DANBURY — The city’s finance director who oversees hundreds of millions of pounds in operating cash, cash borrowing, pension programs and utility resources is on paid leave as talks development toward a separation arrangement.
News that David St. Hilaire is no longer performing as the city’s chief economical officer at a time when inflation improvements, a recession looms, and the town has borrowed $208 million to make badly desired school rooms has been kept peaceful for 5 months by Town Hall.
On Tuesday, Mayor Dean Esposito did not answer to a request for remark about St. Hilaire, a 15-yr veteran of Town Corridor who was Danbury’s next highest-paid out worker in 2019 at $178,000.
A Hartford lawyer who Danbury has hired to negotiate the separation arrangement with St. Hilaire also refused to remark.
“It’s a personnel concern,” stated attorney Johanna Zelman.
Paul Rotello, the Democratic Majority Leader on the City Council, explained it was not unconventional for Danbury to seek the services of experts to enable negotiate labor disputes.
“It normally does not materialize with a section head,” Rotello said on Tuesday. “And it is ordinarily dealt with in an expeditious manner.”
Rotello, who refused to explore details of St. Hilaire’s compensated depart, mentioned the finance office was in fantastic palms under Daniel Garrick, the assistant finance director and hazard supervisor.
“The deputy is undertaking an outstanding career,” Rotello said. “Dan has been with the town as extended as David and knows anything David knows.”
Meanwhile, St. Hilaire is even now shown as the director of finance on the town internet site, even while he has not been to perform for at minimum 5 weeks.
Arrived at on Tuesday by Hearst Connecticut Media, St. Hilaire declined to comment.
Rotello said the city’s palms were being tied in conditions of what it could say publicly.
“There is no level in speaking about some thing right until the investigation is done, and we would like the investigation to be concluded,” Rotello claimed. “We truly feel the investigation has been dragging.”
News that St. Hilaire was positioned on depart follows a fast paced period at the metropolis finance division, which was placing together Danbury’s $277 million finances at the similar time Metropolis Corridor was switching gears on its bold strategy to capture up with mushrooming faculty enrollment.
Metropolis Hall’s surprise final decision in March to make a job academy for 1,400 higher college pupils at a various spot than a plan that experienced been on the publications for decades significantly altered the highly predicted task, demanding a new established of blueprints and new financing.
St. Hilaire’s occupation also involves controlling Danbury’s $200 million cash advancement system, its $360 million pension plan, its $100 million deferred payment plan, and its $25 million h2o and sewer utility funds.
“It is a incredibly important office head posture,” Rotello explained.
Rotello included that the city’s credit score scores are “excellent.”
“The city funds are in fantastic shape,” Rotello said. “This hasn’t afflicted any city dollars.”
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