Town Council - Special Meeting

Good evening everyone. Uh, recording in progress.

I'd like to call this uh special meeting of the Plymouth Town Council on January 22nd, 700 p.m. uh to order. Fire exit notifications. If in the event of emergency, you want to go out the back, go to your left through the doors, and that would bring you right directly outside. Go to your right and exit through the two doors that take you out through the police station. I'd like you all to rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Item four is our invocation. Um I'm just going to say a couple of quick things. Um in the absence of a mayor's report, so spare us the time this evening. I know everybody wants to go buy milk. Um u I've received a bunch of correspondents from folks uh emails and otherwise and I want to thank everybody for their communications coming out to me. Um one I received reminded me of um something my mother when she was a Sunday school teacher shared with me. So I wanted to use this as her invocation tonight uh which is the serenity prayer. So God grant us the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change. courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference. So, got to bless the town of Plymouth. Thank you for indulging me. At this point, this is a special meeting, so we have a limited agenda, but we do have item five, which is

public comment. If anyone has any item to address the town council, please come forward. And as you know, we need to just state your name for the record and or write it down, whatever you choose, or both. Uh John Murphy. Um I just want to thank the council for moving forward with this and helping the WPCA out. You know, it's an urgently needed item. Uh there's also some safety issues down there that we're on capitals for that uh urgently need to get looked at. Thank you.

Thank you. Additional public comment. Melanie Church, 328 Main Street. You know, I I've been going to capitals, and it's very, very sad. Everybody's starting now to want to be like the police department and have all these separate funds put for them. I'm urging each and every one of you to say no. And the reason why is we are not in good financial state. We don't have excess money. When emergencies, we're going to be we'll be running. We need to build it up. That is why there were fees added. We are part of Connecticut. Connecticut, we pay our taxes. Our taxes pay the bills. Now, once we buy a truck and then it gets too old, they sell it and they keep the money. So, how many times are we paying for a vehicle or for anything else? Two and three times, you know? Yes, we're supposed to take care of ourselves, but we're not going to be able to eventually if it keeps going like this. This is a runaway trade and we're not gaining. And everybody can say, well, gee, this town spends four 4.5%. We don't have it to do it unless you want to keep taking away from the public and look them in the face and tell them why you're taking it away. Another thing I encourage every single one of you

council people to go to the board of ed meeting on a second Wednesday. They want Bristol Boys and Girls Club to take over most of our stuff for our kids. They're going to lowball us. But then what happens three years down the line when they jump it skyhigh and people can't afford it? We need to look at this and to look at it hard and I encourage each and every one of you. Stand up for your constituents. Come to that meeting and be heard. Thank you. Thank you very much. Any additional public comment on any topic? Any public comment? Any public comment? Seeing none, thank you everyone for your participation and again thanks for coming out to a special meeting. I'd like to move to item six which is discuss and take action on a resolution for a lease agreement. I spelled that wrong. Sorry about that everybody. Take action on a lease agreement. We have to pass a resolution for a lease agreement would be for the Vaccon sewer truck with attachments. I provided you some details of the truck itself. You'll also notice that the payment schedule that we sent was based on the original dates. However, uh I do we do have Jason Patrick, our uh plant manager who has been working with uh myself and the finance department to enter into this agreement. Um, even though WPCA is a quasi part of the town, if you will, any lease agreements or, you know, large

purchase agreements are still through the town of Plymouth, and that's why uh, this agreement needs a resolution. Funding for this vehicle will come out of the WPCA income. There's no obligation on the town side of the budget for the purchase of this vehicle. Um, you have the packet. Uh, Jason is here this evening. If you have specific questions about this vehicle or the lease agreement, um, he has agreed to come up and take any answer any questions. I really only understand that, um, it's a necessary piece of equipment and unfortunately they're not getting any cheaper. So, with that, I would um, uh, let's let's do it this I would entertain a moment motion um I would entertain a motion that the town of Plymouth enter into a lease agreement with lease service center incorporated DBA NCL Government Capital that is the leasing company for the purchase of a VACcon sewer truck with attachments. This vehicle is valued at $410,37. Is there a motion to that effect?

I'll make the motion. Motion. I heard TJ first and I'll take that as a second. Mr. Green. Great. Thank you very much. Now we are open for discussion. Any discussion, questions about this? I have one. What What was the actual process utilized to go to either go off the bid or pull the lease or sequest at this point or obtain lease? How I checked on our bid on our on our website. I didn't see the bid any bid on the website. So you could go to an RFQ or an RP and go up to bid. I didn't see any of that. So, what was the process you passed?

I would have to defer to Mr. Patrick if you could kind of come up and explain how we got here. Thank you. Okay. So, um we uh reached out to three companies um that specialize in a smaller uh jet back truck. And that is because of the current garage we have. Now, um looking into these the three companies that make the uh specialty trucks, only one uh truck would actually fit in our garage. So by that process of elimination um we came down to the getting the backon truck which was also the lowest bid but we did reach out for three bits

on the end of the lease. Is it is it yours or is there you turn it in? Are we obligated at the end of the year? Uh no the lifespan's about 15 to 20 years. Okay. So is it ours at the end of the lease? Correct. It's a purchase lease. Correct. That's okay. I'm I'm good for now.

Thank you very much. Additional questions for our plant manager. I I just one quick question for me and I I know we discussed this but I don't recall that the lifespan though of this truck is 20 some odd years I think or something like that. We can expect to get some service out of this. Yeah. So, the one we have now currently is 24 years old. Okay. Um, and with good maintenance, they could easily see over 20 years. Thank you. I appreciate that. Anyone else? Any other questions, comments from the council? Will be sold?

Yes, it will. Um, we're getting prices now. Right now, um, the truck builders has offered us, uh, the highest, which is $10,000. Yep. Additional questions, additional discussion. Um, I'll start with the far end. We'll do a roll call vote, please. Mr. Engel, yes. Mr. Tisha, yes. Mr. Green, Miss Sue, I just looking for I was searching for a pronoun. That was a yes. Thank you very much. Mr. Zigerski. Yes.

Thank Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Thanks for your participation, Jason. And thank you, council. The motion carries and uh we'll get a hold of you and I I have the document the uh from the packet that you shared with me. I'll complete it with the date of the resolution and sign the necessary documents and we'll get that going. uh hopefully tomorrow if we're not planning for the you know the blizzard of 26 here. Okay. Very good. All right. Let's move to item number seven. Uh this is a discussion and take action on the recommended candidate for public works director. Let me give you some background on our candidate um and some background on how we got here. As you know uh this is a highly competitive position. Um, I feel uh fortunate that we have a gentleman of uh Joseph Subneski, excuse me, uh, of his caliber with uh, experience. Um, we went through an interview process where I conducted an interview. We interviewed with um, my staff. Uh we also asked uh chairman Joe Kerry of the public works board and another member of the public works board to come and conduct an interview. We did that and then uh just the other evening we met with the public the entire public works board. Um and Joe took questions and we discussed um the vision of how we want to move the public works department forward. uh not only as a facilities organization but also as a better planning organization and improving and uh improving the oversight of the highway department. Uh historically there's been

some in my view there's been some gaps on the operations and oversight of uh public works and highway and they seem to be operating as two different organizations. That's something that um a vision that Joe and I share about different things that we can do um to improve that. Um so um I would would like to entertain a motion and then we can open up for further discussion. I'd like you to have a motion to uh enter into a one-year contract with Joseph Zaneski uh as the public works director. This contract is the same contract that was previously in place with our former director. It is a one-year contract. This also contains a 90-day probationary period under which time the town or uh Joe could uh remove himself uh from the position without cause. So then the town has that option. Also uh again it's the same contract, same wages, same benefits. There's no changes to any of that. and I'd be happy to provide that information to the council um as as soon as I received the confirmation from attorney Hamzy. Um the other point I want to make is also this would be condition conditional on the uh receipt of the full background check which is currently in process and I hope to have those results very shortly. So is there a motion to um enter into contract with Joseph Seski at the as the public works director for the town of Plymouth? Motion Mr. Green second by Sue. Every everybody's very fast there. All right, hold on one moment. Phil Green second. Any discussion or questions?

February 2nd. Monday, February 2nd. We're eager to get to work. And it is pending the

Yes. Yes. Um all the I did check today the um that that is definitely in process. The company that supports us and for background checks uh is in receipt of all the information. Uh we're we're waiting. I I I don't expect any issues. I I believe I'd have to check with our payroll clerk who's managing that. Uh but as of this afternoon, we we haven't received any um any issues that were, you know, aware of, but I don't expect any. Just let you I'll let you folks know by phone call immediately upon, you know, when we're when we're all set.

He is. Joe, would you stand up and be recognized? Um I'm not sure if you have any statements prepared, but if you'd like to address the council, we welcome that. Um good evening. Um you might you might have to get used to that, Joe.

Uh good evening. Um, my name is Joseph Neski. I grew up in this town. Um, I live uh on Hillside A. Uh, I see this as an opportunity to give back to the town that uh helped shape me. Uh, I spent the last 18 years working in the construction industry. Um, I've got an extensive background um in uh landscape architecture. Um, and I'm interested in bringing um I'm interested in in bringing a new energy to the town and and helping the citizens of this town.

Thank you. Thank you, Joan. Appreciate it. Put you on the spot. Thank you. Any other discussion? Anything from the council? Any discussion? hearing none. Uh I'll start with the left hand side. Uh in favor, Mr. Zigerski, yes. Mard. Mr. Green, yes. Ron Tisha, yes. Mr. Engel, yes.

Thank you for your Thank you for your support. Motion carries. Welcome to the team. Appreciate it. Find my agenda for a special meeting. I'm not used to this. There it is. Oh, how about that? A adjournment. Is there a motion to adjurnn? So move, Mr. Anglo. Second, Mr. Tisha. All those in favor?

Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Have a good night. Stay safe, everybody. Look on our website and we will be making formal information about how we're going to deal with this storm and whether or not town hall offices will be functioning as normal on Monday. Good luck, Tom Crow. Thank you. Thank you. Good night, public. Good night, members of the visiting public. Have a good night.