Simsbury commission debates staggered selectmen terms, town manager powers and 2% referendum threshold

The Simsbury Charter Revision Commission spent much of its July 7 meeting refining proposed changes to chapters 3 through 5 of the draft town charter, focusing on how the Board of Selectmen is elected and how the town manager interacts with boards and staff.

Commission members discussed a package of changes that would convert several selectmen seats into staggered terms, so that three members elected in 2027 would serve initial two-year terms and three would serve initial four-year terms, with all seats becoming four-year terms thereafter; the charter draft would continue to limit membership so no more than four members may belong to the same political party. Paul, a Charter Revision Commission member, said the staggered schedule should be spelled out to avoid confusion in future elections.

The discussion also covered whether the charter should use the term “first” to refer to the town’s presiding selectperson and where that definition belongs; commissioners agreed to add a definition in chapter 3 and to keep consistent usage in chapter 4 so…