Charter Panel Aims At Sweeping Changes For Town Government

By Steve Bigham

The Charter Revision Commission is proving to be very progressive in its actions thus far, talking seriously about making significant changes to the government of Newtown.

With a balance of members representing both new and longtime residents from a variety of backgrounds, the 12-member group has gained consensus on a number of different proposed changes to the structural framework of the government. The recommendations will eventually require the approval of the Legislative Council before being passed on to the voters next November.

The charter panel began its work back in October and still has many issues to consider. It has already gained the attention of town officials with its willingness to recommend sweeping changes. But, as Chairman Bill Sheluck points out, that was not the intent of the commission at the start. However, after hearing from the public and town officials, and after taking a closer look at the town charter themselves, board members concluded that changes did need to be made.

“The way it looks right now, our proposal will represent some meaningful changes in the government. We didn’t plan on that going in, but we’ve had a lot of things thrown our way.”

Most recently, the board has decided that the government would work more efficiently with a board of finance to help operate the town government along with the first selectman and Legislative Council. The proposed six-member Board of Finance would take part in the year-long planning of the town’s financial picture, and, at budget time, would make recommendations to the Legislative Council. The council, in turn, would make the final decisions.

The charter panel has observed that under the current system, there is little planning or forward thinking, which has created an environment in which boards and commissions are forced to be reactive rather than “pro-active.”

As Mr Sheluck explains, the council would still play a major role in the government process. The details, however, would be handled by the Board of Selectmen on the executive side and the Board of Finance on the financial side.

“The council still remains the broadest body,” Mr Sheluck said. “It still has the final say on most issues, but under this plan, it doesn’t need to get involved in the nitty-gritty details. It’s more of a ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ kind of body.”

A board of finance has been suggested by Finance Director Ben Spragg and council members like Don Studley who believe the town needs a board that focuses only on financial matters. The town used to have a similar system, but that was changed by a Charter Revision Commission in 1976 in favor of the Legislative Council/Selectmen system now in place. Mr Studley, who was a member of that charter panel 25 years ago, said he now regrets the move to eliminate the board of finance.

But others say the return of a board of finance is a big mistake. The town already has a board of finance – the Legislative Council, noted Marie Sturdevant, Republican Town Committee chair. By creating the council, we were trying to get away from having a four- or five-person board that made all the decisions, she said.

Legisaltive Council Chairman Pierre Rochman says he is trying to take a wait-and-see approach on the proposed charter changes.

“I will try hard to wait and make up my mind later on each thing because you have to see the details. The devil is in the details,” he said. “Before you can really make a comment, you have to the see process go through and then understand and ask them their rationale. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

Under the charter commission’s plan, the annual town budget would first be deliberated by the first selectman (there would be no Board of Selectmen), then it would be passed on to the Board of Finance for consideration. The Board of Finance, which could either raise or lower the budget, would then pass it on to the council, which could only make reductions before making a final recommendation. Under this plan, the first selectman could then veto the council’s recommendation. The council could then override that veto, at which time the budget would then revert back to what the Board of Finance has originally submitted.

Last month, the Charter Revision Commission also announced that it planned to recommend an increase from two-year to four-year terms for the first selectman. It also indicated it favored giving the first selectman veto power over the Legislative Council. These suggested changes have also come under fire from some town officials who fear the board wants to give the first selectman too much power.