February 27, 2008
3rd Draft of Darien Charter Revision is Available
The Charter Revision Commission (CRC) has published a 3rd draft of the new Charter for Darien, available both online (Part 1; Part 2) or in print at the Library's Information Desk. Email any questions or comments you may have to crc@darienct.gov. The next CRC meeting will be held at Town Hall, Room 206 on March 6th at 11:00 am; for the full schedule of CRC meetings and minutes, click here.
Posted by EricaB at 09:30 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 14, 2008
Working Draft of New Charter for Darien
The Charter Revision Commission (CRC) has published a working draft of the new Charter for Darien. Read the online version, or stop by the Information Desk at the Library to read a print copy of the draft.
Since the Charter is currently in its working stages, the CRC is open to suggestions about changes and would like to hear from you with any comments or questions you may have. Email crc@darienct.gov or join the discussion at Town Hall, Room 206 on January 17th at 7:30pm.
Posted by EricaB at 03:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2007
Charter Revision Commission Meets Tonight
The Charter Revision Commission (CRC) has been getting a lot of attention since its Finance Night a couple of weeks ago. If you'd like to see the Commission in action, come to Town Hall, room 206 tonight at 7:30 p.m. Click here for the meeting agenda.
Posted by EmilyW at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2007
Finance Night Recap
Last night, the Charter Revision Commission discussed its proposals to revise the way the town plans and manages its finances. Board of Finance members, RTM members, Board of Selectmen members and candidates, the Town Treasurer, and concerned residents all provided feedback. The audience even included two Boy Scouts who attended to fulfill a merit badge requirement.
Each Board of Finance member gave feedback on the proposals. Probably the most time was devoted to the CRC's proposal that would allow the Board to reduce or increase the town budget only in the aggregate. Click here to read a complete list of the CRC's proposals.
TV 79 taped last night's meeting and it really is worth watching. Check TV 79 for broadcast times.
Posted by EmilyW at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2007
Finance Night is Tonight
All summer long, the Charter Revision Commission has been hard at work. Tonight come to Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. to see the Commission in action. At their Finance Night, the Commission will gather information on proposals that could impact the Town's financial planning and budgeting procedures.
Posted by EmilyW at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2007
CRC Chair Presents Second Quarterly Report to BOS
Transfer of Charter Provisions to Code of Ordinances Questioned
Charter Revision Chair Vickie Riccardo presented her Commission’s second quarterly report to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) on Monday night the 18th of June. The CRC’s first quarterly report was presented to the Selectmen in March.
Riccardo told the Selectmen that the Commission’s focus for the past three months has been “Issue driven with an emphasis on developing recommendations.” She added, “Once we have agreed on our proposals, we will consult a municipal law expert to assure that we draft a Charter for Darien’s voters that is consistent, coherent and correct, and that complies with State law.”
Ms. Riccardo updated the Selectmen about four CRC subcommittees currently at work and their objectives. The Political Issues and Administrative Issues Subcommittees developed specific proposals for review by the entire Commission. Questions arising from these findings were then referred to Town Counsel Wayne Fox to determine whether they conflict with State law. A third Subcommittee is vetting municipal law experts for the final drafting of the Commission’s Charter revisions. And, the fourth Subcommittee is identifying provisions to be transferred from Darien’s Charter to the Code of Ordinances.
“The CRC general plan is to limit the Charter’s scope to elected bodies, elected officials and certain appointed officials, particularly the Town Administrator, Finance Director and Planning and Zoning Director.” Riccardo added, “The Re-codification Subcommittee will work closely with the RTM’s Town, Government Services and Administrative Committee to assure that provisions transferred from the Charter can be re-codified and become effective as ordinances.”
Selectman Susan Young asked for clarification on the re-codification efforts. Riccardo explained, “ Our objective is to focus the Charter on the five primary elected Boards, the Boards of Selectmen, Finance and Education, the Planning & Zoning Commission and the RTM and to move provisions that may be more mutable to the ordinances, which can be amended by the RTM without a formal 16 month Charter Revision process.”
First Selectman Evonne Klein supported the CRC’s work on re-codification efforts by saying that moving some of these details to the Code would enable more flexibility for the Town to respond when the community changes and allow the Charter to better stand the test of time.
The Charter Revision Commission’s next meeting is this Thursday at 11am in Town Hall.
Submitted by Natalie Tallis
Posted by EmilyW at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2007
CRC continues to discuss splitting Planning and Zoning
Yesterday morning at Town Hall, members of the Charter Revision Commission spoke with P & Z Chairman Fred Conze about the Commission's proposal to split P & Z into two separate commissions. Last week, CRC held a "Planning and Zoning Night" to begin discussing these issues. Chairman Conze expressed his concerns about splitting the Commission. He feels that P&Z staff can handle current planning issues and that much planning happens when the Commission reviews applications. He is concerned that splitting the Commission will cause a longer application process. The CRC feels that the new Planning Commission would be able to do more long-range planning. However, Chairman Conze feels that the current process and 10 year plans address that need. CRC members and the Chairman also discussed current issues including flooding, downtown revitalization, and affordable housing.
The group also discussed whether the Commission size should change and whether commissioners should have term limits.
After Chairman Conze left, the CRC began discussing the relationship between the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, and the RTM.
What do you think? Should Planning and Zoning be split into a Planning Commission and a Zoning Commission?
Posted by EmilyW at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2007
Last night at Town Hall
So, last night I was again one of three people in the audience for the Charter Revision Commission meeting. I assume the rest of you were watching it on TV 79. If you're interested in how Darien governs itself, you should definitely check out the CRC's meetings. The CRC is discussing whether to split P&Z into separate commissions, whether Board of Ed members should serve shorter or longer terms, how many members RTM should have, and much more.
The Commission is continuing its discussions next Thursday, May 24 at 11 a.m. in Town Hall.
Posted by EmilyW at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2007
Charter Revision Commission Meets Tonight
Last week, there were three people in the audience (including me) for the Charter Revision Commission's meeting. Let's see if we can fill the seats tonight. The Commission is meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in room 206 of Town Hall. The Commission will continue to discuss how the Town's Charter should be changed. Lots of interesting topics came up at the last meeting, so I'm sure tonight's meeting will be worth attending.
Posted by EmilyW at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2007
Revising the town charter
Today, I was one of three people in the audience for the Charter Revision Commission's meeting. If you wanted to be there, but couldn't make it, you'll have a few chances to check it out on TV 79.
The Commission's Administrative and Political subcommittees meet each week in working groups. Today, the Commission held a more formal meeting where the two groups reported their progress. The Administrative committee is evaluating the role of the Town Administrator, the roles of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance, and the size of the RTM. The subcomittee proposes creating a formula to decide how many members RTM will have.
The Political subcomittee addressed similar issues. They are examining how removals from office should be handled, term duration of elected officials, and whether there should be term limits. They proposed reducing RTM size to 78 members, comprised of 6 districts of thirteen members each.
Keep in mind, these are only discussions. The Commission has not made any decisions yet. If you'd like to learn more, watch the meeting on TV 79, visit the Commission's website, or attend the next meeting, next Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
Posted by EmilyW at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2007
Charter Revision Commission Meets Tomorrow
The Charter Revision Commission will hold a public hearing tomorrow, Thurs. Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall. Before you head off to the hearing, take a look at the 1999 Commission's report online . Or, stop by the Library's Information Desk to review the new Commission's charge and a hard copy of the 1999 report.
For more information, check out the Commission's web page, which includes a list of members and a schedule of meetings.
Posted by EmilyW at 02:58 PM | Comments (1)