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Charter group backs library language, asks counsel to check 1947 special act
Summary
The New Canaan Charter Review Group 3 agreed to include language recognizing the public library as an association library and to keep a provision making the first selectman an ex officio trustee, while asking the town attorney to confirm whether a cited 1947 special act still applies.
The Charter Review Commission Group 3 discussed proposed charter language to recognize the New Canaan public library and to state that the first selectman serve as an ex officio member of the Library Board of Trustees. Judy Neville identified the group’s current wording as an acknowledgement that “the town will support the operation of a public library for the benefit of residents.”
Members said the language clarifies town support and gives the library institutional stature. Several commissioners noted that the board’s bylaws already name the first selectman as an ex officio trustee and debated whether that detail belongs only in bylaws or also in the charter. One commissioner said placing the provision in the charter strengthens the town’s formal support; another said it duplicates bylaws but can remain for clarity.
The commission asked legal staff to review a reference in the draft to a ‘‘special act of 1947’’ to confirm whether that statute remains in force and whether the citation should be removed or retained. The group did not make a final change pending that legal review but signaled support for the existing draft phrasing honoring the library’s status as an association library under state statutes.
Next steps: staff will forward the legal question about the 1947 special act to the town attorney and return with recommended edits. The commission moved on to the next agenda items without taking a final charter vote on the library clause.
