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Norwalk council signals support to rename 'Common Council' to 'City Council' and ask administration to estimate costs
Summary
Members of the Norwalk Common Council signaled support during a special Zoom meeting to recommend changing the charter language from “Common Council” to “City Council,” and asked staff to return an estimate of any administrative costs for implementation.
Presiding council member Nora opened a discussion of the Charter Revision Commission’s draft charter and, when the council turned to Article I, asked whether anyone objected to changing the body’s name from Norwalk Common Council to Norwalk City Council. A majority of council members present expressed no objection to the change, and several members asked the administration to estimate any direct costs before a final vote. “If anyone has any objection to changing the name from the Norwalk Common Council to the Norwalk City Council, make your voice heard,” Nora said as the floor opened for discussion. The council asked city staff to review potential expenses such as signage, nameplates, templates and business cards and report back. Council member Greg asked the administration to provide an assessment of financial implications; city staff member Jared said it was “fine, kind of pending our doing a little more research.” Irene, who conducted roll call, noted that most charter text is maintained online and that stationery and templates are usually updated digitally. Members discussed timing for an effective date. Council members suggested making the change effective after the 2025 municipal election so that campaigns and incumbents would have clarity; other members preferred an earlier effective date. Jared asked for 24 hours to check for any items the council might have missed before the council gives final direction. The discussion did not produce a formal motion or roll-call vote; meeting participants agreed to ask staff for a short cost estimate and to include a name-change recommendation in the draft resolution the council will send back to the Charter Revision Commission for conferral. For planning purposes, staff and several council members noted the likely one‑time tangible costs would be small — replacing signage at the council chambers, updating nameplates and business-card templates and updating the online charter text — but they asked administration to provide a formal estimate. The council deferred a formal vote until its July 22 meeting, when council leadership expects to provide a draft resolution for the commission and the public.
