Westport disability commission to absorb ADA Transition Team duties; members agree to recommend disbanding separate committee

The Commission on Disability reached consensus on June 22 to recommend that the select board discontinue the separate ADA Transition Team and have the commission assume its responsibilities for maintaining the town’s ADA transition plan.

Chair Brian Gallagher said the plan exists and the commission is prepared to “subsume” the transition team’s functions, while keeping the work active through periodic reviews and a smaller subcommittee if needed. Commissioners discussed the committee’s history — first created to develop the required transition plan for a municipality of this size — and agreed the technical document is now a “live” resource that the commission should monitor annually and prepare to update near the plan’s five‑year checkpoints.

Why it matters: the ADA transition plan is a required compliance document for local governments with 50 or more employees; keeping the plan current helps the town prioritize accessibility improvements and strengthens grant applications. Members noted the recent update included recommended completion dates and action items; the commission agreed to post the plan on its web page and to audit the 2025 plan’s action items to assess progress.

Key decisions and process: the commission agreed to tell the select board it recommends discontinuing the separate transition committee while retaining the work under the commission’s oversight. Members proposed quarterly or seasonal check‑ins (for example, maintenance‑related items) and a concentrated review in 2028 to prepare for the 2030 update. The commission asked staff to upload the transition plan to the commission’s page and tasked a volunteer member to prepare a list of outstanding action items and deadlines.

Next steps: the chair will inform the select board of the commission’s consensus recommendation. The commission will compile an action‑item spreadsheet to mark completed items and those still requiring attention and will schedule periodic reviews to track progress toward the plan’s deadlines.