Saley Signals Departure, Defends 27 Vacancies as Public Works Dominates Budget Night

Public Works Director Chris Saley delivered the night's headline news at Monday's Board of Aldermen budget hearing, confirming he does not intend to finish out Mayor Rich Smith's current term and defending the department's 27 vacant-but-funded positions as a deliberate fiscal cushion that absorbed a winter that blew through the snow removal budget more than thirteen times over.

The April 27 session, the second of three scheduled department-presentation nights, also brought the first public budget appearance from new Department of Permitting and Land Use Director Carol Mitten, a frank acknowledgment of $2 million in potentially imperiled federal funding from Bridges Healthcare CEO Jennifer Fiorillo, and a heads-up from City Clerk Peter Smith and the Registrars of Voters that pending state legislation could create logistical chaos on Election Day.

Saley: "I Anticipate Leaving Sometime in the Next Year and a Half"

The most consequential moment came under questioning from Alderman Win Smith III, who pressed Saley on the 27 positions currently vacant within Public Works.

When Smith pivoted to Saley's recently announced candidacy for state representative and asked whether he would step down if elected, Saley initially deflected — "you're putting the horse before the cart" — but then volunteered that his exit was already planned regardless of the election outcome.

"I explained to the mayor when he won the election that I didn't anticipate being here for this full term," Saley said. "I anticipate leaving sometime in the next year and a half."

Saley has served as Public Works Director since 2014, when he was appointed by then-Mayor Ben Blake.

27 Vacancies, $1.2 Million in Unspent Salaries

Saley told the board that the number of vacant-but-funded positions in his department has fluctuated between 19 and 27 over the past year — currently sitting at the top of that range, which he acknowledged was "a little bit of a higher number." Finance Director Peter Erodici, Jr. later quantified the unspent salary value of those 27 positions at roughly $1.2 million.

Smith III pushed Saley on whether the city should simply eliminate positions that have gone unfilled for years, arguing that doing so would deliver direct relief to taxpayers rather than leaving funded slots open for the administration to repurpose.

"I think they would much rather see a relief of their tax burden in however that could help," Smith said. "Would you commit to start eliminating some of these positions?"

Saley defended the practice. He said the department has reduced staffing by more than 30 positions since he took over in 2014 — a savings he estimated at roughly $3 million annually when fringe benefits are included — and argued the remaining cushion is "prudent" given the volatility of public works costs.

He pointed to electricity, gasoline, and sludge removal as line items where prices can swing unpredictably. The board, he noted, retains authority to approve or reject any budget transfers that move surplus salary money to other operational accounts.

Snow Removal: $30,000 Budgeted, Nearly $400,000 Spent

The most striking illustration of that volatility came when Alderman Meghan Brennan asked about snow removal. Saley confirmed the line item was budgeted at $30,000 but that actual spending — labor, contractors, and materials combined — approached $400,000.

"This was the biggest budget for snow removal since I've been here," Saley said. "It was the most challenging winter I've been here, but I've been told it's the most challenging winter in the last 25 years. I believe we had 62 inches of snow."

The roughly $370,000 in unbudgeted spending was absorbed largely from vacant-position savings, illustrating the mechanism Saley defended earlier in the hearing.

Other budget pressures Saley flagged for the coming fiscal year include solid waste removal — projected at $2.9 million for FY27, up from $2.3 million spent in FY25 — and a major wastewater plant capital investment for which the mayor has earmarked $5.5 million.

New DPLU Director Signals Expansion Coming

Carol Mitten, recently hired as the new Director of Permitting and Land Use, used her first budget appearance to put the board on notice that next year's request will not match this year's flat submission.

"Our budget request next year will not be a status quo budget," Mitten told the board. "DPLU is understaffed to perform its important role in protecting the life, safety, and quality of life in this community in a proactive manner. Almost everything we are able to do is reactive."

Mitten said the department currently has 11 of 14 authorized positions filled and that more than half of those 11 employees are eligible to retire either now or within the next several years. The three current vacancies are the chief building official, a clerk position, and an administrative assistant position.

She told the board she will propose adding an assistant city planner — a position the city used to fund but no longer has — citing the workload generated by Connecticut's land use mandates and the day-to-day case volume handled by the city's lone planner. The Planning and Zoning Board heard 76 cases in 2024 and 59 in 2025.

Mitten also offered a candid assessment of city government culture, calling Milford "a very siloed government" and saying the layout of city offices makes cross-department collaboration difficult. She committed to working with HR Director Tanya Barnes and Economic and Community Development Director Robert Townes III on coordinated improvements.

Bridges Healthcare Faces $2 Million in Federal Funding Risk

Bridges Healthcare CEO Jennifer Fiorillo told the board the Milford-based behavioral health nonprofit has already lost approximately $500,000 in federal grant funding and could lose another $1.5 million if pending federal grant cycles are not renewed.

"We're expecting to lose, if we don't have the opportunity to renew, because the funding notices with the federal government usually are posted in a timely fashion, but they've not been posted," Fiorillo said. "We could potentially lose another $1.5 million this year."

Bridges receives roughly $2.8 million annually in federal grants and approximately $9 million in state contracts. Its city of Milford allocation — $385,000 this year — represents a small share of total revenue but, Fiorillo said, helps offset chronic operating deficits in the agency's outpatient programs.

According to Bridges' handout, the agency served 1,747 unduplicated Milford residents in fiscal year 2025 across mental health, substance use, and case management programs. Counting individuals enrolled in multiple services, the duplicated total exceeded 1,800.

Election Officials Warn of Pending Legislative Changes

City Clerk Peter Smith and Registrars of Voters Kerri Rowland and Debra Fellenbaum used their presentations to flag two pending changes that could increase city workload and costs.

The first is a transition to no-excuse absentee balloting, which the registrars said will scramble historical patterns they currently use to estimate ballot orders. "What we saw was a shift where 50% of our turnout was in early voting and 50% was in the polling locations," Rowland said. "With no-fault absentees, does that mean it's going to be 33%, 33%, and 33%? We have no way of knowing."

The second is House Bill 5001, currently moving through the General Assembly, which would require city clerks to deliver all absentee ballots to a central count location at 7 a.m. on Election Day. The registrars said the early-morning delivery requirement would conflict with the period when polling places are opening and most likely to need their attention.

The state's transition from the existing voter registration system to a new platform called Total Vote — originally scheduled for December 2025 — has now been pushed to December 2026 after multiple delays.

Smith reported that Milford led the state in early voting plus absentee ballot turnout in the most recent election cycle, exceeding all larger cities by raw vote count.

Other Budget Notes

• Finance Department: Erodici asked the board to reconsider salary upgrades for five specialist positions — four in his department plus the deputy tax collector — that were not included in the mayor's recommended budget. The combined cost of the upgrades is approximately $86,000.
• Probate Court: Judge Ben Gettinger requested a $4,000 increase, of which $3,000 would come from Milford and $1,000 from Orange. He also discussed the new veteran-designated parking spot at the Parsons Center, which he initiated.
• Transit District: Director Henry Jadach requested approximately $10,000 more than last year's appropriation, citing diesel fuel costs that have risen 50 percent and increased healthcare expenses.
• Bulk pickup: Saley told Alderman Paul Healy that twice-yearly bulk trash pickup costs the city approximately $350,000. He added, more pointedly, that the volume of mattresses set out at the curb — which cannot be recycled once they enter the trash stream — represents a significant ongoing cost the city could reduce through public education.

What's Next

The next budget meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m., pending the timing of the state legislature's budget passage.