Stonington Borough charter changes to go to vote.
Consultant hired to look for ways to make government more efficient
Stonington — The Board of Warden and Burgesses on Monday unanimously approved the final recommendations of the Charter Revision Commission, which are designed to make borough government more sustainable and address the shortage of residents willing to serve in elected and appointed positions.
The warden and burgesses also agreed to place the charter changes on the ballot for the annual borough election in May 2019, as it would have been logistically difficult to have placed them on the ballot for the state election this November.
The effort to change the charter was begun by Warden Jeff Callahan, who warned in the summer of 2016 that it was getting increasingly difficult to find the 30 people needed to not only run for various elected positions but fill seats on appointed boards.
This resulted in the borough hiring a consultant to look for ways to make its government more efficient and sustainable. The nine options unveiled last August included disbanding the borough and merging with the town, hiring a town manager or letting nonresidents who own property in the borough to serve on boards and commissions and attend meetings remotely.
Seventy residents who attended an August 2017 forum on the future of the borough suggested the borough look to make its government more sustainable. The Board of Warden and Burgesses then formed the charter commission to suggest a solution.
Callahan said Tuesday he is pleased with the final proposal submitted by the commission and approved by the Board of Warden and Burgesses.
“The whole goal was to make the borough government more sustainable and efficient. I feel they have done all they can do to get us there,” he said.
He credited commission members and especially Chairman Shaun Mastroianni for working quickly, efficiently and pressing ahead with their work over the summer.
The proposed changes include reducing the number of burgesses from six to four. Those four and the warden would choose a senior burgess, who would be in charge if the warden is out of town or incapacitated.
One of the other major changes calls for consolidating the commissioner duties, such as parks, public safety and streets, among the five board members, making the positions of clerk-treasurer and tax assessor appointed rather than elected and eliminating the position of tax collector, as the town can collect borough taxes.
The proposal also gives the Board of Warden and Burgesses the authority to appoint a fire chief and fire marshal and confirm all officers selected by the fire department. Currently, the volunteer firefighters choose a chief, who then is confirmed by the warden and burgesses.