Council strikes proposed geographic quota for Board of Estimate and Taxation, retaining current membership rules

The Norwalk Common Council voted to strike a proposed rule that would have required political and geographic balance on the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET), preserving the commission's current membership rules.

Council member Shanahan argued that the proposed language lacked a practical fail-safe if no candidate could be found from a specific district, and proposed the language be removed until a workable backstop could be drafted. Shanahan said a two-thirds council override or other mechanism should exist if a district cannot produce a willing, qualified volunteer.

Opponents of the strike argued that geographic representation is important for the BET's role in overseeing municipal finances and that recruitment across districts could solve likely shortages. Council member Burnett said he had served on the BET and had experienced difficulty filling seats because of the workload and expertise required, and he warned that a district quota might leave seats vacant.

After discussion the council took a roll-call vote and approved Shanahan's motion to strike the geographic-balance language 8-7, an outcome the clerk recorded as retaining the current status of BET membership. Council members directed staff to reflect the retained status in the final charter draft and to proceed with publication and explanatory materials for the referendum.

Council members agreed the BET is an important commission and reiterated interest in revisiting the specific language in a future charter process if needed.