Gerber Seeks $100K Restored To Fairfield's Budget For Charter Revision

FAIRFIELD, CT — On Friday, Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber filed an appeal to the Representative Town Meeting to restore $100,000 that the Board of Finance cut this week from the town's Legal Services budget.

The finance group, by a 5-4 vote, cut the funding, which would have supported a Charter Revision Commission this fall. Republicans Amy Ruggerio, Jack Testani, James Walsh, and Mary LeClerc, were joined by Democrat Kevin Starke to cut the funding. Democrats Lori Charlton, Craig Curley, John Mitola and Shane Pendley opposed the cut.

Click here to view the video of Tuesday's Board of Finance meeting.

In a statement to Patch, Gerber said the town's antiquated Charter needs updating. Under the previous Administration of Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, an omnibus Charter Revision question that would have updated the document did not garner enough votes to pass.

"The current charter has several significant shortcomings," Gerber told Patch. "The Charter Revision Commission did great work in 2022 to fix a number of those issues, but it was presented on the ballot as a single omnibus question. I went and looked at every charter revision in every town in Connecticut, and how they presented the revisions on the ballot. Municipalities typically break their revisions into multiple questions people can vote yes or no on. I think that’s the way the Charter should be approved, and it’s past time to do it."

Gerber filed the appeal in the Town Clerk's Office, but as of 6 p.m. on Friday, it was not yet available for viewing on the town's website.

He wants the commission to convene in September, with questions on the ballot for the 2025 November election.

Several topics could be on the table for review by the Charter Revision Commission, including internal auditor; gender-neutral terms for town positions; standardizing terms of office for appointments; town job qualifications; process for determining compensation for the First Selectman and Board of Selectmen; among others.

The next regular meeting of the Fairfield RTM, where Gerber's appeal might be heard, is scheduled for April 29.