Stonington — The Board of Finance on Wednesday became among the first boards and commissions in the region to proceed with its regularly scheduled meeting by streaming it on Facebook Live.

On Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen also streamed its meeting on Facebook Live while the finance board is scheduled to again livestream at noon on Thursday as it meets to approve a school system request to purchase Chromebooks without going out to bid, so all students can continue class remotely.

The public typically is not allowed to ask questions during the deliberation meeting, so no public comment was allowed during the finance board’s meeting Wednesday to deliberate on the proposed 2020-21 budget. Such meetings are reserved for board members to question town and school officials and make cuts and other adjustments to the budget.

Residents also were able to phone in to the meeting using an access code available on the town website. But their phones were muted so all participants could hear the board. The board also is working with health officials about how to best proceed with a public hearing on the budget next month.

“The Town and Board of Finance are committed to include public feedback to the budget but the exact methods are still being refined,” the board wrote.

During Wednesday’s meeting at Pawcatuck Middle School, Chairman Tim O’Brien, Deb Norman and Mike Fauerbach, along with First Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough, were in attendance while Glenn Frishman, Bob Statchen, Lynn Young and Dave Motherway, along with Director of Finance Jim Sullivan and department heads, participated remotely.

“Thank you all for not coming because we do need to limit our interactions,” O’Brien said as he opened the meeting.

“We are in unchartered waters here. We’re facing an epidemic none of us have ever seen,” he said. “We don’t know the ramifications.”

He added the effects of the coronavirus will pose a challenge for the board. “It will take a lot of effort to keep the town operating and be responsible stewards of the town,” he said.

During the marathon five-and-a-half hour meeting, the board went through the budgets for each town department and capital improvements, asking numerous questions. It agreed to meet again at 5 p.m. Thursday to discuss issues such as the school budget and whether or not to fund or possibly bond $1.1 million in sewer system upgrades before finalizing a budget proposal. At the end of its work Thursday night, the board was looking at a budget that would increase the tax rate by 0.45 mill, or 0.86 mill if it included the sewer system cuts. That was without any cut to the school system's operating budget.

Among the $4.7 million in cuts to general government capital improvements included a reduction of $150,000 to $10,000 for the start of the Pawcatuck River Greenway project and the elimination of $1.5 million for sidewalks, including along Route 1 in Pawcatuck from the high school to downtown Pawcatuck. The board eliminated the sidewalk funding because an engineering study for the project is not yet complete.

The board included $15,000 to officially close the North Stonington Road bridge in Old Mystic and eliminated $377,500 to repair the deteriorated Lantern Hill Road bridge with Ledyard which means the bridge will eventually have to be closed. A proposed climate change adaptation program was cut from $100,000 to $10,000. The board also eliminated $1.1 million in sewer treatment plant improvements, as that work could be placed in a bonding package that is expected to be sent to voters later this year.

The board cut many school-related capital improvements totaling $3.7 million, such as $2 million for air conditioning, heating, electrical and Wi-Fi upgrades at the middle school, and look to fund them in a different way next year, possibly through bonding.

The board also cut $350,000 for upgrades at the new district office, which also received a $250,000 allocation in the current budget.

The board also sought more documentation and more detailed costs for many school-related requests.

The board also cut $599,000 to repair rooftop air conditioning units at the high school to $200,000 to pay for the town units in the worst condition. The cuts left $718,055 in school capital improvements.

During the meeting, the board went through the budgets for each town department and asked questions. The board discussed whether to appropriate an additional $100,056 to hire a deputy director of finance, which Sullivan said is needed to get work done and keep the town operating efficiently.

“This position was needed five years ago, when I started,” Sullivan said.

Board members did not dispute the need for the new position but were concerned about the timing of the request, considering other expenses facing the board. The board agreed to revisit the issue as it continues its review.

The board agreed to leave a $10,000 stipend in the budget for Highway Supervisor Tom Curioso to serve as facilities manager. Director of Public Works Barbara McKrell said towns the size of Stonington often have full-time facilities managers that cost far more than that.

The budget also calls for adding $252,000 to take over maintenance of school grounds and fields.

The board also discussed possibly reducing the $250,000 subsidy to the Water Pollution Control Authority but Young, who is also a member of the WPCA, warned that doing so would mean the WPCA would not be able to pay its bills and would be in default of its contract with its operator.

She explained that with restaurants closed, they will be generating less sewage and thus paying less in user fees while other users may not be able to pay their sewer bills due to the effect of the coronavirus on the economy.

j.wojtas@theday.com