Town of Tolland, CT Chapter A176 Town Policies

[HISTORY: Adopted as indicated in the text. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Personnel policies — See Ch. A174.

§ A176-1 Policy No. 1: Policy Regarding Water Main Assessments.

[Adopted by the Board of Selectmen 11-1-1984]

A. Caveats shall be placed on all properties abutting a Town-owned waterline and shall remain. Caveats shall not be affected by property conveyance or transfer.

B. Liens shall be placed on properties which have a current assessment. Properties which have deferred assessments shall not be liened until such time as a connection to the water system is made. At this time, the deferred assessment becomes a current assessment. All liens must be cleared by payment prior to the transfer of property. Upon payment, the lien shall be released.

C. Assessments shall be levied pursuant to Ordinance No. 20[1] on all properties abutting a Town-owned waterline, except that payments of assessments shall be deferred on certain properties. Properties with a current assessment shall not be conveyed or transferred until the assessment and lien have been paid in full.

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 57, Assessments for Improvements, Art. I.

D. Deferred assessments shall include vacant land, lots of record and existing homes with private wells.

Assessments shall be deferred until such time as the property owner applies for a building permit or where a home presently exists and water service is requested, an assessment will be levied at the time a connection is made to the water system. Property may be conveyed or transferred without payment of an assessment when it has been deferred. All deferred assessments may be adjusted for inflation.

E. Rear lots are lots of five acres or more having a minimum of 50 feet of frontage, as designated by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

F. Rear lot assessments shall be determined by the location of the dwelling in relation to the property frontage. If a home can be built within 200 feet of the waterline on the rear lot, then the property shall be assessed pursuant to the assessment ordinance.[2] In situations where a dwelling cannot be built within 200 feet of a waterline on a rear lot, then an assessment of $1,500 shall be levied.

[2] Editor's Note: See Ch. 57, Assessments for Improvements, Art. I.

G. Distance considerations are predicated upon the fact that all vacant properties, the boundaries of which are within 200 feet of a water main, shall tie into the water main when built upon as in accordance with state law. No private well will be permitted.

H. Connection fees.

[Amended 6-3-1995]

(1) The water connection policy fee for residential customers is $1,000.

(2) The fee for condominiums is $350

(3) The fee for commercial establishments, based on square increments, is as follows:

Dimension of Area (square feet)	Fee
5,000 or less	$1,000.00
5,001 to 10,000	$2,000.00
10,001 to 20,000	$3,000.00
20,001 to 30,000	$4,000.00
30,001 to 40,000	$5,000.00
40,001 to 50,000	$6,000.00
50,001 to 60,000	$7,000.00
60,001 to 70,000	$8,000.00
70,001 to 80,000	$9,000.00
80,001 to 90,000	$10,000.00
90,001 to 100,000	$11,000.00
100,001 to 110,000	$12,000.00
110,001 to 120,000	$13,000.00
120,001 to 130,000	$14,000.00
130,001 to 140,000	$15,000.00
140,001 to 150,000	$16,000.00

§ A176-2 Policy No. 2: Policy Regarding Charges for Copy Services.

[Adopted by the Board of Selectmen 11-22-1983]

The service fee for copying public records shall be $0.15 per page. Use of copying machines shall be restricted to copying public records. This policy does not apply to special copying services such as Town maps, aerial photos and Mylars. Other public documents whose charges are fixed by statute are considered special copy services and are exempt from this policy.

§ A176-3 Policy No. 3: Policy Concerning Disposal of Surplus Real Public Property.

[Adopted by the Board of Selectmen 11-22-1983; modified by Charter Revision 11-7-1984; amended 4-22-2025 by Res. No. 25-19]

A. Before any department, commission, board, offices or employee of the Town shall offer for sale or otherwise dispose of any real property of the Town, such real property shall have been declared surplus to the needs of the Town by the Tolland Planning and Zoning Commission and Town Council.

B. Once such declaration has been obtained, the Town Manager or designated agent shall contact all owners of property abutting the surplus property by letter. The letter shall invite the abutting landowners to submit a written offer to the office of the Town Manager by a certain date.

C. Any offer shall be considered a "reasonable offer" if it equals, at a minimum, the assessed value for the property. All offers shall: 1) be in written form; 2) explain the bidder's intentions regarding the use of the property; 3) demonstrate that such intentions are in compliance with the Town Plan of Conservation and Development; and 4) explain the anticipated long-term economic development impact of their purchase. All offers shall remain confidential until such time as the Town Manager recommends to the Town Council a proposal to convey the property.

D. Once offers have been received from abutting property owners, the Town Manager shall report to the Town Council and seek authorization for a sale for any reasonable offer. In the event that an offer is received but does not satisfy the reasonable criteria, the Town Manager shall report the offer(s) to the Town Council. The Council may waive the reasonable offer criteria if it deems the sale to be in the best interest of the Town and authorize the transaction. The Town Council may reject any reasonable offer if it deems the offer to be inconsistent with the Town Plan of Conservation and Development or does not support economic development. In the event that no offer is received from abutting property owners or no offer is accepted by the Town Council, the Town Manager may offer the property to the community at large. Advertised notice shall be given and the property posted. All offers must be written and be timely submitted.

E. If a reasonable offer has been received, the Town Manager shall report to the Town Council and seek authorization for a sale. In the event that an offer is received but does not satisfy the reasonable criteria, the Town Manager shall report the offer(s) to the Town Council. The Council may waive the reasonable offer criteria if it deems to be in the best interest of the Town.

F. The Town Council may accept the highest offer but may consider authorizing a sale to a lower bidder if the bidder intends to develop the property in a way which furthers the goals of the Tolland Plan of Conservation and Development or maximizes the long-term economic development potential to the Town. Should there exist a tie between the highest and best offers, the Town Manager shall convene the potential purchasers as to resolve the tie by seeking new offers from the potential purchasers. The tie shall be broken by submission of a higher offer and, only if necessary, by a winning toss of a coin. The Town Manager shall then report to the Town Council and seek authorization for a sale.

G. If the Town Council chooses to accept a lower offer based on furtherance of the goals of the Plan of Conservation and Development and long-term economic development potential, any purchase and sale agreement shall be contingent on the buyer receiving land use approvals for their proposed development.

H. Nothing contained herein shall be inconsistent with the provisions of the Town Charter regarding disposition of real property.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: The Charter is included at the beginning of this volume.

I. Nothing contained herein shall obligate the Town Council to approve any offer, regardless of the amount offered. The Town Council is authorized to reject any and all offers in the event it determines that such rejection is in the best interests of the Town.

J. All proceeds from the sale of surplus real property shall be deposited with the Town Treasurer and deposited to the general fund of the Town.

K. Said policy shall not be applicable to the sale of industrial park property.

§ A176-4 Policy No. 4: Policy Concerning Disposal of Surplus Personal Public Property.

[Adopted by the Board of Selectmen 11-22-1983; modified by Charter Revision 11-7-1984; 7-26-2005]

A. Before any department, commission, board, officer or employee of the Town shall offer for sale or otherwise dispose of any personal property of the Town which has been deemed to be surplus to Town needs by the Town Council, an opportunity shall be given for competitive bidding. Sealed bids shall be invited for items whose value is estimated to be in excess of $3,000. Written proposals shall be received by the Town Manager for items of lesser value and sold to the highest bidder.

B. In lieu of written proposals or sealed bids, a public auction may be conducted, at which time various surplus items will be offered for sale.

C. Items of personal property which are of little or no value may be scrapped at the discretion of the Town Manager.

D. All proceeds from the above activities shall be deposited with the Town Treasurer and deposited to the Capital Account of the Town.

E. The Town Council may waive the requirements for the above when, in its opinion, the circumstances of a particular case are in the best interests of the Town.

F. This policy shall not be employed when items are to be used as trade-in items on replacement property.

G. Sale of public property shall be made pursuant to § C10-3 of the Town Charter.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: The Charter is included at the end of the beginning of this volume.

§ A176-5 Policy No. 5: Policy Regarding Use of Public Safety Personnel at Public Events in School Buildings and Grounds. [1]

[Adopted by the Board of Selectmen 4-10-1984]

A. Background.

(1) State laws and regulations require safe conditions on places of public assembly or amusement. In addition to codes covering building construction, fire protection and safe occupancy, public events result in unusual fire and public safety needs both within and outside the building where the event is held.

(2) Control of crowds within the building and keeping the fire zone clear outside the building requires the assignment of public safety personnel for public events. Although the Fire Marshal's office in conjunction with the Fire Chief has the responsibility to assign and provide fire personnel inside the building for special amusement events, the following general guidelines and policies are established as procedures for the assignment of public safety personnel during public events in the Tolland public schools.

B. Policy. When an event requires the use of buildings, such as a theatrical performance, meeting or graduation ceremony to be held in the schools where the public is to be assembled in a concentrated location, such as the gym, cafeteria or auditorium, the sponsoring group, organization or individual using the school grounds for such events as football, soccer, the antique auto shows and other events, where the public is to be assembled or requires the parking of vehicles, shall make arrangements with the Town Public Safety Director, who will determine what safety precautions should be made to ensure the safety of the public and the grounds.

(1) The following information must be furnished to the Public Safety Director:

(a) Type of event.

(b) Anticipated attendance of general public.

(c) Number of participants.

(d) Duration of the event.

(e) Number of cars anticipated (to be parked or will be involved in dropoffs or pickups).

(f) Hours of the event.

(g) Changes to occupancy or pedestrian circulation patterns.

(h) Unusual fire hazards created.

(2) The Public Safety Director, in conjunction with the Fire Marshal and Fire Chief, will assign public safety personnel to maintain firesafety in the building and to control traffic on school property to ensure clear fire zones and access to and from the building by emergency apparatus according to the following standards:

(a) When the capacity of the event is anticipated to approach, reach or exceed the capacity of the public assembly area to be used, the Public Safety Director will assign a minimum of one public safety officer to maintain firesafety in the building and a minimum of one public safety officer to ensure clear access to and from the building and clear fire zones.

(b) When it is anticipated that the following conditions will exist, then the Public Safety Director will assign additional personnel according to anticipated conditions not to exceed four public safety officers (two fire and two police):

[1] Capacity of the event to exceed normal seating capacity.

[2] Potential for congestion at exitways, corridors, aisles or access to exists.

[3] Addition of equipment that adds to congestion.

[4] Changes to normal occupancy loads or circulation patterns.

[5] Addition of equipment such as theatrical scenery that impacts firesafety.

[6] Anticipated traffic flow and cars to be parked exceed the on-site capacity.

(c) When it is determined that there will be a high or unusual fire hazard or crowd control problem, the Public Safety Director can assign additional personnel according to anticipated need.

(3) Payment for personnel will be the responsibility of the sponsoring organizing agency, group or individual in the event of a single event or a profit-making event. Payment for a school-sponsored event will be the responsibility of the Board of Education. In the event of mixed functions, payment will be the responsibility of the Town Manager's Office, who, in turn, will proportion the cost to the organization or individuals involved.

[1] Editor's Note: See also Policy No. 8 below.

§ A176-6 Policy No. 6: Policy Regarding Use of Tolland Green by Groups and Organizations.

[Adopted by the Board of Selectmen 10-9-1984; amended 6-14-2022]

A. Policy purpose. The purpose of the Town Green Usage Policy is to:

(1) Provide a place for any civic gatherings in the Town of Tolland.

(2) Protect public safety by ensuring that events and gatherings are appropriately monitored.

(3) Protect the integrity of the Town Green and the surrounding neighborhood.

B. Such use of the Green shall be limited to:

(1) Civic, religious or nonprofit/not-for-profit groups located in the Town of Tolland;

(2) Agencies or departments of the Town of Tolland;

(3) Any other groups or organizations specifically approved by action of the Town Council.

C. Procedures.

(1) All requests for use of the Green shall be submitted to the Town Manager. Online forms are available at www.tollandct.gov/town-manager-office. The form may be submitted in person or by email to the Town Manager's office no later than one week prior to the scheduled event. A longer period of time may be required if the Town Council must approve a specific group or organization that is not already approved. An event is defined as something that happens; an occurrence, a noteworthy happening or social occasion or contests in a program or sport.

(2) The party(ies) authorized to use the Green under this policy shall notify the Director of Public Safety and coordinate for police and fire service for control of traffic and pedestrian safety.

(3) Parking of motor vehicles on the greensward is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Town Manager.

(4) Party(ies) authorized to use the Green shall be responsible for removing all litter at the conclusion of their activity and restoring the Green to its condition prior to such use.

(5) Party(ies) for any event using the Green shall file with the Town Manager "a" or "b" below:

(a) An insurance certificate evidencing commercial general liability insurance with limits of a minimum of $300,000 per occurrence for third-party bodily injury or property damage claims. The Town of Tolland shall be included as additional insured.

(b) If agreed to by the Town Manager prior to the specified Town Green use, a waiver of commercial general liability insurance certificate requirement may be executed, signed by the organizer(s) of the event, accepting liability for third-party bodily injury or property damage arising from the negligence of organizer or his/her/its/their employees, volunteers, agents, and participants.

D. Failure to comply with any of the permitting requirements set forth in this policy shall be deemed an assumption of liability on behalf of the organizer(s) of the event. In all cases, organizer agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Town in the event of bodily injury, property damage, claims, lawsuits or other loss arising out of the use of the Town Green. Exceptions to the above requirements are subject to the sole discretion of the Town Manager.

E. Any event occurring on the Town Green may be terminated and ordered to disperse based upon public safety concerns as determined by on-scene public safety personnel.

F. Any requirements set forth in this policy may be specifically waived for a specific event by action of the Town Council or Town Manager where noted.

§ A176-7 Policy No. 7: Policy for Use of Hicks Memorial Municipal Center and Library Building.

[Adopted by the Town Council 11-12-1985]

A. All building use will be set up on a priority basis. First priority will be Town-sponsored programs, activities and meetings; followed by local groups and organization use and then residents for private functions. All use will be by permit only. Out-of-Town groups will be allowed only on occasions when the building is not scheduled for local use and the intended use by the out-of-Town group will directly benefit the Town in some way, i.e., provide a service. A fee for out-of-Town use will be determined by the Town according to intended use.

B. A certificate of insurance with minimum limits of $300,000 for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage will be required from all groups requesting to use the building. The Town reserves the right to waive this requirement at its discretion for groups requesting limited use for sitdown meetings.

C. All groups requesting use must complete a building use form with the Town of Tolland a minimum of two weeks prior to the scheduled event.

D. If the requested use does not conform to normal building hours, any direct costs incurred by the Town, i.e., janitorial expense, will be passed on to the group using the facility.

E. No organization or group will use the building after 10:00 p.m. Permission to stay later can be arranged for public meetings on a limited basis (see Subsection D above).

F. The building will not be open for use on legal holidays.

G. No one will be allowed to use the building for personal profit. Any fund-raising done in the building should be to benefit the people of Tolland.

H. No smoking or alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the building.

I. Existing facilities.

Room	Capacity
Gymnasium	60 x 45 feet, limited seating, no locker room (no food or beverages allowed)
Community Room	32 x 21 feet (approximately), seating for 40, some tables available, no kitchen facilities
Conference Room	Level 2, seating for 12 (no food or beverages allowed)
Conference Room	Level 6, seating for 6 (no food or beverages allowed)
Council Chamber	Level 6, seating for 40 (no food or beverages allowed)

§ A176-8 (Reserved) [1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former § A176-8, Policy No. 8: Policy Exempting Public Service Groups for Public Safety Service Payments, adopted 4-22-1986, as amended, was repealed 11-23-2004.

§ A176-9 Policy No. 9: Policy Regarding Issuance of Senior Citizen Cards.

[Adopted by the Town Council 8-26-1986]

A. The Town of Tolland established the mandatory age requirement of 60 as the date of which senior citizen identification cards will be issued.

B. Cards will be issued by the Department of Human Services upon receipt of proof as to one's birth.

§ A176-10 Policy No. 10: Policy Regarding Delinquent Motor Vehicle Tax Payments.

[Adopted by the Town Council 12-8-1987; amended 10-25-1988; 6-12-2012]

A. Background. The purpose of this policy is to avoid needless administrative work and revenue loss as a result of processing checks for delinquent motor vehicle property tax payments which are found to have insufficient funds behind them and for the recuperation of a fee that the Town is charged by the State of Connecticut for mandatory reporting of motor vehicle tax delinquencies and thereafter the payment of those delinquencies with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

B. Policy.

(1) Delinquent motor vehicle property taxes shall be paid only in cash or by certified check or money order.

(2) Notwithstanding the above payment methods, a personal check may be accepted; however, a seven-business-day waiting period for check clearance is required before any motor vehicle clearance certificate will be issued.

(3) Pursuant to C.G.S. § 14-33, it is found that the mandatory reporting of motor vehicle tax delinquencies to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the reporting thereafter of payments on account thereof to the DMV carry an administrative cost to the Town for each such delinquency, which is found to be a cost of collection of the motor vehicle taxes due, therefore, pursuant to C.G.S. § 12-166, the Revenue Collector shall receive from each taxpayer whose motor vehicle taxes were delinquent and whose delinquency was reported to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles pursuant to C.G.S. § 14-33, in addition to the delinquent taxes and all interest thereon, a fee for each such reported delinquency. The fee is established by the Tolland Town Council and is in § A173-13.

§ A176-11 Policy No. 11: Purchasing Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 4-25-1989; amended 6-13-2000; 4-9-2002; 5-25-2004; 9-28-2010; 3-25-2014]

A. Policy purpose. This revised policy is intended to replace the existing purchasing regulations, currently referenced as § A176-11 in the Tolland Code Book.

(1) To establish procedures for the purchase of goods and services for the Town of Tolland, including all boards and commissions, except the Board of Education.

(2) Specifically, this document is intended to provide guidance to Town employees as to how and when certain services should be competitively bid. The policy is intended to promote fairness among the competitive bid process while maintaining a flexible system of service procurement.

(3) To ensure against datedness, the thresholds within this policy will be adjusted periodically for inflationary impact as determined by the Town Manager and Finance Director. The value of the annual bid threshold pursuant to this policy will be provided by the Finance Department each year.

B. Responsibility. All employees, including supervisors and department heads and any others authorized to make purchases for the Town will be responsible for following the provisions outlined in this policy when making purchases with Town funds. It shall be the Town Manager's responsibility to sign-off on all purchase orders. Subsequent payments against purchase orders shall be signed off by two department staff one being a supervisor or department head unless other verification approvals processes are authorized by the Town Manager. It shall be the responsibility of the Finance Officer and designated staff to review all purchase order requests to ensure availability of funds.

C. Procedures.

(1) Purchase order requirements.

(a) The Town of Tolland’s purchasing process begins at the departmental level. Each department identifies its need and initiates an online purchasing requisition. If funds are available, the requisition will be approved first by the Finance Office and then by the Town Manager for final approval. After all approvals are acquired, the Finance Office will convert the requisition into a purchase order and funds will be available for spending.

(b) Department approvals will still be required on all invoices prior to being processed by the Finance Office. Purchase orders will be required for all items or services greater than $1,000. The purchase order will be reviewed and processed by the Finance Office and then forwarded to the Town Manager’s Office for formal approval prior to being processed by the Finance Office. Caution should be used when there are several purchases against the same account for under $1,000 to ensure that there will be sufficient funds available once the order is processed. Although not required, it is recommended that a purchase order for items costing less than $1,000 be used as well.

(c) Review and control of purchase orders. Department heads shall review all open purchase orders on a regular basis to determine the receipt/completion of goods/services or whether the purchase order should be canceled. The Finance Office will review purchase orders on a quarterly or biannual basis to determine the status of all open encumbrances. No purchase orders of $1,000 or more shall be approved to businesses or entities owned by Town of Tolland employees or immediate family of Town of Tolland employees unless done through a competitive and sealed bidding process. No purchase orders of $1,000 or more shall be approved to businesses or entities where Town of Tolland employees or immediate family of Town of Tolland employees are also employed unless done through a competitive and sealed bidding process. And any above-mentioned employees must recuse themselves from involvement in the administration of the competitive and sealed bidding process. Immediate family includes and is limited to the employee’s current spouse, mother, stepmother, father, stepfather, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandparents, brother, sister, child, stepchild, daughter-in-law, son-in-law or grandchild. Further, any contract work or goods and services provided by a Town employee under $1,000 shall only be allowed if it is the least cost as compared to one other quote with appropriate documentation.

(d) Blanket purchase orders. Blanket purchase orders may be issued for items purchased on a frequent basis following the limitations under this policy. Selected examples include library books, miscellaneous hardware purchases, auto parts and other miscellaneous repairs and supplies from Town Departments.

(2) Requirements for competitive bidding.

(a) Competitive and sealed bids. Purchase orders and signed contractual bid documents along with all required bond documents will be required for all purchases or services exceeding the threshold for competitive and sealed bids. This threshold shall be 1/10 of 1% of the Town’s grand mill levy in any particular fiscal year. Please see the subsection “Review and control of purchase orders” for more on bidding requirements.

(b) Awarding of bid. Unless otherwise directed by Town Council or other legislative authority, the Town Manager or his/her designee, after proper review of the bid results, shall award the bid contract to the lowest qualified bidder. This assumes that the projects, goods or services are approved budgetary item(s) and that the lowest qualified bid is within budgetary limitations.

(c) Local vendor preference. Notwithstanding other grant restrictions or statutory requirements that supersede the competitive bidding requirements of this policy, the Town Manager shall award the bid contract to a vendor having his/her principal place of business in the Town of Tolland subject to the following conditions:

[1] The bid amount is not more than 5% higher than the lowest qualified bid. The local bidder must agree to match the lowest qualified bid. If more than one qualified local business submits a bid within this five-percent threshold, then the business with the lower bid shall receive the local preference.

[2] Only a Town-based business shall qualify for this preference. The term “Town-based business” shall mean a business that has its principal business operations within the Town of Tolland’s boundaries. The vendor shall provide adequate proof substantiating a bona fide principal place of business in Tolland. Such evidence may include ownership papers, lease agreement or proof of payment of local personal property taxes.

[3] Any qualified local vendor shall be required to submit a signed local bidder affidavit form with the sealed bid. Failure to submit an affidavit form, approved by the Town of Tolland, may result in the local bidder’s disqualification and ineligibility for a contract award.

[4] The Town Manager or his/her designee has discretion to apply a local vendor preference for entering into professional service contracts.

(3) Non-bidding requirements. (Please see the subsection “Review and control of purchase orders” for more on bidding requirements.)

(a) Price quotations.

[1] For goods or services of $6,000 to 1/10 of 1% of the current tax levy, employees must obtain three price quotations and electronically attach them to the completed purchase order requisition. If a unique product or service is being purchased, or if it is difficult to obtain quotations, employees must note this in writing in the vendor or general notes section of the requisition.

[2] For goods or services of $3,000 to $6,000, employees must make every effort to obtain two price quotations and electronically attach them to the completed purchase order requisition. If a unique product or service is being purchased, or if it is difficult to obtain quotations, employees must note this in writing in the vendor or general notes section of the requisition.

[3] The local vendor preference rule shall apply to all non-bidded projects as referenced in the section on competitive bidding.

D. Policy exceptions. This policy will not apply to the following circumstances:

(1) Professional services.

(a) Professional services shall be exempt from the purchasing guidelines and are defined as being services which meet the following tests:

[1] Work requiring knowledge of an advanced type or field of science or learning, including but not limited to engineers, architects, appraisers, attorneys, auditors, medical services; or

[2] Work that is original and creative in character in a recognized field or artistic endeavor and the result of which depends on a person’s invention, imagination or talent; or

[3] Work as a certified teacher or trainer.

(b) Depending on the scope of the project, the Town Manager may require that the designated project manager develop RFP specifications so that multiple proposals for a professional services contract are evaluated on a somewhat competitive, albeit a subjective basis. In some cases, there may be preemptive legislation that may require a formal bidding process. Refer to exception in Subsection D(4).

(2) Cooperative purchasing. This policy will not apply when goods or services are acquired through cooperative purchasing agreements. Primary examples shall include state contracts, local and regional bids and cooperative bids, including but not limited to the Capitol Region Purchasing Council, MHEC, WSCA, CREC, CCM and EASTCONN.

(3) Emergencies. Inevitably there are emergencies when normal procedures must be suspended to ensure the timely delivery of goods or services. The Town Manager or his/her designee shall be empowered to suspend the normal procedures during an emergency situation when public safety is at risk.

(4) Preemptive legislation. This policy will not apply to special goods, services or projects, the procurement of which is preempted by state or federal legislation. Selected examples include but are not limited to federal CFR Regulations, Davis-Bacon provisions or state prevailing wage requirements.

(5) Recurring expenditures. Recurring expenditures such as utility bills, service maintenance contracts, specialized printing such as voter ballots and professional development costs shall be exempt from the policy provisions

(6) Technology enhancements. The procurement of technology equipment shall be exempt from the policy provisions. Since hardware and software standardization is critical to the efficient operation of the Town’s computer system, it is not in the Town’s interest to intermingle different brands or styles of computer equipment. All desktop computers shall be of a design consistent with the Town’s technology inventory as determined by the Town’s technology staff and run on the Microsoft Office platform of services. In situations where multiple vendors carry the same standard platform of products utilized by the Town, departments will be required to obtain competitive quotes.

(7) Bid waiver. By resolution, the Town Council may at any time waive the formal bid requirements if such waiver is in the best interest of the Town. The Town Manager shall serve the Council with a written request and explanation for such waiver.

(8) Single source. Those items having a single source supply.

(9) Online reverse auctions pursuant to State Public Act 08-141 approved June 5, 2008.

(10) Purchases made through local, state or federal surplus agencies.

(11) Waiver by Town Manager.

(a) In certain situations, the bidding, quotation and proposal processes may be waived even though the estimated cost exceeds the dollar threshold established within this policy. The formal process may be waived for any of the following reasons:

[1] Time is a critical factor.

[2] A formal process would result in substantially higher costs to the Town or inefficient use of personnel, or cause substantial disruption of Town services.

(b) The Town Manager may grant a waiver for any of the above-listed reasons. Upon granting such waiver, the Town Manager must notify the Finance Director in writing to state the reason(s) for granting such waiver. If the amount of the purchase exceeds formal bid thresholds, then the Town Manager shall also notify the Town Council of such action at their next scheduled meeting.

(c) A waiver of a formal bid threshold other than those permitted in this policy requires the approval of the Town Council. For a requesting department to obtain a waiver, a written waiver request including specific reasons for the waiver shall be provided to the Town Manager. The request must be signed by the department head. Upon receipt of the waiver request, the Town Manager will notify the requestor and the Finance Director if the waiver has been granted.

E. Contracts. All contracts for service must have two names on them with one being either the Director of Administrative Services, Director of Finance or Town Manager. Copies of contracts for service must be forwarded to the Finance Department and kept on file.

F. Credit card purchasing. The Town has a credit card available to be used in conjunction with the aforementioned provisions to purchasing when necessary to order online, to order from a new vendor with whom the Town does not have an established account or in the case of emergencies or immediate necessity. The Town credit card is to be kept locked in the Finance office safe, signed out by the person requesting its use, and an original receipt or online confirmation must be handed into the Finance Department with the appropriate budgetary code included on the receipt to charge the payment to. Certain department heads are also in possession of Town credit cards and should follow the same guidelines above for use and receipts.

G. Personal reimbursement.

(1) Credit card. It is preferable that an employee use the Town credit card for Town purchases rather than a personal card both for his/her own protection and the Town’s. In the event of accessibility or emergency that necessitates personal credit cards to be used, the employee must adhere to the purchasing provisions and present proof of purchase with either an original itemized receipt, online proof of credit card payment of purchase or copy of the credit card statement. Every attempt should be made to have a sales-tax-free transaction.

(2) Cash purchases. It is preferable that an employee conduct business with a vendor that the Town has an established account with so that the purchase can be placed on the Town’s account or the Town credit card be used. However, in exceptional circumstances and keeping the policy parameters in mind, reimbursement for personal purchases will be made only with proof of an original receipt. Every attempt should be made to have a sales-tax-free transaction.

H. Travel reimbursement policy. This policy shall govern all travel expenses incurred by employees who attend an approved conference/training program involving overnight travel. Note that all requests for Town reimbursement will be considered within the confines of the established budgetary limitations.

(1) Approval process. All employees interested in attending out-of-town overnight conferences or educational seminars must request approval from the Town Manager at least two weeks prior to the conference's commencement date. No commitments for registration, travel, etc., shall be made until the travel authorization has been approved by the Town Manager and documented to the Finance Department on the travel approval form. The form may be found on the Town server or other location designated by the Finance or Town Manager offices.

(2) Acceptable travel costs. Reimbursable travel costs may include lodging, transportation, meals, registration fees and related incidentals. Other reasonable expenses shall be reimbursed in full if supported by receipts. Employees shall submit all their reimbursement request receipts along with the travel reimbursement form with all expenditures summarized. The travel expense reimbursement form may be found on the Town server or other location designated by the Finance or Town Manager offices.

(3) Mileage reimbursement. Employees shall be reimbursed for mileage expenses at a rate consistent with that established by their respective bargaining unit. (If no such provision exists, the personnel rules or other appropriate authority shall be referenced for payment information.) If no other document provides guidance for the mileage rate, then the rate will be based on the current IRS allowable reimbursement rate for mileage. Reimbursement requests should be made on the mileage reimbursement form and include employee name, dates of travel, origination, destination and purpose of the trip along with the amount of mileage. The mileage reimbursement form may be found on the Town server or other location designated by the Finance or Town Manager offices.

§ A176-12 Policy No. 12: Financial Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 7-23-1999; amended 6-27-2000; 9-24-2002; 1-25-2011; 3-27-2018; 7-13-2021]

A. Adoption. The Town Administration and Town Council, on a regular basis but at a minimum every three years, shall conduct a review and make recommended revisions to the Town's Financial Policies, Procedures and Guidelines (this "Policy"), as appropriate, to the Town Council. This Policy and revisions hereto shall be approved by the Tolland Town Council.

B. Investment Policy. This Policy establishes guidelines for the investment of operating and capital and nonrecurring expenditure funds. The Town of Tolland (Town) will consolidate cash balances from all funds to maximize investment earnings, except for cash in certain restricted and special funds. Investment income will be allocated to the various funds based on their respective participation and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Tolland Town Council authorizes the Town Finance Director or Town Manager to act as the investment officer and to invest all funds in accordance with this Policy unless otherwise prohibited. See Appendix I for listing of authorized personnel and Appendix III for listing of authorized financial institutions.[1]

(1) Standards of care.

(a) Prudence.

[1] Investments shall be made with judgment and care, under circumstances then prevailing, which persons of prudence, discretion and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not for speculation, but for investment, considering the probable safety of their capital as well as the probable income to be derived.

[2] The standard of prudence to be used by investment officials shall be the "prudent person" standard and shall be applied in the context of managing an overall portfolio. Investment officers acting in accordance with written procedures and this Policy and exercising due diligence shall be relieved of personal responsibility for an individual security's credit risk or market price changes, provided deviation from expectations are reported in a timely fashion in writing and appropriate action is taken to control adverse developments.

(b) Ethics. Officers and employees involved in the investment process shall refrain from personal business activity that could conflict with proper execution of the investment program, or which could impair their ability to make impartial investment decisions. Employees and investment officials shall disclose in writing to the Town Manager or Town Council, as appropriate, any material financial interests in financial institutions with whom they conduct business. They shall further disclose any large personal financial/investment positions that could be related to the performance of the investment portfolio, particularly with regard to the time of purchase and sales.

(2) Policy purpose. The purpose of this document is to specify the policies and guidelines that provide for prudent and productive investment of funds.

(3) Investment of operating funds.

(a) Investment objectives. Investments shall be made in accordance with the following principles in order of priority:

[1] Safety of principal.

[2] Liquidity of investment.

[3] Investment yield.

(b) Safety of principal. Safety of principal, the primary objective, shall be pursued in a number of ways.

[1] Investments shall be undertaken in a manner that seeks to ensure the preservation of capital in the overall portfolio. The objective will be to protect against credit risks and interest rate risk.

[a] The Town will minimize credit risk, the risk of loss due to the failure of the issuer, by: limiting investments to the safest types of securities, pre-qualifying the financial institutions and advisors with which the Town will do business and diversifying the investment portfolio.

[b] The Town will minimize interest risk, the risk that the market value of securities in the portfolio will fall due to changes in general interest rates, by: structuring investments to mature to meet cash requirements thereby avoiding the need to sell securities prior to maturity and investing operating funds primarily in shorter term securities, money market mutual funds or investment pools.

[2] All transactions shall be handled on the basis of delivery vs. payment to a custodian bank. Securities will be held by a third-party custodian as evidenced by safekeeping receipts.

[3] All repurchase agreements shall be fully collateralized, with a custodian bank receiving delivery of the collateral.

(c) Liquidity. The investment portfolio shall be structured to meet all of the municipality's cash requirements that may be reasonably anticipated. This is accomplished by structuring the portfolio so that securities mature concurrent with cash needs. Furthermore, since all cash requirements cannot be anticipated, the portfolio should consist largely of securities with secondary markets and investments in local government investment pools and money market mutual funds, which offer same day liquidity.

(d) Yield.

[1] The investment portfolio shall be designed to attain a market-average rate of return throughout budgetary and economic cycles, taking into account investment risk constraints and the municipality's liquidity requirements. Return of investment is of secondary importance compared to the safety and liquidity objectives listed above.

[2] The portfolio shall be managed with the objective of exceeding the average of three-month U.S. Treasury Bill rates for the equivalent period. This index is considered a benchmark for near-riskless investment transactions and, therefore, comprises a minimum standard for the portfolio's rate of return. The investment program shall seek to augment returns above this threshold, consistent with stated risk limitations and prudent investment principles.

[3] Securities shall not be sold prior to maturity except a security with declining credit may be sold early to minimize loss of principal.

(e) Operating funds investment guidelines. All investments must be made in securities authorized by C.G.S. §§ 3-24f, 3-27f or in deposits authorized by C.G.S. § 7-401-402. See Appendix II[2] for relevant investment statutes. To further clarify and limit allowable investments, the Town has adopted the following investment guidelines:

[1] The Town may invest in the following securities and deposits:

[a] U.S. government obligations, U.S. government agency obligations and U.S. government instrumentality obligations, which have a liquid market with a readily determinable market value.

[b] Indirect investment in U.S. government and agency securities, and repurchase agreements fully collateralized by such securities, through the purchase of shares or other interests in a custodial arrangement, pool or no-load, open-end investment company or trust registered or exempt under the Investment Company Act of 1940,[3] whose portfolio consists solely of such securities, repurchase agreements and cash. The custodial arrangement, pool or investment company or trust must take delivery directly or though a custodian of all collateral, must be managed to maintain its shares at a constant net asset value, and investment company or trust shares must be purchased and redeemed through, or the custodian for the fund or pool must be, a Connecticut bank or a federally chartered bank with its principal office in Connecticut, or an out-of-state bank having one or more branches in Connecticut and rated in one of the top two credit rating categories.

[3] Editor's Note: See 15 U.S.C. § 80a-1 et seq.

[c] The State Treasurer's Short-Term Investment Fund (STIF) established pursuant to C.G.S. § 3-27a.

[d] The State Treasurer's Tax-Exempt Proceeds Fund (TEPF) established pursuant to C.G.S. § 3-24a.

[e] Repurchase agreements fully collateralized with U.S. government and agency securities held by a third-party custodian bank. Reverse repurchase agreements are not permitted under this short-term investment Policy.

[f] Certificates of deposit, demand deposits, any other evidences of deposit at financial institutions, banker's acceptances and commercial paper rated in the highest tier (A-1, P-1, F-1, D-1 or higher) by a nationally recognized rating agency.

[g] Money market mutual funds regulated by the Securities Exchange Commission whose portfolios consist only of U.S. dollar-denominated securities.

[2] The Town shall not invest in the following:

[a] Investments in shares of investment companies or trusts with fluctuating net asset values, while permitted by C.G.S. § 7-400, are not permitted under this Policy.

[b] Investments in "derivative" securities such as futures, swaps, options, interest-only or principal-only mortgage-backed securities, inverse floaters, COFI floaters, and range floaters may not be made. These types of securities can experience high price volatility with changing market conditions, and their market values may not return to par even at the time of an interest rate adjustment. These restrictions apply to direct investments as well as to investments through custodial arrangements. Thus, if a custodial arrangement, pool or fund includes securities prohibited by this subsection, the municipality may not invest in shares or other interest in such custodial arrangement, pool or fund.

[3] To the extent possible, the Town shall attempt to match its investments with anticipated cash flow requirements. The dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity (including interest rate reset periods) may not exceed one year; individual maturities may not exceed five years. See Subsection B(5), Investment of capital and nonrecurring expenditure funds (CNRE), herein for information on the investment of said reserve funds.

[a] A U.S. government or agency security with a variable interest rate that resets no less frequently than annually shall be deemed to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate.

[b] In calculating the dollar-weighted average maturity of the overall portfolio, investments in custodial arrangements, pools or money market funds managed to maintain a constant net asset value due to their high degree of liquidity, should be factored in as having one-day maturities.

[c] Because of inherent difficulties in accurately forecasting cash flow requirements, a portion of the portfolio should be continuously invested in readily available funds such as local government investment pools, money market funds or overnight repurchase agreements to ensure that appropriate liquidity is maintained to meet on-going obligations.

[4] The investment officer shall diversify the municipality's investments to avoid incurring unreasonable risks inherent in over investing in specific instruments, individual issuers or maturities.

[a] The authorized financial institutions listed in Appendix III[4] herein shall be used by the investment officer in placing investments. The Town Manager or designee shall revise the list in the future as necessary for changes in banking or investment institutions so long as they are in accordance with this investment policy and state statutes pertaining to public fund deposits. The investment officer will routinely monitor the contents of the overall portfolio, the available markets and the relative values of competing instruments and will adjust the portfolio accordingly to assure diversification.

[4] Editor's Note: Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.

[b] The Town shall only do business with qualified public depositories. Eligibility may be based on the recent certified qualified public depository qualification form which is prepared by each institution. At a minimum, the investment officer shall conduct an annual evaluation of each institution's credit worthiness to determine whether it should be a qualified institution and included as an authorized financial institution listed in Appendix III[5] herein. Annually, if needed, recommended additions or deletions to the listing of authorized financial institutions should be reviewed by the Town Council.

[5] Editor's Note: Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.

[c] There is no limitation on the percentage of the overall portfolio that may be invested in: (1) U.S. government and agency obligations and in repurchase agreements fully collateralized by such securities, (2) STIF, (3) TEPF, or (4) an authorized custodial arrangement, pool or money market fund.

[5] Delivery versus payment. All trades where applicable will be executed by delivery versus payment to ensure that securities are deposited in an eligible financial institution. Prior to the release of funds securities will be held by a third-party custodian as evidenced by safekeeping records.

[2] Editor's Note: Said appendix is included as an attachment to this chapter.

(4) Investment of pension plan funds. The Town does not have a defined benefit pension plan for Town employees. The Town is the administrator of a single employer, defined contribution pension plan. Town employees may also participate in a 457 plan. Consequently, the Town does not invest pension or retirement funds for Town employees.

(5) Investment of capital and non-recurring expenditure funds (CNRE).

(a) The Town will maintain permissible CNRE Fund investments in accordance with C.G.S. § 7-362 as directed, with not more than 31% invested in equity securities and not less than 50% invested in U.S. government obligations.

(b) The Town will maintain permissible CNRE Fund investments in securities which are legal investments of Connecticut Bank assets in accordance with C.G.S. § 7-400 and 36a-250, 36a-277, and 36a-278.

(c) The Town will place all short-term securities in the CNRE Fund under the management of a single investment manager or the Town's custodian bank. The Town's investment manager will ensure that securities purchased have a maturity date of one year or less at the time of purchase.

(d) The Town will ensure that CNRE Fund deposits, which are not invested in securities, are held in a qualified public depository in accordance with C.G.S. § 36a-330, and that the depository is in compliance with the C.G.S. § 36a-333 and 7-402 provisions regarding collateralization of public deposits and the maximum allowable deposit.

(e) The Town has established the overall emphasis on providing income with a secondary emphasis of capital appreciation. The CNRE portfolio will invest in securities that produce above-average income, but will also have securities with growth potential over the long term, in both income and capital.

(f) The Town sets as a primary objective for the "equity portion" of the reserve portfolio, to earn a return that corresponds with the S&P 500 Index over time.

(g) The Town sets as a primary objective for the "fixed income portion" of the CNRE portfolio to earn a return that corresponds with the Lehman Intermediate Government/Corporation Index.

(h) The Town will maintain no more than 5% of the market value of the fund invested in common stock and convertible securities in any one company at the time of purchase.

(i) The Town will maintain no more than 10% of the market value of the fund invested in the common stock and convertible securities of companies in any one industry.

(j) The Town will maintain at least 75% of the fixed income securities in those rated "A" or better by Moody's Investor's Service or Standard & Poor's Corporation.

(k) The Town shall employ an investment manager who will report to the Town on all transactions on a quarterly basis.

(l) CNRE Reserve funds may be invested in securities exceeding five years if the maturity of such investments coincides as nearly as practicable with the expected use of funds. Investments in securities with maturities in excess of five years should be separately identified and discussed in quarterly investment reports.

(m) Any investment held at the time of this Policy's adoption that does not conform to the Policy shall be exempted from the requirements of the Policy so long as such investment is a permitted municipal investment under Connecticut statutes. At maturity or liquidation of such investment, all proceeds shall be reinvested only as provided by this Policy.

[1] Editor's Note: Said appendixes are included as attachments to this chapter.

C. Debt Management Policy. The Debt Management Policy provides the conceptual framework for the issuance and management of debt.

(1) Policy purpose. The purpose of this document is to provide a comprehensive and viable debt management policy which recognizes the infrastructure needs of the Town as well as the taxpayer's ability to pay while taking into account existing legal, economic, financial and debt market considerations.

(2) Objective.

(a) Town debt will be issued for the purpose of funding capital projects as authorized and in compliance with state statutes and the Town Charter. The Town plans long- and short-term issuance to finance its capital program based on its cash flow needs, sources of revenue, capital construction periods, available financing instruments and market conditions. The Debt Management Plan is structured to layer in debt issues for the ensuing 10 years based on approved projects and anticipated needs.

(b) This Policy establishes the standards regarding the timing and purpose for which debt may be issued, types and amounts of permissible debt, method of sale that may be used and structural features that may be incorporated in the Town's Debt Management Plan. The standards constitute realistic goals that the Town can expect to meet, and will guide, but not bind, debt management decisions. Advantages of a debt policy are as follows:

[1] Enhance the quality of decisions by imposing order and discipline and promoting consistency and continuity in decision making.

[2] Rationalize the decision-making process.

[3] Identify objectives for staff to implement.

[4] Demonstrate a commitment to long-term financial planning objectives.

(3) Policy.

(a) Borrowing authority: the Town shall have the power to incur indebtedness in according with the Town Charter, § C9-16. The issuance of debt shall be authorized by resolution of the Town Council and adopted by referendum if any such debt issue exceeds 5% of the current tax levy. In the aggregate, debt authorizations in a fiscal year that do not exceed 5% of the current tax levy may be approved by the Town Council without referendum vote.

(b) Types of permissible debt.

[1] Whenever possible, the Town will first attempt to fund capital projects with state and federal grants or other revenues. When such funds are insufficient, the Town may use dedicated revenues from Special Revenue Funds, development fees, and capital and non-recurring expenditure or general fund revenues to fund projects. If these are not appropriated, the Town will use bond financing. General obligation bonds will be issued to finance traditional public improvements. Revenue or limited obligation bonds may be used within statutory parameters to finance those special projects or programs which directly support the Town's long-term economic development or housing interests or which service a limited constituency and are clearly self-supporting.

[2] The Town may use short-term financing in the form of bond anticipation notes ("BANS"). BANS may be used to provide interim cash flow, facilitate the timing of bond sales, finance less significant borrowing needs, avoid locking in high long-term interest rates during periods of market turmoil or to finance projects whose final cost is uncertain or is expected to be mitigated by grants and/or investment earnings. BANS are not to be used to defer the operating budget impact of bonded debt service or to speculate on market rates. BANS will be retired either through cash reserves or through the issuance of long-term bonds in accordance with the Town's debt management strategy and as market conditions permit.

[3] A growing part of the public finance market is the use of interest rate swaps and other primary market derivatives by municipal bond issuers. Swaps in particular are often an integral part of a municipal bond issuer's risk management program. Such strategies should be undertaken with the goal of reducing risk and/or for the purpose of diversification. Any alternative method of financing, such as the use of swaptions, forwards, interest rate or debt derivative transactions, etc., if deemed appropriate, should be fully disclosed, reviewed and approved by the Town Council. Such financings should be based on formally approved management policies and procedures that simultaneously minimize the risks and maximize the rewards for such transaction.

[4] Long-term capital leases or lease-purchase obligations may be used for copiers, computers, major equipment or rolling stock and other capital items when it is cost justifiable to do so.

(c) Purpose of debt: the Town will confine long-term borrowing to capital improvements or projects that cannot be financed with current revenues. The Town will not fund current operations from the proceeds of borrowed funds. Whenever appropriate, the beneficiaries of a project or service will pay for it. For example, if a project is a general function of government that benefits the entire community, such as a school or library, the project will be paid for with general tax revenues or financed with general obligation bonds. Projects benefiting specific users, such as water and sewer facilities, will be issued as general obligation bonds by the Town, using its full faith and credit pledge. The revenues will be derived from user fees or charges and targeted taxes and assessments will be used to offset the general obligation debt service.

(d) Refunding debt: the Town will continually monitor its outstanding debt in relation to existing conditions in the debt market and will refund any outstanding debt when sufficient cost savings can be realized. The target threshold for net present value savings should be a minimum of 2%.

(e) Interest rates:

[1] The Town will attempt to issue debt that carries a fixed interest rate. However, it is recognized that certain circumstances may warrant the issuance of variable rate debt. In those instances, the Town should attempt to stabilize debt service payments through the use of an appropriate stabilization arrangement. Town Council approval is needed to issue variable rate debt.

[2] The Town will plan and schedule bond sales to obtain a true interest cost at or below the bond yield averages for comparable debt.

(f) Planning and structuring each bond sale: balanced consideration should be given to each of the following objectives: a) provide cash in advance to meet project expenses; b) retire debt in the shortest period of time which is fiscally prudent; c) finance projects for a period commensurate with the useful life of the asset; d) schedule new debt to coincide with the retirement of past debt to lessen the impact upon the mill rate; and e) minimize the impact of debt service payments on annual cash flow. Moreover, whenever possible, projects with an estimated cost of less than $100,000 shall not be financed with long-term debt.

(g) Federal regulations:

[1] The Town will a) adhere to the requirements of Rule 15c2-12(b)(5), promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission when issuing bonds and will provide to any nationally recognized municipal securities repository, or "NRMSIR," annual financial information and operating data and timely notices of material events with respect to the bonds; b) comply with and keep current with all federal regulations for tax-exempt bonds; and c) comply with arbitrage regulations of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 148.

[2] The Town will comply with federal reimbursement regulations for tax-exempt bond proceeds used to reimburse capital expenditures by: a) declaring reasonable intent in authorizing ordinances; b) issuing bonds within one year after the expenditure was paid or project was put into service, and c) qualifying expenditures as capital expenditures under general income tax principles.

(h) Transfers to CNRE: the balance of the annual debt service appropriation not expended for actual bonded debt service, debt issuance, or debt administration costs, shall be transferred automatically to the CNRE at the end of each fiscal year.

(i) Bond structure:

[1] Bond term: all capital improvements financed through the issuance of debt will be financed for a period not to exceed the useful life of the improvements, but in no event to exceed 20 years (30 years for sewer projects) in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes.

[2] Bank qualification: whenever possible, the Town will issue $10 million or less in tax-exempt securities per calendar year to receive the "bank qualified" status on the issue to minimize interest rates paid for bonded projects. (Bank qualification allows commercial banks to deduct 80% of their interest cost of carrying tax-exempt bonds.)

[3] Small issuer exemption: whenever feasible, to qualify under the IRS arbitrage rebate exemption provision as a "small issuer," the Town will not issue more than $15 million in debt in any calendar year of which not more than $5 million of the issue may be for non-school construction expenditures.

[4] Call provision: the Town seeks to minimize the cost from optional redemption call provisions, consistent with its desire to obtain the lowest possible interest rates on its bonds. The Town Manager and Finance Director will evaluate optional redemption provisions for each issue to assure that the Town does not pay unacceptable higher interest rates to obtain such advantageous calls.

[5] Credit or liquidity enhancement: the Town may seek to use credit or liquidity enhancements when such enhancement proves to be cost-effective or to improve or establish a credit rating on BANS or bond issues. Selection of enhancement providers is subject to a competitive bid process or at the option of the underwriter.

[6] Debt service for bonds and notes paid each year shall not exceed 10% of the General Fund budget of the Town, excluding: a) tax anticipation notes and other indebtedness with a maturity of one year or less; b) bonds or other indebtedness of the Town payable from revenues for special tax districts; and c) self-supporting bonds or other debt.

(j) Method of sale:

[1] Debt obligations are generally issued through competitive sale. Upon recommendation of the Town Manager and Finance Director, the Town Council will authorize the method of sale that is the most appropriate in light of financial, market, transaction-specific and issuer-related conditions.

[2] When certain conditions favorable for a competitive sale do not exist and when a negotiated sale will provide significant benefits to the Town that would not be achieved through a competitive sale, the Town may elect to sell its debt obligations through a private or negotiated sale, upon approval by the Town Council. The underwriting team for bonds and notes is selected through a competitive process, but the ultimate decision will be based upon the strength of the team's proposal, including qualifications and pricing. For long-term capital leases or lease-purchase obligations the Town will also seek to solicit competitive pricing whenever practicable.

(4) Debt affordability measures.

(a) The Town Manager and Finance Director will analyze the Town's debt position and the various indicators of municipal credit relative to credit industry standards and the Town's own financial ability. They will examine the following statistical measures to determine debt capacity and compare these ratios to other towns, rating agency standards and the Town's historical ratios to determine debt affordability. In order to determine the Town's relative debt position, the Town uses the following measures:

[1] Debt measured against the population on a per-capita basis to be capped at $3,800.

[2] General Fund bonded debt as a percent of full market value to be capped at 4%.

[3] General Fund debt service as a percent of total General Fund expenditures to be capped at 10%.

[4] Other measures the Town deems appropriate.

(b) An executive summary of the results will be submitted annually to the Town Council as part of the Debt Management Plan.

(c) The Town's overall debt structure, including overlapping debt, should fall well within statutory limits and should decrease as rapidly as is financially feasible. Whenever feasible, the Town will maintain debt at levels equal to or below the median debt ratios used by investors (underwriters) and credit analysts when reviewing the Town's creditworthiness. The municipal medians will be updated annually when published by the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management or other recognized published medians.

D. Capital Financing Policy. The Capital Financing Policy establishes the methodology for including a program or project in the five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP), Capital Budget, and Debt Management Plan (DMP). In accordance with the Town Charter, the Town Manager shall prepare and submit to the Town Council a five-year capital program at least four months prior to the annual budget referendum. The Town Manager and Finance Director will prepare a DMP executive summary report for submission to the Town Council on an annual basis in conjunction with the CIP. The Town's Charter obligates the Town Council to hold one or more public hearings on the CIP, publish in one or more newspapers the general summary of the capital program, and adopt the capital program with or without amendment after the public hearing for inclusion in the annual budget.

(1) Policy purpose. This Policy establishes the general financing goals and the specific elements that comprise a long-range financing strategy, including capital financing guidelines and the transfer of funds to the Capital and Non-Recurring Expenditure Fund (CNRE).

(2) Capital program guidelines.

(a) The Town's CIP is a comprehensive multiyear capital plan that identifies and prioritizes expected needs based on the Town's strategic plan, establishes project scope and cost, details estimated amounts of funding from various sources, and projects future operating and maintenance costs.

(b) The Town will develop a five-year CIP for capital improvements; the first year of which will be adopted annually by the Town Council as the Capital Budget. The CIP shall include those projects that will preserve and provide, in the most efficient manner, the infrastructure necessary to achieve the highest level of public services and quality of life possible within the available financial resources.

(c) The Town will make all capital improvements in accordance with the Town Council's annually adopted CIP.

(d) The Town will coordinate the development of the CIP with the development of the annual operating budget. Future operating costs associated with new capital projects will be projected and included in operating budget forecasts. The Town will not construct or acquire a public facility if it is unable to adequately provide for the subsequent annual operation and maintenance costs of the facility.

(e) The Town will maintain its assets at a level adequate to protect the Town's capital investment and minimize future maintenance and replacement costs.

(f) The Town will identify the estimated cost and potential funding source or financing method for each capital project proposal before it is submitted to the Town Council for approval.

(g) The Town Administration will monitor and manage capital project expenditures with all department managers on a monthly basis for each project in the annual Capital Budget.

(h) The Office of the Town Manager will identify the optimum mix and financing sources for all capital projects, in conjunction with the adopted Debt Management Policy.

(3) Capital planning guidelines.

(a) Objective: The objective of these guidelines shall be to develop a set of guidelines to be used by Town and education administrators in evaluating and proposing projects for inclusion in the Town's Capital Budget. The Town Manager shall, whenever possible, adhere to these guidelines when preparing and submitting the Capital Budget for Town Council review.

(b) Definition of "capital projects."

[1] Any project, to be included in the Town's CIP, should fall into one of the following three program categories:

[a] Any new or expanded physical facility, including preliminary design and related professional services.

[b] Land or property acquisition.

[c] Items of a nonrecurring nature where the benefits are realized over a long period of time.

[2] A project should also exhibit the following characteristics to be included in the CIP:

[a] Life expectancy: The project's outcome, nonrecurring in nature, should have a useful life of greater than eight years.

[b] Cost: Cost should be a relatively high, nonoperative expenditure for the Town; generally in excess of $10,000 for equipment or plant facility improvements.

(c) Quantifying and ranking of capital projects.

[1] The Office of the Town Manager shall review all capital project submittals and weight them accordingly based on the criteria listed below.

Criteria	Weighted Points
The project is mandated by state or federal statute or approved through a binding local referendum.	0 to 25
The project ensures code compliance and/or improves public health and safety in Town.	0 to 25
The project can be definitively shown by an appropriate Town official to improve program effectiveness and efficiency.	0 to 20
The project can be definitively shown by an appropriate Town official to reduce operating and maintenance costs.	0 to 20
If implemented, the project will enhance community values and improve the Town's quality of life.	0 to 10
Maximum Possible Score	100 Points

[2] Department heads submitting capital projects for funding consideration are encouraged, but not required, to rank these projects based on the above weighting schedules. This will demonstrate to the Town Manager that some background work was undertaken to substantiate the validity of the project request.

(d) Disqualified projects. The Town Manager will disqualify capital project submittals that do not conform to the above stated criteria. Examples of ineligible projects include, but are not limited to, the following:

[1] Maintenance projects such as painting, mechanical repairs, building repairs, and other peripheral projects which are neither long-term in their nature nor nonrecurring. (Examples: painting projects, grounds maintenance, furniture repairs, etc.).

[2] Nontangible projects including special consulting studies which, as an end-product, may recommend the development and implementation of certain capital projects, but in themselves are not capital projects. (Examples: space utilization reports, planning studies, engineering services, etc.)

(4) Capital financing guidelines.

(a) Minimize the reliance on long-term debt. Whenever possible, capital costs should be financed by means other than borrowing and borrowings should be avoided for projects with a cost of less than $100,000. In addition to soliciting outside grant funding, the Town should utilize pay-as-you-go methods such as regular contributions from the General Fund, funds in the Capital and Non-Recurring Expenditure Fund (CNRE), down-payments from operating funds and inclusion of smaller projects in the Capital Budget.

(b) Capital financing strategy. The Town Manager and Finance Director will project the future impact of financing capital projects in accordance with the Town's Debt Management Policy and Town Charter (§ 9-16).

(c) Maintenance scheduling. The Town intends to set aside sufficient current revenues to finance ongoing maintenance needs and to provide periodic replacement and renewal consistent with its philosophy of keeping its capital facilities and infrastructure systems in good repair, to maximize a capital asset's useful life and to avoid unnecessary borrowing. It is the Town's policy to develop master plans for scheduling this maintenance.

(d) Credit ratings. The Town will, at all times, manage its debt and sustain its financial position in order to seek and maintain at a minimum a credit rating of AA for Fitch Ratings, AA-for Standard & Poor's, and A1 for Moody's Investors Service or the highest credit rating possible.

(e) CNRE.

[1] The CNRE fund was established effective July 1, 1999, to allow more flexibility in investments and to serve as a future source of pay-as-you-go financing of capital projects. The CNRE is an integral part of the Town's capital financing strategy. The Town seeks to grow the fund to a level deemed sufficient to fully fund recurring expenditures for replacing capital equipment and maintaining public facilities that do not meet the Town's general obligation bond issuance guidelines. If the fund is not at its target level, appropriations from the CNRE fund shall not exceed the interest income earned on invested CNRE proceeds.

[2] The fund may receive contributions from the sale of Town-owned buildings and property, transfers from the General Fund, unexpended balances of completed capital projects in the Capital Fund, and interest from CNRE Fund investments. The actual CNRE capital financing contributions will be determined through the annual Capital Budget process.

[3] Unexpended balances from completed capital projects with a remaining balance may, by Town Council Resolution, be transferred to the CNRE Fund and added to the reserve fund as a future source of financing for projects.

[4] Fund balances at the end of the fiscal year for the Board of Education budget may, by Town Council resolution, be transferred to the CNRE Fund and added to the reserve fund as a future source of financing for Board of Education capital projects. Board of Education reserve funds may be appropriated in full, both principal and interest, as needed.

(f) Capital Projects Fund. The Capital Projects Fund is used to account for the financial resources used for the acquisition or construction of major capital facilities and capital infrastructure improvements. Revenues to the Capital Projects Fund will include proceeds from long- and short-term debt, grants, and transfers from other operating funds and the CNRE Fund. Interest income, which has traditionally remained in the Capital Projects Fund, may be deposited into the CNRE Fund.

(g) A percentage of the CNRE unassigned fund balance shall be used as a financing source to the Capital Budget, as is appropriate each budget cycle.

E. Reserve/Fund Balance Policy. The Town shall annually adopt a balanced budget in accordance with the Town Charter, §§ C9-1 through C9-10. The annual budget becomes effective when passed at the annual budget referendum. However, § C9-10 does provide that in the event no budget for the ensuing fiscal year shall be adopted by June 15 in any year, the Tax Collector may then send out interim tax bills for the same amount as in the previous tax year. When the annual budget is finally adopted, the Tax Collector may adjust the second tax bill to conform to the new rate as voted by the Town Council or send out additional tax bills. Any year-end operating surpluses will revert to fund balance for use in maintaining reserve levels set by policy.

(1) Policy purpose.

(a) This policy will insure the Town maintains a prudent level of financial resources to protect against reducing service levels or raising taxes and fees because of temporary revenue shortfalls or unanticipated one-time expenditures. The policy is created in consideration of unanticipated events that could adversely affect the financial condition of the Town and jeopardize the continuation of necessary public services. This policy will ensure that the Town maintains adequate fund balances and reserves in order to:

[1] Provide sufficient cash flow for daily financial needs;

[2] Provide for unforeseen expenditures related to emergencies;

[3] Offset significant economic downturns or unanticipated revenue shortfalls; and

[4] Secure and maintain investment grade bond ratings preferably AAA rating.

(b) This policy and the procedures promulgated under it supersede all previous regulations regarding the Town's fund balance and reserve policies.

(c) Fund type definitions. The following definitions will be used in reporting activity in governmental funds across the Town. The Town may or may not report all fund types in any given reporting period, based on actual circumstances and activity.

[1] The general fund is used to account for all financial resources not accounted for and reported in another fund.

[2] Special revenue funds are used to account and report the proceeds of specific revenue sources that are restricted or committed to expenditure for specific purposes other than debt service or capital projects.

[3] Debt service funds are used to account for all financial resources restricted, committed or assigned to expenditure for principal and interest.

[4] Capital projects funds are used to account for all financial resources restricted, committed or assigned to expenditure for the acquisition or construction of capital assets. See also the Town's Capital Financing Policy for further guidance on the CNRE Fund Balance.

[5] Permanent funds are used to account for resources restricted to the extent that only earnings, and not principal, may be used for purposes that support the District's purposes.

(2) Fund balance reporting in governmental funds. Fund balance will be reported in governmental funds under the following categories depicting the relative strength constraints using the definitions provided by GASB 54:

(a) Nonspendable fund balance: amounts that are not in a spendable form (such as inventory) or are legally or contractually required to be maintained intact (such as the corpus of an endowment fund).

(b) Restricted fund balance: amounts constrained to specific purposes by their providers (such as grantors, bondholders, and higher levels of government), through constitutional provisions, or by enabling legislation.

(c) Committed fund balance: amounts constrained to specific purposes by a government itself, using its highest level of decision-making authority; to be reported as committed, amounts cannot be used for any other purpose unless the government takes the same highest-level action to remove or change the constraint.

(d) Assigned fund balance: amounts a government intends to use for a specific purpose; intent can be expressed by the governing body or by an official or body to which the governing body delegates the authority.

(e) Unassigned fund balance: amounts that are available for any purpose; these amounts are reported only in the General Fund.

(3) General Fund balance target.

(a) The level of overall fund balance the Town strives to maintain is an amount ranging from 10 to 17% of the General Fund operating budget for expenditures and outgoing transfers. This includes nonspendable, restricted, committed, assigned and unassigned funds. It is most preferred to reach a level as recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association Best Practice to maintain a balance of at least two months of operating revenues or expenditures which may be greater than 17%.

(b) Minimum unassigned fund balance. The Town will maintain a minimum unassigned fund balance in its General Fund ranging from 10% to 15% of the General Fund operating budget for expenditures and outgoing transfers. This minimum fund balance is to protect against cash flow shortfalls related to timing of projected revenue receipts and to maintain a budget stabilization commitment.

(4) Use of general fund balance.

(a) Fund balance may be used by the Town only in accordance with the Town Charter. Section C9-14 of the Charter provides that the Town Council, by resolution, may make appropriations to be funded by grants or gifts, and other additional and supplementary appropriations not to exceed an aggregate of the amount set within the Town Charter in any fiscal year. In addition, following a public hearing, the Town Council, by resolution, may make further additional and supplementary appropriations upon recommendation and certification of the Town Manager that there are available unappropriated funds in excess of the proposed additional appropriations. The decision of the Town Council to utilize fund balance shall be based upon the current economic conditions and the degree of budgetary uncertainty and exposure to be faced. The degree of risk must be evaluated not less than every three years as well as the decision as to the level of financial resources that will be maintained in the fund balance not only for contingencies but for any transitional budgetary shortfalls.

(b) Caution should be taken when appropriating fund balance for recurring operating expenditures. If at any time the utilization of a fund balance to pay for operating expenditures is necessary to maintain the quality or level of current services, there should be a strategy to eliminate the future use of the fund balance for this purpose.

(5) Replenishing deficiencies.

(a) If the fund balance is not at its target level, the annual operating budget or any mid-year revenue adjustments shall not be supported by any use of unassigned fund balance, except in the event of a public emergency as declared by the Town Council in accordance with § C9-11 of the Town Charter. The Town will take appropriate action to restore its fund balance to its target balance as provided below.

[1] The Town will reduce recurring expenditures to eliminate any structural deficit; or

[2] The Town will increase revenues or pursue other funding sources; or

[3] Some combination of the two options above.

(b) Minimum fund balance deficiencies shall be replenished within the following time periods:

[1] Deficiency resulting in a minimum fund balance between 9% and 10% shall be replenished over a period not to exceed one year.

[2] Deficiency resulting in a minimum fund balance between 7% and 9% shall be replenished over a period not to exceed three years.

[3] Deficiency resulting in a minimum fund balance of less than 7% shall be replenished over a period not to exceed five years.

F. Multiyear Financial Forecasting Policy. The Town's practice of forecasting operating revenues and expenditures over five years is consistent with the Town's five-year capital budget plan. This practice enables the Town Administration and Town Council to anticipate potential budget stress that may result from projected revenue and expense imbalances, allowing them to take corrective action long before budgetary gaps develop into crises. Specifically, the Town Manager and Finance Director have developed and continue to modify annually a long-term trend analysis spreadsheet which serves as an internal document in preparing for budget deliberations. The trend analysis synthesizes several quantifiable variables, including Grand List growth, intergovernmental revenue projections, and forecasts in both municipal and educational operating expenses. The drafting of this trend analysis has helped the Town Manager's Office immensely in developing affordability benchmarks.

G. Capital Asset Policy.

(1) Policy purpose. The purpose of this Policy is to comply with the requirements of Governmental Accounting Standards Board ("GASB") Statement No. 34, "Basic Financial Analysis - and Management Discussion and Analysis - for State and Local Governments," in order to provide for capitalizing assets and for estimating useful lives of those assets. The statement requires the disclosure of major classes of assets, beginning and end of year balances, acquisitions, sales/dispositions and current depreciation expense.

(2) Capital assets are defined as follows:

(a) Land.

(b) Land improvements.

(c) Easements.

(d) Buildings.

(e) Building improvements.

(f) Vehicles.

(g) Machinery and equipment.

(h) Works of art.

(i) Infrastructure.

(j) All other tangible and intangible assets.

(3) To be considered a capital asset for financial reporting purposes, an item must be at or above the capitalization threshold and therefore have an historical cost of $5,000 or more and have a useful life greater than one year. A total purchase for an amount greater than the threshold, which consists of multiple items each below the threshold, will not be capitalized. Improvements and additions must be significant in terms of increased capacity or efficiency. The capitalization threshold for building improvements and additions must be in an amount equal to or greater than $25,000. Infrastructure improvements and additions shall have a threshold greater than $50,000 except for storm drains and water lines, which should be greater than $25,000.

(4) Capital assets must be reported using historical costs including capitalized interest and ancillary charges (freight and transportation charges, site preparation and professional fees) necessary to place the asset into its intended location and condition for use. Donated assets should be reported at estimated fair value at time of acquisition.

(5) Infrastructure assets are long-lived capital assets that are stationary in nature and normally can be preserved for a significantly greater number of years than most capital assets. Examples include:

(a) Roads.

(b) Bridges.

(c) Dams.

(d) Drainage systems.

(e) Water and sewer systems.

(6) Resurfacing of a road is considered to be road maintenance. To be capitalized, an improvement must expand capacity, such as changing a one-lane road to two or adding a turning lane.

(7) Depreciable lives should be based on actual expected use by the Town, not by tax lives. An attempt should be made to set depreciable lives to coincide with the Town's capital replacement program. Capital assets have estimated useful lives extending beyond one year and are depreciated using the straight-line method. Depreciable lives for different classes of vehicles and equipment shall be based on recommendations by appropriate department heads.

(8) Standard useful lives include:

(a) Land: nondepreciable.

(b) Land improvements: 20 to 30 years.

(c) Roads: 30 to 50 years.

(d) Sewer lines and water lines: 50 years.

(e) Bridges/large culverts: 30 to 50 years.

(f) Dams: 50 years.

(g) Buildings: 50 to 75 years.

(h) Fire equipment: 20 to 25 years.

(i) Ambulances: five years.

(j) Vehicles (Autos, light trucks, heavy trucks): seven to 15 years.

(k) Machinery and equipment: three to 10 years.

(l) Construction equipment: 15 to 30 years.

(m) Computer equipment: five years.

(9) The Finance Director will ensure that the capital asset report will be updated annually to reflect improvements, additions, retirements and transfers and to reflect the new, annual capital asset balance for financial reporting purposes.

(10) Day-to-day stewardship of personal property above the capitalization thresholds is the expressed responsibility of the operating department utilizing the property.

(11) For maintenance of the capital asset accounting report, the operating departments have the responsibility to report improvements, additions, retirements and transfers in detail to the Finance Department. This detail is to be captured on the fixed asset addition/deletion data entry forms available in the Finance Department.

(12) Assets below the capitalization thresholds but considered sensitive may include for example, radios, personal computers, laptop computers, printers, fax machines and small power tools that shall be inventoried and controlled at the department level.

§ A176-13 Policy No. 13: Short-Term Investment Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 7-27-2000]

A. Background.

(1) This policy applies to the investment of short-term operating funds. Longer-term funds, such as CNRE, are covered by a separate agreement.

(2) The Town of Tolland will consolidate cash balances from all funds to maximize investment earnings, except for cash in certain restricted and special funds. Investment income will be allocated to the various funds based on their respective participation and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

(3) The Tolland Town Council authorizes the Town Finance Officer or Town Manager to act as the investment officer and to invest all funds in accordance with this policy unless otherwise prohibited.

B. Policy purpose. The purpose of this document is to specify the policies and guidelines that provide for prudent and productive investment of funds.

C. Investment objectives. Investments shall be made in accordance with the following principles in order of priority:

(1) Safety of principal.

(2) Liquidity of investment.

(3) Investment yield.

D. Safety of principal. Safety of principal, the primary objective, shall be pursued in a number of ways.

(1) Investments shall be undertaken in a manner that seeks to ensure the preservation of capital in the overall portfolio. The objective will be to protect against credit risks and interest rate risk.

(a) The Town of Tolland will minimize credit risk, the risk of loss due to the failure of the issuer, by: limiting investments to the safest types of securities, prequalifying the financial institutions and advisors with which the Town will do business and diversifying the investment portfolio.

(b) The Town will minimize interest risk, the risk that the market value of securities in the portfolio will fall due to changes in general interest rates, by: structuring investments to mature to meet cash requirements thereby avoiding the need to sell securities prior to maturity and investing operating funds primarily in shorter-term securities, money market mutual funds or investment pools.

(2) All transactions shall be handled on the basis of delivery vs. payment to a custodian bank. Securities will be held by a third party custodian as evidenced by safekeeping receipts.

(3) All repurchase agreements shall be fully collateralized, with a custodian bank receiving delivery of the collateral.

E. Liquidity. The investment portfolio shall be structured to meet all of the municipality's cash requirements that may be reasonably anticipated. This is accomplished by structuring the portfolio so that securities mature concurrent with cash needs. Furthermore, since all cash requirements cannot be anticipated, the portfolio should consist largely of securities with secondary markets and investments in local government investment pools and money market mutual funds, which offer same-day liquidity.

F. Yield.

(1) The investment portfolio shall be designed to attain a market-average rate of return throughout budgetary and economic cycles, taking into account investment risk constraints and the municipality's liquidity requirements. Return of investment is of secondary importance compared to the safety and liquidity objectives listed above.

(2) The portfolio shall be managed with the objective of exceeding the average of three-month United States Treasury Bill rates for the equivalent period. This index is considered a benchmark for near-riskless investment transactions and, therefore, comprises a minimum standard for the portfolio's rate of return. The investment program shall seek to augment returns above this threshold, consistent with stated risk limitations and prudent investment principles.

(3) Securities shall not be sold prior to maturity with the following exceptions:

(a) A security with declining credit may be sold early to minimize loss of principal.

G. Standards of care.

(1) Prudence.

(a) Investments shall be made with judgment and care, under circumstances then prevailing, which persons of prudence, discretion and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not for speculation, but for investment, considering the probable safety of their capital as well as the probable income to be derived.

(b) The standard of prudence to be used by investment officials shall be the prudent person standard and shall be applied in the context of managing an overall portfolio. Investment officers acting in accordance with written procedures and the investment policy and exercising due diligence shall be relieved of personal responsibility for an individual security's credit risk or market price changes, provided that deviation from expectations are reported in a timely fashion in writing and appropriate action is taken to control adverse developments.

(2) Ethics. Officers and employees involved in the investment process shall refrain from personal business activity that could conflict with proper execution of the investment program or which could impair their ability to make impartial investment decisions. Employees and investment officials shall disclose in writing to the Town Manager any material financial interests in financial institutions with whom they conduct business. They shall further disclose any large personal financial/investment positions that could be related to the performance of the investment portfolio, particularly with regard to the time of purchase and sales.

H. Investment guidelines. All investments must be made in securities authorized by CGS 3-24f, 3-27f or in deposits authorized by CGS 7-401-402. To further clarify and limit allowable investments, Tolland has adopted the following investment guidelines:

(1) Tolland may invest in the following securities and deposits:

(a) United States government obligations United States government agency obligations and United States government instrumentality obligations which have a liquid market with a readily determinable market value.

(b) Indirect investment in United States government and agency securities, and repurchase agreements fully collateralized by such securities, through the purchase of shares or other interests in a custodial arrangement, pool or no-load, open-end investment company or trust registered or exempt under the Investment Company Act of 1940, whose portfolio consists solely of such securities, repurchase agreements and cash. The custodial arrangement, pool or investment company or trust must take delivery directly or through a custodian of all collateral, must be managed to maintain its shares at a constant net asset value, and investment company or trust shares must be purchased and redeemed through or the custodian for the fund or pool must be, a Connecticut bank or a federally-charted bank with its principal office in Connecticut, or an out-of-state bank having one or more branches in Connecticut and rated in one of the top two credit rating categories.

(c) The State Treasurer's Short-Term Investment Fund (STIF) established pursuant to CGS 3-27a.

(d) The State Treasurer's Tax-Exempt Proceeds Fund (TEPF) established pursuant to CGS 3-24a.

(e) Repurchase agreements fully collateralized with United States government and agency securities held by a third-party custodian bank. Reverse repurchase agreements are not permitted under this short-term investment policy.

(f) Certificates of deposit, demand deposits, other evidences of deposit at financial institutions, banker's acceptances and commercial paper rated in the highest tier (A-1, P-1, F-1, D-1 or higher) by a nationally recognized rating agency.

(g) Money market mutual funds regulated by the Securities Exchange Commission whose portfolios consist only of United States dollar-denominated securities.

(2) Tolland shall not invest in the following:

(a) Investments in shares of investment companies or trusts with fluctuating net asset values, while permitted by CGS 7-400, are not permitted under this short-term investment policy.

(b) Investments in derivative securities, such as futures, swaps, options, interest-only or principal-only mortgage-backed securities, inverse floaters, COFI floaters, and range floaters may not be made. These types of securities can experience high price volatility with changing market conditions, and their market values may not return to par even at the time of an interest rate adjustment. These restrictions apply to direct investments as well as to investments through custodial arrangements. Thus, if a custodial arrangement, pool or fund includes securities prohibited by this subsection, the municipality may not invest in shares or other interest in such custodial arrangement, pool or fund.

(3) Liquidity.

(a) To the extent possible, the Town shall attempt to match its investments with anticipated cash flow requirements. The dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity (including interest rate reset periods) may not exceed one year; individual maturities may not exceed five years. Reserve funds may be invested in securities exceeding five years if the maturity of such investments coincides as nearly as practicable with the expected use of funds. Investments in securities with maturities in excess of five years should be separately identified and discussed in quarterly investment reports.

(b) A United States government or agency security with a variable interest rate that resets no less frequently than annually shall be deemed to have a maturity equal to the period remaining until the next readjustment of the interest rate.

(c) In calculating the dollar-weighted average maturity (WAM) of the overall portfolio, investments in custodial arrangements, pools or money market funds managed to maintain a constant net asset value due to their high degree of liquidity, should be factored in as having one-day maturities.

(d) Because of inherent difficulties in accurately forecasting cash flow requirements, a portion of the portfolio should be continuously invested in readily available funds such as Local Government Investment Pools (LGIPs), money market funds or overnight repurchase agreements to ensure that appropriate liquidity is maintained to meet on-going obligations.

(4) Diversification.

(a) The investment officer shall diversify the municipality's investments to avoid incurring unreasonable risks inherent in over investing in specific instruments, individual issuers or maturities. Diversification strategies shall include:

[1] At the time of acquisition, no more than 10% of the overall portfolio may be invested in deposits with a single bank, unless the deposits are fully insured or fully collateralized.

[2] There is no limitation on the percentage of the overall portfolio that may be invested in: United States government and agency obligations and in repurchase agreements fully collateralized by such securities, STIF, TEPF or an authorized custodial arrangement, pool or money market fund.

(b) This section does not apply to bank accounts used for the temporary deposit of receipts and deposits needed to cover disbursements that are expected to clear over the next seven days.

(5) Delivery versus payment. All trades where applicable, will be executed by Delivery Versus Payment (DVP) to ensure that securities are deposited in an eligible financial institution prior to the release of funds. Securities will be held by a third-party custodian as evidenced by safekeeping records.

I. Adoption. This policy and revisions hereto shall be approved by the Tolland Town Council. Any investment held at the time of this policy's adoption that does not conform to the policy shall be exempted from the requirements of the policy so long as such investment is a permitted municipal investment under Connecticut statutes. At maturity or liquidation of such investment, all proceeds shall be reinvested only as provided by this policy.

§ A176-14 Policy No. 14: Computer Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 7-27-1999]

A. Overview and purpose of the following proposed policies: The Town of Tolland has implemented a sophisticated computer network infrastructure connecting personal computers on a computer network throughout Town government. All of the users on this network have the ability to carry out correspondence with outside users. Many users also have the ability to access resources on the Internet. This network has become one method by which employees communicate, conduct business and access information to perform their duties and responsibilities. This has resulted in increasing the importance that the network remains operational at all times and that the network's utilization and access to information is used in an appropriate and legal manner. The purpose of these policies is to ensure the optimal performance of the network and to make sure end users are aware of their responsibilities in using the technology appropriately and safeguarding the access to information. Individual users are responsible for their own conduct. The use of computers is a privilege, not a right. As the owner of both the hardware and the software, the Town of Tolland reserves the authority to withdraw this privilege.

B. Electronic mail: The Town's E-mail system is designed to facilitate official Town business communication among Town employees, residents and the various business associates of the Town. The E-mail systems are the property of the Town, regardless of the physical location of the files or the form in which those files are maintained.

(1) The Town maintains an electronic mail system. This system is provided by the Town to assist in the conduct of business within the Town.

(2) The electronic mail system hardware is Town property. Additionally, all messages composed, sent or received on the electronic mail system are and remain the property of the Town. They are not the private property of the employee.

(3) The use of the electronic mail system is reserved solely for the conduct of Town business. It may not be used for personal business.

(4) The electronic mail system may not be used to solicit or proselytize for commercial ventures, religious or political causes, outside organizations, or other non-job-related solicitations.

(5) The electronic mail system is not to be used to create any offensive or disruptive messages. Among those messages considered offensive are any messages which contain sexual implications, racial slurs, gender-specific comments or any other comment that offensively addresses someone's age, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, national origin or disability.

(6) Town employees should keep in mind that E-mail messages are not private but are discoverable communications and may be subject to FOI requirements. Since messages may be retained at different locations or levels of the system, users must remember that their deleted communications can be retrieved during a formal discovery process.

(7) The confidentiality of any message should not be assumed. Even when a message is erased, it is still possible to retrieve and read that message. Further, the use of passwords for security does not guarantee confidentiality. The message may be residing in the recipient's mailbox or forwarded to other recipients. The message may also be stored on the Town's system backups.

(8) If an attachment has been sent along with an E-mail, the recipient will notice a small paperclip next to the envelope. If the attachment is from an unknown source, the employee is directed not to click on the paperclip. The Town Manager or his/her designee should be called immediately. These attachments are often used to transmit viruses. The introduction of a virus into our system could cause our network to malfunction.

(9) Employees are not authorized to retrieve or read any E-mail messages that are not intended for them. If you receive an E-mail message intended for another recipient, contact the Town Manager or his/her designee immediately. If an employee is out of the office for any length of time the Town Manager, or his/her designee, reserves the right to open his/her files and access any E-mail correspondence.

(10) Employees shall utilize the electronic mail system for communications that could normally be accomplished through the telephone. Substantive memos and documents can be transmitted as attachments but are subject to mandatory retention pursuant to the State of Connecticut's Record Retention Act. Employees are directed to retain these substantive memos in electronic or hardcopy form for future reference.

C. Internet: The Internet worldwide computer network provides a unique service for acquiring and sharing government, technical and legal information. The Internet's electronic mail system can keep mutual professional interest groups in ready contact. Town employees using the Internet for professional governmental purposes need to ensure that they do so in a proper, ethical and professional manner. The Town feels that the Internet will be the future media for communication, both with government agencies and the public.

(1) Employees who use the Internet must not download or upload material containing the following:

(a) Derogatory racial content.

(b) Sexual content.

(c) Derogatory religious content.

(d) Political statements.

(e) Offensive language.

(f) Any content which would negatively reflect upon the Town.

(2) Employees who use the Internet must not use the Internet for personal gain or unapproved solicitation.

(3) No system user shall download software from the Internet without the permission of the Town Manager or his/her designee. Although the Town uses virus-scanning software on its electronic systems, these tools are not infallible. Software downloaded from the Internet may contain viruses. This downloaded virus could render our network inoperable.

(4) To promote effective use of the Internet as part of their training, employees are, with permission from the supervisor, encouraged to spend some time "exploring" the professional resources available on the Internet. Internet usage by employees will be monitored for compliance with this policy.

D. Violations of policies: Any violation of the provisions of these policies can lead to loss of computer services, and/or progressive disciplinary action. Such action will depend upon the severity of the violations; the frequency of violations; and the effect such violation has on the network. Such discipline shall be handled by the Town Manager and in conformance with appropriate provisions of collective bargaining agreements and the Town's personnel rules.

§ A176-15 Policy No. 15: Town Green Sign Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 1-23-2001; amended 4-14-2009; 8-10-2010; 9-8-2020]

A. Policy purpose. The purpose of the Town Green Sign Policy is to:

(1) Provide a place for announcements for any Town, civic, nonprofit/not-for-profit organizations, or other noncommercial events in the Town of Tolland.

(2) Protect public safety by ensuring that no sign placements have an adverse impact on site distances for oncoming traffic.

(3) Protect the integrity of the lawn of the Town Green by prohibiting posting of signs that can cause turf damage.

(4) Restrict sign posting privileges to Town, civic, or nonprofit/not-for-profit organizations. No commercial signs or political signs are allowed.

B. Procedures. Qualified organizations desiring to place a sign on the Town Green must follow the procedures.

(1) Signs must be freestanding and cannot puncture the turf of the Town Green.

(2) Signs may not exceed 16 square feet and must otherwise conform to any Town signage regulations that may be enacted by any Town commission or board.

(3) Organizations are restricted to placing their signs at the designated areas located at the south end of the Town Green. Only one sign per organization will be allowed.

(4) Organizations placing signs in the designated area must register the sign with the Town Manager's Office or another office designated by the Town Manager before placing the sign. Each sign must have a waterproof label on the back side, stating the name and phone number of a person within the organization who is responsible for the sign, the date of placement and the date of the event. Signs may be removed immediately if this information is not attached to the sign.

(5) Signs may be placed no more than 14 days prior to an event, and must be removed within two days following an event.

(6) Requests for a day, week, or month recognition sign must be scheduled with the Town Manager's office, and preference will be given to events over recognition if there are more than five signs on the Green. A recognition can be up the day before and be taken down within two days after the recognized day, week, or month. The approved list of recognized events is the Presidential Proclamation list and is subject to change.

(7) The Town will remove signs placed before and/or remaining in the designated areas outside these time limits and hold for the sponsoring organization for 30 days. After 30 days, the signs will become the property of the Town and may be destroyed.

C. Town notices. Town notices of elections and signs announcing other municipally sponsored events of interest to all residents may be placed by the Town at appropriate locations on the Green without regard to the above restrictions.

D. Enforcement.

(1) The Town Manager or their designee shall be responsible for enforcing this policy.

(2) The Town has the right to limit the number of signs to no more than five signs on any day. If there are requests for more than five total signs on any given day, a schedule will be worked out by the Town Manager or their designee.

E. When effective. This policy shall become effective September 8, 2020.

§ A176-16 Policy No. 16: Policy Regarding Placement of Mailboxes, Newspaper Tubes, Roadside Structures and Landscaping Elements Within the Town of Tolland's Road Right-of-Way.

[Adopted by the Town Council 12-10-2002]

A. It is an historic and current practice that private property interests do not extend to the edge of the Town's roads. This is to provide for public safety by creating adequate sightlines and clear zones immediately adjacent to the traveled way. This area also provides for implementation of best management practices regarding road maintenance activities.

B. Residents should make every effort not to place items within the public right-of-way. The erection or placement of items such as mailboxes, newspaper tubes, roadside structures and landscaping elements in this area is not prohibited. However, such items placed in the public right-of-way is done solely for the convenience of the adjacent landowner, and the risk of loss or creation of a hazard is the sole responsibility of said landowner.

C. The Town of Tolland shall not be responsible for damage or replacement to these or similar uses located within the right-of-way. Residents are cautioned that routine removal of snow and ice, roadside mowing and other activities associated with highway maintenance and road improvements may cause damage to items placed in this area.

§ A176-16.1 Policy No. 17: Policy Regarding Purchasing Development Rights.

[Adopted by the Town Council 8-24-2004]

A. The Town of Tolland shall consider purchasing development rights of properties for farmland, scenic, historic or environmental preservation with the goals of retaining rural character, preserving scenic, historic or environmentally significant areas, providing local food production and protecting Tolland's agricultural heritage from development in perpetuity.

B. The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for evaluating properties consistent with the Plan of Conservation and Development, the Open Space and Conservation Plan and farmland preservation and other grant programs.

C. The Town Council, in consultation with the Conservation Commission and Land Acquisition Committee, shall use the following criteria for evaluating the suitability of land to be preserved or to compare multiple properties under consideration:

(1) Size of parcel.

(2) Significance to Tolland's character.

(3) Site location.

(4) Development pressures.

(5) Scenic vista or visible from public street.

(6) Soil suitability for agriculture.

(7) Percent of cropland.

(8) Contiguous with other farmland or open space.

(9) Natural resource significance (DEP map).

(10) Historic or archaeological resources.

(11) Town funding participation level.

§ A176-17 Policy No. 18: Bulky Waste Collection Fee Schedule.

[Adopted by the Town Council 8-23-2005]

Pursuant to § 94-49 of the Code of the Town of Tolland, the following shall be the fees for the collection of bulky waste effective October 31, 2005:

A. The charge for each sticker to be used in payment for the collection of a bulky waste item shall be $5.

B. The number of stickers required to be affixed to qualify a bulky waste item for collection shall be:

Collectible Bulky Waste Item	Stickers Required
Couch (3 sectional or equivalent)	3
Love seat or two-section couch	2
Bed headboard or footboard	2
Mattress	2
Box spring/foundation (all-metal box springs not accepted)	2
Sleeper sofa (metal frame must be removed and disposed of separately as a metal item)	2
Other furniture/wood item weighing more than 50 pounds	2
Other furniture/wood item weighing less than 50 pounds	1
Television with a screen larger than 25 inches	3
Television with a screen of 25 inches or smaller	2
Desktop computer processor	2
Laptop computer	2
Desktop computer monitor	2
Motor vehicle tire with rim removed up to 17 inches (limit of 2/collection)	2
Rug no more than 3 feet in length rolled and tied and 70 pounds or less	1
Nonrecyclable plastic furniture and toys	1
Small electronics (e.g., VCR, DVD, radio, CD players)	1
Porcelain item, large (e.g., bathtub)	2
Porcelain or vitreous clay item, small, (e.g., sink, toilet, urn)	1
Lumber/construction debris of 3 feet or less in length bundled (maximum 1 cubic yard)	1
Other household item of less than 50 pounds too large for trash can or bag	1

C. Number of stickers required to be affixed to qualify a bulky waste item for collection (continued):

Collectible Bulky Waste Item, Metal or Large Metal Items		Stickers Required
White good/large household appliance (e.g., refrigerator, air conditioner, clothes washer, clothes dryer, dishwasher, stove, oven, dehumidifier, water heater)		3
Small appliances (e.g., microwave oven, toaster, iron, fan)		1
Outdoor power equipment with wheels removed
Large (e.g., ride-upon lawnmower, tractor or snow blower)		3
Small (e.g., walk-behind snow blower, lawnmower, tiller)		2
Outdoor grill		2
Propane tank		1
Ladder of 4 feet collapsed length or less		1
Rack of 4 feet or less in greatest dimension		1
Metal lawn furniture (e.g., table, chair, bench)		1
Metal file cabinet, chest or locker of 4 feet or less in all dimensions		1
Metal door		2
Miscellaneous metal pieces tied in bundles 3 foot lengths of 70 pounds or less		1
Motor vehicle wheel (rim) of over 15 inches		2
Motor vehicle wheel (rim) of 15 inches or less		1
Bicycle		1
Metal toy weighing 50 pounds or more		2
Metal toy weighing less than 50 pounds		1

§ A176-18 Policy No. 19: Collection Policies.

[Adopted by the Town Council 3-10-2009; amended 5-13-2014]

A. The Tax Collector or designee by the Tax Collector shall attest on all building permit applications that taxes, sewer usage fees and sewer assessments are all paid in full for the subject property before the building permit can be issued. This provision may be waived by the Town Manager if the building project is necessary to ensure the health and welfare of the occupants of the building.

B. Any office of the Town which accepts payments shall impose a fee of $20 for any checks which are returned as unpaid.

§ A176-19 Policy No. 20: Distribution of Materials and Use of Town Facilities for Political Purposes

[Adopted by the Town Council 11-24-2009]

A. Printed materials. Printed materials and/or electronic communications may be utilized as means of mass communication on topics relevant to Town government. The Town Manager or his designee may approve or delegate approval to Town department heads for the distribution of materials, providing:

(1) The materials relate to the operation of Town government, community, local recreational or civic activities.

(2) The materials do not promote or denigrate any religious belief or activity, express political or social viewpoints or promote private gain.

(3) The materials do not promote any political party or candidate.

B. Electronic communication. In the interest of minimizing the volume of paper being utilized and fostering increased communication, the use of electronic communication, including but not limited to web page, eBlasts and other social media devices to distribute information referenced above, is encouraged.

C. Referendum question. Advocacy of a position on an approved referendum question is controlled by state law.

D. Town facilities. Political candidates and incumbents as well as political parties serving the Town of Tolland and its residents may utilize Town facilities under the same rules and regulations as the general public.

E. Interpretation. The Town Manager or his/her designee shall interpret this policy. In case of differences regarding the decision, the decision of the Town Manager will be final.

§ A176-20 Policy No. 21: Delinquent Tax Collection Enforcement for Real Estate Taxes.

[Adopted by the Town Council 12-14-2010; amended 8-25-2015]

A. In the ordinary course of business the Collector of Revenue shall do, or cause to be done, the following:

(1) Mail property tax bills to all owners of record, as set out in the Grand List and the subsequent rate book/bill, at their last known address;

(2) Mail delinquent bills/reminders on a monthly basis at least two times;

(3) Use due diligence to research new addresses and/or new owners;

(4) Mail demand notices in October and demand notices again in April; and

(5) Mail intent to lien notices in April and file liens on the land records in May.

B. Each September and February, the Collector of Revenue shall attend to certain accounts on a more intense basis. Accounts shall be considered seriously delinquent if:

(1) A real estate delinquency on a single parcel exceeds $10,000, regardless of the age of the debt; or

(2) A real estate delinquency on a single parcel is at least three installments in age, regardless of the size of the debt; or

(3) A real estate delinquency on a single parcel which is abandoned and one installment delinquent regardless of tax amount due.

C. The Collector of Revenue shall do the following to encourage payment on seriously delinquent accounts:

(1) Construct reports listing the parcels/owners which meet the above criteria.

(2) Research contact information and make calls to the owners.

(3) Issue a demand specifying an alias tax warrant, tax sale, foreclosure or assignment as possible consequences.

(4) Determine what, if any, lender holds any mortgage on the parcel and contact the mortgage holder to assist in collections.

(a) Expect the lender to remind its mortgagor to pay the delinquent taxes.

(b) Remind the lender that municipal liens come before its mortgage.

(c) Ask the lender to pay the taxes, modify the loan, and force escrow.

(d) Send the lender copies of delinquent statements, liens, and the portion of its mortgage document which expresses its policies on such matters.

D. If, at any time during this process, a record owner contacts the Collector of Revenue and either pays the debt in full (including any interest and/or fees, as may, by law, have accrued) or enters into an acceptable payment plan, the Collector of Revenue shall cease enforced collections except as provided for in the formal payment plan.

E. An acceptable payment plan is as follows:

(1) Must be in writing in a format provided by the Collector of Revenue.

(2) Must provide for payment in full, including any taxes which shall fall due during the life of the plan, in a maximum of two years.

(a) A monthly value of the annual taxes shall be calculated.

(b) A monthly estimate of interest accrual shall be calculated.

(c) A monthly portion of the debt at signing shall be calculated.

(3) At least two valid telephone numbers shall be provided by the debtor, except that the Collector of Revenue shall not discuss the debt at the place or on the e-mail of employment of the debtor unless such debtor calls the Collector of Revenue and initiates such discussion.

(4) A valid personal e-mail address shall be provided by the debtor.

(5) Language will be included which provides for resumption of collection activities without further notice if the debtor misses two monthly installments on the plan, whether consecutive or not.

(6) Diligence on the part of the debtor in making monthly payments on the plan shall not cause the Collector of Revenue to stop the accrual of lawfully required interest or the filing of lawfully required liens.

(7) The debtor must provide a copy of photo identification, date of birth and social security number.

F. If the record owner does not either satisfy the debt or enter into and adhere to an approved payment plan, the Collector of Revenue shall proceed as follows:

(1) If a demand has not been issued, the Collector of Revenue shall issue a demand specifying an alias tax warrant, tax sale, foreclosure or assignment as possible consequences.

(2) In April and October of each year (or such other additional times as the committee may determine), the Tax Collector of Revenue shall meet with a committee of Town Administrators and representatives from the Town Council who shall review all seriously delinquent accounts and determine if enforced action is warranted. In reviewing the subject accounts, the committee shall pay attention to:

(a) Age of debt;

(b) Size of debt;

(c) Chronic delinquent status of debtor;

(d) Potential interest of abutters in acquiring the property;

(e) Potential interest of the Town in acquiring the property;

(f) Abandoned property; and

(g) Issues of compassion.

G. Should a majority of the committee determine that enforced action is warranted, the committee shall then decide, by majority vote, which of the following enforcement techniques shall be pursued:

(1) Alias tax warrant. Pursuant to C.G.S. § 12-162, "[a]ny collector of taxes, in the execution of tax warrants, shall have the same authority as state marshals have in executing the duties of their office, and any constable or other officer authorized to serve any civil process may serve a warrant for the collection of any tax assessed, and the officer shall have the same authority as the collector concerning taxes committed to such officer for collection. …[U]pon the nonpayment of any property tax …when due, demand having been made therefor as prescribed by law for the collection of such tax…, an alias tax warrant may be issued by the tax collector," which may be in the form set forth in C.G.S. § 12-162.

(2) Tax sale.

(a) Pursuant to C.G.S. § 12-155, the Collector of Revenue may enforce by levy and sale any lien upon real estate for such taxes or he may levy upon and sell such interest of such person in any real estate as exists at the date of the levy, the process for which is set forth in C.G.S. § 12-157, Method of selling real estate for taxes.

(b) In addition to the record owners, encumbrancers, and interested parties who are required to be sent repeated formal notification of this action, the Town of Tolland shall include all abutters as well.

(3) Foreclosure. Pursuant to C.G.S. § 12-181, the "tax collector of any municipality may bring suit for the foreclosure of tax liens in the name of the municipality by which the tax was laid."

(4) Assignment of liens.

(a) Pursuant to C.G.S. § 12-195h, "[a]ny municipality, by resolution of its legislative body . . . may assign, for consideration, any and all liens filed by the tax collector to secure unpaid taxes on real property."

(b) The following requirements shall apply to an assignment of liens:

[1] No delinquent property owner may purchase liens on his/her real property filed by the Collector of Revenue, either through himself/herself, an agent, a straw man, or a business set up to disguise his/her interest in said liens.

[2] All liens shall be sold at 100% of value, including tax, interest, fees, and costs as of the date of the assignment, unless otherwise determined by the Town Council.

[3] Any assignee shall agree, as part of the consideration, to either:

[a] Pay any subsequent tax bills as they fall due;

[b] Purchase the liens thereon held by the Town of Tolland at 100% of value, including tax, interest, fees, and costs as of the date of the assignment, unless otherwise determined by the Town Council; or

[c] Subordinate the purchased lien priority to that of subsequent tax liens held by the Town of Tolland.

[4] Any property owner shall be entitled to pay his/her subsequent taxes as they fall due and may offer to purchase the assigned liens from the assignee should the assignee choose to do so.

(5) Collection by suit.

(a) Pursuant to C.G.S. § 12-161, "[a]ll taxes properly assessed shall become a debt due from the person, persons, or corporation against whom they are respectively assessed to the town, city, district or community in whose favor they are assessed, and may be, in addition to the other remedies provided by law, recovered by any proper action in the name of the community in whose favor they are assessed."

(b) Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, if the real estate tax delinquency (inclusive of taxes and accrued interest) for any one parcel of land, or several parcels if owned by the same business or individual in a single development, shall exceed $17,500, the Collector of Revenue shall be entitled to any and all action he/she deems necessary and proper to collect such delinquent taxes without the necessity of convening a committee meeting or acquiring the consent of the committee referred to herein.

§ A176-21 Policy No. 22: Social Media Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 1-10-2012; amended in its entirety 12-11-2018]

A. Purpose.

(1) The Town of Tolland (Town) may utilize social media tools and websites to further enhance communications with various stakeholder organizations in support of goals, policies and programs. Social media, for purposes of this policy, means the use of online technology to communicate with others. Examples of social media tools and websites include, without limitation, blogs and social-networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and dating websites.

(2) As part of their job responsibilities, Town employees will be expected to learn to appropriately use available technological resources in order to assist them in their ability to publish articles, facilitate discussions and communicate information through various social media tools and sites when conducting Town business.

B. Use of Town-sponsored/created social media sites.

(1) All Town-sponsored/created social media sites shall be:

(a) Approved by the Town Manager and the requesting Department Director;

(b) Administered by a designated Town representative as determined by the Town Manager and the Department Director.

(2) Only Town employees (including members of volunteer boards/commissions) specifically authorized to post content on Town-sponsored/created social media sites on behalf of the Town will be permitted to do so. Unless authorized to do so, Town employees do not have permission to speak on behalf of the Town via any social media sites. All Town-sponsored/created social media sites shall not be used by any Town employee for the creation, publication, posting or distribution of any personal and/or non-work-related written, visual and/or audio correspondence or materials.

(3) All Town-sponsored/created social media sites shall adhere to all applicable state, federal and local laws, regulations and Town policies.

(4) Freedom of Information Act requirements and electronic-discovery obligations may apply to the content on all Town-sponsored/created social media sites, and therefore, the Town will manage, store and retrieve such content as may be necessary to comply with these requirements and obligations.

(5) The Town reserves the right to restrict or remove any content on any Town-sponsored/created social media sites that is deemed in violation of this policy or any applicable law.

(6) Examples of content that shall not be allowed to be posted by anyone (including Town employees and members of the public) on any Town-sponsored/created social media sites are (without limitation) as follows:

(a) Comments not topically related to the particular site or information posted;

(b) Profanity;

(c) Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected status, including race, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, national origin, disability or sexual orientation;

(d) Sexual content or links to sexual content;

(e) Solicitations of commerce;

(f) Content demonstrating participation in or encouraging any illegal activity;

(g) Content that may compromise the safety or security of the Town or the public; or

(h) Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.

(7) Employees representing the Town via social media outlets must conduct themselves at all times in a professional manner as a representative of Town and in accordance with all applicable state, federal and local laws, regulations and Town policies.

(8) Employees found in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

(9) All Town-sponsored/created social media sites shall be branded with the newest version of the Town Seal in the area designated by the Town Manager.

(10) Usernames and passwords of all Town-sponsored/created social media sites shall be shared with the Town IT Department within a week of the creation of the site or within a week of updating an existing site.

(11) In the event of any declared emergency, only one Town department (to be designated by the Town Manager) shall send out pertinent information via social media while other Town departments may retweet or share the information.

C. Personal use of social media sites.

(1) Any conduct, which under the law or Town policy is impermissible if expressed in any other format (such as through a conversation, a memo or an e-mail), is impermissible if expressed by an employee through any personal use of social media as well. Further, any employee who chooses to personally use social media needs to be aware of the following:

(a) The personal use of social media is not allowed while employees are on working time (e.g., excluding break time, etc.), regardless of the equipment used (e.g., either using personal or Town phones or computers). Employees may further not use company equipment for personal reasons in accordance with applicable policies.

(b) Employees who use social media shall not post any proprietary Town data, documents or photographs, or any information which would violate any privacy laws applicable to the Town, regardless of whether the posting is done during working or nonworking time.

(c) Unless authorized, in writing, by a management representative (such as when an employee's job is to send public messages on behalf of the Town), employees do not have permission to speak on behalf of the Town via social media.

(d) While communicating through social media, if an employee posts any content that has something to do with the work they perform for the Town or subjects associated with the business of the Town, employees must make clear that they are not speaking on behalf of the Town by accompanying their posts with a disclaimer such as: "The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the Town's positions or opinions."

(e) Employees should avoid sending or accepting "friend" requests from supervisors which could result in violations of any applicable Town policies, including, without limitation, policies pertaining to conflicts of interest and discrimination/harassment.

(2) When an employee's use of any social media violates the law or Town policies (including policies pertaining to employee misconduct or job performance), appropriate discipline up to and including termination of employment will be imposed, regardless of when the information was posted or sent and regardless of the tools or site used to post or send such information.

(3) Nothing in this policy (or any other Town policy) will be implemented or should be interpreted in any manner so as to prohibit or inhibit employees from engaging in any personal lawful activities through social media, including exercising any rights they may have to engage in protected concerted activity or political activities.

§ A176-22 Policy No. 23: Post-Issuance Tax Compliance Policy.

[Added 8-29-2012[1]]

A. Parties:

(1) Compliance Coordinator.

(2) Bond Counsel.

(3) Financial Advisor.

B. Overview and statement of purpose. The Town of Tolland, Connecticut (the “Town of Tolland” or the “issuer”) from time to time issues tax-exempt bonds, notes or other obligations (“obligations”), which are tax-advantaged obligations that receive preferential tax treatment under federal tax law. In order for the interest on the obligations to be and remain excluded from income of the holders of the obligations (or for such obligations to continue to receive preferential treatment) for federal income tax purposes, certain tax laws must be complied with. The issuer makes certain representations and covenants in the tax regulatory agreements, bond documents and certificates executed in connection with the issuance of its obligations. These policies and procedures, dated and effective as referenced above, are intended to ensure that the Town of Tolland complies with the federal tax requirements regarding:

(1) The qualified use of the proceeds of its obligations and the financed property; and

(2) Arbitrage yield restriction and rebate.

C. Policies.

(1) Investment and expenditure of proceeds. The internal controls and accounting systems of the Town of Tolland will be capable of tracking the expenditure, investment and reinvestment of proceeds of obligations issued by the Town of Tolland, and such amounts shall be tracked individually and be capable of designation in order that such amounts shall be attributable to specific issuances of obligations. Appropriate coding systems shall allow for the identification of facilities or property financed or refinanced by obligations of the issuer. It is intended that the procedures developed shall ensure that proceeds are expended for purposes authorized under applicable bond authorization documents and in compliance with tax regulatory agreements of the Town of Tolland, including, without limitation, procedures to ensure that investments acquired with bond proceeds are purchased at fair market value. All investments and investment vehicles shall comply with federal and State of Connecticut laws.

(2) Financed facilities and property. The issuer shall monitor the uses of facilities and property (which are financed or refinanced by obligations of the Town of Tolland) by private persons or entities. Such uses include, but may not be limited to, arrangements for the sale, disposition, lease, management or other use of a portion of financed facilities and property. Any such nongovernmental proposed uses are subject to the prior review and approval of the Director of Finance and Records of the issuer. Bond Counsel shall be consulted as necessary. If any private use is identified, it shall be documented, and Bond Counsel shall be consulted regarding the “change in use” rules and regulations.

(3) Noncompliance and remedial action. All noncompliance or potential noncompliance with federal or State of Connecticut law regarding the tax-advantaged status of obligations of the Town of Tolland shall be addressed immediately and, if appropriate, in consultation with Bond Counsel. Efforts shall be undertaken to address and remedy noncompliance.

(4) Post-issuance modification of obligations. Prior to modification of the terms of any outstanding obligations, including interest rate, maturity, etc., the Director of Finance and Records of the Town of Tolland shall consult with Bond Counsel regarding the potential effect on the tax status of such obligations.

(5) Record retention. All records related to obligations of the Town of Tolland, including, but not limited to, expenditures, invoices, ledgers, bank statements, resolutions, bond authorizations, leases, management contracts and agreements, shall be maintained in compliance with state record retention requirements. Physical copies of records or electronic versions shall be maintained.

(6) Review of post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures. These policies and procedures shall be reviewed at least annually under the direction of the Compliance Coordinator, and the date of these policies and procedures shall be modified to indicate that such review has occurred.

(7) Amendment of post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures. These policies and procedures may be modified, expanded, abridged, or otherwise amended by the Director of Finance and Records of the Town of Tolland in consultation with Bond Counsel in order to:

(a) Ensure efficiency of administration;

(b) Establish and maintain appropriate assignments of responsibility;

(c) Reflect changes in the Town of Tolland’s system of accounting, financial controls, procurement practices, or other internal procedures and practices;

(d) Respond to changes in law or interpretation that may, from time to time, be reported to the Town of Tolland by Bond Counsel, its Financial Advisor or other sources; or

(e) Otherwise ensure compliance with the procedures in the most efficient and effective manner.

(8) Retention of professionals. The Town of Tolland shall engage such professionals or consultants as necessary to comply with federal and State of Connecticut law to ensure the preservation of the tax advantage status of the obligations of the Town of Tolland. Such professionals may include, without limitation, bond counsel, arbitrage rebate specialists, financial advisors and auditors.

D. Procedures.

(1) Expenditure and investment of proceeds.

(a) For each issue of obligations, a record shall be kept of the items and amounts paid for costs of issuance and whether or not such amounts were paid with proceeds of the obligations. The issuer shall ensure that no more than the limit (e.g., 2%) of the proceeds is used for costs of issuance (for such obligations which have limits on the amount of proceeds that may be used costs of issuance).

(b) For each issue of obligations of the issuer, the Director of Finance and Records shall evaluate and identify:

[1] The “spending exception(s)” that pertain to such issue of obligations (which may be found in Section 5 of the Tax Regulatory Agreement); and

[2] The applicable “temporary periods” outlined under Section 4 of the Tax Regulatory Agreement.

(c) Based on the applicable spending exceptions and temporary periods, the Director of Finance and Records shall set a calendar of dates for reviewing expenditures by project and by issue of obligations to ensure compliance with spending targets. Upon the identification of a spending target not being met or the anticipation of a spending target not being met, the Director of Finance and Records shall consult Bond Counsel regarding options and corrective action.

(d) Prior to the making of a “final allocation,” expenditure information shall be tracked for each project by date, individual invoice, purchase order, and payment check, etc. Such information shall include expenditures that were reimbursed with proceeds of obligations. (Except for “preliminary expenditures,” reimbursements for expenditures for projects that were expended prior to the issue date of the obligations must be limited to those paid subsequent to, or not more than 60 days prior to, the adoption of a declaration of official intent, which is generally included in the appropriation and bond authorization resolution.) The Director of Finance and Records shall oversee such tracking.

(e) A final accounting of the allocation of proceeds of the obligations to expenditures shall be made by the Director of Finance and Records not later than 18 months after the later of the date the expenditure was made or the date the project was placed in service, but, in any event, not later than five years after the obligations were issued or 60 days after the obligations are retired. A record shall be kept of other moneys (e.g., grants or general fund) that were used to finance such projects.

(f) A record of the investment of proceeds shall be tracked by proceeds of each issue of obligations (or if under an indenture also by type of fund), including dates of deposits and withdrawals, the accounts where the proceeds are maintained, and the interest rate and earnings thereon. Such records shall be kept by the Treasurer of the Town of Tolland/Assistant Finance Director.

(g) The Director of Finance and Records shall keep a record of all other costs and expenditures of each issue of obligations, such as credit enhancement and capitalized interest.

(h) A record of all payments of principal of and interest on the obligations shall be kept by the Director of Finance and Records.

(i) A record of the retirement or refunding of obligations and any reductions or pay-downs on temporary notes shall be kept by the Director of Finance and Records.

(2) Financed facilities and property.

(a) No sale, lease, management contract, research contract, special legal entitlement arrangement or other use arrangement shall be entered into for any facility or property financed with obligations of the Town of Tolland unless such arrangement is reviewed and approved by the Director of Finance and Records. The Director of Finance and Records shall consult with Bond Counsel to solicit advice concerning the arrangement and its potential effect on the tax status of the obligations.

(b) Procedures shall be established with the Procurement Department, the Board of Education, or any other department that may negotiate or enter into arrangements with nongovernmental/private parties [including 501(c)(3) entities] to ensure that the Director of Finance and Records has the opportunity to review such arrangements prior to their execution. No such arrangements shall be entered into without the prior approval of the Director of Finance and Records.

(c) On an annual basis, the Director of Finance and Records shall analyze the private business use of financed facilities and property to determine whether the limitation (generally 5%, unless related business use) on private business use of proceeds has been exceeded.

(3) Noncompliance and remedial action.

(a) Upon identification or determination of any noncompliance with, or violation of, the tax laws, the Director of Finance and Records shall review (with the assistance of other professionals as needed) such evaluation to ensure it was properly conducted.

(b) Upon determination that noncompliance has occurred, the Director of Finance and Records shall consult with Bond Counsel regarding a course of corrective action regarding the ability to remedy the noncompliance under the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations or the need to utilize the Voluntary Closing Agreement Program (VCAP).

(4) Post-issuance modification of obligations.

(a) The Director of Finance and Records shall identify any potential plan to modify the terms of the issuer’s outstanding obligations and consult with Bond Counsel regarding the impact of such modifications and whether such modifications trigger a reissuance.

(b) The Director of Finance and Records shall monitor obligations of the Town of Tolland and identify modifications, or potential modification, including, but not limited to:

[1] Change in annual yield. Generally, a change in the annual yield of a tax-advantaged obligation by more than the greater of 1/4 of 1% or 5% of the annual yield of the unmodified instrument will trigger a reissuance.

[2] Change in timing of payments. Depending on the circumstances, a reissuance may occur if there is a change in the timing of the payments due under the tax-exempt bond such as an extension of the final maturity or a deferral of payments prior to maturity.

[3] Substitution of a new obligor or the addition or deletion of a co-obligor. If there is a change in payment expectations, the addition or deletion of a co-obligor on a tax-advantaged obligation may cause a reissuance. The substitution of a new obligor on tax-advantaged obligations is not a significant modification if the new obligor is related to the issuer and the collateral for the bonds includes the original collateral.

[4] Change in security or credit enhancement. If there is a change in payment expectations, the substitution of new collateral for existing collateral of a tax-advantaged obligation may cause a reissuance. Generally, however, the substitution of a similar commercially available credit enhancement contract on a nonrecourse tax-advantaged obligation will not cause a reissuance.

[5] Change in priority of an obligation. If there is a change in payment expectations, the subordination of a tax-advantaged obligation to another obligation may cause a reissuance.

[6] Change in payment expectations. Depending on the circumstances, a change in payment expectations may cause a reissuance. A change in payment expectations may occur if there is a substantial enhancement or substantial impairment of an issuer’s capacity to meet its payment obligations. An issuer’s payment capacity for a bond issue includes all of its sources of payment on the bonds, including collateral, guarantees, or other credit enhancement.

(5) Record retention.

(a) Records shall be maintained in compliance with state record retention requirements. Physical copies of records or electronic versions shall be maintained.

(b) The Compliance Coordinator shall ensure that systems are developed for the maintenance and safekeeping of the records, including, but not limited to:

[1] Transcripts (closing binders) and closing documents, and any amendments thereto, for each issue of obligations.

[2] All accountings of proceeds of the obligations to expenditures, such as invoices, requisitions, payments, canceled checks, ledgers, contracts and correspondence.

[3] Copies of all management contracts, research agreements, construction contracts, purchase and sale agreements, leases or easements, other arrangements involving “special legal entitlements” (such as naming rights) or any other records pertaining to the facilities and property financed by obligations of the issuer.

[4] All accountings of investments of proceeds of the obligations, such as bank statements, general ledgers, investment contracts and escrow accounts. Copies of swaps and guaranteed investment contracts and documentation related thereto.

[5] All correspondence with the Internal Revenue Service.

[6] Rebate computations and filings with the Internal Revenue Service.

(6) Review and amendment of post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures.

(a) At least annually, and at the time of issuance of each issue of obligations, the Compliance Coordinator shall conduct or cause to be conducted a review these post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures to ensure that they are accurate and comprehensive.

(b) Each time the post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures are reviewed or amended, such review date or amendment date and revision number shall be noted on the post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures. Amendments to the post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures shall be in consultation with Bond Counsel.

(c) Upon completion of review or amendment of the post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures, the Compliance Coordinator shall send a copy to Bond Counsel and affected officers or employees of the Town of Tolland.

(7) Retention of professionals.

(a) If the Town of Tolland determines that any of its outstanding obligations are not exempt from rebate, the Town of Tolland will engage an arbitrage rebate analyst as its arbitrage rebate computation agent.

(b) The Compliance Coordinator shall ensure that the arbitrage rebate analyst timely prepares returns for the payment of arbitrage rebate (IRS Form 8038-T) and that such payments are made in accordance with the tax laws.

(8) General matters:

(a) For each issue of obligations, Bond Counsel shall prepare and file in a timely manner on behalf of the Issuer IRS Form 8038-G (or other applicable form). A copy of such filed 8038-G shall be placed in the transcript of proceedings for each issue.

(b) The Compliance Coordinator shall place a transcript of proceedings for each issue of obligations in the office of the Director of Finance and Records.

(c) The Director of Finance and Records shall perform an annual review of the Tax Regulatory Agreement to ensure compliance therewith.

[1] Editor's Note: The post-issuance tax compliance policies and procedures added and last revised (Revision No. 1) on this date were last reviewed on 8-26-2013.

§ A176-23 Policy No. 24: Municipal Website Content Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 6-28-2016]

A. Purpose. The sole purpose of the Town of Tolland website is to provide information of a factual nature about the Town, including various resident and business resources available in the Town of Tolland, or as may be available from other governmental agencies.

B. Goals. Goals of the Town of Tolland website are:

(1) To encourage increased citizen participation in Town government by making public information more readily available;

(2) To provide electronic access to Town information through a logical single point of entry at http://www.tolland.org;

(3) To keep the public informed of community events, municipal meetings, and Town programs;

(4) To encourage both commerce and tourism.

C. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Businesses and/or organizations located within the Town of Tolland may be listed in the business directory in alphabetical order. Contact details may include business/organization name, address, phone number, website address/link, and a brief write-up about the business. The Town of Tolland retains the right to reject any submissions that in its sole opinion are considered to be inappropriate.

LEGAL NOTICES

Legal notices may be provided on this site as a courtesy. The user should not assume the list is complete or that all legal notices will eventually appear on this site.

LINKS

The Town of Tolland may provide links to Internet sites maintained by third parties, over which the Town of Tolland has no control. The Town of Tolland does not endorse the content, operators, products or services of such sites, and is not responsible or liable for the services or other materials on or available from such sites. The Town of Tolland shall not be liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, or products or services available on or through such sites.

ORGANIZATIONS

For the purposes of this policy, an organization is a corporation which is registered with the Connecticut Secretary of State Commercial Recording Division, or which has a federal tax employer identification number.

WEBSITE ADMINISTRATOR

The Tolland Town Manager shall appoint a Website Administrator, who is responsible for the appearance, behavior, content, and technical aspects of the website. All information prepared for posting on the Town website shall be routed through the Website Administrator or other designated Town employee. The Tolland Town Council establishes policy governing the Town of Tolland website. The Website Administrator is responsible for carrying out Town web policies day to day, but is subject to the authority of the Town Council. These policies may include defining the look and feel of the website or deciding who may post information on the site. The name and e-mail address of the Website Administrator shall be visible on the Town website.

D. Publication criteria.

(1) The following criteria will be used to determine if submitted content is appropriate for the website. The Town of Tolland retains the right to reject any submissions that in its sole opinion are considered to be inappropriate.

(a) Business directory. The Town of Tolland website may provide contact details and links to websites for businesses physically located within the Town of Tolland.

(b) Other content. The Town's website may provide news items, announcements, e-mail distribution and/or links to websites for:

[1] Government and government-related educational institutions, such as CCM, CRCOG, etc.

[2] Generally recognized volunteer nonprofit community organizations from Tolland.

(2) If you meet the above criteria and would like a publication on the website, please contact the Town Manager's office.

E. Excluded content. Except as specified elsewhere in this policy, the Town's website will not publish content including:

(1) Opinions or endorsements regarding candidates for office, political issues, or municipal, county, state, or federal initiatives.

(2) Promotion or advertisement of businesses or special interest groups. Visit www.ourtolland.org for this type of promotion or advertisement.

(3) Campaign websites for incumbent and challenging candidates for local, state, or federal office. Further, if an existing website link of a seated candidate is found to be of a campaigning/self-promotional nature, it will be removed from the Town of Tolland website.

(4) Political organizations or other organizations advocating a candidate; a position on a local, state, or federal issue; or pending legislation.

(5) Corporate or other for profit organizations unless they fit any of the criteria stated above.

(6) Individual or personal home pages.

(7) Any submission considered by the Website Administrator to be inappropriate or out of line with the purpose and goals of the website or the criteria herein.

F. Privacy. The only information the Town of Tolland will obtain about you when you visit this site is the information you provide to it. If you choose to provide the Town with personal information (as in an e-mail to Town staff, or by filling out a form with your personal information and submitting it to the Town through this website) the Town will use that information to respond to your message and to help them get you the information you have requested. The Town of Tolland treats e-mails the same way it treats letters sent to the Town offices. The Town is required to maintain many documents for historical purposes, but the Town does not collect personal information for any purpose other than to respond to you. However, information the Town receives may be considered public information which is subject to disclosure under Connecticut law. Except for information disclosure required by Connecticut law, the Town of Tolland only shares the information you give the Town with another government agency, if your inquiry relates to that agency. Moreover, the Town does not create individual profiles with the information you provide, or provide such information to any private organizations. The Town of Tolland does not collect information for commercial marketing.

G. Disclaimer.

(1) The Town of Tolland provides this site as a public service. The Town of Tolland makes no claims or guarantees about the accuracy or currency of the content of this website and expressly disclaims liability for errors or omissions in its content. No warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of noninfringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or freedom from computer virus, are given with respect to this website or its links to other websites. All information and data on this website are subject to change without notice. Neither the Town of Tolland, nor its affiliates, officers, employees, agents, boards, commissions, committees, nor elected officials shall be liable for any loss or injury caused in whole or in part by use of this website or as a result of reliance upon the information contained herein or linked hereto. You, the user, understand and agree that any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of this website is acquired at your own risk and discretion and that you will be solely responsible for any damages to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of such material.

(2) Unauthorized attempts to modify any information or images stored on this site or to utilize this site for other than its intended purposes are prohibited.

(3) Reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is solely for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Town of Tolland. This site is the property of the Town of Tolland. No photos or other website content may be used without the express written consent of the Town of Tolland.

§ A176-24 Policy No. 25: Town of Tolland and Tolland Board of Education Utility Internal Service Policy/Agreement.

[Adopted by the Town Council 11-12-2013; adopted by the Board of Education 11-13-2013; amended 7-13-2021]

A. The Town and the Board of Education shall maintain an established Utility Internal Service Fund (UISF) for the purpose of paying for all fees associated with (1) utilities, (2) ESCO Project Debt Service, (3) associated consultant fees, (4) future system improvements and (5) repairs. The utilities include but are not limited to propane, electricity, heating fuel, water and sewer. This fund is separate from the General Fund, and it shall be audited annually as any other Town funds by the Town's auditors. Revenue to this fund shall include contributions from the Board of Education and Town, investment earnings, utility rebates and any other miscellaneous funds that relate to this fund. Expenditures from the UISF will include charges from the various utility companies, payments for debt service on any approved Energy Improvement project, consultant fees, system management fees and any other associated fees incurred on behalf of the Town and Board of Education respectively shall be paid from this Fund. Any transfers from the UISF must comply with the goals as outlined in Subsection E of this policy.

B. The Town and Board of Education shall retain an energy consultant and/or assign staff to prepare budget estimates and determine utility savings. The consultant and/or staff shall review all ESCO energy contracts and verify the baseline budget and prepare a recommended budget including any potential changes for price escalation and other impacts in accordance with the energy contract measurement requirements. Based on that review, no later than October 31, the consultant and/or staff shall make a preliminary recommendation to the Town Manager and the Superintendent of Schools as to how much should be included in the budget estimate for the upcoming fiscal year for the Town and Board of Education separately. This information shall be provided by the Finance Director to the Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools. This recommended amount is subject to change prior to the final adoption of the annual budget appropriation if trend information is reflecting substantially different information from the original estimate provided. Any changes to the recommended amount will be provided by the Finance Director, energy consultant and/or assigned staff.

C. Except as provided herein and below, the Board of Education and Town shall include in its itemized budget estimate the amount recommended by the consultant/staff and as provided by the Finance Director to the Town Manager and the Superintendent of Schools.

D. After the Annual Budget Referendum is approved for the appropriation to the Town and the Board of Education for a given fiscal year, the Town and Board of Education shall transfer to the UISF an amount equal to its itemized budget estimate for utility costs for the year. At the end of each fiscal year, there shall be an accounting of the UISF by the Town's Finance Director. If the amount so transferred was more than the amount necessary to cover the Town's and Board of Education's utility costs, debt service and other associated costs for the year, the remaining amount shall remain in the UISF to help comply with the goals of Subsection E below. If the amount so transferred was less than the amount necessary to cover the Town's and the Board of Education's utility costs for the year, the Town Council and Board of Education shall make appropriate transfers, if any, to assure that all Town and Board of Education utility costs and ESCO Project Debt Service for the year are paid from the UISF.

E. The balance of the UISF shall be maintained for liability reserves at a level which will adequately fund the Town and Board of Education's potential exposure to excessive seasonal shifts in utility costs and to help pay for future system improvements and repairs. The goal of this reserve is to accumulate at a minimum an amount that is based on 10% of the previous year's annual costs utility expenditures in each area as determined by historical expenditure data. The balance in this reserve may fluctuate by the actual annual experience of the UISF or by direct appropriation approved by the Town Council and Board of Education. This reserve shall be reviewed by the Town Finance Director and Board of Education Business Manager and recommendations for funding levels will be made by them to the Town Council and Board of Education Manager and Superintendent of Schools as part of the utility budget estimate for the next fiscal year. There shall be a quarterly review of the actual expenditures by the Town Finance Director, the Board of Education Business Manager, the energy consultant and/or assigned staff.

F. This agreement will be reviewed in one year and recommended changes, if any, will be presented to the Town Council at that time.

§ A176-25 Flag Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 6-9-2020]

No flag other than the flags of the United States of America or State of Connecticut may be flown on any properties owned by the Town of Tolland, with the following exceptions:

A. For any property owned by the Town of Tolland as a veterans' memorial, the following flags may be flown at the discretion of the Town of Tolland Veterans' Recognition Commission:

(1) POW/MIA flag.

(2) The official service flags of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

(3) An official flag, ensign, or service pennant of any military unit, in recognition of that unit's service to the State of Connecticut or United States of America.

B. For any property owned by the Town of Tolland as a memorial park to the members of the Town of Tolland Department of Public Safety, the official department flag or respective service memorial/remembrance flag.

C. For any property serving as an office, station or substation of the Town of Tolland Department of Public Safety, the official departmental flag.

D. The official flag of the Town of Tolland, upon adoption of such flag.

§ A176-26 Proclamation Policy.

[Adopted by the Town Council 6-22-2021]

Proclamations and citations are unique salutations for laudatory deeds or celebration of distinctive occurrences that deserve special recognition by Town residents. They are a celebration of the special milestones achieved or service done by the residents of the Town of Tolland.

A. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

PROCLAMATION

(1) A proclamation is a formal declaration issued by the Town Council to recognize extraordinary action, achievement, commitment, or dedication of a Town resident, organization, or community group in service to the Town of Tolland.

(2) Proclamations are approved and issued solely at the discretion of the Town Council.

(3) If requesting a Town Proclamation recognizing an issued Presidential Proclamation honoring a specific group or event, include reference or link to the specific Presidential Proclamation.

CITATION

(1) A citation is a letter of recognition issued by the Town Council Chairperson to recognize exemplary or commendable action, achievement, commitment or dedication of a Town resident, organization, or community group in service to the Town of Tolland.

(2) Citations are issued solely at the discretion of the Town Council Chairperson. Citations may be issued directly by the Town Council Chairperson or by the Town Manager at the Town Council Chairperson’s direction, with or without a formal request, and do not need to be presented to or approved by the Town Council.

B. Requirements.

(1) Proclamations.

(a) Requests for proclamations must be submitted to the Town Manager’s office via the online form available on the Town website not less than three months prior to the desired issuance date to ensure sufficient time to act upon the request, and must contain the following information:

[1] Name, address, phone number and email or other contact information of person requesting the Proclamation;

[2] Name of person, organization, or event to be recognized;

[3] The type of action or achievement to be recognized;

[4] The date the Proclamation is needed;

[5] All pertinent information regarding the action or achievement to be recognized that is needed to enable the Town Council to appropriately draft the requested Proclamation.

(b) Failure to file within the required timeframe or provide any requested information may result in the delay or rejection of the Proclamation request.

(2) Citations. Requests for Citations should be submitted to the Town Manager’s office via the online form available on the Town website in a timely manner, preferably not less than 30 days prior to the desired issuance date, to ensure sufficient time to act upon the request, and must contain the following information:

(a) Name, address, phone number and email or other contact information of person requesting the Citation.

(b) Name of person, organization, or event to be recognized.

(c) The type of action or achievement to be recognized.

(d) The date the Citation is needed.

(e) All pertinent information regarding the action or achievement to be recognized that is needed to appropriately draft the requested Citation.

C. Proclamation review process. Consideration of Proclamation requests are completely discretionary. To assist in setting agendas for future Town Council meetings, the review process will be conducted by the Town Council Chairperson. As part of the process, the Chair will make recommendations to the Town Council regarding action on the Proclamation request. The Chair will work with the Town Manager’s Office on drafting the language of a Proclamation prior to placing it on the agenda for consideration by the Town Council.

D. Standing Proclamation recognition The following Proclamations may be presented to the Town Council at the next appropriate meeting without requiring screening:

(1) Resident’s 100th birthday;

(2) Retirement of a Town of Tolland employee;

(3) Fair Housing recognition;

(4) Honorable civic service organization promotion or recognition (i.e.: attainment of Eagle Scout, Gold Award or other notable achievements within a civic service organization); or

(5) A previously issued Town Proclamation recognizing a specific group or event.

E. Approval of Proclamations.

(1) Proclamations are to be passed by majority vote. Issuance of a prior Proclamation does not create precedence requiring approval of subsequent similar requests. If there is a nonunanimous vote to approve wherein the Town Council Chair dissents, the next ranking member of the Town Council is authorized to sign the Proclamation under their title.

(2) Where the Town Council issues a proclamation in accordance with this policy, such proclamation does not constitute a personal or civic endorsement by the Town.

(3) Once a proclamation is approved by the Town Council, the Town Manager’s Office will coordinate with the requestor of the proclamation a date at which a ceremonial read of the proclamation can be performed, preferably to take place at a future meeting of the Town Council.