Volunteers Sought For Charter Review

The Newtown Legislative Council has opened the application process for volunteers interested in serving on a Charter Review Commission that will likely form in the coming months. The town’s charter mandates that the Legislative Council appoint a Charter Review Commission at least once every five years “to review the charter and any recommendations made by the Legislative Council.”

“Although it has been less than five years since the last charter commission’s work led to the most recent revisions to the charter, the council feels that a review at this time is in order for several reasons,” said Council Chairman William Rodgers. “First, because the last commission’s proposed changes were not adopted in total, there were some inconsistencies and areas left unaddressed in the last charter.

“The adoption of just some, but not all, of the recommendations of the prior commission was unforeseen and though in my opinion some of the proposals were rightfully defeated, those defeats left some holes that nobody should be faulted for not anticipating and filling” said Mr Rodgers.

One specific example he cited was the blurred and sometimes overlapping powers between the council and the newly created Board of Finance.

In addition, the town attorney recently recommended to the council that a number of “housekeeping” changes be made and, while those changes of themselves probably would not justify the formation of a commission, they do add to the need to appoint a commission when other justifying factors are present.

“The finance director also has made recommendations for changes in the bonding and bidding processes,” Mr Rodgers said.

Finally, a relatively recent Connecticut Supreme Court decision permits, in the right circumstances, the severing of the Board of Education budget from the remaining town budget in annual budget referenda.

“While I personally do not believe such severing would be beneficial because of its potential polarizing effect, common sense dictates that the commission examine whether the town avail itself of this option in the future,” Mr Rodgers noted.

According to the council chairman, the council has not formally committed to appointing a commission but has all but decided to create one says Mr Rodgers.

“Basically, we haven’t taken the formal step of creation merely because that starts a 30-day period at the end of which the council would have to name the commission members,” he said. “We were reluctant to impose such a deadline for fear that interested volunteers might not find it convenient to submit expressions of interest over the holiday period or within any tight time period. Therefore, we decided to solicit interest first without any time pressure to act.”

State statute specifies that the commission be composed of at least five but not more than 15 members. No more than a “bare majority” of any one political party is permitted.

Members must be electors of the town. Up to one-third of the membership can be public office holders per statute, but the charter itself prohibits selectmen and Legislative Council members from serving.

The council is seeking committed, hard-working, intelligent volunteers. Knowledge of town government workings is helpful though not required.

“To the extent that the applications permit, I’m sure the council will try to appoint a diverse body,” Mr Rodgers said, but added, “Those with specific, narrow agendas are going to have to commit to a process bigger than their particular greatest concerns if they expect to be appointed.”

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a letter detailing the reasons for their interest and their qualifications to serve (there is no formal application form). Candidates should include appropriate contact information.

Material may be submitted to Council Chair William F.L. Rodgers, 208 Hattertown Road, Newtown, Vice Chair Tim Holian, PO Box 6, Newtown, or to the Office of the First Selectman at Edmond Town Hall. Interested candidates should submit materials by January 31.