William Hudock, a member of the Winchester Democratic Town Committee, told the Board of Selectmen he and his group are proposing a town ordinance requiring advance public notice when town offices change their hours.

Hudock said the request stems from an incident when the town clerk opened the office on a Saturday before a recent budget referendum to accept and process absentee ballots “without public notice, without communication to the town manager or the board of selectmen, and communicated only through the Republican Town Committee Facebook page.”

The proposed addition would create “Article 2, notice in hours of town offices” as an amendment to chapter 87. It would require the town manager to approve and publish notice of any change in hours on the town website, the town notes board and all town social media and public notification accounts “at least 5 working days prior to the change or addition of the hours of operation” unless state or federal law requires longer notice.

Why it matters: Hudock and other speakers said the measure would protect equal access to town services and reduce the risk of unpublicized office hours that could affect voters or property owners. Cheryl McGlynn, a resident, told the board she supported the proposed ordinance because “clarity and transparency are really important.”

At the close of the meeting discussion period, selectmen agreed to put the proposed ordinance on a future agenda for the board to review and to decide whether to send it to the town attorney for formal drafting and legal advice. The board did not adopt the ordinance at the July 7 meeting.

Details from the draft ordinance read into the record specify that notices must state when the changed hours “shall commence and end,” and that town employees and elected officials “shall not transact or process any business outside of the hours that have been approved and published in accordance with this ordinance.” The draft also cites the town charter and Connecticut statutes as the underpinning for equal-access concerns.

What happens next: Selectmen said they will place the proposal on an upcoming agenda so board members can review the draft before or while seeking the town attorney’s input. No formal legal opinion or ordinance text was adopted at the meeting.

Ending: Citizens who brought the measure to the board said they would follow up and expect the board to consider a formal vote after the town attorney reviews the draft and the board has an opportunity to discuss revisions.