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Norwalk City ethics board forwards code changes to ordinance committee
Summary
The Norwalk City Board of Ethics voted unanimously on March 26, 2026, to approve proposed amendments to Chapter 32 of the city code—expanding the board to nine members, removing alternates and limiting party representation—and to forward the changes to the ordinance committee for review on April 21.
The Norwalk City Board of Ethics voted unanimously on March 26 to approve several proposed amendments to the city’s code of ethics and to send them to the ordinance committee for review.
Staff presented three related changes to Chapter 32 that the board approved: revising Section 32-1 to make the board a nine-member body with no alternates, updating definitions in Section 32-3 to remove alternate language and to limit party membership on hearing or investigating panels, and amending Section 32-12 to set appointment, recusal and quorum rules consistent with the new structure. "My goal... is to change this to a 9 person board with no alternates," the staff member leading the meeting said, adding the change is intended to make it easier to achieve quorums and spread workload.
The board discussed the rationale for the changes at length, including a stated objective to maintain party balance: the proposed composition aims to have three Republicans, three Democrats and three non-affiliated members. Staff described the party-distribution language in the draft: "no more than three members of the board shall be registered members of the same political party," and explained that hearing boards and investigating panels would likewise avoid having two members from the same major party.
Laurie Lyle moved to approve the change to Section 32-1; Catherine Williams seconded. Members then voted to forward the approved edits in Sections 32-1, 32-3 and 32-12 to the ordinance committee. The chair reported the votes as unanimous and read the names of members recorded as voting yes.
Votes at a glance: 32-1 (Board size/no alternates) — approved unanimously; 32-3 (Definitions: hearing board / investigating panel) — approved unanimously; 32-12 (Appointment, quorum and recusal language) — approved unanimously. Staff told members the ordinance committee meeting is currently scheduled for April 21 and, if ordinance-committee members accept the proposed edits, a public hearing could occur in May.
The board’s staff said they would place the proposed language and backup materials on the ordinance committee agenda, promote attending board members to panelist status so they could answer questions, and accept emailed comments to be read into the record if members are unable to attend. The meeting adjourned after the votes.
