Public Hearing August 22—

Councilman Hoping Public Comes

To Charter Hearing Prepared

By John Voket

It certainly does not read like one of those simmering summer novels. But the Legislative Council chairman hopes residents will remember to look over proposed charter revisions before they attend a public hearing on the town’s governing document August 22.

The 7 pm hearing Wednesday at the Senior Center, 14 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, will be the first, and possibly the only, public hearing the council will hold before its members begin the task of meticulously reviewing charter changes. Those nearly two dozen codifications have various implications, in several cases fundamentally changing the makeup or duties of elected or appointed boards and commissions.

While the Charter Revision Commission already conducted two sparsely attended hearings prior to submitting a draft of revisions, council chair Will Rodgers believes with some scrutiny, citizens would be able to bring other constructive ideas to the table regarding the revised document.

“I would hope people would come to the hearing, not to rehash what has already been said, but to share some new ideas — even if they are turning their attention to the charter for the first time,” Mr Rodgers told The Bee this week, adding that some review and preparation would almost be required to participate in any relevant discussions.

“It’s a lengthy and important document, so it would be tough to wing it,” he said. “I think if people are willing to come out, some advanced preparation might be required.”

The appointed charter commission met up to twice monthly for nearly a year, considering numerous charges put forth by the council as well as suggesting several of its own revisions. Among the most high profile is the reduction in legislative voting districts from three to two.

This move was seen by commissioners, especially Democratic Registrar of Voters LeReine Frampton who served on the charter panel, as a means to make it easier for residents to participate in elections and referendums. She also suggested it would give voters a greater voice in determining which council candidates would lead the community, as well as providing future council candidates with fewer, larger constituencies.

Another proposed charter change would add a seventh member to the Board of Education, a move that was not well received by current board members who attended several charter commission meetings in an attempt to defeat the measure. Charter commissioners suggested that the current six-member board is coming into a period where it will be handling a substantial increase in responsibilities, so adding a seventh member would help lighten the workload as well as providing additional perspective on the school board’s decisions.

The current capital improvement plan for the school district encompasses more than $100 million in various projects scheduled during the next five years, including a high school expansion, facility renovations at the middle school, and a new heating and air conditioning system at Hawley School. The school board’s current spending plan represents almost 70 percent of the nearly $100 million municipal budget.

At one time or another during charter meetings on the subject, every school board member appeared voicing opposition. School board chair Elaine McClure, among others, explained that her panel neither delegates specific duties to individual members, nor breaks into subcommittees to handle specific projects. She also suggested the six-member panel works more effectively because a tie vote defeats any proposal, and every issue that passes does so with a super-majority of votes.

Charter commissioner Carolyn Signorelli said these issues may enhance future voter participation and interest in both direct participation and support of the election process.

“I believe changing the election process for Board of Education members and the redistricting of the Legislative Council election are important steps toward giving voters a true choice at election time,” Ms Signorelli said in a previous report.

Ms Frampton said by changing the Board of Education makeup to seven members, the charter commission is also helping ensure voters will have a little choice as each party vies for the extra seat.

Ms Signorelli also commended a move to provide a written statement at the beginning of the charter reminding unaffiliated voters that they have a place and an ability to easily participate in the political process, even though they may remain outside the two major parties.

“Addressing the ability of unaffiliated voters to run for office is a good step toward enhancing the representation that the citizens of this town receive,” she said. Ms Frampton agreed, adding the move to remind unaffiliated voters of the process to participate as candidates for election was vital, considering recent elections have been virtually devoid of any interparty competition.

Commissioner Joan Plouffe concurred.

“By encouraging unaffiliated voters to run for office we will not only provide a pool of new candidates, but also hopefully lead to contested elections,” Ms Plouffe said.

Budgeting Changes

Another issue that commanded significant attention during commission meetings was an attempt to shorten and simplify the local budget process. Commissioners put forth a revision recommending the annual budget process be shortened by two weeks.

This would be accomplished by eliminating one public hearing and conducting a joint public hearing by the Board of Finance and by the Legislative Council, which is to occur before the Board of Finance recommends a budget to the Legislative Council. The revision would also recommend the annual budget referendum take place on the second Tuesday in April, which would require rescheduling some date deadlines two weeks earlier.

Commissioners also supported changing the name of the Board of Finance to the Finance Advisory Board. That move would remove state statutory protections and rights from this elected body and transfer all governing aspects to the charter and to local ordinance.

The final actions put forth by the charter commission prior to submitting the document to the council and legal sources for review included adding language recognizing the Culture and Arts Commission in the charter, adding an additional parks commissioner bringing that body from six to seven members, and adjusting mandated timelines for implementing charter changes related to elected officials.

While the occasional issue inspired brief disputes, according to information furnished by chairman Al Cramer, charter commissioners all agreed unanimously on supporting the vast majority of proposed revisions. Both Mr Cramer and commission Vice Chairman Joseph Hemingway served on the previous charter panel together.

Mr Hemingway said no matter which revisions the council decides to keep or scrap, he recommends the revisions be submitted to voters in a single referendum, recalling problems that resulted from the latest revision when the referendum broke proposed revisions into several multiple-part referendum questions.

“I hope once the Legislative Council reads the draft and makes their comments, if changes are to be made before the charter goes to the public for a vote, those changes can be agreed upon and the charter can be presented [to voters] as one document for approval or disapproval,” he said. “The last charter revision recommendations were split into four or five separate questions. Some passed and some didn’t, which created some confusion and redundancy.”