Waterford Finance Board To Consider $26,700 Community Center Request, $89,636 Budget Transfer

WATERFORD, CT — The Waterford Board of Finance will consider a $26,700 appropriation for new blinds at the Community Center and an $89,636 transfer between municipal budget accounts when it meets Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The board is also scheduled to review proposed 2027 meeting and budget hearing schedules, a draft policy governing capital project reviews and financial reports on the town's spending and construction projects.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Waterford Town Hall, 15 Rope Ferry Road.

$26,700 Requested For Community Center Blinds

Dani Gorman, the town's human services administrator, is requesting an additional $26,700 appropriation for fiscal 2027 to establish a new capital project for blinds at the Community Center.

The money would come from the undesignated fund balance of the Capital Nonrecurring Expenditure Fund.

If the Board of Finance approves the request, it will be forwarded to the Representative Town Meeting for final authorization.

$89,636 Budget Transfer Proposed

Finance Director Kimberly Allen is requesting approval of an $89,636 transfer between accounts to reconcile fiscal 2026 expenditures.

According to the attached transfer request, the money would be moved from the health care budget to three other accounts:

• $74,051 for pension contributions.
• $12,450 for electricity.
• $3,135 for firefighting.

The transfer would not increase the total budget. It would redistribute previously budgeted funds among accounts.

The Finance Department attributed the requested adjustments to higher-than-expected final Board of Education payroll costs, higher electricity invoices during the final month of the fiscal year and health care savings that continued through year-end.

The transfer request also notes that the figures include any audit adjustments.

Board To Review 2027 Budget Hearing Calendar

Finance officials will consider adopting the board's proposed 2027 regular meeting schedule and its budget hearing calendar for fiscal 2027-28.

Under the draft schedule, departmental budget hearings would begin March 1, 2027, and continue through March 22.

A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for March 24, followed by a special Board of Finance meeting for final budget action.

The Representative Town Meeting's annual budget deliberations are tentatively scheduled to begin May 3.

The draft also establishes Dec. 18, 2026, as the deadline for departments to submit their budget requests to the Finance Office.

Capital Project Review Policy Under Consideration

The board is scheduled to continue reviewing a draft Capital Project Review Policy.

The item appears under old business, with no specific revisions or proposed adoption date identified in the agenda.

The meeting packet also includes the town's first-quarter capital project status report for fiscal 2027, covering July 1 through Sept. 30.

Among the projects listed in the report are construction of the new Oswegatchie Fire Station, replacement of the town dock, improvements to the Police Department entrance and replacement of the library roof.

The report lists a $13.3 million approved budget for the new Oswegatchie Fire Station and identifies construction as ongoing.

The town dock replacement remains in the design and permitting stage, with bidding expected in December 2026.

The library roof project has $250,000 budgeted. According to the report, the town has requested $1.5 million in federal funding and expects a response by the end of February 2027.

The report also identifies $100,000 for replacement of the Community Center chiller, with an engineering proposal expected in October.

These are previously budgeted projects included for financial review, not new spending requests scheduled for approval at the meeting.

Financial Reports And Other Business

The board will receive correspondence from Town Accountant Virginia Bielucki, including a Sept. 21 report on the fiscal 2027 contingency account and financial statements covering the first month of the fiscal year.

Other documents include special revenue reports, a final project expenditure report dated Aug. 30 and the first-quarter capital project report.

Commissioners are also scheduled to consider approval of their Sept. 9 meeting minutes and hear liaison reports.