KENT—The Board of Finance closed out the 2023-24 fiscal year last week, receiving a report from Town Treasurer Barbara Herbst that all bills have been paid and that the town has a surplus of some $80,000 to add to its General Fund.
She said the Board of Education had yet to ask for any funds from its non-lapsing account. It can request up to 2 percent of its total budget—about $144,000—to offset education costs.
“So, we have a surplus of $80,000, but if they make a request, we will not have a surplus,” she explained, “and we will have to dip into the $700,000 we budgeted from the reserve fund to offset taxes.”
She also revealed that she has not received any reports from the Kent Volunteer Fire Department since 2022 about monies the department collects through billing for ambulance services. She said that several years ago, when the cost for Medic 4, the paramedic program out of New Milford Hospital, rose substantially, the KVFD agreed to reimburse the town using billing revenue.
The paramedic line item is found in the town’s budget and there was a gentlemen’s agreement that a portion of the ambulance service payments would come back to town to offset the cost, Herbst related. “The department reports would cover a period, and I would get the money six to eight months later. But we haven’t had a report since 2022.”
“How do we resolve this?” Finance Chairman Nancy O’dea-Wyrick asked.
First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer said he had sent the department a registered letter. “We need to formalize the process,” he said. “They are supposed to give the town the portion of the payments related to paramedic costs. We’re trying to rein in all the wagons and get things in order.”
Lindenmayer detailed the progress he has made on installing speed cameras designed to slow traffic. Cars speeding through the center along busy Routes 7 and 341 have been a public safety issue for decades in this destination town and Lindenmayer is collecting data on volume and speed as the selectmen weigh the efficacy of using speed cameras.
He said recently that the cameras could cost around $25,000 and that support services would be a continuing cost. State DOT approval and a town meeting vote would be needed to install the equipment.
Noise levels are also a problem, but Lindenmayer told finance members that he “is not sure the technology is there yet” to monitor for that.
Speed cameras, however, can record how quickly a passing vehicle is going and photograph the license plates of those going excessively fast. The data is reviewed by humans to ensure it is correct and a ticket is issued to offenders. It cannot be used to record crosswalk violations.
Lindenmayer said that he would bring the finance board more information after Labor Day.
“It sounds like something we should follow up on,” said O’dea-Wyrick.
Herbst reported that she has gotten eight credit cards for use by town departments for small purchases. Employees used to have to pay for the purchases out of pocket and wait for reimbursements.
“I have control over it,” she assured the Board of Finance. “I can see where they are using the cards and if there is any misuse they know it will result in XYZ. There are limited things they can put on the cards.”
