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Charter panel weighs expanding fire commission, clarifies chief succession and reporting lines
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Summary
The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission discussed proposals to increase the fire commission’s membership from three to five, to codify who the fire chief reports to, and to clarify succession (paid chief → paid assistant chief → volunteer assistant chief); members agreed to bracket the membership change for full commission and voter consideration.
The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission on Thursday reviewed proposed edits to the fire commission section of the town charter, including a suggestion to expand the commission from three members to five and to clarify the chain of command and succession for the fire chief’s office.
Commissioners said interviews with the fire commission produced mixed views about increasing membership. One commissioner recommended inserting a bracketed “5” next to “3” in the draft so the full charter revision commission and, if necessary, voters can debate the change; as a member put it, “This would be a ballot change if we went from 3 to 5.” The panel agreed the membership change is significant and should be flagged for fuller discussion and public consideration.
Separately, the panel debated whether the first selectman should serve ex officio on the fire commission. Members clarified that ex officio status typically represents the office rather than confer routine voting rights; practice varies, and the group asked staff to verify how ex officio seats are handled across other commissions and whether the charter language should require consistency.
On operations, commissioners described an established annual report the fire chief delivers before budget season to summarize calls and justify staffing and equipment requests. Some members said that report already occurs in practice and may not need charter language, while others argued formalizing it would ensure continuity.
The group also moved to align the charter with current workplace arrangements by spelling out succession in the event of a vacancy: the recommended order would be the paid fire chief, then the paid assistant chief, then the volunteer assistant chief. Members emphasized the change should reflect collective bargaining agreements and agreed to consult the chief and labor contacts before finalizing language.
The commission deferred final edits on these items pending additional feedback from interviewees and the full commission’s review. The panel scheduled follow-up interviews with former and current commissioners and will carry the bracketed membership proposal forward for broader discussion.
