Politics & Government

Council: Exploring Shared Services is a Top Goal

Shared accounting was even discussed on Tuesday.

Town Council members on Tuesday outlined several goals they want to concentrate on for the current term. 

It was part of a special meeting conducted before Tuesday's regularly scheduled meeting. 

Council Chairman Jack Scavone said a realistic number of goals to work with would be "no more than a half-a-dozen," and that is just what the council decided on. 

They included a solar energy field and economic development. 

But the topic that received the most play was consolidation of services among other departments - namely the Board of Education.
 
The concept of shared services in the school and municipal buildings should be on the table in the near future, council members said. But then council member Jan Rubino threw a wrinkle into the discussion by asking about sharing accounting.
 
Town Manager Steven Werbner said the concept has come up twice since he arrived in Tolland in 2005. 

He said one major hurdle is that the education and municipal systems are not compatible. Werbner said it is estimated that $120,000 would be needed to fix the situation. 

"Change is difficult - it really is - but I think it is doable," Rubino said. "We can't keep doing things the same way."

Council member Richard Field suggested forming a joint committee to explore the concept in detail, something Werbner said was a good course of action. 

The council will likely draft a letter to the school board to gauge interest in forming such a committee. 


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