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Middlefield Board of Finance reviews budgets: senior center pay request, kennel repairs after OSHA inspection and several proposed cuts
Summary
At its April 14 budget workshop, the Middlefield Board of Finance reviewed proposed reductions and increases across departments: a reduced town clerk line-item, a 5% senior center salary request plus activity increases, required animal-control kennel repairs following an OSHA inspection with improvements due by 2029, proposed cuts to DMYFS and the fire department, and multiple Registrar's Office operational changes.
The Middlefield Board of Finance continued its budget workshop April 14 with detailed reviews of department accounts and several line-item proposals.
Senior Center: Staff requested a 5% salary increase to align pay with comparable towns and proposed a 17.6% increase in the activities budget; the board restored $1,000 to fund an assistant position.
Town Clerk: The board reviewed Account 6606 and discussed reducing the Town Clerk budget from $18,195 to $17,000 while members continue to review the records-system license.
Animal Control: Staff reported that the kennel failed inspection because of OSHA violations and outlined required upgrades to be completed by 2029, including outdoor-run improvements, door/slab/overhang repairs or replacements, grate installation or repair, and updated kennel signage. The board discussed CSU training expenses (Account 7812), ongoing responsibility for vehicle-repair funding, and maintained a line for an assistant at 1.0 FTE.
DMYFS and Fire Department: The board noted DMYFS has $138,000 in emergency funds and discussed a proposed $10,000 budget reduction. Proposed Fire Department cuts included reductions to Account 9542 ($35,000) and Account 9520 ($10,299).
Historical markers and other items: An initial $10,000 proposal for three historical markers was revised to $3,500, with a suggestion to spread costs over three years. Tax collection staff requested $2,500 to cover vacation-coverage assistance.
Registrar's Office: During registration discussion (Chair Skelps briefly left the room), proposals included reducing primaries from four to two, applying a 3.5% salary increase across the board, reducing Deputy Registrar hours to 725, setting Election Day stipends at $15 per hour for eight hours, allocating $12,274.08 for Deputy Registrar salaries (6 hours/week × 312 × 2) not tied to specific elections, and eliminating hotel expenses from the conference budget.
Finance Director account: The board discussed adjusting the Finance Director salary (Account 6004) from $112,500 to $115,000 per contract and noted anticipated increases in Social Security and pension contributions.
Public comment: Prior to the meeting, public commenter Susan McNamara raised concerns about how the Board directs questions to departments.
Adjournment: Lee Matterazzo moved to adjourn, Amanda Caccamo seconded, and the motion was approved unanimously at 10:16 p.m. The Board scheduled its next meeting for April 16.
