Commission discusses lowering referendum signature threshold, minority‑representation and council size outreach

During public participation and later in commission discussion on Feb. 18, members and commenters raised governance items that could prompt charter edits, including referendum thresholds, council composition and Board of Estimate and Taxation representation.

Resident Diane (last name not provided) urged the commission to consider an elected Board of Estimate and Taxation instead of the currently appointed body, to add line‑item authority for the council’s finance and claims committee, to memorialize a public listening session early in the budget calendar and to enshrine a permanent full‑time grant office under the finance department so grant decisions are not subject to political changes. "If we can memorialize a full time grant office underneath the finance department into the charter, then it will not be subjected to the politics that it's been subjected to for decades," Diane said during the public‑comment period.

Resident Rich Bonifield, of 17 Park Hill Avenue, told the commission he opposes pay or remote committee voting for council members and urged a return to in‑person committee meetings. "Please don't even consider compensation to a crew that won't face their constituents in the committee and can vote on items while they are away on vacation sitting on a beach," he said.

Later in the meeting, Commissioner John Levin introduced suggested changes to the referendum appeal process (Norwalk Charter §4‑10), urging the commission consider lowering the signature requirement from the current 8% of electors to 5% and extending the 25‑day period currently allowed to collect signatures. Levin said he circulated a memo with proposed threshold changes and asked commissioners to consider the tradeoffs between easier citizen recourse and the administrative burden of more referenda.

Commissioners responded with differing views. Some said lowering the threshold could invite frequent referenda and impose election costs; others argued a lower threshold respects voters' recourse when they disagree with council action. The commission did not adopt a change and asked members to circulate proposals and data on recent petitions and voter‑registration counts before the next meeting.

Separately, commissioners requested a short poll or outreach to current common council members on whether the council’s size should change and asked staff to gather historical data about past council sizes and minority‑party representation rules to inform scenarios. Commissioner Doug Hempstead asked staff to produce three options for how minority‑party representation might be handled.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to research historical charter language, voter‑registration counts and examples from other municipalities and to prepare draft scenarios for minority‑party representation and any proposed referendum‑threshold changes for the next meeting.