Danbury Charter Revision Commission Meeting #4 – May 20, 2026

The Charter Revision Commission held its fourth meeting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, starting at 6:30 PM. Six commissioners were present. The meeting included public participation, approval of prior minutes, review of redlined language from previous discussions, and detailed consideration of Chapter 3 (City Council) sections. Several substantive decisions and action items were identified.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Michael Henry (11 Corinthsville Road) urged the commission to include a residency clause, a 60-day vacancy-filling requirement, and term limits for all appointed positions, including newly formed commissions.
• Peter Bazade (2 Irving Drive) discussed Chapter 3, noting the legislative assistant position should be merit-based and suggested the council decide that by ordinance rather than leaving it exempt from civil service. He supported keeping 21 council members.
• Benjamin Shinezi (5 Prior Ridge Road) advocated for merging the Board of Education’s financial systems with the city to reduce costs, and argued the town clerk should be an appointed (not elected) merit position, requiring certification. He also recommended that the legislative assistant report directly to the council and be protected under the merit system.
• Warren Levy (5 Ogram Drive) supported Bazade’s position on the legislative assistant. He argued the city council should be expanded from 21 to 27 members (adding two wards and two at-large seats) to reflect population growth from 40,000 to 86,000. He also asked the charter to authorize future adoption of a public campaign finance system.
• Larry (Foster Street) urged a universal review and modernization of all job descriptions included in the charter.
• Lori (town clerk, name not fully given) detailed the complexity of the town clerk’s office—handling vital records from Danbury Hospital—and warned against making the position appointive without input from career staff. She noted certification takes years and a civil service test may not capture the role’s breadth.
• Michael Flanagan (35 Jefferson Avenue, city council member) underscored the volume of hospital-related paperwork handled by the town clerk’s office, making Danbury’s office unique.

Discussion Items

• Redlined Language Review: Commissioners discussed reapportionment committee language, correcting a date error (2021 → 2031) and replacing “timely” with a specific 30-day deadline. The oath of office section was noted as still under review. Language about selecting a minority leader when more than two parties are present was found confusing; the commission agreed to ask lawyers to draft clearer options.
• Chapter 3, Section 3-1 (Number of Council): After hearing public comments both for and against changing the 21-member size, commissioners expressed consensus to keep the number unchanged, citing difficulty recruiting candidates and the argument that Congress has not increased despite population growth.
• Section 3-2 (Presiding Officer): The commission agreed to set the organizational meeting at 7:00 PM on the first Monday of December, replacing the fixed “8:00 PM” with a time that could be adjusted by the council (e.g., “or such time as designated”).
• Section 3-3 (Legislative Assistant): Strong support emerged for making the position merit-based (civil service) to protect institutional knowledge. The commission decided to workshop language, exploring options such as council oversight by ordinance, and to bring back proposals.
• Section 3-4 (General Powers): Agreed to remove the phrase “printed in book form” to modernize for electronic codes.
• Section 3-5 (General Procedure): Commissioner Sepranic raised concern about a single council member sending items to ad hoc committee, suggesting a requirement of four members (including at least one from the majority) to do so. The commission will review current procedures and consider amendments in later meetings.
• Section 3-7 (Ordinances and Resolutions): The commission decided to retain “majority vote of those present” to align with the quorum section, avoiding unintended consequences of requiring a majority of the entire membership.
• Section 3-8 (Public Notice) & 3-10 (Publication): Agreed to tie notice requirements to state statute rather than mandating newspaper publication, allowing future flexibility for electronic posting and language accommodation.
• Section 3-13 (Committees): Commissioners favored giving the council flexibility to create standing or ad hoc committees by resolution, rather than limiting to ad hoc. The voting threshold for establishing committees will be discussed further.
• Section 3-14 (Investigation): Minor gender and terminology updates (e.g., “termination” instead of “dismissal”) were agreed upon.
• Section 3-17 (Conveying/Leasing Real Estate): The language “two-thirds of the entire membership” was noted as consistent; no changes proposed.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes Approved: The minutes from the previous meeting were approved with one abstention (Commissioner Armstrong).
• Action Items: The commission directed staff to:
  • Draft revised language for appointment of commission members when more than two political parties exist (reapportionment section).
  • Prepare options for making the legislative assistant a merit-based position, including potential council appointment procedures.
  • Provide current ordinance/Robert’s Rules procedures for ad hoc committee referrals.
  • Research state statute requirements for public notice to inform 3-8/3-10 edits.
• Consensus Items (no further debate needed):
  • Keep 21 council members.
  • Set organizational meeting at 7:00 PM on first Monday of December (or as designated).
  • Remove “printed in book form” from Section 3-4.
  • Update Section 3-8 and 3-10 to reference state statute notice requirements.
  • Generalize Section 3-13 committee language (more details to follow).
• Next Steps: A revised redline incorporating these decisions will be presented at the next meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM.