Board hears Amity finance committee updates, cautions on revenue shortfalls and approves minutes

The Orange Board of Finance received the Amity Regional High School finance committee’s report at its June 15 meeting and discussed a set of recommended contracts, purchases and budget transfers as Chair Kevin McNabola and finance staff walked the board through the details.

Committee member Joe Nuzzo said the committee recommended a one‑year extension of the district’s cafeteria contract with Chartwells (Compass Group) with an increase of about 3.5 percent. He reported Amity selected a pre‑construction contractor for the High School Library Media Center as the lowest bidder at "just under $2,500,000." Nuzzo also said the committee recommended purchasing nearly $30,000 of new physical‑education equipment for Amity Middle School to be funded with Medicaid‑reimbursed funds, and noted that would exhaust the current Medicaid fund balance for that purpose.

Other recommendations included upgrading bus‑routing software with a first‑year utilization cost of roughly $33,000 for a contract with Tyler Technologies and accepting AcroSure’s bid for student accident coverage (about $74,000 for the principal policy and a smaller catastrophic policy). Nuzzo also detailed a facilities proposal for power washing, masonry sealing and step restoration at the regional high school totaling around $80,000, funded from a mix of grant and capital accounts.

Leahy and finance staff reviewed the district financial snapshot and said the town’s aggregate surplus is "just under $400,000," materially lower than earlier years. Finance director John Ciceffrelli and the treasurer signaled several revenue risks for the fiscal year: building‑inspection receipts and property tax collections were below projections (the report showed a difference of about $310,000 in tax collections at the time of the briefing), conveyance and permit revenue were lagging and refuse and pool revenues had not met budgeted estimates. Ciceffrelli asked the board whether staff should prepare a categorized list of outstanding tax delinquencies to better understand whether shortfalls are residential or commercial concentrated.

During minutes review, members proposed clarifying language around fund‑balance calculations and a transfer to capital. A motion to approve the May 20, 2026 minutes "as amended" was made, seconded and carried by voice vote; the transcript records 21 'Aye' responses.

At the close of budget discussion, Ciceffrelli warned that two remaining payrolls, retroactive union adjustments and outstanding legal or snow‑removal invoices could push final expenses closer to or slightly over budget, and he estimated the town might finish the year much closer to zero variance than in prior years. Board members asked for follow‑up analysis on the $310,000 tax‑collection variance, a breakdown of red‑flag revenue categories and a reconciliation of Munis accounts to better map encumbrances and transfers ahead of the July 1 fiscal position.