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Clinton Schools to Fund Vehicle and Tech Via Special Fund

At its April 21 meeting, the Town Council approved the use of $168,207 for Board of Education (BOE) capital projects. The money will be taken from the non-lapsing BOE account and will not affect the proposed budget.

Due to a change in state statutes that allows municipalities to establish non-lapsing accounts for unused BOE funds, in 2020 the Town Council opted to create a non-lapsing account in Clinton. The fund is made of unspent funds from the BOE that were there as a result of the pandemic. The fund was created to help respond to unanticipated special education costs and capital expenses only.

At a meeting in March to set the proposed budgets, the council decided to remove some education capital projects requests from the proposed BOE budget with the idea of using the money already in the non-lapsing account to pay for those capital projects when the time comes.

At the April 21, meeting the council unanimously approved the requests from the BOE. The request for a replacement maintenance vehicle at a price of $40,000, and $128,207 for computer devices that are part of the district’s technology replacement cycle.

“When created, the funding for the non-lapsing account was $667,209. With the appropriation if $168,207, the remaining balance would be $499,002,” Town Manager Karl Kilduff explained.

The BOE is also going to pursue replacing an HVAC system at the Eliot School, but there may be federal grant money available for that. Kilduff said that the BOE would review the options on how to fund that the project and may request the money in the future. Kilduff said at the March meeting it was still unknown how much federal stimulus money would be directed to the BOE.

Before any money from the non-lapsing account can be spent, a presentation must be made to the council explaining how much funding is requested, what the request is for, and why that money isn’t already in the BOE budget. The money in the non-lapsing account can only be used on unanticipated special education costs that go over the budgeted amount or capital projects.

Additionally, the agreement between the BOE and town expressly prohibits the money being spent on mew initiatives or additional programs not in the approved budget. The council also has the right to audit the use of the non-lapsing account, and can opt to pay for that audit using money from the non-lapsing account.

In the future, the council can decide if the money put into the account is a one-time deposit, or if it becomes a standard procedure for the town. The money can only be put into the account if the BOE has a surplus.