Selectmen Pass Special Appropriation, Agree On Process For Appointments

By John Voket

A nearly five-hour Board of Selectmen meeting December 21 included a half dozen department heads reviewing capital requests for the newly-elected selectmen, and yielded unanimous agreement passing a special appropriation for about $3.5 million to bond a Fairfield Hills parking lot installation to the Board of Finance.

The finance board took up deliberations on that matter the following evening during a special meeting. (See separate report)

Selectmen also heard some clarification from First Selectman Pat Llodra about the process by which individuals may be appointed to fill openings or vacancies on town boards and commissions. That issue came to light during a previous meeting regarding Independent Party of Newtown (IPN) nominees who retain registration with either the Democratic or Republican parties, but who are seeking to fill vacancies or openings on local boards and commissions under the IPN.

Mrs Llodra said during a December 7 meeting that several boards and commissions were “clamoring for openings to be filled,” and that the Board of Selectmen was stymied until it is determined if one’s registered political party take precedence over the individual’s nominating party when it comes to taking a seat on an appointed board.

During the subsequent Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Mrs Llodra and fellow selectmen Will Rodgers and Bill Furrier reached a tentative agreement on the process going forward at least temporarily, while the town attorney further researches the issue in state statutes and looks for precedents in local charters.

The first selectman began by defining the three ways in which a position can become open.

She said a vacancy occurs when an appointed board/commission member leaves a position prior to the end of his/her term, while an open position on an appointed board/commission is one which is available for a complete term and which has not been filled for any portion of that term.

The third option is by reappointments, which occur when a member of a board/commission completes the term of service for which he/she was appointed, and who is subsequently appointed to continue on that board/commission.

Mrs Llodra told her fellow selectmen that they are responsible for filling vacancies on municipal boards/commissions whose members are appointed, and reviewed the process as it is outlined in the charter, and/or in state statutes.

“A vacant position is to be filled by a person who has the same party affiliation as the previous office-holder or who is a registered as an unaffiliated voter,” she said, reading from prepared notes which were provided to The Bee. “That new appointment is in effect for the duration of the unexpired term.”

The Board of Selectmen is to act on such appointments within 45 days of that position becoming vacant. She said a notice of vacancy in membership on an appointed board/commission should be sent to the office of the town clerk and copied to the office of the first selectman.

Then, the office of the first selectman will notify the political party candidates’ committee chair of the vacancy. The political party representative will publish a legal notice inviting interested and eligible persons to apply for the position.

Mrs Llodra said her board is also responsible for filling open positions on appointive municipal boards/commissions. Minority representation rules apply, as stated in CGS 9-167a, she explained.

“Members of appointive boards and commissions whose terms are ending are contacted by the office of the town clerk to determine whether or not reappointment will be sought. That information is then forwarded to the office of the first selectman,” Mrs Llodra said.

Positions for which a reappointment is not being sought become open positions, subject to the notification and advertising process. The office of the first selectman will notify the political party candidates’ committee chair(s) of the open position.

She then would expect political party representatives to submit notices to The Bee inviting interested and eligible persons to apply.

Mrs Llodra explained that for purposes of appointment, a candidate must declare his/her party “membership” in order that the position held by that person, if appointed, may be so identified.

“The party label on the position becomes relevant should that position become vacant and the Board of Selectmen is expected to select a replacement. Further, minority representation rules must be followed when making appointments to open positions.”

She said that for elective boards/commissions, a candidate is considered to represent the party on whose ticket he or she ran. For example, a registered Democrat is considered to hold an IPN position on an elective board/commission if that person ran for a position on the Independent ticket.

Special Appropriation

Later in the meeting, the selectmen unanimously passed a special appropriation which started the approximately $3.5 million request for bonding into a process which went to the finance board the following evening, and which will continue to the council in early January. If the measure passes there, the council will also direct the selectmen to schedule a special town meeting to receive taxpayer input and either a public endorsement or rejection of the request.

That bonding would serve to, in effect, lower the taxpayer burden by transferring underwriting for a parking lot and demolition project at Fairfield Hills from a private bank loan to bonding. Mrs Llodra said following the meeting that if the measure fails at either the council stage or before the public in the town meeting, that the town would continue to carry the existing loan.

“If it fails, we continue to pay the loan at about six percent interest,” the first selectman said. “But we’re doing this to refund the issue through a bond that will save the taxpayers $1.1 million at a rate of about 3.6 percent.”