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08/16/2018 12:01 AMThe Connecticut General Statutes require each town in the state to review its charter every five years and appoint a Charter Revision Commission to assist in that process. The Town of Clinton Charter Revision Commission (CRC) was appointed by the Board of Selectmen and began meeting on Feb. 15 of this year.
The most substantial topic covered by the CRC was considering the change to a town manager and seven-member town council or keeping our present Board of Selectmen/Board of Finance form of government with some updating of amendments. In a change to a town manager/council form of government, the elected council would still set policy. The town manager, with professional credentials of either a master of public administration (MPA) or master of business administration (MBA), would be employed for implementation of those policies and the day-to-day town operations. Under this charter version, the town manager and expanded council would assume the fiscal powers and duties of the Board of Finance. The public would still approve the town budget annually at referendum.
The CRC also considered whether we should have a fire commission, and if boards and commissions that don’t have legislative authority need alternate members. The CRC made technical changes to the budget and appropriations process and updates to comply with General Statutes and current labor law as advised by our attorneys. Minor edits were made to address procedures that are no longer relevant in 2018.
The CRC was made up of seven members appointed by the Board of Selectmen: Chairman Dennis Donovan, Lise Gazzillo, Michael Knudsen, Eric Bergman, Mary Jo Phelps, Art Kuever, and Michael Hornyak. They met nearly every week to research and review examples of other town charters. They worked diligently to implement recommendations from the public and evaluate the best form of government for the future of our town.
The commission has completed its work and filed the drafts of the Town of Clinton Charter with the town clerk on July 12. The next task is for the Board of Selectmen to make recommendations back to the CRC, which will then submit a final report to the Board of Selectmen. The board will develop appropriate questions for the November ballot as directed by Connecticut General Statues 7-191. The draft charters can be found on the Town of Clinton website under “Charter Revision Commission” as well as in the Town Clerk’s Office.
The Board of Selectmen and I personally would like to thank the public who participated in making recommendations to the CRC. We extend our deep appreciation to the commissioners for their dedication to the process and for volunteering their time. They have done a yeoman’s job in a very short amount of time!