southington Board of Education would have to manage within the budget it was given.

Palmieri said his concern extended beyond the amount itself to the handling of financial advice during the budget process.

He said recommendations from the town's finance director about how to allocate the money were not followed.

"Moving forward we should listen to the advice of our financial experts," Palmieri said, according to the meeting minutes.

Chaplinsky disputed Palmieri's characterization of the disagreement.

He said his discussions with the finance director concerned how the $834,000 affected the mill-rate calculation, while the council's responsibility was to approve the budget and the Southington Board of Finance's responsibility was to set the mill rate.

Chaplinsky said he had raised concerns about what appeared to be a double reduction in the mill-rate calculation and left the final determination to the finance board.

He said he stood by the budget motion and submitted his own timeline of events for the record.

Palmieri said his caucus understood the state funding was not recurring and had proposed restoring $250,000 to the school budget while using the remainder for tax relief.

His concern, he said, was that financial advice was disregarded after the council majority made its budget decision.

Councilor David Zoni said he watched the Southington Board of Finance meeting and believed feedback from the finance director had been ignored.

Councilor Tony Morrison questioned whether continuing to revisit the dispute was productive, noting that council members had discussed the issue at their previous meeting as well.

Morrison also defended the work of the town's finance department.

He said the fiscal 2025 audit was delayed after the department dealt with retirements and changes involving the Connecticut Municipal Employees Retirement System, but officials had obtained an extension.

He credited finance staff with completing the audit while also resolving the DePaolo Middle School project and identifying savings related to retirements and resignations.

Chaplinsky ultimately ended the council's discussion of the budget dispute.

For the minutes of the Aug. 10 Southington Town Council meeting, click on this link.