Fairfield Charter Revision Hearings Set For Monday, Wednesday: UPDATE

FAIRFIELD, CT — Proposed changes to Fairfield's Town Charter will be discussed during two public hearings next week held by the Board of Selectmen.

The pair of virtual hearings are scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, and 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday; following the Wednesday hearing, the board is slated to vote on the proposals, which would send them to a town wide election in the fall.

"The Board of Selectmen (BOS) will hold two special meetings the week of July 27th and a possible third special meeting the week of July 4th," officials wrote on the town's website.

"The first special BOS meeting will be held on Monday, June 27, 2022 to discuss the Charter Revision Commission's (CRC's) proposed revisions and to take public comment, if time permits.

"The second special BOS meeting - a Public Hearing - will be held on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 to receive public comment and have the BOS vote on suggested Charter changes.

"Further deliberations, if necessary, based on public testimony, will take place at a Special BOS meeting on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, Time TBD."

Monday's hearing will include a presentation from [Charter Revision Commission] leadership and attorney Steven Mednick. The selectmen will discuss suggested Charter Revision changes; if time permits, public comment may be allowed.

"A full public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 5:30 pm both in person in the 1st floor conference room in Independence Hall, 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT and via Webex," the agenda reads.

To view the agenda for Monday's hearing, click here; backup materials for Monday's hearing can be viewed by clicking here.

Among the proposed changes includes a reduction of the Representative Town Meeting from the current 40 members to 30; the charter allows for as many as 56 members. The proposal has been the most controversial suggestion, reported the Fairfield Citizen.

Wednesday's hearing will include public comment, followed by the selectmen's discussion and action on suggested Charter Revision changes.

To view the agenda for Wednesday's hearing, click here; for the backup materials, click here.

To view information following the conclusion of the commission's most recent meeting, click here. The documents include minutes, emails, a letter to the Town Clerk and Board of Selectmen, and the [Charter Revision Commission's] proposed Charter Revisions to the selectmen, according to officials.

A "redline version" of the proposed changes can be viewed by clicking here.

Information on viewing the hearings virtually via Webex is below (the public also can listen to the hearings by phone):

• Via Webex: https://tofit.my.webex.com/join/fairfield
• By phone: Dial 510-338-9438. Enter Access Code or Meeting Number: 624 512 956 #
• From the Webex app, connect to meeting #: 624 512 956 #
• FairTV’s cable channel (channel 79 for Fairfield Cablevision customers and 6010 for Frontier Cable customers)
• FairTV’s website, https://fairfieldct.org/fairtv/government

(Note: An earlier version of this story did not report that public comment during Monday's hearing would only be included if time permits.)