Norwalk commission plans panels on council structure and compensation after senator inquiry on referendum law

Commissioner John (commissioner) reported that he contacted State Senator Bob Duff about the feasibility of repealing a 1961 state statute that requires voter referendum to change municipal council compensation. "He responded to me that he would look into it and then subsequently came back with a somewhat more substantive response that included a citation of the exact statute," John said, noting the law dates to 1961.

Consultant/staff member Steve Mednick, who advised the commission on website materials and panels, outlined a common approach used in Connecticut to address the referendum requirement: charter provisions set a baseline compensation and an attached cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that voters approve at once, allowing periodic adjustments without a new referendum. "What we do is do a baseline compensation, a COLA that's attached to that compensation," Mednick said, adding that with voter approval of that baseline and COLA, future COLAs do not require going back to voters.

John described Norwalk's current arrangement as lacking a baseline and noted that "there is a $50 a month compensation to council members," a level he called effectively inconsequential. Commissioners agreed this issue should be part of the Jan. 7 panel on council structure; Mednick said he would invite representatives from larger Connecticut cities (Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Hamden, Middletown, Stamford and possibly Bridgeport) to present on their systems. The commission will hold presentations on Jan. 7 and a follow-up discussion on Jan. 21. Other scheduled topics include terms of office (Feb. 4), general fund process (Mar. 4) and budget discussions with presentations in March and April.

Members asked Mednick to include the structure and composition of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) and whether BET members should be elected or appointed; commissioners placed BET composition on the Feb. 4 agenda. Mednick said he would prepare comparative data on terms of office and will seek panelists to represent different systems (at-large, district, hybrid and NPR-style arrangements).

What happens next: Mednick will assemble panelists and materials for Jan. 7 and prepare comparative data on term lengths and BET structures; John said he would allow his senator to pursue legislative options and invited staff to share any comparative information with that office.