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05/04/2021 01:00 PMMike Milici, who had served as the assessor for the Town of the East Haven for the past 30 years, has retired after being placed on administrative leave while the town conducted an investigation into workplace issues in the Assessor’s Office.
Milici delivered a letter to Mayor Joseph Carfora on April 12, stating that “Effective immediately, I hereby retire as the Assessor for the Town of East Haven, CT.” In the letter, Milici requested a meeting to review his benefit and retirement options.
Milici’s retirement came while he was on paid administrative leave, which began on March 10. On that date, Raymond Baldwin, the town’s chief administrative officer and director of economic development, stated in a letter that the leave was “pending the conclusion of an investigation concerning workplace issues, which include but are not limited to, issues related to claims that employees under your supervision have worked overtime and without being paid in accordance with state and federal law.”
The letter was delivered the day after Milici had the Assessor’s Office budget hearing before the Board of Finance (BOF). Milici began his presentation by reading a letter that he had submitted to the BOF prior to the meeting, explaining his request that the three positions in his office remain as full-time positions.
The proposed budget had allocated $8,000 in overtime funds, but reduced one of the full-time positions, which is currently vacant, to a part-time position. The March 9 virtual meeting was posted as a live recording by Lorena Venegas on the East Haven Politics Facebook page.
Milici stated a number of reasons for the need for full-time employees, including the expectation of increased traffic into the office as COVID restrictions ease, the increased Grand List, the number of out-of-state motor vehicles, and that the town is heading into a revaluation year.
“A third full time person is needed to cover the incoming calls and counter traffic,” said Milici. “This is the worst time possible for reducing staff.”
Milici said that Kirstin Franzman, coordinator of the assessment systems, and Patricia Deieso, assessment clerk, “have been stressed to the limit this year trying to keep the office up to date.” He also noted that they have “worked additional hours without pay.”
Michelle Benivegna, assistant director of administration and management, countered that the position has historically been a part-time position, only being made full-time in 2015, and that within the past year, Milici had suggested it go back to a part-time position. Milici said for the “vast majority of time,” it was a full-time position.
Benivegna explained that the reasoning behind moving the position to part-time was based on the department’s work as it has been “meeting guidelines and requirements” as well as savings. Moving the position to part-time would save $47,000 in insurance costs and $17,000 in salary. She noted the added line item of $8,000 for overtime as well as the addition of 2.5 hours to Milici’s weekly salary.
“As far as staff morale, I’m a little concerned you saying they’re working without getting paid,” said Benivegna. “That’s a conversation we need to have and this is the first time I’m hearing of it.”
When the BOF asked Milici about the extra work, he stated, “They just did it because they wanted to get the work done, they didn’t want to make a fuss, they didn’t want to get unions involved. The two of them are extremely dedicated individuals and I myself put hours in that I did not charge. We just wanted to get the work done, we wanted to get the work done on time.”
While Milici was put on administrative leave the next day, in a video posted by Venegas on the East Haven Politics Facebook page on March 15, the BOF recommended that the position in question be reinstated to a full-time position, especially as it is a revaluation year and with the increased Grand List. The BOF also recommended the overtime funds be removed and reallocated to offset the salary of the full-time position.
“The investigation was ongoing when Mr. Milici informed the mayor that he wanted to retire,” said Town Attorney Mike Luzzi. “As indicated, Mayor Carfora accepted his request.”
According to Benivegna, it was determined during the investigation that overtime was worked and both employees are in the process of being paid for that time. The town is now looking for a new assessor.
“We have retained an individual to monitor our current revaluation, until a new assessor is in place,” said Luzzi. “We are actively looking for a replacement, and that search began immediately. Until we place an assessor, Ray Baldwin, chief administrative officer/economic development, and the tax collector, Anna Delrosso, who has some assessor’s experience, are performing department oversight.”