Date: Fri 14-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

charter-revision-budget

Full Text:

Separate Town And School Budget Votes May Violate State Law

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Attorney Catherine Thompson has informed the Charter Revision Commission that

she will not recommend it change the town charter to allow residents to vote

separately on the municipal and school budgets.

Ms Thompson, who was hired by the town to advise the commission, noted that

under state statutes towns are supposed to submit one budget to the voters,

combining the town and school proposals. But some towns like Ridgefield have

been splitting the budget into two parts, and it has never been challenged in

court.

Newtown presents one budget to the voters each year, combining the school and

town proposals, but as Legislative Council member Jack Rosenthal pointed out,

if the budget fails, it is often difficult to determine which portion of the

budget the voters were unhappy with. He said with separate budgets, it would

be much easier to determine where cuts needed to be made. If both go down,

that means both budgets are too high.

Of course, Mr Rosenthal said the town does not have a budget until both are

passed.

The commission, which met Tuesday night, is expected to discuss and act on the

issue later this month. Members continued to discuss the budget time line and

whether power to spend money should rest with the council or the selectman,

though no votes were taken. They did, however, make decisions on some other

issues.

The Charter Revision Commission decisions are not final, as they must first

get by the Legislative Council and then receive final approval from the

taxpayers.

The charter panel Tuesday voted, 9-2, to change the number of Legislative

Council members needed to conduct a meeting from six to seven and to require

an affirmative vote of at least eight when adopting, repealing or amending

regulations.

The panel also voted, 8-3, to give the Legislative Council authority to

transfer $50,000 rather than $25,000 without going to a town meeting.

Originally, the commission voted to give the council authority to transfer

$100,000 without going to a town meeting, but member Stan Karpacz moved that

it be lowered to $50,000.

The commission also voted to give the Board of Selectmen, with approval of the

council, the authority to discontinue any highway without requiring the town

meeting to ratify the action.

The commission unanimously voted Tuesday to increase the number of local

justices of the peace to 15, giving five posts to unaffiliated residents to go

along with the five Republican representatives and five Democrats. The state

recently enabled towns to do this, and Newtown has already sworn-in

unaffiliated justices of the peace.