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New Milford council shifts funds for winter operations, dog pound and land-use reviews amid heavy storm season
Summary
The council approved transfers on Jan. 26 totaling $304,720 in three actions — $80,000 for winter overtime, $170,000 for winter materials and $14,720 to the regional dog pound — and also moved $40,000 between land-use revenue and contractual accounts to handle higher application review costs.
The New Milford Town Council on Jan. 26 approved multiple budget transfers intended to cover unusually high winter maintenance costs and other operational needs.
The council approved moving $80,000 into the Public Works winter-overtime account, funded by $55,000 from a finance personnel account and $25,000 from fringe-benefits accounts. It separately transferred $170,000 from contingency into Public Works Winter Materials & Supplies, which town officials said was necessary because the season has required more materials than usual.
Town Engineer Chuck Ballard told the council that “this last storm was number 13 for the season,” and explained that the town’s typical use of materials was being exceeded; he said material costs run about $85–$87 per ton. Ballard described the transfers as necessary to maintain winter operations while the town remains in the active storm season.
The council also approved a $14,720 transfer from contingency to the Dog Pound contractual account to cover the town’s share of a regional animal-control contract, and moved $40,000 from Land Use self-sustaining revenue into Land Use contractual to accommodate an increased number of land-use applications. All four transfers passed without recorded opposition.
Councilors said the transfers are intended to be accounting moves to cover actual expenses and do not represent new ongoing program authorizations; the public will see these adjustments reflected in next reporting cycles and in budget documents going to Board Finance and the town referendum process as appropriate.
