ANSONIA – The Ansonia Board of Aldermen will establish a Charter Revision Commission, in part, to explore changing deadlines associated with the annual budget process.
The board at its Feb. 8 meeting unanimously approved a resolution to initiate the process, saying the commission will “explore revisions that will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of City government, and result in cost savings for the benefit of Ansonia taxpayers.”
The board authorized Mayor David Cassetti to bring forth nominations of members to serve on the commission, which the board will likely vote on at its meeting next month.
The make-up of the commission, under state law, says there can be no less than five and no more than 15 members, “and not more than one-third of the members may hold any other public office in the city, and not more than a bare majority of whom shall be members of any one political party.”
Once the board approves Cassetti’s nominations, the newly established commission will kick off its charge by holding a public hearing, according to Corporation Counsel John Marini. This gives residents an opportunity to suggest any changes they’d like to see explored by the commission.
Marini said once the commission completes its charge, another public hearing will be held. The aldermen get the final say in what proposed changes will be placed on the November ballot, and then voters ultimately get the final word. Marini said in order for any changes to get on the ballot this year, they must be finalized by the end of August.
A city charter is essentially a blueprint for the structure and function of a local government. From time to time, municipalities make changes to the document, in accordance with several state laws that spell out how towns and cities should do so.
For this go-around, Marini said the commission, in part, will take a look at revising deadlines for the annual budget process, along with looking at all City Hall positions in ensure “things are running as smoothly as efficiently as possible.”
“This is aimed at looking at efficiencies, and a lot of it will be looking at professionalizing City Hall, and making sure all the processes line up with the charter, which is basically a city’s rule book,” Marini said.
Regarding the budget deadlines in the existing charter, Marini said they were revised back in 2014 under the Cassetti administration, but since then, are in need of an update.
Ansonia Aldermen have been missing budget deadlines for several cycles. The issue, officials have said, is that the city budget is due weeks before the state budget is completed. That leaves Ansonia guessing, at times, when it comes to state aid, on which the city heavily relies.
Ansonia CFO Kurt Miller, at Cassetti’s urging last month, informed the city’s tax board that the presentation of a new budget for fiscal year 2022 – 2023 will be pushed from February to either late March or April.
The final budget will likely be adopted by the aldermen in mid-May.
A change to the charter could codify that new budget deadline.
