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Charter panel approves draft changes to council structure language, rejects four‑year term and tables pay question
Summary
After extensive debate, the commission accepted drafting directions for council structure (including considering at‑large seats and minority‑party limits), rejected a proposal to change council terms to four years, and tabled compensation for later review.
The Bridgeport Charter Revision Commission advanced draft language for City Council selection and composition while rejecting a proposed move to four‑year council terms and postponing debate on council compensation.
Commissioners opened the City Council section (pages 23–39) and considered several models: keeping the 20‑member council, reducing to 15 (10 district members plus five at‑large), or reducing further. Several commissioners argued at‑large seats would help secure minority‑party representation; others said reducing seats would reduce constituent access and complicate committee staffing.
After extended debate about representation, statutory limits and practical tradeoffs, the commission voted to accept the redlined language for subsections A and B (selection and compensation framework drafting directions) "for now," rejected subsection C (a change to a four‑year term), and tabled subsection E (compensation) for further study.
Commissioners also discussed options to restrict the number of members from the same political party among the at‑large seats, noting the commission must conform to state minority‑representation statute language referenced in the transcript (recorded as '9167A'); members debated whether party limits should be applied solely to at‑large seats or to the council as a whole and flagged drafting complexity.
On compensation and term length, several commissioners said paying council members or lengthening terms requires broader outreach and more time to analyze fiscal and governance impacts; the commission declined to adopt compensation changes and voted to maintain two‑year terms.
The panel scheduled follow‑up drafting sessions and public hearings and asked staff to circulate updated redlines before the next meeting so the commission can finalize language before forwarding recommendations to the city council.
