Charter Revision Commission narrows fire commission powers, approves rewritten appointment language

The Charter Revision Commission voted March 6 to revise the town charter’s description of the fire commission, removing two operational clauses and specifying that appointments must follow town policy and be merit-based. Chair Jared DeWitt read the adopted changes aloud before the commission approved them by voice vote.

The changes replace the charter’s current wording so the fire commission “have general management and oversight of the fire department of the town,” and require the commission to “make rules and regulations consistent with the general statutes and this charter for the governance of the fire department and its personnel.” The commission’s motion also states that, “subject to the provisions in this charter regarding appointment of the fire chief, [the commission] have power to appoint in accordance with town policy to all positions in the department, and all appointments in the fire department shall be made on the basis of merit.” Two existing subsections that previously set out additional commission duties were deleted in full.

The vote followed an extended discussion about the division of responsibilities among the commission, human resources and the first selectman’s office. Kathleen Simpson, the town’s human resources director, urged caution about leaving hiring and discipline entirely outside HR and legal processes, saying her remarks were “solely for the best interest of the town” and warning that improper handling could create liability. Simpson recommended that commission actions be consistent with town policy and applicable state and federal law.

Commissioner Michael Brennan, a longtime fire commissioner who described the panel interview process used for firefighter hiring, defended the commission’s role in recruiting and screening candidates. Brennan said the commission’s panel “interviews every candidate for firefighters. It’s usually a 3‑day round of 25 to 30 interviews,” and described a scoring and ranking system that, in his view, reduced bias while giving the department access to a ranked eligibility list.

Other commissioners raised concerns about preserving oversight and preventing politicization if too much authority were centralized in the administration. Several commissioners and Simpson agreed the charter text should make clear that appointments and promotions follow merit and town policies; the motion adopted specifies “in accordance with town policy.”

Chair DeWitt instructed staff to update the charter text with the approved language. Commissioners voted in favor; no roll-call tally of yes/no votes was read into the record.

The commission’s changes affect the charter section governing the fire commission (10.6) and remove two subsections that previously addressed qualifications and department staffing. Commissioners said they expect to circulate revised wording formally before posting the updated draft minutes.