Town of Windsor Town Council Special Meeting – FY26 Budget Review

Date: April 21, 2025 | Time: 6:30 p.m. (Hybrid – Council Chambers and Zoom)

This special meeting of the Windsor Town Council was dedicated to reviewing the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budgets for five town departments: Health Services, Police, Fire, Ambulance Services (Windsor EMS), and Recreation & Leisure Services. No public comment was taken; the Council noted that two public budget hearings would be held on April 28 and April 30, 2025. Each department presented its FY25 performance and FY26 budget requests, with Council members asking detailed questions. No formal votes were taken; the presentations served as part of the budget deliberation process.

Health Services

• Presenters: Dr. Michael Pepe (Director) and Jennifer Waldo (Public Health Nurse).
• FY25 Status: Overall expenditures expected to exceed budget by $7,980 due to a decrease in available grant funding.
• FY26 Proposed Budget: Presented on pages I-1 through I-16; organized into four program areas (inspection/regulation, etc.).
• Highlights: The mental health speaker series (with Matt Bellis) reached nearly 1,200 students in a single day at Loomis Chaffee, Medina Academy, and Sage Park Middle School. A new sanitarian, Leah Coughlin, was hired and is completing certifications.
• FY26 Goals: Use the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to plan mental health programs; pilot a nursing student clinical rotation at the flu vaccine clinic; update the town’s emergency operations plan by April 2026.
• Key Discussion:
  • Personnel FTE reduction of approximately 0.5 FTE due to grant expiration and a prior vacancy.
  • User fees explained as repayments from property maintenance liens.
  • Inspection frequency: food establishments inspected 1–4 times per year based on risk; group homes inspected annually.
  • Partnership with South Windsor for immunization clinics; Council member asked about potential collaboration with Bloomfield or Hartford HealthCare for cost savings.
  • Impact of federal funding cuts: a $40,000 vaccine grant expected but not executed due to federal fund changes; a one-time $95,000 vaccine grant concluded.
  • Fee schedule reviewed annually against regional health departments.
  • Services provided: bicycle/ski helmet fittings, “Vial of Life” medical history envelopes, and neurodivergent-friendly vaccine clinics (planned again for fall 2025).

Police Department

• Presenters: Chief Melanson, Captains Andy Power and Heather LaRoc, and budget administrator Suzanne Branick.
• FY25 Status: Expected to come in $117,440 under budget (≈1% savings) due to personnel vacancies, workers’ compensation, and disability leave.
• FY26 Proposed Budget: General fund increase of $698,930 (≈5%) driven by personnel costs, health, and retirement expenses; partly offset by using the Police Private Duty Fund.
• Highlights: Officers handled over 21,000 calls for service, including 2,700 medical calls, 620 motor vehicle accidents, 390 welfare checks, 350 domestic incidents, and 250 emotionally disturbed persons calls. Over 4,650 motor vehicle stops and more than 750 arrests (including summonses). Community engagement: block parties, Coffee with a Cop, Special Olympics, Shop with a Cop, and Thanksgiving meal deliveries.
• Key Discussion:
  • Police Private Duty Fund increase: used to offset vehicle and radio maintenance costs; based on conservative revenue estimates from contractors (e.g., Comcast).
  • Dispatch staffing: shift to part-time due to retirements and training; currently transitioning back to full-time with eight dispatchers nearly onboarded.
  • Support services: moving a lieutenant from administrative to patrol; currently have one community relations officer filled, with two youth engagement officers and an SRO; goal is to add a second community relations officer through internal shift, not new hire.
  • Animal control: one full-time officer funded by general fund; budget for supplies increased due to veterinary costs (e.g., an outbreak at the pound). Donations (food, supplies) are given back to the community; Friends of Windsor Animal Control no longer active.
  • Part 1 crime statistics: Windsor continues to have low rates of violent crime (criminal homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, human trafficking).
  • Recruitment and training: officers must be 21, with two years of college or four years of military; out-of-state transfers require about six to eight weeks of department-specific training; new hires take about 11 months from academy to solo patrol.

Fire Department

• Presenters: Chief Stephen Yankee and Fire Administrator Paul Goldberg (Chief Dan Bianchi also present).
• FY25 Status: Projected $69,420 over budget (≈5%) due to energy costs and utilities.
• FY26 Proposed Budget: Increase of $44,220 (3.2%) due to personnel costs and energy/utility increases.
• Highlights: Received $20,500 in state reimbursement for emergency responses on limited-access highways. Continued focus on recruitment and retention through LOSAP (pension), property tax reductions (up to $2,000), new vehicle purchases, and the new firehouse at 340 Bloomfield Ave.
• Key Discussion:
  • Manpower: currently 62 active firefighters (≈80 on the books); sufficient for most situations but an internal review underway to plan for potential future needs, possibly including paid personnel during daytime hours or automatic mutual aid with neighboring towns.
  • Recruitment efforts: high school program yielded five new members in three years; 30 students currently signed up. Department participates in community events (Touch a Truck, Shad Derby).
  • Requirements: age 18, physical exam, background check; Firefighter I training takes about six months (academy + field training).
  • Membership: youngest member is 3 years old (honorary), oldest in 80s; 52 years of service for one chief.
  • Fleet: planning to replace a 27-year-old ladder truck; specifications expected by September 2025; delivery takes up to three years. The FY26 CIP includes funding for this replacement.
  • The department has four main firehouses and one satellite station; operates boats for water rescues.
  • Council expressed strong support for maintaining the volunteer model, noting that a paid department would be far more expensive.

Ambulance Services (Windsor EMS)

• Presenter: Chief Dan Moyler (Windsor EMS is a nonprofit, not a town department, but funded in part by the town).
• FY25 Status: Expenditures under budget due to salary savings; revenues under budget due to lower insurance reimbursement rates and a higher number of uninsured patients.
• FY26 Proposed Budget: Requested town contribution of $754,830, an increase of $160,000 (first year of lease payments for five new ambulances).
• Highlights: Recruitment campaign yielded 61 applications, leading to six full-time EMTs, one paramedic supervisor, and nine part-time staff. Staffing improvements reduced mutual aid calls from ≈17% to under 10% of total calls.
• Key Discussion:
  • New ambulances: five van-style units expected starting late spring/early summer 2025, replacing fleet averaging 12 years old (normal lifespan 7 years). Lease cost $160,000/year for five years.
  • Call volume: approximately 5,000 calls per year; mutual aid used when multiple calls occur in short windows (average call duration 1 hour 15 minutes).
  • Reimbursement challenges: Medicare/Medicaid pay about 60% of billable rates; private insurance ≈75-80%; private pay collections ≈50%. BLS transport billed at ≈$920; ALS (paramedic) at ≈$1,400.
  • Advocacy: EMS leaders encourage residents to contact state and federal representatives about maintaining or increasing reimbursement rates. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and COST have raised awareness but it is not a top priority.
  • Board of Directors: currently four members; hoping to add two more in June. Council member suggested formal town representation on the board given the taxpayer contribution.

Recreation & Leisure Services

• Presenters: Director Paul Norris, with division leaders Terry Nodine (Northwest Park), Rebecca Joyce (Senior Center/Transportation), Rich Henderson (Recreation), and Kirsten Coleman (Youth Services Bureau).
• FY25 Status: Expenditures exceeded original budget by ≈$95,000 (2.5%) due to unexpected grants; general fund expenditures expected slightly under budget by ≈$34,000 (1.4%) due to staff vacancies.
• FY26 Proposed Budget: Increase of $247,710 (6.7%); general fund increase of $210,000 (8.4%), largely for personnel costs, software maintenance, and the senior lunch program (≈15% of the increase is due to general fund contributing to that program after loss of vendor funding).
• Highlights:
  • Community center at 330 Windsor Avenue: new tools for visually impaired in registration system; grand reopening of pools at Gosley and Welch (500+ attendees).
  • Senior services: served over 6,500 meals through a five-day lunch program; partnerships with travel agencies.
  • Youth Services Bureau: Summer Teen Employment Program and Youth Summit; losing $15,000 Youth Violence Prevention Grant and $13,000 Juvenile Review Board Enhancement Grant (≈10% of Youth Services budget).
  • Northwest Park: 450+ Discovery Day participants; live animal demos for nearly 300 visitors; heritage breed farm animals preserved.
• Key Discussion:
  • Senior lunch program: contracted with CRT (56 meals/week free) and a West Hartford vendor for the other three days; a part-time kitchen administrator hired.
  • Transportation: $35 suggested annual donation; seven-day service with evening/weekend special trips. Vehicles moved to police/public works complex for security after catalytic converter thefts.
  • Facility maintenance: annual spring/fall walkthroughs with public works; capital improvement priorities include tennis courts at Welch (deteriorated) and Sage Park; gym at 330 Windsor Avenue to be resurfaced in 1–2 years.
  • Programs: 425 recreation programs offered in FY26 (down slightly from 435 due to interest/availability).
  • Dog park confirmed at Northwest Park.
  • Youth programs: scholarships available ($14,000 in general fund for recreation scholarships); discounts offered for low-income families.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes or decisions were taken during this special meeting; the presentations were informational for budget deliberation.
• The Town Council announced two public budget hearings: April 28, 2025 and April 30, 2025, where residents may comment on the proposed FY26 budget.
• Several departments noted ongoing challenges: Health Services (grant funding cuts), Police (recruitment and retention), Fire (volunteer manpower and potential future transition), Windsor EMS (reimbursement rates and fleet replacement), and Recreation (senior lunch program funding and facility maintenance).
• The Council expressed appreciation for all departments’ efforts and emphasized the importance of maintaining service levels while managing costs.
• Next steps: Council will continue budget review and consider public input before adopting the final FY26 budget.