Date: Fri 28-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

charter-council

Full Text:

Council Committee Asks Charter Panel To Rethink Changes

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

A committee of the Legislative Council is asking the Charter Revision

Commission to reconsider its decision to allow the firing of a town finance

director "without cause."

The charter panel recently completed over a year of charter study and

presented its proposed changes to the council last week. A four-person council

committee met Wednesday to begin reviewing the changes.

Currently, the charter states that the finance director can be removed by the

Board of Selectmen "with cause," but as the charter panel's proposed change

now reads, the finance director could be removed from office without ever

being notified of the process. Critics of the change, including the current

Finance Director Benjamin Spragg, believe the change would strip the position

of its right to due process.

According to committee chairman Melissa Pilchard, several members of the

Charter Revision Commission have said that a mistake may have been made and

that they never intended to deprive the finance director of his rights.

Charter Revision Commission member Barbara O'Connor did say, however, that the

change was made because the finance director, unlike other key town positions,

does not serve the town for any specific amount of time or term. She said the

change would allow for the removal of a finance director who had become

incompetent.

"But that's cause," Mr Spragg said.

Committee member Joe McGowan said he was puzzled by the Charter Revision

Commission's decision to play with the finance director's rights as stated in

the charter and wondered if there was some sort of hidden agenda.

"From what I understand everyone is happy with the current finance director,"

he said.

Mrs O'Connor agreed.

"I remember sitting there when we were discussing this thinking `Is there

something I don't know about?,'" she said.

Mrs Pilchard said the issue may have arisen after First Selectman Bob Cascella

stressed the importance of giving the first selectman the power to hire and

fire any town employee.

"Tell them under no circumstances can both the first selectman and Legislative

Council remove the finance director without cause," said committee member Joe

Borst.

Separate Votes

A Newtown resident earlier this week suggested the town present the school and

selectmen's budgets to the taxpayers separately. That way, if the budget is

turned down, it would be easier to determine where the cuts need to be made.

She was quickly corrected by town officials, who explained that the town

charter does not allow for that.

However, Mrs Pilchard's subcommittee will recommend to the Charter Revision

Commission that it consider changing the way the town votes on the budget.

The Charter Revision Commission did consider changing the wording of the

charter to allow voting on two separate budgets this past winter, but failed

to get the required eight votes for a revision.

State law discourages separate budget votes, however, it can be done under

"home rule," according to Mr Cascella. Ridgefield has been presenting two

budgets to voters for years.

"By having two separate budget votes, you would get a true town vote," said

committee member Bill Brimmer.

The council subcommittee has also recommended that the charter panel

reconsider its decision to hold a preliminary hearing on the budget before it

ever reaches the council.

As Finance Director Ben Spragg points out, residents will only get part of the

picture at a hearing that soon.

"It's too preliminary to go to a public hearing, because you would only see

the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen requests. You won't see any

revenue then and you won't know if your taxes are going up. The grand list

won't be done, yet, and the state budget won't be out," he said.

Mr Borst agreed. "I can't support holding a hearing before the Legislative

Council has done its work," he said.

According to Mrs O'Connor, her board opted to put in that early hearing in an

effort to get residents more involved in the process.

The council's charter committee is scheduled to meet again at 7 pm Wednesday

in the middle school library.