Glossary of Local Government Terms
Charter Revision Commission (CRC)
A temporary committee appointed by the Southbury Board of Selectmen to review and suggest updates to the Town Charter, which acts as the local constitution. The CRC holds public meetings and submits proposed changes for Board approval. If accepted, those changes may appear as ballot questions for voters at referendum.
Planning Commission
A standing body of appointed volunteers responsible for long-term land use planning in Southbury. It oversees the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and makes recommendations on subdivision proposals and development trends. The Planning Commission is separate from Zoning but often works alongside it.
Zoning Commission
An appointed commission that reviews specific land use applications, including site plans, special permits, and zoning changes, to ensure they comply with local zoning regulations. It deals more with what can be built and where, based on Southbury’s zoning map and code.
Board of Selectmen (BOS)
Southbury’s chief executive board, composed of the First Selectman and five additional elected members. The BOS has the final say on whether CRC-recommended charter changes move forward to the November ballot. They also oversee appointments to town commissions and manage town operations.
Town Charter
The foundational governing document for the Town of Southbury. It defines the structure, roles and responsibilities of town government. Changes to the charter require a formal review process and a public referendum.
Referendum
A town-wide vote that allows registered voters to approve or reject proposed changes to the Town Charter. In this case, it would determine whether to adopt the merger of the Planning and Zoning Commissions, if the Board of Selectmen approves placing that question on the ballot.
Just when it looked like a potential merger between Southbury’s Planning and Zoning commissions was off the table, the debate has been kicked back to the Board of Selectmen for reconsideration.
After the initial recommendation by the Charter Revision Commission (CRC), the board decided to strike the potential unification from the possible referendum questions.
But at the CRC’s latest meeting on Wednesday, July 23, the temporary commission opted to revive the topic and send it back, along with their list of other proposed edits that the board has already reviewed.
Their latest recommendation sends the merger proposal back to the Board of Selectmen, giving them a final opportunity to decide whether it belongs on the November ballot.
Proponents say the structural change would help modernize and streamline the process for businesses and developments that go through the land use process.
Members of the land-use commissions and the town’s land use department say they approve of the current process and that the move would extend the length of their meetings and risk losing longstanding volunteers in the process.
Richard Teardo, chairman of the Planning Commission, spoke about wanting to “get off the list”, referring to the list of proposed charter edits submitted earlier this month.
“Our agendas are already packed,” said Teardo at the Planning Commission’s July 15th meeting. “I can’t imagine what it would be with zoning on top of it. We’ll be here for four or five hours. That comes down to volunteerism.”
It would be two days later when First Selectman Jeff Manville and the rest of the Board of Selectmen would make their lone change to the submitted charter edits: taking out the planning and zoning ballot question.
“I would say at this time, I am against unifying them,” said Manville at the July 17th Board of Selectmen meeting.
Dual Roles of Selectmen-CRC Members Spark Shift
While the rest of the board agreed to the motion to remove the merger from the list of potential ballot questions, the dual roles of two recently appointed members, who also serve on the CRC, came into play less than a week later.
Anne Armeno and Jason Van Stone, members of both the CRC and the Board of Selectmen, have voted alongside their peers in both instances.
Armeno, a member of the Board of Selectmen since December, said at the July 17th board meeting that she was in favor of keeping the two commissions separate.
But at the CRC’s following meeting, she changed her tone to be more neutral and to let voters have a chance at it.
“I think we should leave it so that the masses have the chance to decide on it,” Armeno said at the July 23rd CRC meeting.
Van Stone, having been a previous member of the Planning Commission, said his stance has softened from a year ago, from wanting a single combined commission to a more neutral view.
His initial comments at the Board of Selectmen meeting reflected that area towns have a certain reputation, and that, at the time of his membership on the Planning Commission, Southbury wasn’t “leading the pack” in terms of helping small businesses get started.
He later added that he thought the concept would create an “all-star team” of the land use boards, as well as pushing back against some of the comments made by Planning Commission members.
“Most of the arguments I heard from our current [Planning] members didn’t hold a lot of water with me,” said Van Stone. “I was on Planning and I know how long it takes to get these things done. It is a pain, but it’s four hours, not 16.”
He said that he is not against seeing it as a possible referendum question, which could ultimately be voted down by residents.
“In the short time understanding our electorate, who doesn’t like to change a lot of things, I think it fails there,” said Van Stone.
Land Use Office Perspective
Both Armeno and Van Stone praised the work of Land Use Administrator Jordan Marcinko in his efforts to help improve and streamline some of the services offered on the third floor of Town Hall.
Materials like pre-planning checklists are now available for prospective business owners, designed to help them navigate the multiple municipal bodies before attending a meeting and officially opening.
Members of the CRC agree that progress is being made, but acknowledge that many small businesses get ping-ponged between land-use boards, resulting in delays and excess costs.
However, members of the Planning Commission, as well as First Selectman Manville, say the overwhelming cause for delaying certain projects is incomplete applications.
“I understand people wanting to own businesses, but we need to make sure that it meets our zoning requirements and regulations,” said Manville, emphasizing the importance of due diligence.
Marcinko, at the latest Planning Commission meeting, said he believes the current process is working, and that his department is always looking into opportunities to further streamline the process.
“I take the idea that people consider Southbury to not be pro-economic development very close to my heart, because that reflects poorly on both my department and both of the commissions. I will consistently work with this commission and zoning, and any future developers on making sure our process is streamlined, and making sure developers are happy to operate in Southbury,” said Marcinko.
An e-mail sent by Marcinko to members of both planning and zoning earlier this month stated that he was against the potential merger of the two commissions.
Feedback Frustrations
Joe Ruggiero, chair of the CRC, says he reached out to members of both planning and zoning early in the charter review process nearly a year ago, but didn’t receive feedback.
It wasn’t until a July 8th public hearing when the members of both commissions stood together to voice their concerns before the Board of Selectmen.
Both Ruggiero and Marcinko said they would have liked to see avenues of communication be more open during the process, which now is in its final hour.
“I was surprised we didn’t hear from them sooner,” said Ruggiero, while also praising the stability Marcinko has brought to the Land Use Department.
Marcinko added, “I personally think it would have been much more beneficial to the Charter Revision [Commission] to actually set a time to sit before a commission and talk to the entire commission as they are meeting and can have that back-and-forth in front of everyone.”
CRC Members Push to Let Voters Decide
Members of the CRC, like Rick Lynch, say they would like to see the question be brought to voters, even if it results in not changing the structure of the two commissions.
He mentioned the idea that change is uncomfortable for current members, but added that there there can be no reward, if there is no risk.
“There’s going to be risk here. Some people are going to be uncomfortable. They’re going to be doing things that they might not have done in the past. But there might be some synergies there to create a better organization for the town,” said Lynch.
“I think Southbury’s a pretty smart town,” stated Lynch. “We’ve got a lot of very, very smart people here. Put it out in front of them and let them vote on it. And if they say no, fine. If they say yes, done.”
Similar views were expressed by CRC members Joan King, Michael Carrington, Tom Marks and Ruggiero.
Next Steps
The Board of Selectmen will likely take the issue up at their next meeting, on Thursday, August 14.
The board will officially receive the CRC’s final report on Wednesday, July 30, so that they fall into the 15-day window to make their vote on proposed charter edits, according to the First Selectman’s office.
Subsequently, the CRC will terminate upon the acceptance or rejection of their final report to the board.
As the lengthy process that comes around every five years winds down, Ruggiero took the time at what was seen as the final CRC meeting to extend his thanks to the eight other members of the commission.
“I wanted to just say I’m really pleased and proud, and I really enjoy working with all of you folks very, very much,” said Ruggiero.
The Southbury Record 