Charter changes: Will voters let Plainfield spend more money without town-wide approval?

PLAINFIELD – Residents will likely see four new town charter revision questions on the November ballot, including two that failed to garner support last year.

The town’s Charter Revision Commission this month presented its final draft report that included a raft of proposed changes to the town’s governing document. Two of the four questions recommended by commission members concern how certain expenditures are approved.

Currently, if a requested non-budgeted appropriation - one not approved by voters as part of the annual town budget -  of more than $50,000 is proposed, or a shared grant above $10,000, it must be sent to town meeting.

Though the charter does not state such, First Selectman Kevin Cunningham said a referendum vote is also required to pass those kinds of expenditures.

The proposed charter amendments would raise the minimum threshold for non-budgeted items to $200,000 – and grants to $50,000 - before a town meeting and subsequent referendum is needed.

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Cunningham said the proposed change is needed to reflect changing dollar values as the original language was put on the books back in 1984.

“By making these changes, we end up saving the town money by not having to go to a referendum – at $4,000 a pop – for these kinds of expenditures,” he said. “We’d still go to a town meeting and explain what we’re spending money on.”

Cunningham used the example of a recent police radio upgrade project to illustrate the change. In that case, the town proposed to use $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funding for the job, which passed easily during a town vote.

“That’s something that could have been approved at a town meeting without opening polling places,” Cunningham said.

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Board of Finance Chairman Dean Gorman said changes are needed to sections of the charter that deal with monetary amounts, many of which he described as “significantly outdated.”

“We’re also working on a set of by-laws specifically for our board to deal with other kinds of issues where there’s no clear direction,” he said.

Gorman said while he’s in favor of adjusting the appropriation levels, he’s not convinced the new numbers are the way the go.

“Personally, I’m not sure if those are the right parameters – the ceiling might be too high,” he said.

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Charter Revision Commission Chairwoman June Gagne she plans to put together an educational video to explain exactly what the proposed charter amendments would accomplish.

It’s about taxpayers trusting that their money at certain levels is being spent right,” she said.

Elected to appointed for town clerk, tax collector

The draft report includes two new questions, both concerning how key municipal jobs are filled. One question requests the town clerk position be changed from elected to appointed and another would similarly change the tax collector to an appointed job.

Cunningham said an evaluation of other Connecticut towns showed about 70% of town clerks and tax collectors are appointed.

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“If those questions passed, we’d begin getting applications and do interviews with the top applicants – not necessarily with the same people holding the jobs now,” he said. “The pros for having appointments is you get more continuity without the kind of changes that can come every time there’s an election.”

Soon after being elected last year, Town Clerk Brenda Miller resigned, saying her old job offered her more money to stay.

The draft document next goes to a July public hearing and, if approved without change, to the Board of Selectman for approval. The questions will next be reviewed by town attorneys and state officials before being placed on the November ballot.

Proposed Plainfield Town Charter amendment questions

Shall the dollar amount of non-budgeted appropriations be updated from $10,000 to $50,000 minimum, and from $50,000 to $200,000 maximum, before a town meeting is needed?

Shall the minimum dollar amount for shared grants be increased from $10,000 to $50,000 before a town meeting is needed?

Shall the office of the town clerk be changed from an elected to an appointed position?

Shall the office of tax collector be changed from an elected to an appointed position?

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Upcoming vote: Plainfield charter revisions target spending, town jobs