Milford Redevelopment Commission President Dan Brown, left, reviews a resolution, while council President Doug Ruch hands Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall the form to sign. The commission approved a resolution to loan interim funds for Milford’s water utility improvement projects at its Tuesday, Nov. 12, meeting. Photo by Lilli Dwyer.

By Lilli Dwyer
InkFreeNews

MILFORD — The Milford Redevelopment Commission approved a resolution to loan interim funds to the town council at its Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting.

Because grant funding for the town’s water utility improvements projects won’t come in until April 2025, and there will be engineering costs in the meantime, the council proposed borrowing funds from redevelopment.

The commission approved loaning funds up to $654,200 to cover engineering costs, which will be paid directly to the town’s water department and later reimbursed.

In an update on the new spending plan required by the Department of Local Government Finance, financial adviser Jim Higgins stated, “it’s not an etched-in stone document as we thought it was.”

The spending plan Higgins has created mimics the budget estimate adopted by the town earlier this year, which was set at $255,450. The major change is the inclusion of the interim loan funds, which brings total expenditures up to $918,127.

The commission approved the spending plan as outlined.

Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall explained before this recent legislation, redevelopment commissions were not required to create either budgets or spending plans. Milford creates a redevelopment budget each year because it is “good practice,” she said.

Lastly, the commission approved paying hydrant fees for the 19 fire hydrants in Milford’s TIF districts, totaling $10,525.62.

The next Milford Redevelopment Commission meeting will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9.