After eight months of exploring issues ranging from terms limits to dismantling the tax board, the city’s Charter Revision Commission wants to send three revisions to voters.
A public hearing on the revisions is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 13 in Ansonia City Hall.
The city charter is the blue print for how Ansonia city government operates, spelling out the responsibilities and functions of each local government board or commission.
The commission wants to make three changes to the charter.
“We worked really hard and were able to come up with three questions for the ballot for this year. All three of these changes are going to save time and money for the city,” said Alderman John Marini, who served as chairman of the Charter Revision Commission.
What didn’t make the list of changes is causing more controversy than what did. More on that later in the story.
First …
The Proposed Changes
The city wants to curtail the amount of money spent on notices published in local newspapers.
To do that, the city wants to increase the current dollar threshold — from $5,000 to $25,000 — that forces the city to request sealed bids and take out legal notices requesting sealed bids.
Marini said $5,000 is an outdated dollar amount, and causes the city to spend too much money on public notices.
“Five thousand or under is just antiquated given today’s prices for the services and goods the city needs to get on a daily basis,” Marini said.
But how are taxpayers protected by easing the local rules on when the city advertises and solicits bids?
“It doesn’t mean there will be no checks and balances because you still need to get estimates. You need to get at least three estimates,” Marini said.
Who protects the taxpayer against fraud or corruption?
“The mayor’s office, the Board of Aldermen and the comptroller’s office,” Marini said.
In addition, in some areas state law still dictates precisely what has to be bid and advertised in newspapers, Marini said. The city will continue to follow those rules.
This is the “explanatory text” as created by the Charter Revision Commission:
“The purpose for this Amendment to the Charter would increase the level of the monetary amount the City of Ansonia would be required to seek through bids for contracts for work and supplies without having to advertise the notice requesting sealed bids or proposals in a local publication. The current monetary amount is $5,000.00. The cost of services has increased over the years resulting in the increase frequency of legal notices to solicit bids or proposals. The proposed increase to $25,000.00 which would result in a savings of costs to the city by eliminating publication in a local newspaper.”
This is the precise language that votes could see on the ballot in November regarding the issue, which is dubbed “question 1.”
“SHALL THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF ANSONIA BE AMENDED AND REVISED TO INCREASE THE SOLICITATION OF BIDS AND PROPOSALS BY DULY ADVERTISING BY PUBLICATION FROM FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS?”
Voters approving will vote “Yes”
Voters opposing will vote “No”
Ansonia also wants to save money on newspaper legal notices by making the notices shorter, and referring people to the city website for complete information.
“There are expensive fees that come with publishing notices in print paper. And that fee will be minimized, if not eliminated entirely, by simply putting on the city website,” Marini said.
Local governments websites have a spotty record of consistently posting agendas and meeting minutes and other information on the web. The charter commission proposed change does not spell out who is responsible for publishing the information on the city’s website. Why not?
“The charter revision commission shouldn’t commit to such specifics,” Marini said. “The city website is a great tool and there’s no reason why it can’t be utilized more. Everything should be appearing there. There’s no cost, other than time.”
Here’s the explanatory text, as issued by city officials:
This revision of the Charter would decrease the cost the City of Ansonia incurs in publication of notices and other legal documents not otherwise required by state statutes or federal regulations to be published in full in a local newspaper having a substantial circulation in the City of Ansonia. Various sections of the Charter, City Code and Land Use Regulations of the City of Ansonia require advertisement by publication in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the City of Ansonia. Examples of this publication requirement are solicitations for bid proposals for services or consideration of a new ordinance. This revision of the Charter would permit the content of the notices be abbreviated provided the full contents of the legal notice is available at the Town and City Clerk and on the City of Ansonia official website.
This section would not apply to those matters which must be fully advertised pursuant to local regulations, state statutes and federal regulations.
Here’s how it could show up on the ballot,where it could be dubbed “question 3:”
“SHALL THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF ANSONIA BE AMENDED AND REVISED SO THAT LEGAL NOTICES, WHERE REQUIRED, MAY BE ABBREVIATED PROVIDED THE FULL PUBLICATION OF THE LEGAL NOTICE SHALL BE ON FILE WITH THE TOWN AND CITY CLERK AND ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE CITY OF ANSONIA?”
Voters approving will vote “Yes”
Voters opposing will vote “No”
Finally, the Charter Revision Commission wants to insert an attendance policy into the City Charter.
The idea comes from William Luneski, an Ansonia resident who owns L2 Innovations, a computer store on Main Street. He was a volunteer on the city’s Economic Development Commission, which, at one point, had trouble meeting due to a lack of attendance by members.
“I was rather frustrated because we couldn’t get (members) to come to the meetings. I left the commission for that very reason. It seemed to be a waste of my time,” Luneski said.
Luneski was then appointed to the Charter Revision Commission and helped fellow members come up with the attendance policy.
Voters could be asked to approve inserting language in the charter that says if a person on a board of committee misses three consecutive meetings, they are considered to have resigned.
Marini said the person is not automatically booted, but the city’s Board of Aldermen gets the chance to review what’s happening and replace the person or give the person another chance.
“Hopefully it will be a change that will help get things done in the city,” Luneski said.
Here is how the question may appear:
“SHALL THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF ANSONIA BE AMENDED AND REVISED TO REQUIRE AN ABSENTEE POLICY FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS?”
Next Steps
The public hearing on the three proposed charter changes is at 6 p.m. Aug. 13.
Then, the Charter Revision Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. to consider any changes.
Then, at 7 p.m., the Ansonia Board of Aldermen will meet. At some point the Aldermen have to set their own public hearing on the changes and decide whether to send it to referendum or back to the commission.
Controversy
The Charter Revision Commission was born after the Ansonia city tax collector resigned in 2012. The commission was to study whether the city’s tax collector should be a CPA, whether people who owe back taxes should be allowed to hold office and whether the tax office should be audited.
Members of the commission, meeting minutes show, expanded the discussion to include everything from term limits to dissolving the tax board to installing a city manager.
Also proposed — forcing a public vote on the annual budget if the year-to-year increase is 1.5 percent or more.
The budget vote was strongly supported by Charles Stowe, a Republican Alderman who wasn’t a member of the Charter Revision Commission. In a July 30 guest column submitted to the Valley Indy, Stowe urged residents to attend the Aug. 13 public hearing and tell the Charter Revision to put the issue back into consideration.
Dave Blackwell, Jr., a Republican Alderman candidate for the Seventh Ward, penned a similar guest column Aug. 6.
Luneski, a member of the Charter Revision Commission unaffiliated to either political party, said his commission didn’t dodge the issue — they simply ran out of time to explore all issues raised.
“It was really a non-partisan effort. We had a good team and we’ve gone through many items,” Luneksi said. “A lot of ideas were thrown out on the table and we were very open as a commission to try to get as much done as we could. As we came to our deadline, we said ‘Hey, we just can’t get everything done.’ There simply was not enough time to properly put things together.”
Usually a Charter Revision Commission disbands once the questions they created are accepted or rejected.
Marini, a Republican, said he hopes the Board of Aldermen see fit to keep the Charter Revision Commission going so they can explore the city’s budget process and possibly change it.
“We could not simply rush a solution for the sake of having a solution,” Marini said. “We have to make sure any changes are the right changes.”
Beth Lynch, a Democratic member of the Charter Revision Commission, said she will continue to serve on the commission if it continues.
However, Lynch said the commission needs to have a stated goal from the outset if it continues, instead of bringing up everything under the sun.
Otherwise, the group lacks focus, the discussions get unwieldy and less is accomplished.
“Normally there is a task given for the commission,” she said. “I’ve been through three charter revision commissions. To not have a goal at the beginning is difficult.”
