CCM Annual Report 2021

coming together for a better, more equitable tomorrow.

Today is the opportunity to show everyone what is possible tomorrow when we work together. We at CCM will stay committed to our mission to improve the everyday life of every resident of Connecticut.

In 2021 and beyond, your municipality will be embarking on projects with federal funding like never before. And there has never been an environment more geared towards regionalization and collaboration than the times ahead of us.

2021 CCM Board of Directors President Luke A. Bronin Mayor of Hartford

1st Vice President Jayme J. Stevenson First Selectman of Darien

2nd Vice President Thomas Dunn Mayor of Wolcott

DIRECTORS • Elinor Carbone Mayor of Torrington

• W. Kurt Miller Chief Fiscal Officer, Ansonia

• Justin Elicker Mayor of New Haven

• Edmond V. Mone First Selectman of Thomaston

• John A. Elsesser Town Manager of Coventry

• Michael Passero Mayor of New London

• Carl P. Fortuna Jr., First Selectman of Old Saybrook

• Brandon Robertson Town Manager of Avon

• Laura Francis First Selectman of Durham

• John L. Salomone City Manager, Norwich

• Joseph P. Ganim Mayor of Bridgeport

• Erin E. Stewart Mayor of New Britain

• Barbara M. Henry First Selectman of Roxbury

• Mark B. Walter Town Administrator of Columbia

• Matthew Hoey First Selectman of Guilford

PAST PRESIDENTS

• Laura Hoydick Mayor of Stratford • Catherine Iino First Selectwoman of Killingworth • Matthew S. Knickerbocker First Selectman of Bethel • Marcia A. Leclerc Mayor of East Hartford • Curt Leng Mayor of Hamden • Rudolph P. Marconi First Selectman of Ridgefield

• Susan S. Bransfield First Selectwoman of Portland • Mark D. Boughton Mayor of Danbury • Michael Freda First Selectman of North Haven • Neil O’Leary Mayor of Waterbury • Herbert Rosenthal Former First Selectman of Newtown

Table of Contents Welcome................................................................................6 Executive...............................................................................8 Public Policy & Advocacy....................................................10 Communications & Member Relations..............................14 Municipal Resource and Service Center...........................16 Events, Training & Programs...............................................18 Administrative Services.......................................................20 Finance...................................................................................22 Information Technology Services......................................24 Human Resources.................................................................25 CIRMA....................................................................................26

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CCM Executive Director

Joe DeLong “Thanks for taking time to review this report. I want to thank you for your service to your communities across the state. I am amazed by the work that you do every day. I mean, that sincerely, and I am also personally and professionally humbled to be able to be a part of a group of people who work so well collaboratively together to improve the everyday lives of every resident of Connecticut. So thank you all, I certainly look forward to an equally successful 2022.

Watch the full introduction on our YouTube page!

WELCOME Every year, every month, every day is an opportunity. Before you’re out the door, before even the first sip of coffee, you can say “Today is the day that I’m finally gonna start that project” or “It’s been a while, I’m going to reach out to that old acquaintance that I haven’t spoken to in years.”

Watch the interview:

It’s no different for municipalities – and we have never seen an opportunity like the one that this past year has presented to us. In 2021 and beyond, your municipality will be embarking on projects with federal funding like never before. And there has never been an environment more geared towards regionalization and collaboration than the times ahead of us.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) is the leading state-local think tank and premier local government advocate at the State Capitol, tackling issues like government finance and labor relations; our services are geared toward local government because we understand exactly what municipal leaders need; and we are the number one resource on innovative ideas for municipal government.

And we are here to help usher in a new era for Connecticut municipal growth.

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This is not surprising considering the unprecedented year that we had in 2020. We called

it a sea change year in our annual report last year, and that has turned out to be true.

By December, when the first vaccines were rolling out, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief. And throughout 2021, Connecticut has shown how ready we all were to get back to some form of normal by being one of the nation’s leaders in vaccination rates and at times – for some weeks and months – having the lowest per capita infection rates in the country.

In fact, Connecticut was recently placed at the top of the list for Safest States during COVID by Wallethub. We cannot downplay the role that our State leadership has played in this, but the boots on the ground were in our towns and cities. It was the work all of you did in working together, with public health departments and districts, and of course, the residents of this great state.

It has been tough adjusting to this new normal – but each passing day we start to approach a world that looks more like February 2020 than March 2020. This isn’t to deny the ongoing concerns of the pandemic, but to say that we are building a path out of it even as we gracefully deal with the restrictions it places on us.

That path out of the pandemic began as many families found their way into Connecticut during the pandemic, as our Rainy Day Fund filled up, and as the General Assembly made changes that will affect each and every town. Our work is cut out for us as we enter another unprecedented era – one in which ARPA and Infrastructure funds will transform the landscape.

You’ll read in our 2021 Annual Report about all the work that we are doing behind the scenes to make sure that municipalities are not left out of the equation, and you’ll also read about the work that you see every day when you ask for a research request or attend a workshop.

One sure sign that we are on the right path is the 2021 Convention, which was held in person at our new location, Mohegan Sun. There may have been many protections, but they were put in place for all of our safety, and we have to say that they worked.

Much of our work was still virtual – something that looks like it might be a part of our future. We are extremely proud of the racial equity work being continued in the CCM CARES name. Our new series called CCM CARES: In Action takes all the lessons we learned from our local and national panels and asks: how do we operationalize these issues? It is not quite enough to keep talking about an issue, and all the successes that you’ve had and shared with us shows the entire state what is possible.

And now is when we ask ourselves: what is possible? What kind of future can we build for our state, our residents, and the children who will undoubtedly ask themselves where they’d like to raise their children in the future?

The ARPA Funds are going to be a large part of this conversation. The ARP Advisory Committee have been meeting since early spring under the charge that they analyze and recommend the best use of ARP funds as towns and cities navigate the strict provisions.

After Connecticut was left out of County-level funding in the 2020 CARES Act, CCM, along with the National League of Cities, fought to make sure that we received those funds. Thanks to our delegation and the tireless work done behind the scenes, we were able to net nearly $700 million in funds. Those funds represent an opportunity – one that the committee feels best used towards regional goals.

For our towns and cities, the Infrastructure bill that passed earlier this year will be yet another opportunity to reinvigorate our public transportation and infrastructure.

You can build on the Transit Oriented Development and market Connecticut as the place to be.

That is the secret of Connecticut. It was always the place to be, something many only learned in the past year and a half.

And we plan to keep making new opportunities for Connecticut a reality. In the coming year we want to help towns through the Opioid Settlement and create a Violence Prevention Task Force so all families feel safe and welcome here. Most importantly, we will continue to work on lessening the burden on our towns and cities through Property Tax Reform. Over the coming months, we want to shake up the land of steady habits and work through better ways to run this state.

Today is the opportunity to show everyone what is possible tomorrow when we work together. We at CCM will stay committed to our mission to improve the everyday life of every resident of Connecticut.

Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford and 2021 CCM President

Joe DeLong, Executive Director and CEO of CCM

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Durham First Selectman

Laura Francis “CCM, as an extension of our staff, is vitally important to help us stay abreast of all of the issues that currently face municipalities. One thing that I value from any organization is responsiveness, and I have had great success with CCM in them being responsive from every level of the organization from top to the bottom.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

EXECUTIVE We’re going to look back in a few years and say that 2021 was the year that we were able to break some of our steady habits and putting down those first few pavers on the road to success.

Watch the interview:

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Joe DeLong Executive Director and CEO • jdelong@ccm-ct.org Ron Thomas Deputy Director • rthomas@ccm-ct.org

Thanks to our steadfast leadership in 2020 under then-President Michael Freda, we were provided a solid transition in this year as Mayor Bronin took the reins. One of the first measures that allowed for this did take place back in 2020, as we devised a onetime equity distribution of annual dues. Understanding back then that this would be a difficult road ahead, we recognized early that in order to create conditions for success, you need a good foundation.

CCM’s brand recognition over the past several years has been a key part of that foundation, as well. We learned from a statewide survey that 35% of statewide citizens have heard of CCM and nearly all support our mission – compare this to just 3% the last time we took this survey. Our newly renovated Hartford office is a part of this as

well. Having a foothold just a stone’s throw away from the Capitol, one that we own and can use as a multi-purpose working space will allow us to grow our foundation.

By early 2021, it was clear that President Biden would be advocating for a second relief bill like the CARES Act signed under President Trump. These bills invested in America during a time of need, but CCM along with partners at the National League of Cities noted that the CARES Act provided no direct funding to municipalities with populations under 500,000 and due to our lack of County-level government, we did not receive those funds either. Behind the scenes and with the cooperation of our federal delegation, we were able to secure a larger portion of funds to go directly to towns and cities.

Overall, it looked like towns and cities were going to receive over $2.55 billion in funds, but with that money came provisions on qualified uses. That sparked the need for the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Advisory Committee, made up of experts in multiple fields, CEOs, and state partners. With their guidance, towns and cities could ensure the most effective and efficient use of these historic funds.

Contact CCM 203-498-3000 webcontact@ccm-ct.org 545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511

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Partnership COST, CTCOG, CT MAIN STREET, Dalio Education One area that we helped bring much needed attention to was our public school HVAC infrastructure issues. Along with Connecticut Education Association (CEA), the Connecticut Association of Boards of Educa-

tion (CABE), the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), the Council of Small Towns (COST), AFT Connecticut, and the Connecticut State Employees Association (CSEA), urged the state and federal governments to partner with municipalities on improvements to our public school air quality.

And we continued our work towards racial equity in the state of Connecticut. In 2020, we began the CCM CARES series, which brought together local leaders to discuss these issues in a constructive manner, culminating in a national panel at our 2020 Convention. We promised that we would not leave that work there.

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Bridgeport City Council President

Aidee Nieves “It’s extremely important that organizations like CCM address equity. Because as we move along the political landscape as elected officials, we need to understand that we represent everyone and what that means to each person individually is different. The dynamic is different, the population is different, but some of the the resounding issues are the same in different municipalities.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

In January we released the CCM 2021 Racial Equity Toolkit, which laid out many of the lessons we learned in the panel discussion. To assist towns and cities, we created the CCM CARES: In Action series of workshops which uses the Toolkit roadmap to operationalize the many suggestions and ideas it provides.

Key to our mission to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table. That is why we partnered with the Campaign School at Yale for the groundbreaking training program Representation Matters: Are You Ready To Run For Local Office? 200 individuals signed up for the program – a key indicator that people are invested in their local government and want to be a part of its success.

Throughout 2021, the road to success was paved with the hard work of individuals at every level coming together for a better, more equitable tomorrow.

Watch the interview:

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Hartford Mayor

Luke Bronin “It’s always important for cities and towns to have a voice at the state Capitol, and it’s never been more important than now. Local leaders have faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, but we now have some significant opportunities if we work in partnership with each other and with the state -- opportunities to accelerate the recovery of our communities, to help young people reconnect and heal, and to support inclusive economic growth.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

PUBLIC POLICY & ADVOCACY

Brian O’Connor Director of Public Policy boconnor@ccm-ct.org

For our Public Policy & Advocacy team, this was the year to get back to work. After COVID shortened and cancelled the short legislative session in 2020, they knew that the Governor and the General Assembly were going to have a lot on their plate. From COVID relief and PFAS to on-

Watch the interview:

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line gambling and legalized marijuana, this year’s bills were sure to be complex and, at times, controversial.

The first area of note was the tiered Payments-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes program that was proposed early on in the session. Many leaders from around the state and joined us in support of this legislation. But while our support was there, we issued a statement saying that this cannot be another broken promise. All too often, these programs are passed and signed without the appropriate funding behind it.

We also came out in support of bills that would allow municipalities to continue holding hybrid meetings. This bill’s passage seemed obvious until last minute changes nearly altered the bill to mandate these hybrid meetings instead of making it simply

permissible. With your help, we were able to see the bill passed in its original form.

From 2020, we were also able to keep an eye on SB 837, which banned the use of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. Throughout last year, we held a series of webinars on these so-called “forever chemicals” and their deleterious effects on the environment. Fortunately our concerns were heard and a takeback program was instituted for fire departments to upgrade their outdated materials for newer, safer fire prevention supplies.

We also made a successful intervention into the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA) investigation of Eversource Energy and United Illuminating after Tropical Storm Isaias. Through past failures, we urged the Governor and General Assembly to review PURA’s regulatory process to determine if it could be stronger in its oversight of the public utilities.

In addition to our work at the Capitol, we also made sure that we did our part to help towns and cities understand the American Rescue Plan and the Opioid Settlement.

We visited municipalities that needed assistance with the ARP funds and provided updates on these important programs that will help on the path to recovery in 2022.

With so many different voices in our state, it important that we all stay on the same page when it comes to understanding the impact of these bills. Our Public Policy & Advocacy team is doing that crucial work throughout the year, and even across years as with the PFAS. Even with so much on the legislative plate, no bill that affected municipalities fell off the radar, defeating over 120 new mandate proposals. Though not every bill was a victory, our advocacy and teamwork with our members made sure that our legislators knew our towns and cities have a powerful voice.

Contact CCM 203-498-3000 webcontact@ccm-ct.org 545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511

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Berlin Town Administrator

Chris Edge “It was a great opportunity for us to highlight a project. There’s a large audience for it, both municipal and private sector. I think it was important for us to say look this all the pieces can come together. it’s also great to have the avenue through your magazine for promoting what we’re doing in our town.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

COMMUNICATIONS In 2021, there is no one medium that you can reliably use to get the word out to everyone.

Today’s mantra is that you have to reach people where they are, and CCM’s Communications and Member Relations team is connecting our members and the public with crucial information.

Watch the interview:

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Kevin Maloney Director of Communications & Member Relations kmaloney@ccm-ct.org

This year, we were happy to be able to resume in-person town visits through our Town Liaison program. As we say each year, this is the cornerstone of CCM’s services and a key way for you to get questions and concerns to us. Of course, the option to meet via Zoom was still available – what’s important is that we hear from you.

One aspect of the work that CCM does is to connect those issues to the public at large.

Issuing dozens of press releases and holding several press conferences, we were able to move the needle on issues like the Tiered PILOT reform and our outdated HVAC systems.

We are especially proud of our commitment to equity in Connecticut. Representation Matters was an all hands on deck project for CCM, and even through Facebook’s ad ban throughout the beginning of 2021 hundreds

of individuals still signed up for this program encouraging women and people of color to run for office.

By the end of the year, that Facebook ad ban was lifted, but it inspired us to look outside the box for advertising. Using the 2021 Convention, we tested out several advertising platforms to help us reach audiences whether they are on their phones or computers. The tools that we developed during this time will be invaluable in the coming years and months when we are advocating for our towns and cities at the Capitol and beyond.

The Municipal Voice is one such platform that we take municipal issues aiming for a general audience. Throughout the year we discussed issues from voices around the state. This year we’ve heard from CEOs, other organizations, state leaders, and even Senator Chris Murphy.

And thanks to our friends in CCM’s Municipal Resource and Service Center, Connecticut Town & City is being read by more people than ever. Not only did we cross the 10,000 mailing list, we crossed the 15,000 mailing list subscribers at the same time.

Whether it’s reporting on the general assembly or compiling innovative ideas from around the state, CT&C is your number one resource for municipal news.

This year, in addition to our annual compilation issue, Innovative Ideas, we compiled the special issue of Economic Development Innovative Ideas for towns and cities to think about as we enter the next chapter.

Contact CCM 203-498-3000 webcontact@ccm-ct.org 545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511

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Pomfret First Selectman

Maureen Nicholson “The topics and the presenters have been really good. They’re very knowledgeable, they’re interesting in their presentations. It’s well thought out, well presented, and the opportunity to ask questions is great and interact has been very, very useful. We have a new employee in town and this is a great opportunity for them to. delve into what it means to work in a municipality.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

MUNICIPAL RESOURCE AND SERVICE CENTER As the name implies, CCM’s Municipal Resource and Service Center (MRSC) provides a range of resources and services to our members and partners. These include education, research, networking, and money-saving opportunities. MRSC also manages CCM’s membership database, website, and social media accounts.

Watch the interview:

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George Rafael Director, MRSC grafael@ccm-ct.org

Education Because our workshops are so popular, it’s no surprise that this year’s Certified Connecticut Municipal Official (CCMO) Program had 72 municipal officials graduate at our annual convention. With direction from Trinity College, the CCMO program is the only program that offers comprehensive professional development for municipal officials.

We continued to hold regular webinars in 2021. This year we held more than 45 webinars. Sessions ranged from traditional topics such as cyber security, time management, and drug and alcohol testing regulations, to topics that arose due to the continuing pandemic and other legislation. Members are able to access session recordings and material on our new website.

Guilford HR Director

Mitch Goldblatt “We’ve come to rely on that data reporter. CCM is able to compile the labor contracts throughout the state, put it together for us, and give us an idea of what the trends are across the state. We look forward to the monthly reports that come out and give us up to date information on labor contracts and data that was very helpful to us in the labor relations.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

Over the summer, we launched CCM CARES: in Action, a guided process to implement action items from our racial equity InfoKit. From these sessions, we began tracking and recognizing the progress of municipalities.

Research and Information The Research staff responded to more than 700 information requests from municipal officials. In addition, staff produced various resource documents on a wide range of topics. These included COVID-related policies, the American Rescue Plan, and family medical leave, among others.

CCM continued to provide up-to-date state budget information during the General Assembly session. Significant changes to state funding occurred in 2021, and staff informed members of those changes and their impact.

The Municipal Salary Survey offers salary and benefit information on more than 40 municipal positions. Towns and cities have come to rely on this critical information as

they fill vacancies and engage in labor negotiations.

The Municipal Labor Relations Data Reporter is the only publication of its kind in Connecticut. It consists of an up-to-date account of all binding interest arbitration awards, recent contract settlements and changes, ability-to-pay information, and the latest development in labor and employment law.

CCM’s Municipal Employee Relations Act (MERA) Manual, is updated annually and a must-have reference tool for municipal labor relations. Beginning with the law’s en-

Watch the interview:

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Torrington Mayor

Elinor Carbone “My experience at the 2021 CCM convention was phenomenal. Not only am I grateful for an opportunity to be able to network with other municipal leaders whether it’s mayors or first selectmen, It’s a great opportunity to network here what they’re experiencing in their municipalities and how that relates to the city of Torrington.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

actment in 1965, it interprets the Municipal Employee Labor Relations Act from origin, development, and current status of every important topic.

Events We partnered with The Campaign School at Yale to hold Representation Matters: Are You Ready to Run for Public Office¸ a two-day virtual training intended to encourage people of color to run for local office in Connecticut.

This first session had about 100 graduates, with attendees from as far away as NY, NJ, TX, and Washington DC.

The 2021 Convention moved back to an-person event. It brought together hundreds of local government officials and more than 75 companies and organizations for one and a half days of educational workshops and networking opportunities. This year we included a special panel on XX. Many of the exhibitors at the Convention were Municipal Business Associates (MBAs) — businesses interested in preserving and investing in Connecticut towns and cities. Even though 2021 continued to be a difficult year, there were over 55 MBAs who partnered with us in myriad ways.

Programs and Services Watch the interview:

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MRSC continues to work with vendors to create unique programs that will add value to CCM membership and allow local government to save money. Our Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium and CCM Energy programs continue to attract new municipalities.

We also launched a service with our newest partner Pality that delivers timely economic and fiscal data.

North Branford Town Manager

Michael Paulhus “The service is very helpful for us. We use it frequently and find it very helpful because we have a wide variety of topics that that pop up on a weekly basis and I always find going to CCM - one call one email - I get a response very quickly and a very in depth response. I think it’s one of the most valuable services.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

Our Municipal Consulting Service (MCS) offers opportunities for municipal officials to quickly onboard experienced individuals in a variety of capacities. Our Executive Search program offers very competitive pricing and can simplify the time-consuming process of executive recruitment.

Our wide array of offerings allows municipalities of all sizes to choose what services are right for them.

The Municipal Job Bank advertised dozens of municipal job openings and RFP/Qs for municipalities in 2021. This included jobs of all levels all across the state, and even throughout New England. Through the new dashboard, members are now able to post positions on their own! Our Prescription Discount Card Program was once again one of our most popular services, giving residents of 141 municipalities access to prescription savings.

MRSC not only assists municipalities, also assist municipal associations. provide administrative services to Connecticut Association of Municipal

we We the At-

torneys (CAMA) and the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS).

This year, CCM implemented new association management software, which included a new website and member portal. This system improves our membership database and our internal processes. It also allows for better engagement with members. The project was completed on time and on budget.

CCM’s Instagram account surpassed 1,000 followers in 2021.

Watch the interview:

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Guilford First Selectman

Matthew Hoey “Our experience working with CCM. On a variety of projects related to the printing and printing supplies was nothing short of exceptional. The timeliness and and turn around time was unlike what we’d seen out in the private sector.

The quality of the work was exceptional as well additionally. Dave Higgins and his team are our delight to work with.”

Watch the full interview on our YouTube page, or by scanning the QR code below!

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES 2021 remained a busy year for the Administrative Services team in supporting both CCM/CIRMA printing needs throughout the year, as well as those for our member municipalities. This included publications and mailings like Connecticut Town & City, Innovative Ideas, Directory of Products and Services, MERA manuals, etc. Each year, the team’s

Watch the interview:

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Quanette Kirby Director of Administration qkirby@ccm-ct.org

printing capabilities get more advanced and with it, more members trust our services for their communities.

The team printed and shipped various COVID-related signage to members up until the state of emergency ended in April. Items produced included: floor stickers, posters, lawn signs, banners and EDDM postcards for mailing.

They also continued to offer our below-private-printer-cost printing service with a record 106 orders filled in the past 12 months.

Items included: envelopes, annual reports, business cards, letterhead, EDDM postcards, brochures, vouchers, posters, banners, memo pads, farmer’s market reward cards, thank you and holiday cards, stickers, time cards, transfer station slips, and 2/3 part NCR forms.

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Member-Exclusive-At-Cost Printing      

3-Ring Binders Spiral Binding Banners Posters Booklets Flyers

     

Yard Signs Brochures Digital-Print Envelopes Annual Reports Business Cards And More........

For More Information Contact Us at:

printing@ccm-ct.org or

203-804-1756

Contact CCM 203-498-3000 webcontact@ccm-ct.org 545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511

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Andrea Farrell Budget Manager • afarrell@ccm-ct.org

FINANCE

William Sinnicki Sr. Financial Analyst • wsinnicki@ccm-ct.org

For the fiscal year ending June 30 2021, municipalities who paid their dues in full received a 50% rebate check or credit to help our members with the rising pandemic costs, a $1.1 million member equity distribution. All of our members paid their dues timely and quickly received this rebate which assisted them in keeping up with the growing COVID-19 concerns. CCM received another sterling clean financial audit.

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Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Connecticut Conference of Municipalities

Financial 2020-21 Financial StatementsStatement 2021-20 ASSETS Cash & Receivables Property & Equipment Investments TOTAL ASSETS

2021

2020

$1,456,463 $2,833,084 3,136,284 2,821,453 12,907,293 11,518,244 $17,500,040 $17,172,781

LIABILITIES Current Liabilities Long-Term Liabilities TOTAL LIABILITIES

$2,496,402 2,042,457 $4,538,859

$2,419,573 2,139,696 $4,559,269

MEMBERS EQUITY

$12,961,181 $12,613,512

TOTAL LIABILITIES & MEMBERS EQUITY

$17,500,040 $17,172,781

REVENUES Municipal Service Fess & Program Income Investment Income TOTAL REVENUES

$17,657,779 $19,005,470 1,487,726 576,037 $19,145,505 $19,581,507

EXPENSES Program Services Supporting Services TOTAL EXPENSES

15,065,494 15,930,200 3,736,410 3,152,106 $18,801,904 $19,082,306

EXCESS OF REVENUES OVER EXPENSES

$343,601

$499,201

Auditors, Simione, Macca & Larrow

Contact CCM 203-498-3000 webcontact@ccm-ct.org 545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Joseph DeLuise Director of Information Technology Services jdeluise@ccm-ct.org

CCM continues to excel in a work-fromhome model as the infrastructure was built with remote working capabilities in mind thus allowing employees to transition from work-from-home and back again seamlessly. Our MFA facility has been expanded with the addition of several new radius servers which now allows the inclusion of all CCM resources to be protected by MFA access, including those resources which reside in AWS. Our Citrix facility, the flexibility of our VPN infrastructure and robust security practices made this a seamless process with lunch and learns held to refresh employee knowledge of these systems.

CCM’s Shared Services ITS Department this year deployed a new XDR security facility to complement the existing EDR end-

ccm-ct.org 24

to-end security infrastructure that was in place. This expanded set of capabilities affords the ITS team greater visibility to monitor cyber events in our environment, protect municipal data and guard against the types of emerging cyber threats. It also provides a much greater incident response and protection capability should a threat be detected.

ITS also deployed a new email protection gateway to better protect against malware and spam. It uses AI in place of a traditional definition-based detection, and evaluation system, has an advanced anti-impersonation mechanism and it also employs geo-blocking to ensure nothing from outside of the United States even reaches our primary mail gateway.

Finally, ITS expanded the footprint of its data backup facility adding new on and off network storage devices. These new storage devices allow for quicker restoration of individual data files as well as recovery of the entire enterprise if necessary in either our primary data center or our disaster recovery data center site. It also allows the ITS department to host both immutable as well as air-gapped versions of all backups to guard against ransomware types of attacks.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Faith Brooks Director of Human Resources fbrooks@ccm-ct.org

For the third year in a row, there was a flat benefit renewal and a recognized premium savings of over $294,000 in the medical incentive program. This fiscal year HR transitioned payroll processing from weekly to bi-weekly saving over $20,000 in payroll processing fees. The Performance Evaluation Committee continues to make strides in the review of a new performance management tool.

As part of our ongoing efforts; the internal Inclusion Committee began the work of creating an internal survey to understand how our employees view diversity, equity and inclusion which was distributed to staff.

The results of the survey will assist the committee in developing the conversation and trainings needed as we move forward.

CCM has 119 employees and over 45% of the staff have been with the organization for more than 10 years. We hired 13 new employees this year and enhanced our deeply competitive benefits by rolling out the

Hybrid Remote Work Program. As we’ve learned throughout the past year and a half, it is without question that the hybrid remote work model offers substantial value to CCM employees, including added convenience, increased flexibility and productivity, and overall quality of life. CCM continues to be committed to enhancing the overall work environment for our employees.

Contact CCM 203-498-3000 webcontact@ccm-ct.org 545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511

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David Demchak

CIRMA

President and Chief Executive Officer ddemchak@ccm-ct.org

It goes without saying that our assumptive worldviews are forever changed. Yet, as a community, we have found new ways to connect, empathize, and serve. Over the past year, we demonstrated unwavering care, focus, and commitment while doing all we could to push back against challenges and hold fast to the belief that we will emerge from these difficult times as a community. A community that refused to shrink in the face of adversity. A resilient community that is stronger than ever.

The last year has awakened our sense of collective resiliency, and, more importantly, the importance of community and part-

Visit cirma.ccm.org:

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nership has never been more punctuated.

When you combine the power of a shared community, aligned mission and values, and mutual goals, the results are limitless.

The force that is the CIRMA community cannot be understated or replicated and will continue to set us miles apart from our competitors. Because of the sustained commitment and dedication demonstrated by our community of employees, members, board members, committee volunteers, and business partners, CIRMA is better positioned than ever before.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to our community of employees, members, board members, committee volunteers, and business partners. I believe that together, we have collectively redefined the meanings behind resiliency, dedication, service, and empathy. Our ability to transform adversity into opportunity while performing at tremendous levels leaves me excited to see what we will accomplish together throughout the next year—because if community wins the day, the day is ours.

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CCM is the state’s largest, nonpartisan organization of municipal leaders, representing towns and cities of all sizes from all corners of the state, with 168 member municipalities.

We come together for one common mission - to improve everyday life for every resident of Connecticut. We share best practices and objective research to help our local leaders govern wisely. We advocate at the state level for issues affecting local taxpayers. And we pool our buying power to negotiate more cost effective services for our communities.

CCM is governed by a board of directors that is elected by the member municipalities. Our board represents municipalities of all sizes, leaders of different political parties, and towns/cities across the state. Our board members also serve on a variety of committees that participate in the development of CCM policy and programs.

Federal representation is provided by CCM in conjunction with the National League of Cities. CCM was founded in 1966.

545 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT (203) 498-3000 www.ccm-ct.org