New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Charter review could change Hamden’s government
HAMDEN — Four-year mayoral terms. A finance commission. A chief operating officer working alongside the mayor.
These changes to Hamden’s governing document have been conditionally approved by the Charter Revision Commission, which this week will consider a proposal to expand the Police Commission from five to nine members, according to CRC counsel Steven Mednick.
Hamden requires a charter review every 10 years, Mednick said, adding that the revisions need approval from the Legislative Council and then from the general public, as they are put to a vote in November.
Those steps are part of the reason commission members such as Jay Kaye and Chairman Frank Dixon are careful to stress the revisions have not been finalized. The other is that the commission itself still has chances to tweak the language and reconsider the amendments it has pushed forward.
Hamden will hold a public hearing on the revised charter before it goes before the council, which then can send it back to the commission for one more review, Mednick said
Kaye and Dixon urged residents to share their input. Comments can be emailed to crc2021@hamden.com.
“This is the opportunity for the people really to … (have a) vested interest in crafting their town constitution, and we just really want people to take advantage of the opportunity,” Kaye said.
Since much of the feedback so far has come from the same group of residents, Dixon said, the commission is seeking “input from a wider swath of the public.”
While many expressed interest in adopting a town manager model, commissioners worried such a change would be too jarring for most Hamdenites, who are accustomed to having a mayor, Kaye said.
Instead, the CRC approved language that would lengthen the mayor’s term from two years to four.
“The reasoning behind it was when you’re running for office every two years, you tend to spend the second year of your term basically focusing on your campaign,” Kaye said.
At the same time, the commission tentatively approved the creation of a COO position, moving Hamden toward a “hybrid” government model.
The revision mandate having a professional in the mayor’s office, someone with a background in public finance who might have all the qualifications of a town manager, according to Mednick.
The COO would be appointed by the mayor for a four-year term but could not be fired without cause, he continued.
Responsible for managing the town’s departments on a day-to-day basis, the COO would “free up the mayor to govern,” Mednick said, noting that a mayor’s duties extend beyond management. A mayor, for example, needs to visit schools and senior centers, and coordinate with the Legislative Council, among other tasks, he said.
The charter revisions also establish a Finance Commission, which during budget season would evaluate the accuracy of revenue and expense estimates, according to Kaye.
The mayor and the Legislative Council president each would appoint three members to the Finance Commission, and all would need certain qualifications, Mednick said.
Outside of budget season, the commission would review budget reports, collective bargaining agreements and the pension system, and play a role in long-term financial planning, he continued.
“Having all those guardrails in place in theory should provide for more effective fiscal management, and that’s really what we’re trying to achieve for the town, is just making sure that there’s as many checks and balances as possible,” Kaye said of the revisions.
This week, the CRC will discuss elements of the charter that relate to policing.
One proposal up for consideration would add four members to the police commission. Under such a structure, one member from each of Hamden’s nine districts would sit on the board, helping to ensure “geographical diversity,” Mednick said.
“It’s too critical a function to end up with an anomaly where three of the five members come from the same streets,” he continued, noting it was just one step toward ensuring a diverse and representative police board.
Information about how to attend Charter Revision Commission meetings can be found on Hamden’s website.