Fairfield Residents Weigh in on Proposed Changes to the Charter
Two special Board of Selectmen meetings this week in Fairfield will take a look at recommendations to change the town charter.
This week, there will be two special meetings of the Board of Selectmen, allowing residents to learn more about proposed changes to the town charter and give feedback.
On Monday, June 27 at 4 p.m., there will be a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen, featuring a presentation from the Charter Revision Commission and Attorney Steve Mednick, who served as counsel to the commission. The presentation will include a report and recommendations for the board to review and discuss. If there is time, there could be some public comment on Monday.
Some of the Commission’s recommendations include:
- Reducing the size of the Representative Town Meeting from 40 members to 30 members
- Rewriting and reorganizing the charter as a whole to make it easier to read and more accessible to residents
- Clarifying the duties of the First Selectperson
- Reforming the budget process
There will be a second special meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m. that will be a public hearing. Residents are invited to give comments and feedback on the commission’s report and recommendations. Following public comment, the board may choose to act on the recommendations that evening. However, if the Board would like to gather more feedback or gain additional information, there is a tentative meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 5, where a vote on the recommendations could occur.
The final recommendations that are voted on by the Board of Selectmen will appear on the ballot in November for all Fairfield residents to vote on.
