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William Arnone and the rest of Mayor Michael Pavias Task Force on Governance announced their recommendations to disband or merge the Urban Redevelopment Commission and nine other commissions or boards in Stamford.
You have to make your case to me so I can make a case to the task force, Arnone said he told Christopher Kip Bergstrom, executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Commission.
Bergstrom came back with four points to defend the commission and the work it does. But after reviewing the facts, Arnone said he believed the commission was unnecessary to the future of Stamford. The task force agreed with him and supported its disbandment.
Besides the Urban Redevelopment Commission, the other groups slated to disband are the Economic Development Commission, Creative Housing Partnership, Municipal Building Board of Appeals, Southwestern Regional Tourism District and the Water Pollution Control Commission. The groups were slated to disband for several reasons: if other boards cover their responsibilities, inactivity, or if their original purpose had been fulfilled or is no longer required.
The four merged agencies are the Alarm Appeals Board joining with the Police Commission; the Commission on Aging going with the Social Services Commission; the Personnel Appeals Board tacking onto the Personnel Commission; and the Shellfish Commission becoming part of the Health Department. In most cases, the commissions were already doing the work of the other boards, said Jack Condlin, chairman of the task force.
The task force was put together in September to streamline the citys government to assure that each board is necessary to public safety and public service. The task force then investigated all 40 boards and commissions in the city to see what could be disband or merged with another board.
The task force's recommendations went to Pavia, who will review them and pass along his recommendations to Stamfords Board of Representatives for a final vote.
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