Politics & Government

Southbury To Hold Public Hearing On Proposed Changes To Charter

The Charter Revision Commission has submitted the following changes to the Board of Selectmen:

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Press release from the Town of Southbury:

7/7/2025

The Charter Revision Commission has completed the work of reviewing the town Charter and has submitted the following changes to the Board of Selectmen for their review. The Board of Selectmen encourages citizens to share their thoughts on the proposed changes at the Public Hearing to be held July 8, 2025, 7:00 pm, room 205 of the Town Hall. Written comments can be sent to the Office of the First Selectman, 501 Main Street South.

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Proposed Changes:

  • Change of term for First Selectman from 2 to 4 years. Remaining members of the Board of Selectmen will continue to have 2-year terms.
  • Separation of the election of First Selectman and Board of Selectmen. Removed language that permitted the unsuccessful candidate for First Selectman to bump a Board of Selectmen candidate.
  • Unification of Planning and Zoning Commissions into a single commission.
  • Removal of the Public Appeals Board.

    Change for First Selectman Duties to include the word oversight on many tasks to delineate from having to perform tasks personally.

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  • Change annual review of strategic plan to periodic review of strategic plan.
  • Add the requirement for the annual preparation of a State of the Town report for the electors which must be in written form.
  • Add Emergency Services Director position.
  • Permit additional officers/officials to be created by the Board of Selectmen by resolution or by ordinance.
  • Changed Historic District Commission No. 2 membership composition to match Historic District Commission No. 1 membership composition.
  • Removal of Strategic Planning Commission.
  • Added EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Committee.
  • Added the new independent Police Department and clarified the text for the Public Safety sections to reference State of CT statutes.
  • Slightly adjusted the Board of Finance Duties to reorder budget consideration timeline and the meetings/hearings associated with it.
  • Added language to permit town to use ACH/Electronic payments, not just physical checks.
  • Revised borrowing limits to be a percentage of the budget vs a fixed number so that over time this number will auto-adjust for inflation.
  • Increased non-budgeted payment limit for payments to private organizations from $500 to $1000.
  • Added language to allow the Tax Collector discretion to waive tax bills/tax payments that are less than $5.
  • Revised the grant section language to permit anyone to apply for grants but still limit approval of grants by the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectmen.
  • Added a Finance Ordinance Alternative to optionally permit the Board of Selectmen the ability to streamline the town’s budget process in between Charter Revision time periods.
  • Changed the Annual Town Meeting requirement to be optional.

    • Click to view the Charter with proposed changes.

    The process to make changes to the Town Charter is as follows:

  • Public Hearing July 8th, 2025, by the Board of Selectmen (one was held on June 18th, 2025 by Charter Revision Commission).
  • The Board of Selectmen can propose changes to the Charter Revision Commission's recommendations until August 1, 2025.
  • The Charter Revision Commission can meet with the Selectmen up until September 2nd, 2025, and make changes or not.
  • The Board of Selectmen can approve or reject the proposals until September 15th, 2025, by majority vote.
  • The Town Clerk must file proposed changes with the Secretary of State by September 19th, 2025.
  • The Board of Selectmen must publish the proposed changes in a local newspaper by October 15th, 2025.
  • November 4th, 2025 - The electors of the town vote on the proposed changes
  • If the changes are approved by a majority of electors, they take effect January 2026, and the Town Clerk files certified copies with the Secretary of State

    • The current Town Charter is available on the town website: www.southbury-ct.org/code.

    This press release was produced by the Town of Southbury. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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