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Torrington Board accepts quarterly reserve and budget reports; members press for reconciliations
Summary
The Board of Finance accepted city and Board of Education quarterly capital reserve and budget performance reports through September/October 2025. Members pressed finance staff for line‑item reconciliations on BOE capital spending, high overtime figures in police/fire, and a large WPCA 'ads and deletions' variance.
The Torrington Board of Finance on Nov. 17 accepted the city's quarterly capital reserve report through Sept. 30 and budget performance reports through Oct. 1, and later accepted the Board of Education’s budget performance report through Oct. 31.
Board members commended the quarterly reporting but asked for follow‑up details. On the Board of Education capital reserve report, members noted a prior BOE request to reallocate roughly $600,000 worth of projects that lacked subsequent itemized follow‑up; staff recommended asking for a reconciliation and line‑item detail to confirm whether capital reserve funds were spent for security improvements or other identified projects.
On citywide budget performance, members focused on growing overtime in public safety: one member cited the fire department at about 62% for October (44% in September) and police overtime rising from about 37% to 52% month to month. Staff explained some engineering activity is billed to external utility work (Eversource) and can appear to inflate engineering overtime; staff proposed isolating reimbursable engineering charges into a separate line item to make trends clearer.
The WPCA accounting line for "ads and deletions" drew particular scrutiny: budgeted at about $2,000 but showing approximately $388,000 in activity, creating a large percentage variance. Department staff said the tax overpayment fund and end‑of‑year reclassifications cause the monthly appearance, and they will clarify the posting and determine whether a data‑entry or classification change is needed. Members asked for clearer narrative notes when departments present unusual variances.
On board education surplus handling, finance staff said the BOE did not transfer a $1.5 million surplus into a nonlapsing reserve prior to the audit; auditors recommended moving the transfer in fiscal 2026. Staff proposed accounting for the transfer on the city side to avoid an operating shortfall for the BOE and pledged to coordinate with auditors and the BOE on corrections.
Board members generally approved the reports while directing staff to provide reconciliations, explanations for large variances, and proposed process fixes to improve transparency and trend analysis.
