Date: Fri 14-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

charter-hearing-budgeting

Full Text:

Minor Charter Changes Draw Few To Hearing

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

With no profound town charter changes at stake, only a handful of residents

showed up at Tuesday's public hearing of the Charter Revision Commission.

The commission, which studied the charter the past 16 months, will probably be

remembered more for the changes it did not make than for the changes it made,

according to some members.

"We made changes to things that we felt were best for the town," said Charter

Commission Chairman Mike Snyder. "We looked at things that were crucial, like

the at-large seats on the Legislative Council and changes in the budget

schedule."

Panel member Brandt Schneider said the fact that few significant changes were

made may be a statement of stability in town.

First Selectman Bob Cascella and Legislative Council member Jack Rosenthal

showed up to again urge the panel to consider splitting the annual budget into

two parts -town and school.

Earlier this winter, the charter revision panel opted not to change the way

the town votes on the budget. However, several members believed the issue

should be discussed further. It is expected to be looked at closely by the

Legislative Council later this month.

As Mr Rosenthal has said in the past, if the budget is voted down, a decision

on where to make cuts is totally arbitrary. No one knows where to cut, he

said.

"It's mostly a guess on our part," he said.

Mr Cascella pointed out to the panel that the Legislative Council gets to vote

on the two budgets separately, "so why shouldn't the rest of the town get to

vote on it separately?"

As for the legality, Mr Cascella recently spoke with Ridgefield First

Selectman Sue Manning, whose town votes on the two annual budgets separately

without any problems. He said she explained that when voting, the town

utilizes the state statutes rather than its own charter. Also, she said towns

have the power to vote on two separate budgets under the "home rule" section

of the state statute.

Mr Snyder is slated to present the Charter Revision Commission's preliminary

draft report to the Legislative Council next Wednesday. The council then has

45 days to hold a public hearing. Then, the council must make a recommendation

back to the panel. From there, the Charter Revision Commission has 30 days to

either accept or reject the suggestions. The proposed revisions then go to a

referendum for final approval.

Nearly six years ago, the last Charter Revision Commission held a public

hearing with only 15 residents on hand. The issues discussed at that time

included reducing the number of members on the council from 18 to 12 and going

to an automatic budget referendum.

At Tuesday's meeting, Mr Cascella also reiterated his concern over the lack of

authority currently given to the Board of Selectmen. He remains baffled at why

the selectmen have the authority to hire and appoint people, but do not have

the power to have them removed without approval from the council.

"If they feel comfortable with us hiring, why not firing?," he asked.

Mr Cascella said he understands the difference when it comes to the

termination of the town's finance director because that position serves both

the selectmen and the council.

Mr Cascella, who believes the town should keep its current Board of Selectmen

form of government, is also puzzled about why the selectmen must go to the

Legislative Council for money-transfer approvals, even if the money has been

budgeted. He also believes the selectmen should be able to make land purchases

of up to about $5,000 without having to go to the council.

"The people elected us. We should have some authority," he said. "The Board of

Selectmen has less authority than the Legislative Council, P&Z, WPCA, ZBA and

the BAA (Board of Assessment Appeals). Technically, we even have less power

than the Board of Managers because they have control over Edmond Town Hall."