Fairfield Selectmen To Continue Discussions On Town Charter Revisions

FAIRFIELD, CT — Though the possibility of acting on the recommendations was on the agenda, the Fairfield Board of Selectmen Tuesday continued discussions of proposed changes to the Town Charter, and will hold another meeting on the matter next week.

Tuesday's meeting followed last week's public hearings on the proposed changes, which include the possibility of reducing the Representative Town Meeting from its current 40 members to 30.

Other recommendations and updates to the charter, the first changes to the document since 2006, have been proposed, but the RTM reduction remains the most controversial.

In a letter to the board, Charter Revision Commissioner Pamela Iacono explained some of the commission's thinking as it related to a smaller RTM, which concentrated on making the legislative group more accountable and responsible.

"What we are looking to achieve at the legislative level is better accountability which will lead to better governance as we look to be as the Model City Charter says, 'practical and efficient,'" she wrote.

Commissioner John Wynne agreed.

"I have heard people say that moving from 40 to 30 will cause us significant hardship in our ability to lead and represent our constituents," Wynne wrote in a letter to the Board of Selectmen. "I am reminded of that same argument that was made when the RTM moved from 50 to 40. But, lo and behold, after the change was made, did we hear word one about how the fears came to be? I heard nothing. I would suggest that the same will be true of this change."

The board did not make any decisions on the recommendations Tuesday, but instead walked through eight of 10 Articles in the charter where there were proposed changes, and the board will continue discussion on July 11 and 12.

Click here to view the latest Charter Revision backup materials that the board reviewed.

By the end of next week, on or before July 15, the board may send questions back to the commission for more analysis, which commission Chair Bryan Cafferelli said could take another month to review.

To get proposed changes on the November election ballot, they have to be sent to the Secretary of State in the first week in September, which, as pointed out by Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz, is a very tight deadline to achieve.

"To me, there are still too many loose ends," Lefkowitz said, adding that she is not looking to delay the process, but wants to ensure the public has a chance to adequately review the recommendations.