Charter Revision Commission Meeting
Regular Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Present: Richard Murphy (chair), Sharon Scaramella, Brian Gouin, Joseph Amend, Susan Malecky, Carl Fitzgibbons, Dorothy DiPiro (arrived late)

1. Chairman Call Meeting to Order
Chairman Murphy called the meeting to order at 6:34 pm.

2. Accept Agenda
There was a motion to accept the agenda by Brian Gouin, seconded by Joseph Amend. Vote unanimous, motion carried.

3. Accept Minutes
Brian Gouin made a motion to accept the minutes, seconded by Joseph Amend.

AYES: Brian Gouin, Sharon Scaramella, Joseph Amend, Richard Murphy, Carl Fitzgibbons
NAYES: none
ABSTAIN: Susan Malecky

Motion carried.

4. Public Comment: None

5. Other Business

• Funds for attorney fees have been exhausted. Chairman Murphy must go to the Board of Selectmen for additional funds.
  
• Timeline must be decided for conclusion of revisions.
  
• Superintendent designee still needs to be determined.

6. Discuss / Review Charter (ongoing)

• Chapter 8 first paragraph revised to read as follows:
  All regular and special Board of Selectmen meetings shall be held in accordance with the provisions of C.G.S., as amended.
• Section 8.2-3 will be revisited and may be eliminated
  
• Section 8.2-4: no changes
  
• Section 8-2.5: Commission members discussed this section at length. Brian Gouin made a motion to delete this section, seconded by Joseph Amend. Vote unanimous, motion carried.

(Dorothy DiPiro joined the meeting at 6:55 pm)

• Section 8-2.6: no changes
  
• Section 8.3: no changes
  
• Section 8-4(a): revised to read as follows:
  (a) The Board shall have the powers and duties as are provided for Boards of Selectmen by C.G.S., as amended, and this Charter.
  
• Section 8-4(b) no changes
  
• Section 8-5: revised to read as follows:
  The Board of Selectmen shall appoint members of all appointed Town Boards and Commissions by an affirmative vote of not fewer than four (4) members of the Board, in accordance with Section 6-4 of this Charter.
• Section 8-5(a)(b)(c)(d): no changes
  
• Section 8-5 (e) remove the word 'and'
  
• Section 8-5(f) changed to read 'assessor; and
  
• Add section 8-5(g): the Town Engineer
  
• Section 8-6 title changed to: Section 8-6 Enacting, Amending and Repealing Ordinances
  
• Section 8-6.1: title changed 8-6.1 Power to Enact, Amend or Repeal Ordinances
  The last sentence of this section is changed to read:
  'The Board of Selectmen shall also have the legislative power to repeal and amend ordinances.'
  
• Section 8-6.2 is changed from 'Codes, Rules, or Regulations Pertaining to Ordinances' to 'Enacting Ordinances: Procedures and Effective Dates' (formerly section 8-6.3. There are no changes to the text except for number and order.
• Section 8-6.3 is changed to read as follows: (formerly 8-6.4)
  8-6.3 Repealing Ordinances: Procedures and Effective Dates
  The Board of Selectmen shall have the power to repeal ordinances and will adhere to the following in order to do so:

a) The Board of Selectmen shall hold at least one public hearing before the repeal of any ordinance. The notice of such public hearing shall be given in the form of a legal advertisement, by publication not less than seven (7) days before the date of such hearing of the full text of the ordinance proposed for repeal, in a newspaper having general circulation in the Town. A copy of the legal advertisement shall be on file in the Town Clerk's office.
b) The Board of Selectmen will accept or reject the proposal for repeal within thirty days of the public hearing.
c) The repeal of an ordinance will be effective on the date the Board of Selectmen affirmatively votes for its repeal.
d) The repeal of any ordinance, with the exception of emergency ordinances, shall be subject to a petition to overrule in accordance with Chapter 3-6 of this charter.
e) Upon repeal of an ordinance, the Town Clerk shall:
1) annotate the Code of Ordinances that the ordinance has been repealed showing the effective date of the repeal; and
2) publish a legal advertisement in a newspaper having general circulation in the town containing the title of the ordinance, the effective date of its repeal and a summary of the ordinance.


• Section 8-6.4 will be Codes, Rules, or Regulations Pertaining to Ordinances (formerly section 8-6.2). There are no changes to text except for number and order.
  
• Section 8-7: no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (a) no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (b) no changes
• Section 8-8(c ) : revised as follows:
  (c) shall present a proposed budget for the Town consistent with the provisions of Chapter 4 of this Charter;
  
• Section 8-8(d) revised to read:
  (d) shall assemble, compile and publish the Annual Town Report.
  
• Section 8-8 (e) (f) (g) no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (h) revisit this section upon consultation with counsel.
  
• Section 8-8 (i) no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (j) no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (k) changed to read as follows:

(k) Shall have the ability to create, consolidate, change or abolish recommend to the Annual Town Meeting the creation, consolidation, change or abolition of Offices, Boards, Commissions, or Agencies not otherwise provided for in this Charter and subject to the following conditions:
1) Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the Board of Selectmen from appointing, by resolution, special or temporary Boards as it may from time to time deem necessary and appropriate to the operation of Town government. In such event, the special or temporary Boards shall be deemed to terminate if twelve (12) months have elapsed since their last meeting. Building committees and Charter Commissions shall be an exception to this one (1) year term. Building committees shall function through the completion of the task for which they were created. Charter Commissions shall function through such period as authorized by the Board of Selectmen and as is consistent with Section 7-190 of C.G.S., as amended;


• Section 8-8 (l): no changes except cross reference will be made
  
• Section 8-8 (m): no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (n) no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (o): no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (p): no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (q) : no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (r) no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (s): no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (t): no changes
  
• Section 8-8 (u) no changes - remove notes not part of charter
  
• Section 8-9 (a) (b) will be revisited upon consultation with counsel
  
• Section 8-9 (c ): no changes
  
• Section 8-9 (d) no changes

7. Adjourn
There was a motion to adjourn by Carl Fitzgibbons, seconded by Brian Gouin. Vote unanimous, motion. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Laura Siena, Board Clerk