Charter panel lowers petition threshold for citizen referendums from 8% to 4%

The Norwalk City Charter Revision Commission on April 1 approved a change to Section 4‑10 reducing the signatures required to place a citizen referendum on the ballot from 8% of registered electors to 4%. The motion was introduced by Commissioner John Levin and passed in a roll-call vote.

Commissioners said the change is intended to make a citizen referendum more feasible while leaving other safeguards in place. Levin told the commission that, based on the city's registrations, 8% translated to roughly 5,239 voter signatures and addresses and that 4% would require about 2,619 signatures. "I cannot envision it happening anytime soon," Levin said, but argued the 8% threshold was an "insult" and an "impossible barrier."

Nut graf: The commission limited its action to lowering the petition threshold and separated out additional proposed adjustments — including the number of days to collect signatures and fees — for later consideration. Commissioners emphasized they were sending recommendations to the Common Council, which will decide which items, if any, appear on a future ballot.

Commission discussion and vote details

Levin explained the practical effect: using the city's registration base of about 65,500 voters, the 8% hurdle required more than 5,000 signatures and physical addresses. He proposed cutting that requirement in half and also offered a separate "part 2" proposal that would (a) reduce the number of electors who must deliver an initial petition from five to four, (b) raise the filing fee from $25 to $200, and (c) extend the signature-collection window from 25 to 45 days.

The commission voted first to reduce the 8% threshold to 4% (Levin moved). Multiple commissioners spoke in favor; the motion passed. The commission then considered part 2 and, after discussion and an amendment proposed by Commissioner Ed, limited the panel's change to only reduce the number of electors required to begin a petition from five to four while leaving the filing fee at $25 and the collection period at 25 days. That amended change was adopted unanimously by the commissioners present.

What the charter language will mean in practice

John Levin and others stressed that lowering the petition threshold does not guarantee a referendum will occur. The charter retains a voter-approval requirement: the commission noted that any citizen-initiated referendum still requires that at least 25% of electors cast a ballot on the question for it to pass — a figure commissioners said would still require roughly 16,367 votes in Norwalk. Commissioners also discussed practical limits, including election administration costs and statutory deadlines that can make some petitions impracticable. Commissioner Diane Lauricella, speaking in public comment earlier in the meeting, urged more protections for public hearings and suggested the charter should prevent votes on budgets the same night a public hearing is held.

Next steps

The commission recorded its recommendations and will forward them to the Common Council; the council decides which charter changes, if any, will be placed before voters. Several commissioners urged more study of procedural and cost implications before broader changes to petition procedures are advanced.