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Mayor urges Middletown commission to adopt Sustainable Connecticut framework and boost department liaisons
Summary
The mayor asked Middletown's Recycling Commission to consider adopting the Sustainable Connecticut framework as a guiding structure and to improve coordination with Economic & Community Development, Public Works and Land Use through formal liaisons.
The mayor told the Recycling Commission the meeting's purpose was to "continue a discussion" about the commission's future role and suggested adopting Sustainable Connecticut as the group's North Star.
"The purpose of my being here tonight is to just continue a discussion that we've started, some months ago, which is what the future of this commission should look like," the mayor said, urging the commission to consider the state framework that touches waste management, zoning, transportation and public engagement.
Commissioners welcomed the proposal and emphasized they want to keep waste management and recycling central to the commission's work while expanding to broader sustainability issues. The mayor suggested assigning commission members as liaisons to three city departmentsEconomic & Community Development, Public Works, and Land Useand to those departments' councilmanic committees so volunteers can observe and report back.
Commissioners said liaisons would help the commission better advocate at the council and planning-and-zoning levels. Krishna Winston, the commission chair, said the group should not "jettison" existing recycling duties while drafting new language for a sustainability commission ordinance and indicated staff and the mayor would draft ordinance options before the next meeting.
The mayor said he will meet with the city attorney and staff to prepare draft language for the commission to review and will return with options at the next meeting.
