New RTM Motion Filed In Fairfield On Parking Authority

FAIRFIELD, CT — A motion has been filed for consideration at the April 28 meeting of the Fairfield Representative Town Meeting that would rescind the RTM's recent decision to dissolve the town's Parking Authority.

The RTM voted on March 31 to dissolve the Parking Authority, a move that has drawn scrutiny and criticism in recent weeks.

Critics of the RTM's decision said it was rushed and lacked transparency, while proponents said dissolving the independent authority would improve efficiency by moving its responsibilities to a Parking Department under town control.

In a recent message to constituents, First Selectman Bill Gerber wrote that the move to dissolve the authority and create a town department was made at his request.

"I have long been concerned about the lack of transparency and efficiency of, lack of oversight over, and level of service provided by the independent Fairfield Parking Authority," Gerber wrote. "As a department, the Town will require far more transparency and oversight and achieve greater efficiencies by drawing on the expertise and resources of many of the relevant Town departments. The Town is better resourced to provide a superior service to users of the train station lots and buildings."

Following the vote, a petition was launched, which was supported by the grassroots group, Fairfielders 4 Good Government, to force a referendum on the decision, but the petition fell short.

A total of 2093 signatures were needed to force the referendum, but 489 were submitted. Of those 489, only 423 were verified, Town Clerk Betsy Browne wrote in an email to Patch.

The motion before the RTM on the 28th reads as follows:

To consider and act upon the following resolution of the Representative Town Meeting of the Town of Fairfield to rescind the RTM’s action on the dissolution of the Parking Authority:

“WHEREAS, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) of the Town of Fairfield took action to approve the dissolution of the Parking Authority; and

WHEREAS, subsequent review has revealed numerous procedural and legal deficiencies that materially affected the transparency, legality, and validity of the process by which this decision was reached; and

WHEREAS, among these deficiencies are the following:

i. Failure to properly notice the February 18, 2025, Supplemental Warning, resulting in inadequate public notice in violation of standard notice procedures;

ii. Improper and incomplete wording of the February 18 Supplemental Warning, which failed to refer the matter to the Legislation & Administration Committee as required under Rule 32 of the RTM Rules of Procedure;

iii. Failure of the RTM to waive Rule 32 at its February 18 meeting, despite the matter being taken up solely by the Legislation & Administration Committee without proper referral or RTM vote to waive;

iv. Improper ruling by the Moderator at the February 18 meeting in declining to suspend the rules to allow discussion of pending items after 11:30 PM, thereby extending discussion without the consensus of the members;

v. Failure of the RTM to Waive Rule 32 at the February 25 meeting, which requires all proposed ordinances to be formally listed on the Warning for two Meetings and discussed by appropriate committees before being discussed at full meeting;

vi. Failure to provide official meeting minutes for the March 24, 2025, RTM public meeting, during which the Parking Authority was discussed until approximately 12:30 AM—beyond Town Code-permitted hours for RTM public meetings and without legal written record of such discussion;

vii. Failure to publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation in Fairfield, as required by the Town Charter, the notice of the RTM’s intent to ACT on the Parking Authority resolution for the March 31st meeting;

viii. Violation of Rule 33, which requires that substantive agenda items modified after publication be held over for one additional meeting—this procedure was not followed;

ix. Failure of the Town Clerk to publish notice of the ordinance change result in a newspaper within seven (7) days, as required;

x. Failure by the Town Clerk to publish the correct deadline for submission of referendum petitions, later requiring a formal correction issued jointly by the Town Clerk and the Town Attorney shortening the time period.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Representative Town Meeting of the Town of Fairfield, in light of the numerous procedural and legal deficiencies enumerated above, hereby rescinds and nullifies its prior vote and decision regarding the dissolution of the Parking Authority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the matter shall be referred back to the Moderator to be sent to committee for proper and lawful consideration, in accordance with the Fairfield Town Charter, RTM Rules of Procedure, and Connecticut Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no further action on this matter shall be taken by the RTM until all legal noticing requirements, procedural safeguards, and rules of order have been fully and transparently observed.”

Kathleen Griffin, an officer of Fairfielders 4 Good Government, said in an email to Patch that the group supports the motion to rescind.

"Doing so will allow time for a more thoughtful, deliberative, and transparent consideration of both the dissolution of the Parking Authority and a replacement for it," Griffin wrote. "Among other concerns, per section § 6.1.G(1) of the Town Charter, the Board of Selectmen has yet to propose a resolution to the RTM requesting the creation of a Parking Department, and the RTM has yet to pass an ordinance to do so. Making that all happen before July 1 would involve yet another expedited process."

Editor's Note: This story was updated to properly reflect the bipartisan RTM vote to dissolve the Parking Authority, and not attribute the filing of a petition against it.