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Board hears staff training note and discusses ongoing volunteer shortages
Summary
Board staff briefed members on Connecticut Bar Association land-use training now available by Zoom and discussed persistent shortages filling board seats in Norwich; members considered outreach to the mayor and noted elective/appointment differences with neighboring towns.
Staff told the zoning board that the Connecticut Bar Association’s land-use training for boards and commissions is now offered via Zoom and covers recent case law, fair-housing topics and other material relevant to zoning appeals and decisionmaking.
Rich Sholk, identified in the meeting record as staff, said the training is useful for crediting required continuing education hours and emphasized that case law can change how members interpret statutory language. "When you start reading the case law, you start understanding how statute says this, when we read a statute, here's what the case law says," he said.
Board members used the staff update to discuss persistent difficulties recruiting volunteers to serve on municipal boards. Members described the Norwich appointment process (members are appointed by the city manager and approved by council) and said vacancies and the time commitment for continuing education have made it harder to find candidates. A staff speaker said he would be willing to approach the mayor to encourage volunteers.
Members also contrasted Norwich's system with other municipal systems where zoning-board members may be elected or appointed differently, and they noted practical obstacles such as application requirements and tax delinquencies that have removed prospective members in the past.
The board ended the meeting after a brief discussion and adjourned at 7:33 p.m.
