Commission established by Board of Selectmen March 28, 2003, members appointed April 26:
TOWN OF WESTON CHARTER  CHANGED IN 2003:   http://www.westonct.gov/media/file/westontowncharter.pdf
Public Hearing report from NORWALK HOUR Friday, August 1, 2003 below;  other meetings attended on this subject, too.  Sections of this page in bold-italic originate from the League of Women Voters of Weston website, 2003.
A  C  T  I  O  N  S :
As approved at a Special Board of Selectmens' Meeting Tuesday, September 16, 2003 at 8am in Town Hall Meeting Room...revisions made by Secretary of the State's Office for clarity.

C H A R T E R     R E V I S I O N    Q U E S T I O N S :

Shall the Charter of the Town of Weston, Section 2.2 Annual and Special Meetings, be amended to change the Annual Town Budget Meeting starting time to 8:00pm and the ending time to 11:30pm.

Shall the Charter of the Town of Weston, Secion 2.7 Petition for a Special Town Meeting for Enactment of Ordinances or Other Action, be amended to change the required personal signatures to not less than 5% of qualified voters.

Shall the Charter of the Town of Weston, Section 2.7 Petition for a Special Town Meeting for Enactment of Ordinances or Other Action, be amended to give the board of Selectmen the discretion to reject a petition that is materially the same as a matter that previously has been voted upon by referendum.

T H E S E  A R E   T H E   C H A N G E S   S E N T   T O   S T A T E  O F   C O N N E C T I C U T   F O R   N O V .  4 t h     B A L L O T :


T H I S   I S   T H E   R E P O R T    S U B M I T T E D   B Y   T H E   C H A R T E R    R E V I S I O N    C O M M I S S I O N :



 

The Board of Selectmen sent along changes to the State as per vote at meeting of August 21, 2003 as recommended by Charter Revision Commission.

Previously...after the Board of Selectmen voted (item added to the August 7, 2003 regular meeting agenda), the Charter Revision recommendations on 2.2 and 2.7 go to the State of Connecticut...

Weston LWV statement (originally made for the Charter Revision Commission's Public Hearing) placed in the record of the Board of Selectmen's PUBLIC HEARING.
Board of Selectmen's Proposed Charter Revision PUBLIC HEARING, Thursday. August 7, 2003 at 7pm, Town Hall Meeting Room - took ten minutes.

P U B L I C   H E A R I N G - C H A R T E R   R E V I S I O N    R E S C H E D U L E D
Now JULY 31st (instead of July 24th), 2003, 7:30pm, Town Hall Meeting Room

Weston Charter Revision Commission Proposes the following changes (text to come):

    * Section 2.2 - Increase time for Annual Budget Meeting by one hour
    * Section 2.7 - Raise minimum number of petitioners to call for enactment of an ordinance or ather action from 50 persons to 5% of qualified voters
    * Section 2.7 - Give Board of Selectmen discretion to reject petition for special Town Meeting to vote on the petition if the object is materially the same as a matter that had been previously voted on by referendum.


On June 26, 2003, the following changes were approved:

Section 2.2

(Change starting time of town meetings  [we assume this refers to "Annual Town Budget Meeting" - which is Section 2.2] to 8P.M. and ending time to 11:30PM.)
 
 

Section 2.7

Except as provided in Section 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 of this Charter, not less than five percent of qualified voters may at any time petition over their personal signatures for the enactment of any proposed lawful ordinance or other action by filing such petition including the complete text of such ordinance, or proposed other action with the Town Clerk.

....

The Board of Selectmen shall call a special Town Meeting, to be held not less than ten nor more thirty days from the date of such filing, unless prior to such meeting such ordinance shall have been enacted or such action taken by the Board of Selectmen. Provided, however, that if the proposed ordinance or other action which is the object of the petition is materially the same as a matter that previously has been voted upon by referendum, than the Board of Selectmen, in their discretion, may reject such petition and not call a special Town Meeting.


and on the jump page...

MEETINGS ATTENDED IN CHARTER REVISION PROCESS BY "About Town":
Read left to right (below) for text of sections up for revising.  NOTE:  Article Seven to be updated to reflect new Boards and Commissions as well as renaming, if such has occurred since 1979.  Copies of the Weston Town Charter 1979 are available at the Town Clerk's Office.  HIGHLIGHTS OF MEETINGS RELATED TO CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION:




Town to vote on charter changes
By JENNIFER CONNIC, Staff Writer, Sunday August 10, 2003 Norwalk HOUR on-line:
WESTON -- Residents will have the opportunity to vote on changes to the town charter during the November election.  The Board of Selectmen approved the Charter Revision Commission's recommendations during a meeting Thursday night, but questions for the ballot still need to be finalized.
The proposed changes to the town charter include increasing the number of petitioners necessary to call for a town meeting from 50 residents to 5 percent of the town's qualified voters.

Additionally, the Board of Selectmen would have the discretion to decide if a special town meeting was needed to vote on the petition if the item is the same as a matter that had previously been voted on by referendum.  Another proposed change in the charter would move the Annual Town Meeting to 8 p.m. rather than 8:30 p.m. and close the meeting no later than 11:30 p.m. instead of 11 p.m.

First Selectman Woody Bliss said residents continued to express concern about the 5 percent figure instead of a definite number during the board's public hearing, but he hopes a future charter revision study would address the matter.  "We are making the charter more consistent by having the number at 5 percent," he said.  He said having the number at 5 percent also allows the number of petitioners to grow as the town's population grows.

"If you have a set number and your population grows over time, that number won't be growing," he said.  The town attorney will now review the recommendations to form questions for the selectmen to approve, Bliss said.  He said he hopes the questions are ready for approval by the next   Board of Selectmen meeting on Aug. 21.  The November vote on the changes, however, will not be the final charter revision, Bliss said.

A second Charter Revision Commission will be formed in November, he said, to review further recommendation from the current commission and additional issues.  The additional recommendations for further study include the term length for the selectmen and appointing a town clerk and tax  collector rather than elected them.  Bliss said he hopes the second review would be completed in time for the 2004 regular election because he would not want to hold a special election.


SECTIONS OF THE CHARTER BEING DISCUSSED (SO FAR):