By Sarah Opdahl

At the Thursday, June 11, New Fairfield Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, there was full circle discussion about potentially posting ads on Town property as a source of revenue, what ads would be qualified for inclusion, and rates that would be charged. The conversation among BOS members was more exploratory, as there is no current policy regarding advertising on Town property, though there is some precedence, such as at the baseball fields.

The issue of advertising arose because Northwell Health offered to give a donation in exchange for hanging a three-foot by five-foot banner on the fence at the dog park. They hope to spread awareness that Nuvance is now Northwell, but the banner does fall under advertising and their $200 donation would be a fraction of what advertising space would normally cost. Selectman Mr. Jon Russo said, “it is a rather low amount if you are looking at it as advertising, and I really do not like the verbiage of ‘donation,’ because it is really not a donation. I mean, I understand that Northwell is a not-for-profit, but in this situation, when it becomes advertising, it gets a little sticky. I do a ton of advertising, so I know what the real true costs are for something like this.” Finance Director Mr. Adam Lawrence agreed, saying, “I would echo Jon’s comment that the rate seems on the low end…This is an exchange of something of value, advertising space for what is being called a donation. This is really just the sale of ad space for a very low rate…”

Members shifted from being against the ad to possibly being in favor of it to ultimately rejecting the motion for approval. They agreed that more research into the topic is needed, including what other towns’ policies are regarding advertising and looking into the baseball advertising model. There was mention of possibly only allowing ads from local businesses.

There was a brief discussion about Zoning Enforcement Officer (ZEO) Mr. Evan White’s resignation, which was effective June 1. The move followed a tumultuous period involving tense interactions with the new Zoning Commission Board Chair Mr. Gabriel Gouveia and a review of work protocol for the position. BOS members mentioned the appointment of Mr. John Cody as temporary ZEO, who also fills this position in Sherman, Roxbury, and Bridgewater. When asked why White resigned, First Selectman Ms. Pat Del Monaco said that it would need to be discussed in an executive session. Another resignation that was touched upon was that of Ms. Lora Boynton, who served as an animal control officer. BOS members thanked both for their contributions to the town.

Several budget transfers were approved in the standard reconciliation that occurs at the fiscal year’s end. One that came up for discussion was a Public Works transfer that is intended to be used to stock up on salt and sand bins for next winter. Another topic that sparked conversation was utility costs, as those were higher than anticipated given the tough winter weather. Lawrence said, “we have been seeing a little more expense than we anticipated with gas and diesel. With the hard winter that we had, diesel was the big driver in pushing that beyond our contracted amount with our supplier. Once we got past the contracted amount, we were stuck buying at market rates. The cost is substantially more with the activities that have been going on in global politics, so that explains why we need a little extra to ‘true up’ the gas and diesel right now.” Human Resources salary expenses were also up a bit, as there was more work needed than expected for spring and summer hiring needs.

Lawrence noted about the overall expense reconciliation, “we are still sitting on a bit of an expenditure surplus at this point, there are many departments, many account lines that still have surpluses in them. We are just getting into that fun time of year where some things are over, some things are under, and we are working to true those up. That process continues in July, and then hopefully in September, since the BOF usually takes August off. We will do our last large batch of interdepartmental transfers for those true ups.”

BOS members voted to approve the second round of certification for a generous cybersecurity grant. Del Monaco thanked IT Director Mr. Paul Gouveia “for all of his work to get two grants for the town and two for the Board of Education for cybersecurity.”

Ms. Deborah Minchin was appointed to serve as a delegate for the Candlewood Lake Authority, following the resignation of long-time member Mr. BIll Licht. Licht recommended Minchin, who has been a part-time resident of Candlewood Knolls since the late 1970s before moving here full time four years ago. Minchin has served on numerous boards, including a current seat on the Friends of New Fairfield Library board.

The next New Fairfield Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 7:00 p.m.