West Haven commission reviews draft charter rewrite, flags multiyear-contract oversight and schedules public input

The West Haven Charter Revision Commission on an evening this month held a workshop to walk through a near-final draft of the city charter, focusing on definitions, contract authority, the status of the Board of Education and ethics and reporting requirements; the panel set a sequence of May meetings and a public hearing but did not take formal votes because the agenda had not been posted and last week's meeting recording was unavailable.

The clerk opened the meeting by noting "last week's meeting somehow was not recorded," which prevented the commission from certifying who moved and seconded prior motions and, in turn, blocked formal approval of minutes or any votes tonight. The commission nevertheless reviewed prior motions to reconstruct the record and sought counsel's advice on outstanding drafting issues.

Attorney Steve Mednick, the commission's counsel, led a section-by-section review of the draft. Mednick said the document adds a comprehensive definition of "contract" to ensure agreements sometimes labeled MOUs, MOAs or side letters are not excluded from oversight. "If there's any inkling that it's more than one year, it's gotta go to the city council for approval," Mednick told the commission, explaining that option agreements and extensions can function as multiyear contracts and that council approval or an explicit delegation by ordinance is ordinarily required under Connecticut law. He also proposed quarterly contract reporting so council members can monitor executed multiyear agreements.

Mednick recommended treating the West Haven Public Schools and the Board of Education explicitly as a department of the city for purposes of financial and reporting oversight. He said that change would allow the charter to require monthly or quarterly financial reports from the board of education so the council and mayor can track changes to budget lines and appropriations.

On succession and mayoral vacancy, Mednick outlined options for a four-year mayoral term: an automatic succession by the council chair (or vice chair) or holding a special election for the remainder of the term, depending on proximity to the next general election. "One of the things you might think about ... is do you want the chair of the council to be the mayor for the next three years?" he said, presenting the trade-offs.

The draft also consolidates rules for boards and commissions (appointment, alternates, quorum and attendance), revisits residency language for department heads, and includes new anti-corruption provisions that could make officials personally liable for knowingly inappropriate payments. Mednick urged removing a mandatory newspaper-publication requirement for ordinances and recommended broader electronic posting options to reduce cost.

Commission members debated scheduling for public outreach and final votes. Counsel proposed that the commission aim to deliver a draft to the city council that would allow a public hearing late in May and a final vote in mid-to-late May; members discussed meeting dates on May 5, 7, 12, 14, 21 and 26 and asked staff to add a Tuesday, May 12 special meeting if needed. Several commissioners requested a dial-in/Teams option for members who will be out of town during Memorial Day week.

Because the agenda for this meeting had not been posted and the prior meeting recording was missing, the commission took no formal votes on the draft tonight. The clerk said staff will try to reconstruct last week's motions from recollections for inclusion in the minutes and will circulate a meeting schedule and the draft language ahead of the next session.