Simsbury Mulls Potential Changes To Town Government
SIMSBURY, CT — Major changes or no changes regarding how the town’s government operates could be coming in the not-too-distant future.
The Simsbury Board of Selectmen voted Monday to form a new Simsbury Charter Revision Commission to look at the town’s governing document.
A town’s charter is a governing document that defines the format of a town’s government and how it operates and makes a recommendation to a town’s top elected body.
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In Simsbury, that is the board of selectmen, which ultimately would decide to sent proposed charter changes to voters at a future referendum. Voters have the final say on any charter revisions.
For now, Simsbury is looking for residents to serve on the commission to review the town’s government and what, if any, changes need to be made.
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The town is currently seeking letters of interest from potential charter revision commission members by Friday, Oct. 11.
Selectmen then will appoint anywhere from five to nine members within 30 days of that deadline.
Once the commission is formed, it is expected to work for 16 months before making a recommendation to the town.
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The last time the Simsbury charter was changed was 2017, when it went to a town manager form of government.
Selectmen did debate on the size of the charter, but opted for the five- to nine-member range because going forward with more could be cumbersome.
Some of the discussions Monday indicated a commission could be as high as 15, though the 2017 process utilized a nine-person commission.
“In the restaurants, there’s a rule that too many cooks stir the broth. ” said Simsbury Deputy First Selectman Steven T. Antonio.
Selectmen didn’t offer up any specific changes to the charter that the commission could probe, but it has been about seven years since the charter was looked at.
For more information on the new Simsbury Charter Revision Commission, call the Simsbury Town Manager Marc Nelson’s office at 860-658-3230.
To view the Town of Simsbury’s call for volunteers to join the Simsbury Charter Revision Commission, along with pertinent documents, click on this link.
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