Woodbury selectmen adopt credit-card policy and forward $15.07 million draft budget to Board of Finance
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Summary
The Board of Selectmen adopted a municipal credit-card policy and approved a $15,072,540 draft budget to forward to the Board of Finance, with the motion passing 3-0. Officials said the draft includes targeted cuts and leaves two proposed Pay Plan positions in place pending further review.
The Woodbury Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Feb. 10 to adopt a municipal credit-card usage policy and to approve a draft fiscal 2026-27 municipal budget of $15,072,540 for transmission to the Board of Finance.
First Selectman Paul Zulpa moved the budget motion and Selectman Karen Reddington-Hughes seconded; the motion carried 3-0. The board also voted 3-0 to adopt the Town of Woodbury Credit Card Policy after minor wording changes were incorporated.
Why it matters: The draft budget the board advanced shows a year-over-year increase the First Selectman described as significant. Zulpa told the board the draft budget reflects a series of early reductions and tradeoffs designed to hold overall debt and operations steady while preserving certain new staff proposals for further review. He said two of four proposed new pay-plan positions remain in the document for now and that a 3% figure is being used for contract-negotiation planning.
Key figures and approach: Zulpa said the draft budget sent to the Board of Finance represents $15,072,540 and that, in the current presentation, the overall municipal budget increase is about 13.91% compared with the prior year’s budget baseline. He described a $330,000 reduction in the improved-roads operations line and said the Department of Public Works will shift toward milling and paving road sections when funds do not allow complete-road paving. The board also agreed to move $93,000 from operations into capital reserve as a debt-management strategy for the year.
Board process and next steps: Zulpa said he and Fiscal Officer Nyree Pieck met with department heads and will forward departments’ input to the Board of Finance; the board’s goal was to approve the draft that evening because the Board of Finance deadline is Feb. 13. The Board of Finance will now review the draft and may propose changes before public hearings.
What the credit-card policy does: The adopted Procurement Card policy sets rules for issuing and reconciling municipal P-Cards, including requester/approver workflows, MCC restrictions, single-transaction and monthly limits, required receipts and coding, monthly reconciliation deadlines, and sanctions for misuse. The policy assigns oversight to the Fiscal Office with issuance approved by the First Selectman or designee.
Votes and formal actions at a glance: The board recorded the credit-card policy adoption and the budget-adoption motions as unanimous (3-0). Additional motions to accept donations and to appoint a committee member also passed 3-0 during the meeting.
What’s next: The Board of Finance will consider the draft budget at its upcoming meetings. The fiscal office will implement the new credit-card procedures and notify departments about training and the cardholder agreement form.