Three unanimous decisions at town meeting

SALISBURY — Motions for all three items on the agenda at Salisbury’s special town meeting Thursday, July 21, were passed unanimously. The three items voted on were transferring the funds from the Dr. William Bissell Fund, Inc., to the town of Salisbury; approving the 2011-16 plan for the Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP); and the approval of a word change in the Recreation Commission ordinance. There were 12 attendees in addition to First Selectman Curtis Rand and Town Clerk Patty Williams. Charlie Vail was the moderator of the meeting. The motion regarding the Bissell Fund was proposed at the request of the officers of the fund. About $10,000 a year would be saved in investment expenses, fees, insurance and taxes if the assets were held by the town instead of by the nonprofit agency. The officers of the fund had wanted the money transferred by the end of July in order to avoid a $5,000 tax. The fund, which helps Salisbury residents who need help covering medical expenses, currently has $1.3 million and distributes about $50,000 annually. The officers of the fund will continue to decide how the money will be distributed. The motion was passed unanimously. The funds will be held at Salisbury Bank with some town oversight.Rand said in response to a question that distribution of the funds will remain confidential, even once the town takes responsibility for them.A motion was made to make changes to the LoCIP plan. LoCIP funds are granted to towns in Connecticut by the state. Each town must update annually its five-year plan for how to use the funds.The request to change the plan was made because construction of a new baseball field at Trotta Field came in under budget. The revised plan accounts for the money saved from the baseball field, as well as reductions in the estimates of painting and bridgework to be done in the next few years. In answer to a question regarding use of the funds for work done on the wall at Bicentennial Park, Rand explained that the money cannot be used to reimburse the town for work that has already been done.Also approved with unanimity was a change in the wording of the Recreation Commission ordinance. Previously, the ordinance specified a time and place for meetings.A motion was made to amend the first sentence of Section VI so it reads: “The Recreation Commission shall meet regularly.” The motion passed. Because that amendment was not written as such in the call of the meeting or in the newspaper, a motion was made and passed to hold the original amendment as stated in the call “in the event that the amended resolution is found irregular.”