New Town Charter on Hold in Westbrook, Connecticut

WESTBROOK - The promise of a new town charter is not expected to happen in the near future for this shoreline town.

This past November, Republican First Selectman Noel Bishop posted a notice on the town's Web site requesting volunteers for a proposed Town Charter Commission to contact his office.

According to Dec. 20 meeting minutes of the Board of Selectmen, Bishop said correspondence was limited to a Republican Town Committee letter with five names while the Democratic Town Committee did not respond at all.

Democratic Selectman Jim Crawford indicated at the meeting that he was uncomfortable moving forward, at this time, on a town charter commission because of the stringent timelines.

Connecticut General Statues 7-188 through 7-191 strictly govern the timeline of creating a town charter.

That process requires several public hearings and for the committee to submit a draft to the Board of Selectmen for input before it goes to residents in a referendum.

The process must go from start to finish in a nine and a half month period.

Both Crawford and fellow Democratic Selectwoman Marie Farrell indicate that the report, submitted by the Westbrook Town Charter Committee in February 2007, was lacking and more information is needed.

Crawford said the ad-hoc committee with seven residents was unable to receive legal advice and other opinions since they operated without a budget.

The study committee voted 5-2 in December 2006 that "a town charter would be in the best interest of the Town of Westbrook and that the Board of Selectmen should appoint a charter commission to start the process."

The document explains that creating a town charter would allow the town to expand the Board of Selectmen, separate the education and municipal sides of the budget, appoint some municipal positions, adjust the size and terms of some boards and commissions, and appoint members on those boards.

Robert Tout, a member of the town charter study committee, stated in a submitted letter that he believed that the committee did not do the "research, study, analysis, and interpretation of factual evidence upon which to draw credible conclusions."

Dec. 20 meeting minutes stated that Phil Eismann, a member of the study committee, believed that creating a charter was not thoroughly studied and that the charter did not receive a good response from members on the town's boards and commissions.

Bishop said the Board of Selectmen requested more information from the town charter study committee and asked them to interview additional people, revisit their findings, and report back to the board by the end of February.