South Windsor Town Council Passes Hiring Freeze, Spending Restrictions

Despite some testy exchanges, the South Windsor Town Council on Monday approved several measures that restrict spending in anticipation of an expected 2012-13 budget shortfall from the state.

The council, in a 7-2 vote, approved the following: a modified hiring freeze; strict restrictions on overtime that are approved by the town manager or department head only on a “critical need basis;”, canceling all out-of-state travel by town personnel, including trips for seminars, training and fact-finding; and a requirement that all expenditures on equipment or vehicles above $5,000 be approved by the Town Council.

Town Manager Matthew Galligan initially did not object to the resolution, which was proposed by Councilor Kevin McCann, because, as Galligan said, the council was merely passing what he had implemented about a month and a half ago.

At issue, however, was the hiring freeze, which McCann initially proposed as a full bar on hiring new town employees until April 2, 2013.

Galligan and Chief of Police Matthew Reed implored the council to allow for the hiring of two police officers, whose positions had been vacant for quite some time, one police dispatcher, as well as three maintainers in the Department of Public Works.

The hiring process for police officers, Reed said, is extremely lengthy. Without the freeze, the earliest a new officer would start in South Windsor would be at least six months, if not longer, Reed said.

Putting a hiring freeze in place would delay the process even further, Reed said, putting the town at a disadvantage.

In addition, hiring someone in the dispatcher position would save the town money, as police officers are currently filling that position, which costs more than a normal dispatcher, Reed said.

The three maintainers were needed, according to Galligan, in anticipation of three retirements that are scheduled to take place by the beginning of February 2013.

Galligan said that there would be two or three months afterward before he was able to hire replacements for the three retirees, thereby enabling the town to realize some savings until the new hires started.

While the council supported hiring the police personnel, some members appeared reluctant to allow for the hiring of the public works employees.

Councilor Cary Prague said that new hires in the public works department, many of whom have high school degrees, made more money than employees in the private sector. Prague called for a “market adjustment” from having new hires making $46,000 a year.

Galligan, however, said that collective bargaining agreements, binding arbitration and prevailing wage laws in the state prevented him from doing very much with regard to starting salaries in public works at the moment.

Town Councilor Keith Yagaloff offered an amendment to McCann’s motion to allow for the hiring of the police personnel but not the maintainers.

That’s when Galligan bristled, saying that in the 17 years that he’s been town manager, he’s always brought money back to the town and remained under budget.

“It’s insulting,” said Galligan, noting that without the maintainers, he could make things work, but there would be a change in the quality of service, either through field maintenance or how quickly snow is removed.

Councilor Jan Snyder said that she believed Galligan had done an excellent job and declined to support any resolution that placed restrictions on staff spending.

“I trust the town manager,” she said. “I’m not supporting any of it. I think he knows what to do.”

Yagaloff’s amendment did not pass. Instead, the council passed McCann’s amended resolution that enabled the hiring of the police personnel and the maintainers, but kept in place the other spending measures.

Snyder and Yagaloff were the two councilors that voted against the resolution.