In order to provide continuity and assure quorums at each meeting, the Economic Development Commission proposed an ordinance to increase the number of alternate members on the commission.
Commission Chairman William Lund said the ordinance would give more residents the opportunity to become involved in economic development.
The three alternate members would be appointed by the town’s Board of Selectmen. There are seven members of the commission.
“We are working on keeping the number of members the same, but we want to have alternates in case we have a problem with regular members not being here,” Lund said.
Lund added that during the town’s 2006 charter revision, a provision was included to allow changes to be made to the commission through an ordinance.
Lund said prior to the revision, the town’s charter limited the commission. In the past, the move would have been proposed through charter revision — which can only be approved through a town-wide vote.
“A charter revision would be time consuming and expensive, and an ordinance would allow us to better manage the items we need to attend to,” Lund said.
According to Economic Development Director Herman Schuler, the commission is made up of volunteers who serve two-year terms.
“What they wanted to do is put alternates onto the commission to ensure there is a quorum at meetings, and that they can have commissioners in training,” he said.
Schuler said the addition of alternates to the commission was part of the town’s strategic plan, which was presented to First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers upon taking office in 2007.
Schuler added that an update of the goals and objectives of that plan were reviewed with Drayton-Rogers earlier this year.
“The ordinance has finally worked through the process,” Shuler said. “The language has to be approved by the Board of Selectmen.”
A draft of the proposed ordinance is currently in the hands of the Board of Selectmen and town counsel for review.
Rogers said the Board of Selectmen is not ready to move on the ordinance it at this point, and would require further discussions with Lund.
“We have it, we are working on it and will be talking to the Chairman of the EDC,” she said.
Rogers added that the Selectmen review will be followed by a town meeting, where residents would have to adopt the proposal.
