Danbury Government Ad Hoc Budget Hearing - April 14, 2026

The city's Government Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Andrea Gartner, convened on April 14, 2026, at 5:06 PM to review departmental budgets for fiscal year 2026-2027. The meeting covered purchasing, human resources, tax assessment, tax collector, information technology, labor negotiations, contingency and financing, risk management, finance, independent audit, and city treasurer. Following discussion, the committee unanimously approved the government to departmental budgets as presented.

Discussion Items

• Purchasing (Director Volpe): The committee reviewed the purchasing department budget, noting a 1.16% bulk increase primarily from salaries. Director Volpe reported that raising the bid threshold from $10,000 to $35,000 and the small-purchase threshold from $1,000 to $3,000 has saved time and money by reducing the need for formal sealed bids. Competitive pricing is still required. The department also administers FEMA-funded citywide emergency project procurement.
• Human Resources: The HR budget aligned with the mayor's proposal. Questions focused on line items for professional services and civil service testing. Director explained that the $26,000 variance in professional services is due to standard contracts (EAP, drug testing) being incurred this spring rather than next fiscal year. The civil service line increased because this spring the department is conducting promotional testing for police and fire (lieutenant, captain, sergeant, detective), which will not recur next year as those lists are good for two years.
• Tax Assessment (Director Murphy): The budget is up 5%, mostly from salaries and bar time. The capital tax recovery program, started in November 2022, has collected $755,000 since inception by using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). The city pays a third-party company 40% of revenue collected, but because the city was the first municipality in the state to use this company, the rate is locked at 40% while others now pay 50-55%. The company averages $20,000–$30,000 per month. Director Murphy noted that state bill HB 5454 (now being folded into a Senate bill) could limit the use of ALPRs for tax enforcement, potentially decimating the program. She and others have been working with legislators to add an amendment allowing assessors to retain and use the data for assessment purposes. The city also collects over $300,000 from personal property audits conducted in-house since the office has been unable to hire a dedicated field person (last field person left three years ago). The new elderly and totally disabled tax credit program (using only half of social security) has been well-received, with many applicants switching to the more generous program.
• Tax Collector (Sean): The budget mirrored the mayor's proposal. Constable use increased collections from $250,000 in prior years to $1.3 million. Constables add a 15% fee to amounts collected, but the city does not lose any tax revenue. The constables handle real estate, personal property, and some motor vehicle bills. Water and sewer liens are not yet assigned to constables but will be added with new software. The office also works with mortgage companies to pay delinquent water/sewer bills over $5,000. The oldest water/sewer lien is 12 years (15-year expiration).
• Information Technology (Director Gentile): The maintenance and repair line item (office equipment) increased from $780,000 actual (FY2024-25) to a proposed $1.48 million. Chief O'Brien explained that many software licenses previously categorized as capital expenses were moved to operations for transparency - including the Munis ERP system (payroll, HR, finance) at $274,000 annually and Darktrace cybersecurity software at $70,000. These annual costs will increase 3-5% per year. All software currently in use is being paid for; there are no legacy contracts for unused software. The live broadcast of meetings on Comcast is delayed due to waiting for a Comcast technical representative. 100 new computers are in capital budget for next year. Document scanning for building department records is not yet fully funded; scanning is ongoing for planning and zoning through a separate budget.
• Labor Negotiations (Corporation Counsel): The $250,000 line item covers legal fees for upcoming negotiations with DMEA (union), plus ongoing grievances. Police negotiations are close to resolution and not expected to require significant funds after July 1.
• Contingency and Financing (Finance Director): The $337,525 transfer funds animal control operations; the $3 million transfer supports the capital fund. No contingency funds were used in the current fiscal year.
• Risk Management and Employee Benefits (Director Garrick): The internal service fund (employee benefits and insurance) totals $26,728,676, a 16.64% increase ($3.8 million) driven primarily by a 7% increase in health insurance claims plus new full-time employee benefits. The workers' compensation fund increases 2% ($56,000) to $3,314,000 due to salary growth. Retiree benefits (health, life, dental, OPEB) increase $4 million, including a $500,000 policy increase for OPEB and $2.7 million for pension. The health insurance increase is the largest since the city switched to a self-insured plan in 2011-2012; other towns are seeing 15% increases. The city plans to hire a full-time risk manager (currently budgeted $105,000 but position vacant).
• Finance Department, Independent Audit, and City Treasurer: The finance director noted plans to put the independent audit out to bid by June 1, though one potential firm lacks capacity. The grant writer position remains unfilled (showing $0). An outside firm hired for FMLA administration costs $27,400, cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. The audit is expected to be completed in June.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to Accept Government to Departmental Budgets: Councilman John Laughinghouse moved to accept the budgets as presented, seconded by Councilman Spain Reichel. The motion passed unanimously with all committee members voting aye. The meeting adjourned following the vote.