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Town council establishes Charter Revision Commission, sets membership at 11
Summary
The New Canaan Town Council voted Oct. 15 to establish a Charter Revision Commission and set membership at 11; councilmembers agreed on a fast application timeline and drafted three candidate questions to collect CVs and availability.
The New Canaan Town Council voted unanimously on Oct. 15 to establish a Charter Revision Commission (officially named the Charter Revision Commission or Charter Revision Commission) and set the membership at 11. Councilmembers said they plan to appoint the commission at or before the 30-day deadline triggered by the vote.
Councilmembers agreed on a fast application schedule: council staff will send a short questionnaire and request CVs; candidates will have a limited window to respond and staff will aggregate submissions for council review. Council and staff worked through three standard questions to standardize candidate submissions: a CV/resume; "Other than a general desire to serve in a public capacity, why do you want to serve on this commission and what relevant experience will you bring?"; and any limitations on the ability to serve (time or technical limitations), including an approximate expected time commitment (the council used a working figure of about 10 hours per month as an illustrative estimate that could fluctuate).
Councilmembers debated whether to include alternates and ultimately voted to appoint 11 voting members (no alternates decided at the meeting). Members discussed selection criteria including diversity of background, prior volunteer or government experience, and available time to commit.
Council staff and a volunteer legal advisor (to be engaged separately) will draft a budget estimate and advise on FOIA and interview parameters at an upcoming meeting. The council asked that candidate materials be returned within a short timeframe so the council can review and appoint the commission within the statutory 30-day window.
The council noted the commission will set its own chair and internal procedures once seated. The commission’s expected timeline, review process, and budget were discussed in general terms; council members said they would ask legal counsel to recommend procedures for public interviews and any permissible confidentiality for pre-interview materials. The council did not appoint commissioners at this meeting.
