sure okay everyone welcome I'm gonna call to order the board of Selectmen special meeting for Thursday May 8 the time is 7:01 the meeting is being held by zoom and the first order of business is the Pledge of Allegiance so the pledge allegiance flag flag United States of America to the repblic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all all right thank you very much for that that's greatly appreciated I realized that we only had public speak as item five but I think it's appropriate for us to have public speak also at the beginning for this meeting so right now the only member of the public we have is Bob hamburger Bob nothing to say at this time thanks got it Dennis O'Brien is it I want to also say that my husband Jerry's on but it says an cre with no picture we can't figure out how to change the name your picture your picture's coming through it I see your video Jerry Jerry's more than welcome to speak in let's go even though it doesn't have my name on it even though it doesn't have your name on it Jerry okay I'm just here because I this is a new process for for me and I have a lot of questions I'm hoping that'll be answered this evening
sure so I'm here to listen and learn okay we'll give a shot all right am I missing anyone I'm on my phone so I apologize if I scoot over anything I'm not missing any okay no we will move on on to item two which is elect the charter revision commission members or committee members we had a a great group of people potentially volunteer for this for this committee and what what we need to do is give a little bit of background as to how we have to go about this so we had eight I believe 18 potential volunteers the volunteers will fall into two buckets a public official bucket and a a nonpublic official bucket which
is just resids according to the Charter and state statute but I'm Prim primarily believe it's state statute two-thirds of the me members of Charter revision committee can only there can only be there can only be onethird of the members that are public officials so we have a bucket of public officials we have to select from and then as I said the other one so the first question for the board of Selectmen is the number of members of the committee we have to have a minimum of five and my recommendation is that we actually have create a seven member
committee for this that would then so so that's the first thing we have to agree to is how many members do we want to sit there and have on the committee I would motion we have seven I'll second that okay so is there further discussion on the number of members related to what we do the only discussion is I know we had some discussion today about alternates can we have alternates or no I was told we from the town attorney we cannot have alternates and he is actually on the phone call okay that's fine we'll just pick seven then okay all right if that's everybody in agreement then we're going to vote on that so all in favor of seven members hi so seven members so now Paul I sent out to all the members earlier today a a spreadsheet that put the two groups in buckets so that we can all sit there and see what we got yeah I have it up on the screen here all right can you just increase the size on your screen so it fills your whole screen yeah yes but because
it's long hang on there you go and then now you can increase your there you go all right does anybody see anybody have any problems with that visual okay so as I I have a question Jeff do we want do we want to do these one at a time or we just I think we are we gonna do them as a as a batch I well no I was I was thinking that we we just discuss the groups first so everybody understands why these people are in these groups because I've had discussions with Den us today I was there's couple people here I just want to explain out so under the town officials an an K Jerry K Betty gamsky Gary gu Carol Lee Shannon Lowden Jeff Maguire and Scott Scott soet so we all requested to potentially be on this committee the two people that I do want to call out are Gary guile and
and I'm I'm Paul how do I say bata's name yeah just like damsky fat gamsky viat gamsky is in this bucket but she is on an appointed commission for the shield the Veterans Memorial Field committee and Gary guile is on the conservation committee I I had significant conversations with Dennis regarding this it's something that is in State Statute and it's it's it's been past precedent that we've done it like that that's something that we have to deal with that if we can that would be something that we would want to do is just make all of the people that are in this bucket just elected officials I don't really feel that that those two individuals represent public official they're volunteers on certain things that might have some Authority but not any significant Authority but that is why those two individuals are in that bucket and then I'm I just wanted to put it on the record and let everybody know why they fell up there and then not down at the bottom so so if we do seven members there can be two members from the town official SE section so now Jeff what what were what were you thinking of now that I've explain that for myself well if we're going to do two should we make motions on each one and we'll vote on each one instead of trying to just put up two and vote for two sure go ahead I I'd like to make a nomination for the two elected Town officials for barol Lee and Jeff Maguire Carol Lee did a fantastic job the last time the bifurcation and all the other things that they were tasked with and Jeff Maguire started this he wanted to become involved with this right away
so I I nominate those too okay I'll second Jeff what did you want to talk about though because I know you wanted to talk about him individually so I just I didn't know if we want to nominate each one individually and vote on them individually well we can I mean Scott would you have a problem with splitting the nomination don't it's already been seconded right it has been yes so okay further discussion on this does anybody want a different public official that just a thought we're going to vote on this as it is but is there a discussion that anyone any of the other members wants to have related Lowden okay nominate well let I understand that an and and while I appreciate that
Scott I'm gonna ask you to do this for me can you can you just split the individuals up yeah I think it's just gonna work out easier because if we're gonna have discussion over you know combinations it's probably easier just to we'll pull one person in then we'll vote for another one till we get a vote ex exactly so so can you just amend his motion just just amend his motion Scott's motion and then Scott the first one just put carolly up okay okay that's the way yeah that's the way you want to do it I I will nominate Carol Lee I'll second that okay further discussion related to Caroline all those in favor I I I okay so the only one I didn't hear with Paul was you are you in favor yes sorry I was muted that's five okay all right who would like to nominate the next person I'll nominate Jeff Maguire I'll second that further discussion on on my nomination well do we have any more nominations I thought we had Carol Lee so or not Carol Lee Shannon lad I mean I'd rather Shannon go before me if that's how everybody wants it okay well yeah let's do that because well and didn't do a motion so let's let's have
an do a motion and and then we can vote on it that and be on the committee sorry an did you my internet blinked up you said a okay yes I move the Shannon lowens on the charter revision committee okay I'll second okay any further discussion related to Shannon beond Charter revision commission okay all those in favor I all those opposed I okay so how many opposed did we have two two how do you vote Jeff I I abstain somebody voted so I'm I'm confused on this one so I didn't hear if somebody second Shannon being on the committee who was the second vote for I second for an no you I know no no I know you seconded it but who voted in favor I thought it was an because I can't see everybody I can't see an y an said yes did anyone else did any of the other four members say es okay so it's one in favor and I'm now I'm asking how many are opposed okay I'm I'm opposed you've got soos okay and I was abstaining so okay so that are there any other it's fine any other nominations okay so I'll go back to my motion I I'd like to nominate Jeff Maguire okay do you have a second for that one I seconded it Scott yeah before I got it Scott I apologize for this
any discussion related to that nomination well do we have any more no more nominations okay we want to vote on that one hello can I chime in sure Dennis now the way that Jeff Murray suggested that you vote is the way it they do it under Robert's Rules you vote you vote is until you find two you can only have two for this category so you vote until you find two and then you stop and and and for the this will work better for the other category where you can get as many have as many as five but that's how you do it I've never done it that way myself in running a town committee and doing other things but that there there's something that could be said for that that's what's called for by Robert's Rules and I think we are under Robert's Rules under our Char or Charter so what what the way I I I probably thought I was on here and guess I was muted and I I just unmuted myself I've not I've not done it this way before I tried to get in by phone but I couldn't get in and I think Jeff Murray's idea is the way to go and so we're moving moving we're moving down that list right now so that's what I would do there's one more nomination that's out there and let's let's vote on it and then if it fails we we'll move on to the next person okay so Paulie nominated Jeff Maguire Scott was seconded all those in
favor hi all those opposed okay Jeff muray where you at he said yes okay didn't hear you sorry so we now have the two officials from the two members from the town officials so now to fill out our seven member committee we need five members from the other category I'd like to nominate Bob H is one of them I'll second that okay God so any I really don't want I mean I'm not interested in in in discussing the merits of any individual I really do believe that all of the candidates were extremely positive and good and and I appreciate the number of people willing to volunteer for the town so unless we have anything really
significant to say during the other comments like I don't mind if somebody wants to criticize me I'm okay but as far as the residents that are participating I would rather not see any little negativity on this area as possible that's just me personally so okay Bob hamburger has been nominated by Jeff Murray and that has been seconded by Scout person any further discussions on Bob hamburger all those in favor of Bob hamburger for the tri revision commission hi hi all right and so that was five I believe okay I would like to that was five correct yes everybody voted yes I would like to nominate Patricia Billings I'll second that further discussion on Patricia Billings I believe Patricia was part of the last Charter revision committee she was yes she was she was okay all those in favor of parti be part of the TR revision commission all those favor I I okay I'm assuming all those opposed no all those that obained okay so I'm assuming that was 5 as well so we have so now we have two so Paula is it possible for you to check them so that we know we know who yes under this system if you once you get a majority you don't go to opposing votes there's no need to
there's no need to okay oh once once once a candidate gets a majority they're elected okay understood the majority would be have two Democrats two unaffiliated correct and and you're correct Scott we have to balance this out has to be I'd like to nominate another person I'd like to try to nominate Karen Mador I'll second that she was on the last Charter revision commission and I heard she was very very involved okay she did a good job yeah very good all right so nomination of Karen Mador to be a member of the charter revision committee all those in favor hi hi all those V we don't have to do that Dennis thank you for correcting me so Baron moror next nomination go ahead i' like to nominate C Katherine mcal owis okay Katherine mcal Lewis do we have a second for second okay further disc discussion related to Catherine okay all those in favor of Katherine magaldi Lewis on the charter revision commission I all those opposed I sorry I'm coughing so it's one one if I if I read that correctly all those all those abstaining no there was a post no you had all right okay and next nomination anyone else I'll nominate Adrian that further discussion on Adrian being participant in the TR revision committee all those in favor I
all those opposed hi okay so again I didn't get all the followed how many were in favor and how many were against it sorry I don't need to do I don't need to do against how many were in favor yeah it looks like four to one to me okay all right I'm sorry I can't see the camera I'm only looking at the spreadsheet that's my my fault okay so Adrian would be a member he's an X yeah okay so based upon what we were trying to do before we have one additional potential seat available and we have right now two Republicans two Democrats and two unaffiliated voters so we split pretty well yeah so Dennis is that fine so far yes it's fine that I don't I don't see how you could go wrong now you're not going to have anybody the rule is that no no political party can have a major more than a s a majority of one so you you would have to have either the Republicans or the Democrats having four and neither one is going to get there okay good perfect okay so you're you're all set as far as party goes you're all set the next person could be any anything unaffiliated Republican or Democrat I'd nominate chesy nomination is she the one that lives in Lake Road yes she's on Lake Road I believe it's Lake yeah yeah I'm I don't I don't know I'm not really sure I'm not familiar with her so okay so do we have anyone willing to second that
else I'll make a nomination of Jody gross I'll second that okay Jody gross is is a new participant on on Town information I believe he lives up near Jeff Murray so we have a second on that one all those in favor of Jody gross I I hi all those all those opposed we don't have to do opposed we got three actions got three votes okay I'm sorry Dennis I'm not used to that I know I'm not used to the system either but I think it's I think it works it's worked very well I think it's been very this could be very difficult electing so many people U with so many candidates and I think the Roberts rules system was set up for just this kind of thing okay so if I'm not mistaken and I'm looking at the strad sheeet correctly there are two Town officials five members from the other committee and from a standpoint of this there's at least four members four individuals that have served on previous Charter revision commissions so I actually think that it's pretty good group of of individuals and I can't thank enough the other individuals that that put their
names out there I do I do thank everyone for that one so Paul if you can drop this down and we can go back to the back to our front part of this so let's see let me go back to my page here go back to the other side of my phone so item three is specify date on which commission must submit the draft report to the town clerk Dennis you had previously provided us some information as to when this draft report would need to be back to the board of selectman to meet the state State timing for the November election well you know you can control when the draft report comes back but you cannot control you know in advance nobody can what is going to happen after that because after the draft report comes back to you all then you have to have a public hearing you have to go over the draft report if there's any you have any differences as a group with the any of the items in the draft report you have to work those out with the commission and you have to do that at a public meeting probably one of your regular meetings Maybe not maybe it would have to be a special meeting just to make the deadline but you know depending on how how well you the commission does in terms of U working expeditious expeditiously and efficiently you don't have an awful lot of time because you really have to kind of have it wrapped up early in early September and it has to get to the Secretary of State's office probably
I'll check the dates but it's probably I've done it so many times it's probably around mid-september Carol Lee would know as well and and you know date the date that we should select what I'm what I'm suggesting is you have a regular meeting and this is this is giving you not much time but it can be done it can be done by a commission that works together that you know you don't have to be unanimous but and and and and it you you know un understand that the try to revision process can last as much as 16 months and you can't do that this time if you do that this time you're going to have to put it on the ballot next year if you put it on the ballot next year it won't be in oh God you don't even have have an a municipal election in the fall I don't think I I don't know you might you might have some positions up for election in the fall I don't know your election schedule that will and it's been changed but if if it's not on a on a on a on a regular election you have to have 15% of the of the voters vote in the affirmative to pass any of the items one good thing is that you know you know it doesn't it doesn't rise or fall with the voters as unit it can be
breaken down into several issues but I think you know in my opinion it would be nice to have the draft report in I'd say in early to mid July you have your unfortunately your your first your your regular meeting in July is early it's July 8th if you want to get okay is the date at Dennis Dennis I'm sorry and I'm gonna break up a little bit Dennis the date July 8th that you're recommending for us I just need a date for a recommendation and work would probably be good if you got it before the weekend so you'd be able to peruse it and it wouldn't would you wouldn't lose anything by that because you couldn't me you wouldn't meet on a weekend anyway I I would say you know it has to be turned over to town clerk who then transfer and you know town clerk is one of your members so it won't be hard for her to transmit it to the members of the committee so I would say maybe the Thursday before July 8th which is the which is the last work day July unless you want to the date the date is the date I I'll make a motion
that we request the charter revision commission to make a draft report available to the board of selecting by July 3D that's not a request that's a that's a mandate it's a motion it's a motion I got to get it approved oh okay I thought you were saying that you moving to request them I'll second that further discussion honestly we could sit there and and request that date if they do it they do it if they don't they don't and they will they will they will I know I know push to do it yes that's correct right push that's right I mean we could also you know just for discussion purposes we could push it back in July yes but what's going to happen in the way that see this is once the charter revision commission finishes the board of Selectmen is going to want to review it and then the board of Selectmen is going to want o I can't understand a word you're saying I know I know you're sorry I just want you to know it's just 38 I heard my name that's all sorry I'm going by exit 5 I don't know if you can hear me now but you can yes there is a town meeting required after the draft or before I know before we start our work but when is the other Town hearing well you have to have a public hearing you know what you could do is you could could give the commission until say the middle of July you have a special meeting and along with the special meeting right before the special meeting the same
night we've done it this way before you have the public hearing special meeting the same night and and that way you could you could give the commission a couple more weeks to get in the report which would be good and that personally personally personally I would rather not because we have too many public we have too many special meetings and ju so we we have a meeting either July 8th Paula July 8th meeting that's your regular meeting I checked that out yeah so to me I would rather request for Charter revision commission to have the draft to us for July 3rd we then get an opportunity to look at it for July 8th talk about it at our meeting if there's issues that we need to send back to the Charter revision commission we can we can then get that done then we'd have to have a special meeting if everybody on the board is in agreement with the draft then Dennis my question is is there a
town meeting or town hearing before or after the draft report is submitted to the board of Select draft report if it's if it if it's if it's on your agenda for July 8th really all you can do is set you can you can't discuss it you can't discuss it until you have a public hearing you could what you could do is you could have a a marathon that night and and have a I have a public we've done it before I've been at meetings that have lasted till till midnight not lately though not lately you've been doing better I know but anyway what you could do is you could you could have U you know there's no harm in having two or three events in one evening you just you know get a lot of sleep to day night before so so so that July you could do it on the eth but it would be unusual what you so okay so just let us I'm I'm just trying to get our our team to understand the Lord to understand it it's the draft report ex the draft report is arrives we you get a chance to re read it we get a chance to approve or send it back for revision correct not
not not yet you have to have the public hearing first that's the public hearing first public hearing you know you could put the public hearing I don't I don't I don't recall that it's a public hearing that's that requires you know a mailing to everybody in town or anything like that I don't think we've done that before I think what we what we do is just notice it as a public hearing I would say I would do it in the in the newspaper in the re I'm just trying to make sure in this discussion we set the date when we set the date when we set the date that we're not going to be pushing there's other things that have to happen I'm just trying to make sure that we can get all of it done before the end of August yeah there you you you you can if there if everybody if you know if everybody works together like the you know like the Congress doesn't you know and I think I think with this group in this in this board I think you will I mean you can't bite off more than you can chew as a as a commission because you don't have that much time I've never sat on a commission that didn't have 16 months but but I'll tell you it can be done in a lot less than 16 months and if you have a couple of four or five key items you can get some really
important stuff done I mean you got the Town Administrator issue done in maybe a month more than this you got the thing the second and and the last one last one was simar done in a month more than this so you know that that those were both noteworthy achievements I I think you can do it but but you know you got to leave yourself some time you know to so that you can get it done by the end of August yes okay so here's what here's what I would do here's what I would do I would I would give you know have it have it submitted on the third to to the the town clerk she'll distribute it to the members you can read it over study it you can meet on Monday and just set up the next event the next event to my way of thinking would be a public hearing followed by a meeting and of the of the board of Selectmen the board of selectman hold the public hearing then they have the meeting and then you could discuss it to till the cows come home and and then you know you might you might get it right then might say okay this looks good I mean you know we got our first selectman on there and and it looks good and and and it and you know it you could finish
it quickly but I more likely than that you're gonna take a couple of weeks but a couple of weeks is not bad but if but but if there's lots of disagreement among the Selectmen and the commission about certain items that you know it could go on and on and on but that's one reason why I'm glad your commission is not 15 members let's say that would be absurd and I'm glad so I'm glad serve before if I can be heard if I can if I can I mean I'm we're going down Route Six so I'm getting close to in I the meeting is the meeting is official now so we have the motion on the floor to request the draft to be sub to the town clerk for July 3D second all right Scott it already seconded it let's all those in favor all those in favor all those in favor I hi I all right so July 3r is the the requested date okay so last item on the agenda item four discussion of Charter revision objectives th just just so I understand Dennis and and I before I turn this over to the members the objectives we can give them we can give the charter revision commission objectives in writing and and before the commission starts any work the commission has to have a town a public meeting correct yes yes just like
you all when you come when it comes back to the board of Selectmen you have the commission cannot do anything but elect its officers and it's first meeting but I always recommend that the first meeting be a brief one election of officers and then you have the public hearing and then you got you go back to another meeting to discuss the public hearing and that shouldn't take long Dennis justce who so so the the the step is we we can discuss this here we can also discuss this at our regular schedule of meeting on Monday just asking is there any timeline is there any reason we we we can discuss it today but we can also discuss it at our regular scheduled meeting corg you mean you mean the board of Selectmen the objectives yes the board of yeah you can talk about the objectives all you want I mean you can you can take input from anybody but but you have to have a public hearing okay so the members have a second public hearing the commission has to have a have have a have a second public hearing before it submit after it writes its draft report but before it
submits it you know I gave you the timeline yeah I saw that okay it's it's a little complicated in the second page but the first page is all you really need to be concerned with right now okay first few parag so objectives so I know Jeff Murray you sent an email out to us as far as as objectives of things that you would like everyone to potentially consider on the charter revision commission anyone else want to sit there and identify items I mean I'll speak from my end I I just want to talk about efficiencies within what we're doing there's there's things like our elections you know that we need a appropriate timeline there's items that are related to things like the charter revision commissions being established that need clarification more efficiency items governmental setup items that I would like to discuss
with the the committee and and not everybody needs to realize none of these things are guaranteed the committee is members that hopefully will come and discuss with common sense different proposals and we'll see what we can get done and as Jeff pointed out and as Dennis has pointed out we can't overcommit in this cycle but my mind it is a presidential election the majority of the residents of the community will be potentially voting and we'll have an opportunity to say yes or no just as we've done at the last Charter revision commission at U when we voted on those U items to move forward so who else would like to talk tonight about things they would like discuss at the charter revision committee should we just do it formally at our meeting on because I don't think I don't know if everybody give everybody a couple extra days to get everything written down yeah I'm I'm I'm okay with that because and Jeff you're you're right we probably should sit there and draft something that gets submitted to the the committee at their first meeting well if you do that it it becomes official and and they have to address it I I think that maybe if you do it in general terms like you know issues pertaining to the election yeah election like you know you have a in about May elections and November elections which I think has already been resolved but if it has been resolved then it ought to be changed to November in the charter that's easy but there are there are issues pertaining
to the relationship between say the town meeting what the town meeting responsibilities are and what the selectman responsibilities are that's that's generally something I would look at I don't want to go too far with that because I'm not on the commission or the board and I'm just to low Town attorney but I've I've been through this perhaps more than anybody in in the history of Eastern Connecticut I've been on many chared commissions advising and and serving and you people who are on it are U Bob hamburger is here tonight you're lucky you're gonna it's it's a great great great experience but it's a lot of work and you have to move fast okay so does I'll be ready to guide give you some guidance if you want okay does anybody does anybody have any issues any of the select select the board have any issues related to waiting
for Monday to discuss the objectives for the charter rision committee let me just say one more thing legally if if you're going to give written directions to the commission you got to do it today can't do it you can't wait till Monday it's got to be done with before 30 days are up okay I mean the same time you give them their charge as to when they have to have their final their draft reported correct but you just told us that that it would be more appropriate to sit there and give them General guidance verbal guidance I think I think I I will I will
I will sit there and say that if that is done I I agree we're we're going to sit there and address it I mean I'm I'm just telling you I mean I I would I mean it's a common sense thing if the I mean I believe the board of selectman did that the last time I don't think there was a written I'm not I'm just asking and anybody else that was on it Jeff Scot Paul were there any I don't think we gave specific writ instructions to the last Charter revision commission that's right no I don't I don't remember doing that there was disc but I but I want to know L I want as much input as possible from all the members so at the next is it is it problematic that we discuss potential items at the next meeting on Monday or do you want to do it tonight I I would I think it should be tonight but I I don't think it's I don't think it's Dennis if we don't if we don't write them if we don't write them we can discuss them on Monday if we write them you want us to do it tonight yeah what I'm asking that's what I'm asking the board the written instructions you give them would have legal Authority it means means that in their draft report they have some way respond to them but there's a a lot of ways to do that and I've written a lot of reports and I've helped write a lot of reports and and it's not a big problem but Den even if I even if I write even if I wrote everything down the charter revision commission
would have to address it but they could address anything else they wanted even if they can address anything they want that's right that's right you don't have to give so my so my point my point is do we want we want to discuss it tonight and potentially write down what's discussed tonight no do we want to wait until Monday and verbally communicate all of us come up with the ideas and those ideas will be communicated to the well I will be on I I will be on it so anything you guys want addressed will get addressed verbal until Monday yeah let's wait I'm in favor of waiting till Monday verbally okay all right so you're not giving them any legally binding
instructions no we will give them their charge binding it's just persuasion persuasion yeah that's right and input input listen we we will give them the board members will give them their input and on Monday we'll sit there and and it will be it will be a it will be part of the committee to sit there and understand that these are issues that were out there ver and they will we'll look at them so anything else anybody else want to sit there and talk anything else about onight no okay if if not I'd like to move on to item five which is public speak so Bob hamburger are you the only member of the public with us and Jerry is as well so anybody either one of you like to speak Bob you you're good okay I just wanted to say thanks for selecting me and look forward to serving looks like we've got a a good
team of people and it should be stimulating interesting exciting thanks Jerry I think you may have dropped out I'm here oh Jerry sorry that's Jeff Jerry I didn't see Jerry okay all right so I think that is it for public speak item six move to turn second all right all those in favor I all right I apologize for not being on camera hopefully I won't have that happen again so I apologize for that anyway thank you very much everybody and we will see everybody on Monday come good night bye good night thank you