7 Questions To Appear On Ballot For Charter Revision In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT ? Fairfield residents will have seven questions to consider for changes to the Town Charter when voters head to the polls on Nov. 4. Early voting starts on Oct. 20.

The Board of Selectmen approved the questions earlier this month, but the Representative Town Meeting is scheduled to vote on descriptions for each of the questions at its Sept. 29 meeting.

"Those descriptions will appear on the November 4, 2025 ballot," First Selectwoman Christine Vitale wrote in a recent email to constituents. "Once approved, the explanations for each question will be featured in the newsletter, social media, the press, town website. Additionally, copies will be provided in town buildings."

The seven questions are:

1. Shall the Town Charter be amended to allow the RTM to retain its own legal counsel upon the affirmative vote of at least 77.5% of the entire membership of the RTM?

2. Shall Sections 1.4, 9.1, 9.28 and 10.12 of the Town Charter be amended to (i.) include the General Manager of the Water Pollution Control Utility as a Charter position with defined responsibilities; and (ii.) clarify the water pollution control function, roles, and responsibilities in the town by including both a Water Pollution Control Utility as a department of the Town and a Water Pollution Control Authority Board of Commissioners?

3. Shall Sections 1.4, 9.1 and 9.14 of the Town Charter be amended to include the position of Chief Operating Officer as a Charter position?

4. Shall the Town Charter be amended to remove requirements to mail and/or publish in a newspaper having general circulation in the Town (unless required by Connecticut General Statutes) notice of meetings, ordinances, and/or final budgets, and to require that such items be posted on the Town?s website?

5. Shall Section 6.3.B of the Town Charter be amended to require that any Selectman appointed pursuant to that section during the first 18 months of the term of office of the Selectman being replaced shall stand for election at the next municipal election to fill the office for the remaining two years?

6. Shall the Town Charter be amended to allow the Town to adopt or change the Town Seal by ordinance?

7. Shall the remaining proposed Charter amendments contained in the Charter Revision Commission?s Final Report, which report was approved by the Board of Selectmen on August 6, 2025, be adopted?

For more information, visit the Charter Revision Commission website.

Fairfield's Town Charter has not been updated since 2006, but an attempt to revise it in 2022 came up short at the ballot box. Instead of multiple questions for voters, that effort had one omnibus question.

First Selectwoman Christine Vitale told Patch that Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the seven ballot questions.

"I encourage residents to visit the Town?s Charter Revision webpage for more information and we will continue to update the public via social media, the Town website and the Town newsletter," Vitale said. "I again thank the Charter Revision Commission, the Board of Selectmen, Town Employees, Elected and Appointed officials, and members of the public who provided feedback throughout the process. The ultimate decision on whether the revisions to the 2006 Charter will move forward now lies in the hands of Fairfield?s voters."

The current Charter Revision Commission was championed by the late First Selectman Bill Gerber in 2024.

"It's been 18 years since we revised the Charter," Gerber told the Representative Town Meeting in May 2024. "As we're all aware, there was an attempt to revise it [in 2022]. A lot of hard work was done, and a lot of money was spent. Ultimately, there was one question, which ended up failing at the ballot box. But there were many things within that question that if they had been broken out, I believe they would have passed."