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Charter Revision Committee Progress Report
By Marie Soliani, Torrington
 | | Marie Soliani, Torrington. |
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Torrington City Councilwoman Marie Soliani is Vice-Chairperson of the Charter Revision Committee.
The Charter Revision Committee was appointed in April 2000 and charged with reviewing the current charter and making recommendations to the Mayor, City Council and the people of Torrington regarding the Charter's effectiveness in today's environment.
The Torrington Charter was drafted in 1949. Other than minor changes and being updated according to state statutes, the Charter has remained as written for the last 52 years. This is the first Charter Revision Committee seated, having the ambition, energy and resolve to look at the complete Charter and assess its relevance and applicability today.
Much of the language in the Charter is too detailed and in much need of being revised and condensed. There are many antiquated and outdated jobs in our Charter, which include specific and detailed job descriptions of each position, some of which are no longer applicable. Many of the jobs identified in the Charter now fall under labor union jurisdiction. Such references are obsolete and need to be removed. For example, some of the duties included in these job descriptions are no longer necessary, but because the tasks are specifically cited in the Charter, they cannot be deleted. This costs the city time and money.
The most ambitious piece being considered for revision is the restructuring of the City Finance Department. Although the City Council and Mayor do not need a Charter change for the hiring of a Finance Director, many of the duties and responsibilities of the Comptroller, as identified in the Charter, are what would be included in the Finance Director's job description.
Because the revisions being reviewed are extensive, we need to move cautiously and thoughtfully. The committee needs to investigate every avenue to be sure any changes that we finally recommend are not in violation of any state statues.
Although the recommendations of this committee seem to be a long time coming, the committee is determined to come before the City Council and the people of Torrington with a revised Charter that will stand the test of time and bring us into the 21st century. We hope to give all of us a document that is less cumbersome, more efficient, and which will have a positive impact on the creativity, productivity and cost-effectiveness of all who work for the City of Torrington.
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