Chill Develops Between Flatto, Board of Finance

Spring is turning to summer, but a chill is developing between First Selectman Ken Flatto and members of the town's Board of Finance.

Flatto failed to attend the board's quarterly budget review meeting Wednesday night, and Republicans and Democrats on the board were not pleased, especially because Flatto, a Democrat, had been absent from the board's quarterly budget review meetings in the past.

Board of Finance Chairman Tom Flynn, a Republican, said the board couldn't discuss one of its agenda items - a review of how non-profits get on a list to receive taxpayers' money in annual budgets - without Flatto present.

"This will be a difficult discussion to have without the first selectman present. Frankly, I'm disappointed. I don't know what his other obligations are," Flynn said. "I was hoping the first selectman would be here tonight so he could explain the internal process he goes through as these agencies are added and subtracted to the budget book."

"We didn't think all of the agencies were deserving, but we didn't know how they got there and why they stayed there," Flynn said during Wednesday night's meeting.

In 2010-11, a total of 20 non-profits are due to receive $851,956 from Fairfield taxpayers, pending the Representative Town Meeting's vote next Monday to adopt a 2010-11 town budget.

Ken Brachfeld, a Democrat on the Board of Finance, said during Wednesday night's meeting that he was "somewhat disappointed that he's not here, and I would ask that we put this off."

"It's not the biggest number we deal with, but I think, morally, it's very interesting how groups get on and get off," Brachfeld said. "I think it should be discussed in some detail, but with the only person who can provide information."

Robert Stone, a Democrat on the Board of Finance, said either Flatto or Selectman Sherri Steeneck should attend the board's quarterly budget review meetings. "I don't see why we're doing these meetings," he said.

Michael Tetreau, a Democrat on the Board of Finance, said Flatto's absence makes quarterly budget review meetings "very unproductive."

"It's made it very unproductive for us and for the people who show up here. If the first selectman can't be here, we should move this meeting to a time and date when he can attend," Tetreau said.

There was some confusion about how many quarterly budget review meetings Flatto had missed. Flynn on Wednesday night thought he had been absent from three of the last four, while Flatto said today that he'd missed a couple.

Fairfield Patch's review of minutes from the last five quarterly budget review meetings determined that Flatto had missed three of the five and was 25 minutes late to one of the two he attended.

Chief Fiscal Officer Paul Hiller said Wednesday night that Flatto had to attend a Boy Scouts' function.

Flatto said today that Board of Finance members' comments about his non-attendance at quarterly budget review meetings were "silly."

"That's so silly," Flatto said. "The Board of Finance knows I have gone to numerous Board of Finance meetings and go to more meetings than any other town official. If I miss a couple of meetings a year where there is no significant action being taken, I would think they would have the courtesy to understand that."

"It's not the first selectman's job to give quarterly updates to the Board of Finance. The first selectman goes as a courtesy because it's important to share information," Flatto said.

Flatto added that he had gone to special meetings with the Board of Finance during last year's economic crisis and resulting impact on town finances and that he didn't believe there were any issues with this year's quarterly budget review.

Flatto said the Board of Finance had met 20 times this fiscal year, which includes the board's regular meetings, and he'd missed two. "That's pretty incredible. I would hope the Board of Finance would be grateful I'm attending as many meetings as I have," he said.

The issue for Board of Finance members Wednesday night was Flatto's absence from quarterly budget review meetings, not regular meetings of the board.

After Wednesday night's meeting, Flynn said Flatto had missed "quite a few" quarterly budget review meetings and that Board of Finance members' displeasure was bi-partisan. "It's become problematic for our board," Flynn said. "It's enough so that board members have a problem from both sides of the aisle."

Flynn said Hiller can answer questions but can't speak definitively for Flatto on matters pertaining to the administration's financial policies and what might be happening in town departments.

The agenda item that was postponed Wednesday night was: "To discuss the process of origination, current and future funding requests and elimination within the Town's operating budget for Private Agencies."

Flatto prepares the annual town budget that is reviewed and voted on by town boards and decides how much taxpayers' money to give to non-profits, though that amount can be increased or reduced by the Board of Finance and reduced by the RTM.

In 2010-11, a total of 20 non-profits would receive $851,956; the largest amounts are $350,000 to Pequot Library, a privately-owned library in the town's Southport neighborhood that is open to the public, and $175,000 to Fairfield Counseling Services, which provides mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and psychiatric assessment and medication management.