Having passed the one-year anniversary of the formation of the Charter Revision Commission (CRC) in early March, the Legislative Council (LC) set a June 15 deadline for a final report of proposed Charter revisions.

CRC Chairman Andrew Buzzi came before the LC March 2 to request the date be set as a “safe” deadline he feels sure the CRC can meet; however, Buzzi said he would prefer to get the report to the council by the beginning of May.

“By statute we have until July 4, but I really want to beat that and get it to you [the council] by the first week of May,” said Buzzi. “But June 15 is a good, safe date.”

Buzzi said that he is “deep in the process” of putting together a draft report for an April 5 public hearing, and said his committee has a “few meetings left” to make some final revisions. Additionally, after the public hearing, the CRC will have meetings to make changes to the proposed revisions based on public input.

The council will also meet to discuss the proposed Charter revisions, and Buzzi said he is “looking forward to attending those meetings and answering any questions.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said that any proposed questions to put on a ballot for referendum on Election Day (which this year is November 8) would have to go to the Secretary of State by Labor Day, giving the Legislative Council plenty of time to deliberate and make decisions.

Councilman Michelle Embree Ku asked if there was any thought given to having another attorney review the proposed Charter revisions beyond Town Attorney David Grogins, since the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities recommended having a second set of legal eyes on documents like the town’s audit report.

“It’s common practice to have another attorney beyond the town attorney look at things,” said Ku.

Buzzi said that the CRC is made up of five attorneys — himself, James Gaston, Elias Petersen, Prerna Rao and Anthony Filiato. Additionally, Grogins’ input has been “very helpful,” so the committee has “not had discussions for a seventh attorney.”

“But when it gets to you, if you want to brave a seventh attorney, have at it,” said Buzzi.

Buzzi also noted that both he and Gaston have served on a number of town boards and commissions, that Filiato has served on a previous CRC (and the council), and that Rao and Petersen have been “wonderful assets.”

“They are young attorneys who are smart and ask lots of good questions,” Buzzi said of Rao and Petersen.

Councilman Ryan Knapp said that hiring another attorney to review the proposed revisions would have a cost associated with it that voters may be “rightly concerned about,” and proposed that a town attorney he knows who lives in Newtown may be willing to “give it a look” as a resident of town.

Over the last few months, the CRC has approved a number of proposed revisions. Among them are:

*A proposal to eliminate the Board of Finance;

*A proposal to allow board members and commissioners the ability to abstain from voting on minutes for meetings they did not attend (currently under the Charter they may not abstain from any vote), and:

*Giving boards and commissions more time to fill vacancies.

Charter commissioners have declined to make changes to charter language that makes the first selectman an ex officio member of the Board of Education, and also declined a motion to make the Board of Education an eight person board with a maximum of four members from one party.

Reporter Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.