Filed subject to approval
REGION 9 BOARD OF EDUCATION
Special Meeting
Joel Barlow High School – Library Learning Center
April 1, 2019 – 8:00 p.m., or Immediately following District Hearing
ATTENDANCE
Board Members: D’Agostino (Chair), Coppinger (Vice Chair), Hocker (Secretary), Graziano, Hancock, Williams
Absent: Denny, Johnston
Administration: Dr. Pin, Mr. Reiss
Public: Two members of the public; videographer
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. D’Agostino called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
None.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: APPROVE RESOLUTION (ATTACHED HERETO AS APPENDIX A) TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS AND AUTHORIZE BONDS FOR THE JOEL BARLOW HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS
Mr. D’Agostino presented the bond resolution, which is attached hereto as Appendix A (the “Bond Resolution”).
Motion: move to approve the Bond Resolution (Coppinger, Williams). Approved. Unanimous.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: SET DATE FOR BOND REFERENDUM
Mr. Reiss read the Resolution as prepared by counsel:
RESOLVED, that the Board of Education recommends to the towns comprising Regional School District Number 9 that the aforesaid Bond Resolution be approved by referendum vote; and that said referendum be held on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, that notice of said referendum be given by publication and posting between 5 and 15 days before said date, and that said notices of the referendum in the Towns of Easton and Redding be substantially in the following form:
“WARNING
REFERENDUM VOTE
Regional School District Number 9
Town of __________
May 7, 2019
A referendum vote of the electors and citizens qualified to vote in town meetings of the Town of __________, Connecticut will be held in the Town of __________ at the following polling places:
[FILL IN POLLING PLACES]
and simultaneously in the other Town in the District on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. pursuant to Section 10-56 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, Revision of 1958, as amended, upon a resolution adopted by the Regional Board of Education which will be placed on the ballot labels as the following question:
“SHALL REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER 9 APPROPRIATE $1,916,780 (EASTON’S SHARE CURRENTLY EQUAL TO 42.39% OR $812,523; AND REDDING’S SHARE CURRENTLY EQUAL TO 57.61% OR $1,104,257) AND AUTHORIZE BONDS AND TEMPORARY NOTES IN THE SAME AMOUNT FOR JOEL BARLOW HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS?”
Voters approving a resolution shall vote “Yes” and those opposing said resolution shall vote “No”. Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk’s office.
Dated at __________, Connecticut this ____ day of [April/May], 2019.
_____________________
Town Clerk
Town of __________”
Motion: move to approve the foregoing Resolution (Coppinger, Williams). Approved. Unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
– Mr. Coppinger urged a Yes vote for both the operating budget and the campus improvements project, noting that the project work involved important safety issues.
– Mr. Hocker noted that the campus improvements involved facilities used widely by the general public in addition to students and staff.
– Mr. Hancock thanked members of the board and staff who had developed the campus improvements package.
– Ms. Williams noted that the “improvements” project was a misnomer, as there were no new facilities but rather necessary maintenance and repairs for the long term involving health and safety.
– Mr. D’Agostino urged voter support for both Region 9 questions on the May 7 ballot.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion: move to adjourn the Region 9 Special Meeting. Coppinger, Hancock. Approved. Unanimous.
Mr. D’Agostino adjourned the meeting at 8:12 p.m.
Recorded and submitted by
Chris Hocker, Region 9 Board of Education Secretary
APPENDIX A
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN APPROPRIATION OF $1,916,780 FOR JOEL BARLOW HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS 2019 PROJECT AND THE FINANCING OF SAID APPROPRIATION BY THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS OF THE DISTRICT AND NOTES IN ANTICIPATION OF SUCH BONDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,916,780
RESOLVED:
Section 1. That Regional School District Number 9 of the State of Connecticut (the “District”) appropriate the sum of $1,916,780 for (a) campus improvements at Joel Barlow High School, including (i) repaving of Barlow Drive, including but not limited to guardrail replacement and drainage improvements, (ii) reconstruction of a portion of the access road adjacent to the southeastern parking lot off Turney Road, (iii) reconstruction of the running track, (iv) reconstruction of eight (8) bituminous pavement tennis courts, (v) other site improvements, including reconstruction of the rear concrete plaza and repaving of the north/south campus walkway, (vi) other work related to the project listed in (i) through (v) above, including, but not limited to planning, design, acquisition and construction costs, equipment, materials, architects’ fees, engineering fees, insurance, and project management fees, and (b) for interest on borrowings and other financing costs, and for administrative, printing, financing and legal and costs of issuance related thereto (the “Project”). The District Board of Education is authorized to determine the scope and particulars of the Project. The District Board of Education may reduce or modify the scope of the Project, and the entire appropriation may be spent on the Project as so reduced or modified.
Section 2. That to finance said appropriation for the Project, the District shall issue bonds or temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $1,916,780. The bonds or notes shall be issued pursuant to Section 10-56 of the Connecticut General Statutes, Revision of 1958, as amended (the “Connecticut General Statutes”) and any other enabling acts.
Section 3. That the District issue and renew temporary notes from time to time in anticipation of the receipt of the proceeds from the sale of the bonds or notes for the Project. The amount of the notes outstanding at any time shall not exceed $1,916,780.
Section 4. That the Chairman of the Board of Education and the Treasurer of the District (the “Officials”), or such officer or body to whom the Board of Education of the District delegates the authority to make such determination, be authorized to sign said bonds or notes by their manual or facsimile signatures and to determine the amounts, rates of interest, dates, maturities, dates of principal and interest payments on such bonds or notes, the form of such bonds or notes; the provisions for protecting and enforcing the rights and remedies of the holders of such bonds or notes and all other terms, conditions and particular matters regarding the issuance and securing of such bonds or notes and to execute, sell and deliver the same, and provide all supporting documentation as may be necessary or desirable to accomplish such purposes and to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 15c2-12 (the “Rule”), and in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes and any other applicable provision of law thereto enabling. The bonds and notes authorized hereby shall be general obligations of the District and its member towns secured by the full faith and credit of the District and its member towns.
Section 5. That the Officials are hereby authorized to designate a bank or trust company to be the certifying bank, registrar, transfer agent and paying agent for such bonds and notes; to provide for the keeping of a record of the bonds or notes; to designate a financial advisor to the District in connection with the sale of the bonds or notes; to designate the law firm of Pullman & Comley, LLC, Hartford, Connecticut, as the attorneys at law, to render an opinion approving the legality of such issue or issues.
Section 6. That the Officials are authorized to sell the bonds and notes by a competitive offering or by a negotiated sale, at their discretion; to deliver the bonds or notes; and to perform all other acts which are necessary or appropriate to issue the bonds or notes, including, but not limited to, entering into a continuing disclosure agreement pursuant to the “Rule”. If the bonds or notes authorized by this resolution are issued on a tax-exempt basis, the Officials are authorized to bind the District pursuant to such representations and covenants as they deem necessary or advisable in order to maintain the continued exemption from federal income taxation of interest on the bonds or notes, including covenants to pay rebates of investment earnings to the United States in future years.
Section 7. That the District hereby declares its official intent under Section 1.150-2 of the Federal Income Tax Regulations (the “Treasury Regulations”) that project costs may be paid from temporary advances of available funds, which are paid within sixty days prior to and any time after the date of passage of this resolution, and that (except to the extent reimbursed from grant moneys) the District reasonably expects to reimburse any such advances from the proceeds of borrowings (the “Obligations”) in an aggregate principal amount not in excess of the amount of borrowing authorized above for the Project. Such Obligations shall be issued to reimburse such expenditures not later than eighteen months after the later of the date of the expenditure or the substantial completion of the Project, or such later date the Treasury Regulations may authorize. The Officials are authorized to amend such declaration of official intent as they deem necessary or advisable and to bind the District pursuant to such representations and covenants as they deem necessary or advisable in order to maintain the continued exemption from federal income taxation of interest on the bonds or notes authorized by this resolution, if issued on a tax-exempt basis.
Section 8. That the Officials are hereby authorized, on behalf of the District, to enter into agreements or otherwise covenant for the benefit of bondholders to provide information on an annual or other periodic basis to information repositories designated by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and to provide notices to such repositories of certain events as enumerated in the Rule, as may be necessary, appropriate or desirable to effect the sale of the bonds and notes authorized by this resolution. Any agreements or representations to provide information to such repositories made prior hereto are hereby confirmed, ratified and approved.
Section 9. That the Officials and other proper officers of the District are authorized to take all other actions which are necessary or desirable to complete the Project consistent with the foregoing and to issue bonds or notes to finance the aforesaid appropriation.
Section 10. That the authorization of bonds and notes shall be subject to approval by a referendum vote to be held in the Towns of Easton and Redding, being all of the towns comprising said District.