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Resident urges charter revision after confusing budget rules and tax spike
Summary
New North Branford resident Marco Weiss is helping collect petition signatures at the POCO festival to push for a charter revision aimed at restoring voter control after a recent revaluation and a budget rule that hinges on a 15% turnout threshold, he said.
Marco Weiss, who said he moved to North Branford "a year and 0.5 ago," urged fellow residents to sign a petition to reopen the town charter after a recent property revaluation and a budget process he described as confusing and unresponsive to voters.
"So I'm paying an extra 100 something a month, just in taxes," Weiss said, describing a revaluation that raised his bill by "well over 1000 dollars." He said the result — combined with a procedural 15% turnout requirement for the budget — left voters feeling powerless when the budget outcome did not reflect the majority of ballots cast.
Weiss and the host said the budget process in North Branford allows a turnout rule that, in their account, can lead to a paradox where an overwhelming 'no' vote nonetheless results in a passed budget if the turnout threshold is not met and the council subsequently adjusts figures. "It doesn't even go back to the people," Weiss said of small council changes that can make a defeated budget take effect.
The host said the petition intentionally leaves proposed changes blank so the charter revision commission and residents can shape the items under state procedures, rather than locking in a specific agenda on the petition itself. "When you sign this petition, you're taking some of that control back," the host said, framing the drive as a step to restore citizens' voice.
Next steps: volunteers will staff a petition table at the POCO festival to collect signatures; the host and Weiss urged residents to stop by and ask questions to learn more before signing.
