Diana Stricker Photo
The Rules and Ordinances Committee (R&O) on Tuesday night approved the creation of an Arts and Culture Commission, and discovered a long-lost ordinance that provides property tax relief for disabled veterans in Branford.
Also a decision was made to keep the question of the Green Committee becoming a commission on the R&O agenda while the first selectman attempts to negotiate a solution among the parties.
The newest draft of the Arts Commission ordinance eliminates any mention of the commission submitting a budget to the town—a point that had caused concern among several R&O committee members. The revision also gives more oversight to the Board of Selectmen (BOS).
“We’re eliminating questions about budgets,” said Robin Sandler, who chairs the R&O, a committee of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM).
Sandler said the commission will now need authorization from the BOS to enter into contracts or spend money. The revised ordinance stipulates that any money the commission earns through fundraising or grants will be deposited with the town’s Finance Director and disbursed with town approval.
“I’m comfortable with this,” Sandler said with regard to the changes.
“I’m wholeheartedly in favor of it,” said committee member James Walker, a long-time proponent of the commission.
Chris Sullivan made a motion to approve, and the ordinance passed by a 4-1 vote. John Leonard cast the no vote, saying “I remain concerned about this commission.”
At last month’s R&O meeting, Leonard (pictured) said establishing an Arts Commission could lead to complications. “I don’t want the commission to define what art is,” he said, adding that the definition of art could become a legal issue.
The ordinance now goes to the town counsel for review and then to the RTM for a final vote.
“I just want to thank you all for supporting this,” said Frank Carrano, the former chair of the Board of Education. “I think it will be good for the town,” said Carrano, who has been spearheading the proposed commission. “I think we made a good step forward.”
The stated purpose of the commission is it “to stimulate, facilitate, coordinate and cooperate with existing organizations for the development of the arts in the Town of Branford. It shall serve as an information center and focal point in the community for arts and cultural activities.”
Art Wins This Round
Carrano spoke in defense of the Arts Commission at last month’s R&O meeting, when it appeared the ordinance was facing defeat.
RTM member Peter Black, who is not a member of R&O, told the committee last month that the RTM had just completed “arduous budget cuts.” Black said “I don’t see why we need another town commission. I am not in favor of it. If you have a commission, they are going to come asking for money.”
Sandler last month told Carrano about budgetary concerns and suggested that a non-profit arts organization might be better than a commission.
Carrano said it had been over a year since his group started talking about a commission. “What we discovered in talking to artists is that they are not organizers. They want to participate in activities but they are not organized as a group. Why wouldn’t we want to have the town support the arts in a formal organized way?” Carrano asked.
“People have focused almost obsessively on a budget, which we have no interest in.” He said talk of a line item in the budget “has been misunderstood and misrepresented,” he added.
Sandler then suggested removing the section about the budget, and Carrano agreed.
Following last month’s discussion, Walker reminded the R&O that “there were no negative comments by the committee or from the public at the outset. With that (budget) section removed, we will go forward.”
Another change to the ordinance stipulates that the BOS will appoint members to the Branford Arts and Culture Commission. A previous version said that initial recommendations would be made by the founding group, and that subsequent recommendations would originate with the commission itself. Language was also added to state that no more than six of the nine members may be from one political party
When the Arts and Culture Commission was discussed earlier this year, it appeared it would be fast-tracked while a proposal to establish a Public Building Commission was moving more slowly. Click here to read that story.
A lengthy version of the Public Building Commission ordinance was introduced in January, and a slimmed-down version was approved by R&O in late May. The ordinance was approved by the RTM in June, but the Board of Selectmen has not yet appointed any members.
The Lost Tax Relief Ordinance
The R&O has also been looking into establishing an ordinance that would waive property taxes for totally disabled veterans.
However, it seems that action was taken more than 30 years ago.
“We already have this ordinance,” Sandler announced at Tuesday’s R&O meeting. He said research shows it was approved by the RTM on June 8, 1983, and was properly advertised. However, Sandler said it was never put into the town’s code book. He said at least one local veteran has been on the program for many years.
Sandler said the town attorney will look into putting the ordinance in the code book. The committee decided to keep the item on its agenda until the matter is resolved.
The request for the ordinance came from Third Selectman Bruce Storm, who was contacted by a veteran. Sandler said it is fortunate that Storm brought the issue to the town’s attention so that a 30-year oversight can be corrected.
Green Committee/Commission Debate
May Public Hearing
The R&O voted Tuesday to re-refer a request to change the Green Committee into a Green Commission—a proposal that has polarized many town residents and boards. Pictured here is the audience at the May public hearing.
Sandler said that since the hearing, First Selectman James Cosgrove has met with interested parties “to see if they can come up with a working plan” for the Town Green that would be agreeable to all sides.
Ray Ferguson, chair of the Green Committee, told the Eagle this week that the committee is optimistic because of subsequent talks with Cosgrove. He said the committee wants to see what happens with the meetings before making any decisions.
“There’s a better attitude in Town Hall,” Ferguson said in regard to the Green Committee’s concerns.
Ferguson said the committee has not withdrawn its request to form a commission. “We’re not actively pursuing it at the moment, but it doesn’t mean we won’t be in the future,” he said, adding it may be possible to have their concerns resolved in other ways.
Ferguson said it was never the intention of the Green Committee to limit use of the Green. “The decisions about who uses the Green are up to the Selectmen. It always has been and it always will be,” he said.
At the public hearing in May, Town Historian Jane Bouley, a member of the Green Committee, said the group, which has overseen trees and foliage for 13 years, now wants to take on a new title and new responsibilities.
Bouley said in May that there are many groups who currently oversee the Green in some capacity, but it’s a “hodgepodge and mismatch of management. ... There is really no one looking at all the nooks and crannies. No one is really advocating for the Green. And that is what we are proposing.”
At the May meeting Attorney David Minicozzi, a member of the Green Committee who represents the Chamber of Commerce, told the audience that the Chamber voted in support of forming a Green Commission.
However, a formal vote on the issue was not scheduled until the June Chamber of Commerce meeting. Chamber president Ed Lazarus told the Eagle that the item was removed from the Chamber’s agenda in June because the first selectman had met with the parties and was attempting to work out a solution. He said he did not believe the Chamber would take a position.
Norbert Church, who chairs the Town Center Revitalization Review Board, questioned the need for a commission. “The first question is—What is it that is broken that needs to be fixed? The current Green Committee is seeking to have their status elevated from that of being advisers to the Board of Selectman with regard to the flora on the Green, to having full control over who uses the Green,” Church said in May. He said decision-making should stay with the Board of Selectmen, and that maintenance should continue to be handled by the Recreation Department.
DaRos On Green Committee
Former First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos told the Eagle that the Green Committee approached him a number of times about wanting to become a commission while he was in office. “I told them I would not entertain it.” He said the committee waited for a new administration before presenting the idea again. DaRos said he was the one who appointed the Green Committee. Their job was to take care of the trees on the Green, a job they performed well, he said.
DaRos said he feels having another commission would duplicate what already exists with the Town Center Revitalization Review Board. “I don’t believe we should have a commission inside of a commission,” he said.
“I think the Center Revitalization [board] did a very good job of keeping an eye on the Green and on the center of town in general,” DaRos said. He said the Green Committee, while he was in office, wanted to make rules and regulations about who could use the Green. “That is strictly the decision of the Board of Selectmen,” he said.
Cosgrove’s Views
In a recent interview, Cosgrove told the Eagle that he had met recently in his office with members of the Green Committee, and the Town Center Revitalization Review Board, and representatives from the three churches located on the Green. He said at the May public hearing, it was evident there was “a breakdown in communication” among the groups.
He said he feels it is the responsibility of the Board of Selectmen to oversee the events on the Green, as it has been doing for years. He said he is meeting with the groups in an effort to work out their differences and concerns. “I asked that the groups, the stakeholders, to meet quarterly with me. We want communication lines to be kept open.”
When asked by the Eagle about his stance on the Green Committee/Commission issue, Cosgrove he said “I don’t know,” but he repeated that it is the responsibility of the selectmen “to oversee the differences and discuss them.”
Debates over the Green have been ongoing for decades. In 1982, the Town Center Revitalization Plan paved the way for changes, and studies were compiled by the Yale Urban Design Workshop in 2007 and by the Main Street Gateway program in 2008. A consultant developed long-range plans for the Green in 2009, but those plans were shunned during public hearings. Click here to read about the concerns of garden club members back then.
Members of the Green Committee in May disputed claims that a Green Commission would restrict use of the Green or that it would take decisions away from the selectmen.
Marcia Chambers contributed reporting for this story
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