Charter commissioners add first selectman and town engineer as nonvoting ex officio members of inland wetlands commission

The Charter Revision Commission (Group 1) voted to add the first selectman and the town engineer as nonvoting, ex officio members of the town’s inland wetlands commission.

The move, proposed by a committee member and seconded by another, passed unanimously after discussion about consistency between land-use commissions and the limits imposed by state planning and zoning statutes. "We will add the inclusion of the first selectman and the town engineer as nonvoting, ex officio members of inland wetlands commission," a committee member said when making the motion. Chair Angela Jameson confirmed the motion and the group approved it without recorded opposition.

Commissioners told colleagues that wording adjustments were meant to provide a clearer charter reference rather than to change whether those officials could vote. One committee member noted the distinction between planning and zoning rules on ex officio participation and urged that language be consistent across land-use sections of the charter.

The commission also agreed to give alternate members of the inland wetlands commission defined two-year terms as a working model, subject to any broader CRC decision on terms. "For purposes of a working model, I would suggest we add two-year terms," a committee member said; the drafting member said they would include that provision in the next redline.

The commission said it would circulate an updated draft of Article 10 for review and consider final approval at a subsequent meeting after staff locate the most recent ordinance versions and confirm statutory constraints.

The vote sends the revised Article 10 language back to the drafting team for formal redlining and inclusion in the packet to the full CRC.