Norwich — The Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative board of directors on Thursday deferred most comments and action on changes to so-called “strategic retreats” to its Dec. 15 meeting, when a subcommittee will recommend changes that likely will end the controversial lavish trips to the Kentucky Derby for dozens of board members, cooperative staff and guests.

The trips, which have cost a combined total of $1.08 million over the past four years, including $342,300 this year for 44 participants, have sparked public controversy and prompted ethics complaints in both Norwich and Groton. CMEEC is owned by six member utilities in Connecticut, including Norwich Public Utilities, Jewett City Utilities, Groton Utilities, which also owns Bozrah Light & Power, and two public utilities in Norwalk.

At Thursday's annual meeting, CMEEC board member Paul Yatcko of the South Norwalk Electric & Water, a member of the ad hoc subcommittee established in October to address demands for changes in the board's retreats, provided a summary of the group's first meeting Nov. 7.

Yatcko, who participated in Thursday's meeting by phone, said while the committee is considering several new rules for strategic retreats, it's likely that future events would require agendas, official business, reports and minutes. Yatcko said future trips also could require established budgets and “limited quality of accommodations.” Guest lists also could be much more limited, Yatcko said.

The ad hoc committee is expected to meet in early December and report its final recommendations to the full board on Dec. 15, Yatcko said.

“It seems like you have a full agenda of items to discuss at the meeting,” acting board Chairman Ed DeMuzzio of Groton said to Yatcko on Thursday. “I'm glad to see that. ... The sooner we get these recommendations, the better.”

DeMuzzio attended the 2016 trip.

The annual trips taken from 2013 through 2016 have featured no formal meetings, presentations or workshops, and participants stayed at the posh Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville and received reserved table tickets to derby and pre-derby events. For the past two years, the group flew by private jet from the Groton-New London Airport.

The FBI also has launched an unspecified investigation into CMEEC and member utilities, but it is unclear whether the agency's inquiries for information from CMEEC and its member utilities pertain to the derby trips.

Both the Groton and Bozrah utilities commissions — comprising the same members — voted in October to forward a resolution to CMEEC that would require all CMEEC meetings, events and strategic retreats be held “in a manner and location which conveys fiscal responsibility and accountability.” That motion was considered at the CMEEC Oct. 27 meeting and prompted the board to create the ad hoc subcommittee.

When Groton Utilities Director Ron Gaudet raised the motion again Thursday, other board members called it “redundant” and said the ad hoc subcommittee was established in response to the Groton and Bozrah utilities commissions' request.

Although CMEEC Executive Director Drew Rankin called the motion “input from your member utilities,” the board voted formally and unanimously Thursday to refer the motion and request to the ad hoc committee.

Norwich Mayor Deberey Hinchey was a guest on this year's trip. Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda and Division Manager Steve Sinko and Norwich utilities commission Chairwoman Dee Boisclair and Vice Chairman Robert Groner attended the 2016 trip, as did Groton Utilities Director Ron Gaudet for one day, and Groton utilities board members DeMuzzio and David Collard attended the entire trip. Jewett City Utilities commissioner Richard Throwe also attended.

CMEEC also voted on several annual meeting business items Thursday, including approving a slate of officers that retains Jewett City Utilities Director Kenneth Sullivan as chairman and Bilda as vice chairman.

But while the board voted on its 2017 operating expense and revenue budgets, including the annual expense for the board of directors themselves, those documents were not released to the public during or after Thursday's meeting. When asked for a copy of the budget following Thursday's meeting, Rankin pointed to a stamp on the budget cover stating “Confidential,” and said a reporter would have to file a written request for the budget.

In response to a written request later Thursday, Rankin later provided The Day with a budget summary showing total operating expenses of $144.79 million and a capital budget totaling $932,700, but no information on the board expense budget. In an email, Rankin said the line item of board expenses no longer exists in a new budget format.

"Partial items from that former category are included in the 'miscellaneous and general' line item," Rankin wrote in an email to The Day.

The board in 2016 budgeted $613,800 for board expenses, down from $665,000 in 2015. The 2016 budget projected board expenses at $613,950 for 2017.

Thursday's annual meeting agenda also was not posted in the Norwich city clerk's office, as required for all board meetings under the state Freedom of Information law. The Day has filed an FOI complaint to the state FOI Commission on the cooperative's longstanding practice of not posting agendas either on its website or in city clerks' offices of the member utilities' municipalities.

c.bessette@theday.com