East Haven Assessor Remains On Paid Leave During Investigation

EAST HAVEN, CT — Town Assessor Michael Milici remains on paid administrative leave as town and other officials investigate after he told finance board members his staff worked overtime without being paid.

In a letter obtained by Patch via the Freedom of Information Act sent to Milici in early March by East Haven Chief Administrative Officer Ray Baldwin, it was noted that the decades-long assessor was also being investigated about other "workplace issues," that officials have so far declined to identify.

Milici was told that he must not to report to work, perform any work or conduct any business for the town, and not "retaliate against any Town employee" or "hinder or attempt to hinder the investigation and/or influence the statements made by employees if interviewed." He's also prohibited from "speaking about anything related to this investigation to individuals who may be interviewed or anyone in the Mayor's administration, including the Mayor. "

When Town Attorney Michael Luzzi was asked to further comment on the details of investigation he declined, but said a “union member being placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation is standard, and appropriate labor procedure.”

“In fairness to Mike, I will have no additional comment,” Luzzi said.

But according to a town official who declined to be identified, statements made by Milici necessitated “an immediate investigation” because they raised issues of whether he violated federal and state wage laws concerning overtime pay.

Patch was told that the town learned about an unrelated investigation not related “paid leave, but is simply coincidental in timing.”

The overtime issue that prompted the probe is to determine if employee rights, union contract and labor statutes were violated.

Milici told the Board of Finance that two full-time staffers have had to work overtime for which they were not paid. He told the board he wanted a clerk position restored from part to full time. He said his department's "work load was skewed due to COVID-19," over the past year and that a full-time person is needed to handle the influx of calls to the assessor's department, and said that given 2021 is a revaluation year, he urged the board to restore the post to full-time. He said the revaluation will cost $327,000 and he expects a "marked increase" in work load to complete the reval by January 2022.

Milici said staffers have been "stressed to the limit" and noted that two staff members have worked additional hours to get work done "without pay," adding "morale-wise this will be very detrimental."

Town assistant director of administration Michelle Benivegna told Patch last month that she was never told staffers were so overworked they needed to work overtime and then were not paid for that time adding when she learned that it was a "concern" as it was the "first time hearing" about the issue.

Read the original story here.

Patch was told that “these matters could expose the town to liability” under federal law for up to three years.

East Haven Assistant Town Attorney David Ryan is handling the town side of the investigation as it relates to labor issues. His firm’s practice focuses on labor law issues.

Luzzi and Ryan declined to comment on whether and if time cards had been falsified and what, if any, impact the investigation could have on Milici’s pension. In other cases where municipal officials have been under investigation for public trust breaches, the question of whether pensions should be revoked has been raised, as in the case of Bridgeport where the former police chief and personnel director were under investigation but saw that city’s council approve a lump sum settlement.

Attempts to reach Milici for comment via a listed phone number were unsuccessful.