Meet the Members of the Board of Finance

Monthly meetings of the Board of Finance normally include a small number of town officials: the six Board members, the clerk, the first selectman, the chair of the Board of Education or the school superintendent.

However, more than a dozen residents attended the March 2023 meeting where the General Government and Board of Education budget proposals for 2023-2024 were presented to the Board of Finance. They came to speak in favor of supporting money in the General Government budget for the Abington Social Library and the Pomfret Historical Society. Both these organizations are independent of the town, and the buildings they occupy are not owned by the town.

Nevertheless, both the Abington Social Library and the Historical Society represent an important part of the town’s history, and both groups have become revitalized during the past few years. The Board of Finance was pleased to hear the positive comments and the reasons these residents offered for continued support.

This is the type of feedback and participation that the Board of Finance wants to encourage. When making important decisions about how the town spends its money, it is helpful to hear directly from the town residents.

Do you know who the Board of Finance members are? Read on!

Margie Huoppi is the chair of the Board of Finance and has been a member for 18 years. A 44 year resident of Pomfret, she worked in marketing and communications at Quinebaug Valley Community College for over 25 years. A member of the Democratic Town Committee, she is treasurer of Pomfret Horse & Trail Association, enjoys horseback riding and competing in agility with her dogs. “I am a firm believer in volunteerism and helping to make the community a desirable place to live,” she said. “Open space, an excellent school system, recreational activities, and well-maintained roads are important to our quality of life, but they all cost money.”

Margie said the challenge for the Board of Finance is determining how to balance the services needed by the town and its residents with the ability to pay for those services. “We rely on some funding from the state, but with a minimal amount of businesses in town, the tax burden falls mostly on the backs of the residents,” she said. “However, many expenses, particularly those of the Board of Education, are things we have little to no control over,” she added. These include high school tuition, special education, and teacher contracts.”

“It’s been an eye-opening learning experience to serve on the board as long as I have,” she said. “I know more about municipal finances, budgets, and audits than I ever thought I would. I’m very fortunate to have five knowledgeable, dedicated other members to work with, and I believe we are doing a very job of making difficult decisions, but ones that ensure the fiscal health of Pomfret will remain strong.”

Debi Thompson, vice chair, has lived in Pomfret for 33 years and been on the board for seven years. She is the retired director of business operations for the Connecticut DCF. She is a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Democratic Town Committee, and site coordinator for the Windham County AARP Income Tax Program. She is also very active in German Shepherd Rescue of New England.

“I have been involved in the financial side of government most of my adult life,” said Debi, “and the work fascinates me. However, this is a different side of what I am used to, mostly watching from a higher level than being involved in the day-to-day workings.” Debi said she feels a strong responsibility to make sure taxpayers’ money is spent well. “Government often gets a bad rap from the public,” she explained. “I know there are some very hard-working folks trying every day to do a good job and get the most they can out of each and every dollar.”

While serving on the Board of Finance presents different challenges, Debi said, “A huge frustration is the structure of the education funding. The Board of Finance has really limited power to shape their budget.” She also expressed disappointment in the lack of interest by the public in their town’s finances. Looking in the future, Debi feels the government side needs to expand, resulting in more employees with higher salaries. “Overall, that will be the challenge both on the government side and the education side,” she said. “Their highest expenses are salaries and benefits, and as we know, it has become more and more difficult to compete and keep staff.” For Debi, serving on the Board of Finance, “is an excellent way to get a good look at how the town is run, meet new folks, and have a real say and understanding of where your money is going.”

Jill Corey and her family moved to Pomfret in 1991. An accounting major in college, she spent her career in human resources, working in the financial industry for over 35 years. She is currently a human resources consultant providing HR services to companies primarily in the northeast. When a vacancy on the Board of Finance became available in 2019, Jill was asked if she might be interested. “Having spent my career traveling a lot, I was not able to volunteer as often as I would have liked,” she explained. “I was part of the Pomfret Recreation Department for a few years when our children were younger. Hearing of the opportunity, I felt it was good timing for me to give back to the town where my children grew up and provided us with wonderful services for many years.”

Jill said she wanted to learn more about the process and “give back” to the best of her ability. She said limited revenue and citizen input can add to the challenges faced by the Board of Finance, but she feels the Board represents the Town demographics, with some members having children in the local school system while others are retired.

“It has been a very positive experience working with a team of very thoughtful minded, respectful, and intelligent members,” Jill said. “Keeping the needs and best interest of the community is a priority for the Board. We have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure everyone’s tax dollars are spent wisely. My biggest concerns are the cost of primary and secondary education and the cost to repair or replace our bridges,” she added.

Norine Reingold moved to Pomfret in 2019 from Bethesda, MD. With a master’s degree in accounting, she has worked as a CPA in nonprofits, as well as political organizations and campaigns. She is currently senior account at the Democratic National Committee. Elected to the Board of Finance in 2021, Norine said, “It’s a way to get to know members of the community and community priorities, provide volunteer service, and use my accounting background.” She is also a member of the Pomfret Library Board of Trustees.

Norine finds the most challenging aspect of serving on the Board of Finance is, “Learning the town’s financial history and digesting all the data to arrive each year with a budget that protects and enhances the quality of life here.” She is surprised by the decreasing amount of citizen participation in the budget process. “Citizen participation adds voices and perspectives to the process that might not otherwise be represented and considered,” she noted. “We’re making decisions about so many aspects of local life here, now and in the future.

According to Norine, two of the biggest budget issues are the “considerable amount of property that is tax-exempt, so finding income sources beyond property taxes; and how does the availability of housing and its rising costs affect the people who live here.” Being on the Board of Finance means, “Spending time outside of meetings researching prior years’ budgets and financial history, learning to read and understand financial documents, and recognizing you have to see the big picture as well as know the details,”

Kristin Sapp is the newest member of the Board of Finance, having served for one year. A scientist at Biomere in Worcester, she has lived in Pomfret for five years, and her three children attend Pomfret Community School. Kristin was a parent member of the Reopening Advisory Committee in the Summer of 2020 for PCS. She is also a Girl Scouts of America volunteer and a member of several regional and state level horse and horse show organizations.

Kristin’s reasons for joining the Board are simple. “Serving our community and getting involved in what is happening in our town is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to help with decisions that make a difference – ones that help to improve and build our community.” She feels it is important to make sure that all voices are heard before the Board makes a decision. “With limited resident participation at the meetings, that can be a challenge, especially during budget decisions,” she said.

When it comes to the budget, Kristin said the biggest issues will be inflation, supply chain issues affecting costs of goods, and replacing town employees who will retire in the next few years. “This will be a juggling act to keep taxes down while still providing our citizens with the great services they currently enjoy,” she explained. In addition, “Without citizen involvement at both monthly meetings and annual town meetings. it can make it harder to know if you are doing your best for all.”

Elaine Sistare has lived in Pomfret almost 20 years and has a daughter in seventh grade at Pomfret Community School. She currently serves as town administrator in Putnam. She said her three years on the Board of Finance have been “a good way to be involved in local decisions and have my voice heard for the Town’s future.” To Elaine, the most challenging aspect of serving on the Board of Finance is, “Balancing a reasonable tax rate in a low-commercial community with the high (but important) cost of public education.”

“In our community, the most significant portion of the budget is the cost of educating our resident students,” she said. “The state seems to, at best, plan to maintain their share of educational funding; but long-term that means a higher percentage locally, which could be significant costs,” she said. “As an engineer, infrastructure is near and dear to me. Pomfret is no different than lots of towns in the US, We’ve been relying on decades-old infrastructure, and at some point soon, investment into that infrastructure is going to become critical,” she added.

“The Board has a long history with lots of experience, both on the Board and in careers,” said Elaine. “We’re a good group that is willing to share our knowledge. Pomfret is a great place to live, and it is rewarding to see the individuals willing to spend a little of their free time making sure that the Town continues on the best path forward.”

Now that you know the members of the Board of Finance, come to their next meeting!

This article appeared in The Pomfret Times in April 2023.