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10/11/2017 08:00 AMRepublican Incumbent Carl Fortuna, Jr., is seeking his fourth term as first selectman.
Among the accomplishments of his and his team over the past six years, he cited in particular improvements made to the business of Town Hall. These include upgrades to Town Hall processes, systems, and to the hiring process for new town employees.
“In the past six years, whenever someone has retired or left, we have evaluated each position and re-written the job description to reflect modern times. Every town employee has been hired using a panel: five people sat on the recent panel [choosing] the new building inspector, one of them was a building inspector from another shoreline town. From the hiring of the information technology director to the finance director, from the building official to the environmental planner, [this process] has meant we have hired top-notch people,’ said Fortuna.
He said investing $170,000 over two years to install a new more robust computerized accounting system has allowed the town to achieve system efficiencies and human resource savings. A Finance Department retirement spurred a reevaluation of that department and its duties. An accountant was hired whose skills allowed Town Treasurer Bob Fish to shift from full-time to part-time status while still fulfilling his constitutional duties for town revenue and fund oversight.
“Payback for the new accounting system and department changes will be in three years from personnel cost savings, and from issuing paychecks electronically every two weeks instead of [paper checks] once a week,” said Fortuna. “It will pay dividends both short and long-term in terms of using our human resources efficiently.”
Fortuna cited negotiated changes to town union contracts over the last few years that have migrated all town employees to a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)/Health Savings Account (HSA), and, for two unions, a migration for new employees to a 401K-type defined-contribution pension program and away from the traditional defined-benefit plan.
“We’re doing things to decrease the town’s future financial liabilities,” said Fortuna.
Over the past six years, Fortuna said he and the town team have increased the town’s rainy day fund from six percent of the town’s operating budget to 12 percent. This change is necessary to convince credit rating agencies to consider a future upgrade to the town’s risk rating that could yield debt payment savings.
In terms of capital investments with a quick payback and operating cost savings, Fortuna cited energy efficiency upgrades made at the town-owned Kate building, at the Acton Library, and at Town Hall. With this summer’s town streetlight purchase and fall 2017 conversion of streetlights from sodium-vapor to LED bulbs, the changes all together mean a 25 percent annual savings in town electricity use.
Grant-funded projects like the Main Street Parking and Connection Park, now nearly completed, and the rebuilding of North Main Street, also nearly done, are investments that he says support town business, development, and quality of life. Also on that list are recent upgrades of the Youth & Family Services agency’s Main Street home with insurance settlement and town funds, and replacement of the storm-damaged Town Beach Pavilion.
“Over the last three budget cycles, the town is down about $1 million in state aid. Many towns have faced this funding change. We’ve dealt with this by finding new efficiencies and using some fund balance when needed,” said Fortuna.
Before becoming first selectman, Fortuna worked as a private practice lawyer, and as an elected town volunteer, served as chairman of the Board of Finance.