UPDATE: Seymour Passes Charter Revision

PHOTO: Jodie Mozdzer Gil

Update:The First Selectman’s Office released the following information Wednesday morning: 

Below are the official results for the charter revision questions for the Town of Seymour including absentee ballot numbers. All four revisions passed.”

The two opinion questions are numbers 5 and 6 that may be considered by future charter revision commissions. The information is now being sent to our Town Counsel for review, pending final sign off and approval by Town Counsel, the charter changes would go into effect January 1, 2013. 

1. Shall the Seymour Town Charter be amended as follows: (1) to change the powers and duties of various boards, (2) to change the time within which vacancies in elected offices are to be filled, (3) to change the nature and manner of certain appointments to boards and offices, (4) to create a Culture and Arts Commission, and (5) to define the duties of the Human Resources Manager?

Yes: 4,288
No: 1,736

2. Shall the Seymour Town Charter be amended to clarify the annual Town Meeting and budget process, including quorum requirements and the provision for adoption of a budget following referendum?

Yes: 4,927
No: 1,263

3. Shall the Seymour Town Charter be amended to change the Board of Planning and Zoning regular members from an appointed to an elected board?

Yes: 5,031
No: 1,361

4. Shall the Seymour Town Charter be amended to correct grammar, spelling, terminology, statutory references, and outdated provisions in the Town Charter, and to make other technical changes as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission?

Yes: 4,217
No: 1,170

5. Shall the next Charter Revision Commission consider a town manager form of government?

Yes: 2,958
No: 3,244

6. Shall the next Charter Revision Commission consider the return to a single vote process for approval of the General Town and Education budgets?

Yes: 3,140
No: 3,127

Original post from 2:33 a.m. Wednesday follows:

Seymour voters passed four proposed charter changes during the election Tuesday, according to town officials. 

First Selectman Kurt Miller said the charter revision proposals passed overwhelmingly.” The town couldn’t provide the final tally to the Valley Indy Tuesday.

With the approved changes, Seymour will now elect its Board of Planning and Zoning members, will create a Culture and Arts Commission, and will change the powers and duties of various boards. 

Voters were also asked their opinion on two non-binding questions:

Shall the next Charter Revision Commission consider a town manager form of government?”

Shall the next Charter Revision Commission consider the return to a single vote process for approval of the General Town and Education budgets?”

The changes also define the duties of the new Human Resources Manager, a new position the town recently added and filled. 

I’m pleased. I think the Charter Revision Commission did a great job in looking to the future of Seymour, and making the appropriate changes to the charter to allow the town to grow and move forward,” Miller said.

I’m glad the residents overwhelmingly supported the decisions the Charter Revision Commission made,” Miller said. 

The charter was also amended to correct grammar, spelling and other outdated provisions, as recommended by the Charter Revision Commission. 

The ballot also contained two non-binding” questions from the Charter Revision Commission, designed to get opinions from voters. 

The issues: Should Seymour consider a town manager form of government, and should the town consider voting on the town and school budgets together. 

Miller said it wasn’t clear whether voters supported the two questions, because about 300 absentee ballots had not been counted. 

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