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Farmington council accepts state grant money, splits town portion for tax relief and reserves; approves several capital purchases
Summary
The council recognized $1.67 million in state supplemental aid and voted to allocate roughly half for tax relief and half to shore up next year's budget; it also approved a package of capital purchases including a used rescue engine, HVAC and roof work, apparatus maintenance and truck purchases.
The Farmington Town Council on May 12 approved changes to the town budget to recognize supplemental state aid and voted on a number of capital purchases and contracts.
Finance staff briefed the council on $1.67 million in state supplemental municipal and education aid. Council members agreed to split the town portion approximately 50/50 between immediate tax relief and saving for the next fiscal year to guard against uncertainties related to an upcoming revaluation. Councilor (S5) moved a motion to amend the 2026‑27 budget to recognize a Pequot/Mohegan supplemental grant in the amount of $835,000 and reduce property tax revenue by the same amount; the motion passed unanimously.
The council also approved several capital and procurement motions that passed without dissension. Among the votes:
- Approval to purchase a used 2009 Pierce Impel rescue engine from a volunteer department for $200,001 and to finance the balance through a three‑year lease; staff said the purchase addresses reliability issues with the current spare apparatus and that the town will apply proceeds from a separate sale to the acquisition.
- Award of bid #369 for senior center HVAC and roof replacement to Pat Munger Construction Company (contract presented in packet); staff described available borrowing authorization and timeline for work and coordination with senior center activities during construction.
- Award of contract for highway & grounds building HVAC replacement to West State Mechanical, the lowest bidder, at a quoted contract cost.
- Contract award for large fire apparatus maintenance to Farmington Motorsports; staff noted the vendor already performs fleet maintenance and that funds are included in the 2026‑27 operating budget.
- Award of a STEAP‑funded contract to replace dugouts and the press box at John Grocki Field (Tunxis Mead Complex) to Millennium Builders for $195,570.99; the state STEAP grant will fund this work.
- Purchase approvals for two Western Star heavy trucks for the highway and grounds division (purchase prices presented to the council).
Councilors discussed procurement timing, long lead times for vehicle bodies and how some capital orders will be paid in the next fiscal year because of delivery schedules. Most votes were unanimous or passed with single abstention(s) where noted; the motions were routine approvals to keep capital projects moving from approved budgets.
The council also approved a transfer of $25,463.11 in uncollectible property taxes to the suspense tax book, authorized several routine tax refunds, and made multiple committee appointments.
