Ridgefield seeking members for two new town committees

RIDGEFIELD — Town officials are gathering names of volunteers for two new committees — one to research the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and one to explore a change in the form of town government.

Residents have until Friday to sign up to be considered for the committees. Nine volunteers will be appointed to each one.

As of Tuesday, about 30 people had signed up for the leaf blower committee and about 10 had put their name on the list for exploring different forms of governance, according to the first selectperson’s office.

The form of government committee will be for exploratory purposes, First Selectperson Rudy Marconi said at the March 6 Board of Selectpersons meeting.

“We don’t have to change the government tomorrow or in two or four years, but we should begin studying it and see what is out there,” Marconi said. The town should learn “if there’s a system that works a little bit better than what we have here,” he said.

Town leaders have recently considered adding a paid town manager to assist the elected first selectperson. The selectpeople previously said that although they believe Marconi is doing a good job of running the town, the manager position is worth exploring for the future.

The call for a leaf-blower committee came after a contentious battle over limiting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in town. In December, a resident spearheading the plan withdrew his petition after much backlash from residents and landscapers. Ridgefield’s current noise ordinance allows people to use gas-powered leaf blowers from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

At their March 6 meeting, the selectpersons said they will clarify the exact charge of both committees and lay out specific responsibilities at their next meeting March 20. After that meeting, they’ll hold a special meeting to conduct interviews with all those who have signed up for the committees, Marconi said.

All the members of the two new committees must be voting residents of the town and follow the same guidelines of all other town committees. Committee members would also be required to hold public hearings and submit minutes of those meetings to the town.

Additionally, Marconi said he hopes alternates would also be appointed “because they would be able to vote and establish a quorum.” If there’s a vacancy on the committee, the board would be responsible for filling it, he added.

At the March 6 meeting, as well as at previous meetings, Selectperson Chris Murray expressed hesitancy over changing the town’s form of government.

“People who want to sign up for this, they want to change government,” he said. “I’m thinking, maybe the government doesn’t need to be changed.” Forming a committee “strikes me as agenda driven,” Murray said.

But Marconi said the purpose of the committee is to vet all possibilities. “We shouldn’t put our our head in the sand and say, ‘Well, we’re fine,’” However, he added, “Maybe the end result is stay like we are.”

For the task force on gas-powered leaf blowers, the selectpeople previously decided to appoint nine people — three in support of it, three against it and three who are neutral.

“When you have two sides, it’s important to let both sides air what they think,” Marconi said at the March 6 meeting. Some may change their minds after hearing other points of view, he said.