Columbia has some work to do at meeting

Local voters are encouraged to attend a town meeting where they will decide if Columbia should accept four incoming grants and re-organize town funds.

The meeting - which will be held Thursday - begins at 7 p.m. in Yeomans Hall.

The following items will be up for discussion and possible approval:
• Approval for the Library Expansion Building Committee to move to the preliminary design stage and accept $50,000 in Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grants from the state for the architectural design.
• Accepting a $47,546 STEAP grant for the purchase of a breathing air compressor for the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department.
• Accepting a $9,100 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to purchase security cameras for the town’s Department of Public Works and transfer station.
• Accepting, upon final approval, a $40,436 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to replace windows, doors and heating/ventilation/air conditioning units at Yeomans Hall and the Adella G. Urban Administrative Town Offices.
• Transferring $15,000 from the “summer camp salaries” budget item to the finance department’s “professional/technical” line item.

If residents approve accepting the grant for the library expansion, town officials will establish a capital account entitled “Library Expansion - Phase Two” and will transfer $50,000 from the town’s undesignated fund balance into it.

The money will then be spent up front for the project and the state will reimburse Columbia for the funds.

Originally, residents approved during an October town meeting to use $50,000 from the town’s undesignated fund balance to pay for the air compressor.

However, now that town officials have learned they received state funding for the purchase, selectmen are asking residents to approve the acceptance of the grant.

“That’s a direct savings to the town,” said outgoing First Selectman Donald Cianci during Tuesday’s board meeting.

According to Town Administrator Jonathan Luiz, the transfer in funds from the summer camp to the finance department is simply because not all the money allocated for the recreation department’s camp was used.

He said there were lower enrollment figures this year than anticipated, and because of that, there was less staff hired and fewer salaries paid.

Items presented to voters Thursday only need a majority vote of meeting attendees to pass or fail.