b. Endorsement of the Employer Discretionary Benefit Policy On a motion by Chris Bielik, seconded by Jerry Sitko, it was unanimously

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1 MINUTES Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and Central Naugatuck Valley MPO NVCOG Conference Room 49 Leavenworth St., 3 rd Floor Waterbury, CT 10 a.m., Friday, December 9, 2016 NVCOG Representatives: Rich Dziekan, Alternate, Ansonia; Chris Bielik, First Selectman, Beacon Falls; Len Assard First Selectman, Bethlehem; Ken Cockayne, Mayor, Bristol; Jerry Sitko, Alternate, Cheshire; Anita Dugatto, Mayor, Derby; Ed St. John, First Selectman, Middlebury; Pete Hess, Mayor, Ron Pugliese, Alternate, Naugatuck; Tom Galvin, Alternate, Prospect; Jeff Manville, First Selectman, John Monteleone, Alternate, Southbury; Ed Mone, First Selectman, Thomaston; Neil O Leary, Mayor, Waterbury; Tom Dunn, Mayor, Wolcott; Bill Butterly, First Selectman, Woodbury. Guests/Other: Judy Mancini, City of Waterbury; Sara Radacsi, CTDOT; Peter Hart, Retirement & Benefit Systems, LLC; Mark Massaro, Garett Sheehan, Eversource; Ellen Graham, Senator Richard Blumenthal s Office. Staff: Rick Dunne, Mark Nielsen, Aaron Budris, Joanna Rogalski, Glenda Prentiss, Arthur Bogen, Trish Bauer, Lauren Rizzo, Christian Meyer, John DiCarlo, Max Tanguay-Colucci, Karen Svetz, Ben Muller, Bill Leverence. Prior to the start of the meeting, there was a presentation by Frank Monteiro, United Way of Greater Waterbury Campaign Chair, and Atty. Kara Summa, United Way of Greater Waterbury Board Member, followed by a presentation by Courtney Hendricson of CERC. 1. Commencement of Meeting (Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call, Public Comment) Chairman Neil O Leary called the meeting to order at 10:27 a.m. Those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance and the roll was called. There was no public comment. 2. Retirement Plan Peter Hart of Retirement & Benefit Systems, LLC explained the provisions for the pension re-alignment that are necessary in order to have one plan for all eligible NVCOG employees. He also answered questions raised. a. Revision of Plan Document 401(a) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan On a motion by Bill Butterly, seconded by Jerry Sitko, it was unanimously To adopt the 401(a) Defined Contribution Plan, as known as the NVCOG Defined Contribution Plan under the terms of the Plan Document and any Third Party Administrator Agreements it may enter into or any agency compensation policies it may adopt, now or in the future. Retroactive to July 1, 2016 all eligible employees shall immediately become eligible to receive contributions as defined in the NVCOG Employer Discretionary Benefit Policy or other negotiated employee compensation agreements. b. Endorsement of the Employer Discretionary Benefit Policy On a motion by Chris Bielik, seconded by Jerry Sitko, it was unanimously

2 To endorse the NVCOG employer contributions schedule as outlined in Memorandum NVCOG Employer Contributions. c. Adoption of the State of Connecticut Employee Deferred Compensation Plan 457(b) On a motion by Ed St. John, seconded by Anita Dugatto, it was unanimously To adopt the State of Connecticut Deferred Compensation Section 457 Plan, also known as the State of Connecticut Employee Deferred Compensation Section 457 Plan under the terms of the Plan Document and the Third Party Administrator Agreement. All eligible employees shall become eligible to defer compensation as soon as it is administratively feasible. 3. CNVMPO Activities (Voting members for these items are limited to the 15 CEOs in the CNVMPO area) a. Approval of TIP Amendments i. Project No Construct Improvements at Exit 16 on I-84 in Southbury. Add Federal funds for construction under the NHPP and REP Programs. Mark Nielsen reviewed the amendments to the Transportation Improvement Plan, as outlined in Memorandum TIP(02). On a motion by Ed St. John, seconded by Jeff Manville, it was unanimously To approve the proposed amendments to the FFY Transportation Improvement Program as shown in Memorandum TIP(02). b. Approval of Air Quality Conformity and Determination of TIP and LRTP Mark Nielsen reviewed the details for items i,ii, and iii below, as outlined in Memorandum AirQuality. i. Ozone NAAQS Greater Connecticut Marginal Non-Attainment Area (CNVMPO Resolution ) ii. Ozone NAAQS NY-NJ-CT Marginal Non-Attainment Area (CNVMPO Resolution ) iii. PM2.5 NAAQS Connecticut Portion of the NY-NNJ-LI Attainment/Maintenance Area (CNVMPO Resolution ) On a motion by Ed Mone, seconded by Ed St. John, it was unanimously To approve the Air Quality Conformity and Determination of TIP and LRTP, as contained within CNVMPO Resolutions , , and c. Approval of Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program Project List Mark Nielsen reviewed the FAST Act Transportation Alternatives Program project list to be submitted to CTDOT for consideration, as detailed in Memorandum TAP and shown as items i, ii, iii, and iv below. i. Waterbury Urbanized Area Extension of Beacon Falls section along Route 42; Extension of Middlebury Greenway along Route 63; Little River Walkway in Oxford; and Waterbury Greenway Phase 1 (Contingency Project) ii. Hartford Urbanized Area Implement Sidewalk Network Enhancements in and around Plymouth High School iii. New Haven Urbanized Area Cheshire-Meriden Airline Trail Connector iv. Anywhere Extend Naugatuck Greenway from Pulaski Bridge to Waterbury TL On a motion by Ed Mone, seconded by Jerry Sitko, it was unanimously 2

3 To adopt CNVMPO Resolution to approve the list of projects and to direct staff to submit the project application to CTDOT for funding consideration under their respective Urbanized Area. 4. NVCOG Administrative Items a. Approval of the Minutes of the October 14, 2016 NVCOG & CNVMPO Meeting On a motion by Tom Dunn, seconded by Tom Galvin, it was unanimously To approve the minutes of the October 14, 2016 NVCOG & CNVMPO meeting. b. Financial Report Finance Director William Leverence explained that the auditor had determined that reconstruction of FY2015 data was required in QuickBooks due to the audited data not being reflected in the financial system. This has delayed reporting on the current 2017 fiscal year. The auditor is due to return in late December/early January and an audit extension has been approved through January 31, 2017, Preliminary estimates for FY2016 year-end shows a projected deficit of $7,080. FY2017 year to date (through November) shows that personnel and support expenses are in line with budgeted expectations for the year. c. Approval of Proposed 2017 Meeting Schedule On a motion by Ed Mone, seconded by Bill Butterly, it was unanimously To approve, as presented, the 2017 NVCOG and CNVMPO meeting schedule. d. Director s Report i. NVEDD/CEDS Executive Director Rick Dunne stated that a meeting was held with SEDC concerning NVEDD/CEDS update. NVCOG will be able to keep its commitment of funding at least half the project through services provided by NVCOG. The grant cycle ends in June. ii. OPM Study Concerning Additional COG Representatives for Municipalities with Populations of 50,000 or more Mr. Dunne said that a bill was proposed during the last legislative session to give weighted voting at COG meetings. It was tabled by the legislature and moved to a study, which OPM must deliver before the beginning of this session. OPM is asking for COG comments. The unanimous consensus of NVCOG would be to have the voting remain as one town, one vote. Mr. Dunne also reported on CTCOG s priorities for this legislative session: for the definition of logical planning regions to be a law across all statutes, to preserve funding for the state grant in aid to COGs, to continue funding for the LOTCIP program, and a proposal from West COG and River COG to put legislation up to designate COGs in place of counties for federal purposes. iii. Approval of Executive Director Timesheets Mr. Dunne also explained that the Federal Highway Administration is now requesting that an officer of NVCOG sign the executive director s timesheet. iv. Mobilitie Mr. Dunne said staff recorded their meeting with Mobilitie and it is on NVCOG s YouTube channel. Mobilitie was given a certificate by PURA in The revenue is not equal to that of cell towers. There are two different types of poles, the taller one is 120 and can only support two carriers. The Siting Council still has to act. Discussion followed. 3

4 Additionally, Ed Mone requested a status report on the MPO re-designation. Mr. Dunne said that two meetings had been scheduled, unfortunately, Bridgeport was not in attendance at the first, and there was not a quorum at the second. 5. Municipal Shared Services Update a. County Health District Concept John DiCarlo explained the proposed regional health districts, as outlined in Memorandum RHD. NVCOG staff feels the regional system currently in place is sufficient. Ed Mone said he had asked that this item be placed on the agenda and felt it was important that NVCOG take a position of opposition to the proposed regional health districts. On a motion by Ed Mone, seconded by Jerry Sitko, it was unanimously To adopt Resolution opposing the proposal of the Public Health Commissioner to consolidate local health departments with circulation to include the Governor, the Public Health Commissioner, the OPM Secretary, and the NVCOG local legislative delegation. b. Approval of TTAC Subcommittee Recommendations of MS4 Consulting On-Call Vendor List John DiCarlo reported that NVCOG issued an RFP to create a pre-qualified list of firms to provide consulting services to assist municipalities in the preparation of updated SMPs and registration to the MS4 program. A committee reviewed the responses and recommended six firms to the on-call list. On a motion by Ken Cockayne, seconded by Ed St. John, it was unanimously To adopt the TTAC MS4 RFP subcommittee s recommendations for the MS4 on-call vendor list. c. Program Update Mr. DiCarlo reviewed the successes and challenges of municipal shared services programming initiatives, as outlined in Memorandum MSS. While NVCOG s MSS programming remains opt-in, not mandated, there are a number of cases where municipal staff reluctance is hindering opportunities. Lack of participation in serious analysis of areas where funds can be saved has limited implementation of opportunities approved for evaluation by the MSS committee. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities continues to increase its support of regional initiatives and for having COGs provide an administrative role in service delivery. State government has also made it clear that towns will need to squeeze more services from less dollars provided in future state budgets. CEOs strongly supported the establishment of shared services programming as a goal in NVCOG s creation. Municipal staff has not demonstrated the same mindset and additional direction from CEOs is needed to ensure proposals are given due consideration. Following discussion, Ed Mone requested that Mr. DiCarlo distribute to all CEOs the information or a link to the website where the shared equipment database is located along with the information regarding MS4, particularly rate sheets. Mr. DiCarlo said it would be sent in that afternoon. 6. NVCOG Planning/Transportation Items a. Issues and Options with the Regional Planning Commission Joanna Rogalski spoke about the RPC meeting schedule and mentioned there can be difficulty in achieving a quorum. She asked the CEOs to encourage their RPC representatives to make an extra effort to attend. b. Adoption of the NRG Uniform Signage and Wayfinding Design Manual and Authorization for NVCOG to Submit a Recreational Trails Grant Application to Purchase NRG Signs Mark Nielsen 4

5 said the design manual has been endorsed by the steering committee, and was now being presented to NVCOG for endorsement as well, along with an authorization request for NVCOG to submit a Recreational Trails grant application to DEEP to purchase some of the signs. On a motion by Ed St. John, seconded by Bill Butterly, it was unanimously To adopt the Uniform Signage and Wayfinding Design Manual and to authorize Rick Dunne, NVCOG Executive Director, to submit a grant request to the DEEP Recreational Trails Program to purchase signs for use along the Naugatuck River Greenway, and to enter into any resulting agreements if the grant is awarded. c. LOTCIP Status and Financial Plan Mark Nielsen said staff has been working with the municipalities that have submitted LOTCIP applications. A chart was displayed showing cumulative LOTCIP funding allocations, project commitments and project expenditures. Another chart showed NVCOG LOTCIP balance at authorization to award. NVCOG is putting together a program that will fund the projects that the towns are submitting. Staff met with CTDOT and it is expected that commitment letters for two projects will be received soon. Mr. Dunne said that First Selectman Miller of Seymour, who was unable to attend the meeting, had asked him to inquire about Seymour s pending LOTCIP project at Holbrook Road. Mr. Dunne asked if comments had been received back from the State. Karen Svetz said she had been going back and forth with the engineer a little bit, and she would be sending it back to the State following her review. d. Approval of Cost Increases on Three LOTCIP Projects Mr. Nielsen explained that CTDOT LOTCIP guidelines stipulate that projects must be endorsed by a COG before they can proceed to application phase and each subsequent time the total project cost estimate increases by 20% or more. In the course of design, the estimated costs for the Wakelee Avenue full depth reconstruction project in Ansonia, the Spring Street repaving project in Naugatuck, and the Sylvan Lake Road reconstruction project in Watertown have all increased by 20% or greater. NVCOG staff put together a financial plan based on continued funding, ongoing coordination with the municipalities, and past experience. This financial program allows for all currently approved projects, with proposed cost increases, to be completed under LOTCIP. Based on this financial program, TTAC voted to recommend that NVCOG approve the construction cost estimates on revised project applications and re-endorse the proposed LOTCIP projects. On a motion by Ken Cockayne, seconded by Tom Dunn, it was unanimously To adopt Resolution approving construction cost estimates based on revised project applications and re-endorsing proposed LOTCIP projects. e. Approval of Third Party Review by BSC for Watertown Sylvan Lake Road LOTCIP Project Mr. Nielsen said the Sylvan Lake Road reconstruction project is nearing completion of final design and requires an independent review. The proposed fee from BSC Group is reasonable and within the financial constraints of the LOTCIP program. Staff recommends the approval of the agreement with BSC Group to complete design review of the project and to allocate LOTCIP program funds in an amount not to exceed $9,875. Furthermore, it is recommended that the Executive Director be authorized to execute the agreement on behalf of NVCOG. On a motion by Chris Bielik, seconded by Tom Dunn, it was unanimously To approve the agreement with BSC Group to provide design review for the Sylvan Lake Road reconstruction project in the Town of Watertown and to allocate LOTCIP funds 5

6 available to NVCOG for administration and design review service in an amount not to exceed $9,875. Additionally, NVCOG authorizes the Executive Director to execute the agreement with BSC Group on behalf of NVCOG. 7. Approval to Submit Application for Small-Scale Manufacturing and Place-Based Economic Development Workshops Max Tanguay-Colucci and Joanna Rogalski said this would be an opportunity to organize a 2-3 day workshop with Smart Growth America and another organization called Recast City that focuses on helping municipalities implement maker-spaces and smaller scale manufacturing. They said it might be a good opportunity for the Regional Planning Commission and members of the Regional Brownfields Partnership to come together and talk about issues municipalities face in effecting these sort of projects. Chairman O Leary asked that his office and the Work Force Board be kept in the loop. On a motion by Ed St. John, seconded by Jerry Sitko, it was unanimously To empower and authorize Executive Director Rick Dunne to sign, draft, and execute any and all documents and contracts required in the pursuit and acceptance of the Smart Growth Alliance Technical Assistance Program Small Scale Manufacturing and Place-Based Economic Development. 8. Emergency Management Update Joanna Rogalski said the memorandums of agreement and blanket resolutions for the Homeland Security Grant Program for FY 2016 are due by January 11, Any municipalities requiring assistance with the paperwork should contact her. 9. Other Ed St. John said he d had the opportunity to work closely with NVCOG staff and wanted to commend them. Chairman O Leary noted that the region has a great COG and the message is clear that the members of NVCOG want to see every municipality succeed. 10. Adjournment At 11:50 a.m., on a motion by Ed Mone, seconded by Bill Butterly, it was unanimously To adjourn the meeting. Respectfully submitted by Lauren Rizzo Administrative Services Coordinator for Ken Cockayne Secretary 6