Greenwich Selectmen Lower RTM Petition Threshold to 50 Signatures
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of March 12, 2026
Greenwich Selectmen lower RTM petition threshold to 50 signatures after RTM floor debate. The Board of Selectmen, with First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and Selectwoman Rachel Khanna all voting 3-0, accepted an RTM-amended charter change cutting the signature threshold from 20 to 50, down from an initial 350 proposal; RTM Moderator Alexis Voulgaris said the body debated it for "about 90 minutes of passionate conversation." The board also voted 3-0 to advertise the sale of seven town-owned properties acquired through tax foreclosure, pending Planning and Zoning and BET approval, and granted resident Laureen Taylor a 30-day continuance on her ADA appeal. Energy Management Advisory Committee Chair Peter Schweinfurth reported town energy costs reached $9.2 million in fiscal 2025, up 40 percent since 2021, urging a "culture of saving." A resident satisfaction survey of 425 respondents found 69 percent satisfied with town services, per Probolsky Research's Adam Probolsky.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 979 words
Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of March 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
GREENWICH — March 12, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday to accept a Representative Town Meeting-amended charter change lowering the number of signatures needed to place an item before the RTM from 20 to 50, closing out a process the board itself initiated in February.
The board also advanced a second read to sell seven town-owned properties acquired through tax foreclosure, granted a 30-day continuance to a resident's disability-discrimination appeal, and heard warnings from the town's energy watchdog committee that Greenwich's energy costs have climbed 40 percent since 2021 even as consumption has fallen.
The Full Story
First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and Selectwoman Rachel Khanna, all present, opened the meeting by approving minutes from two Feb. 26 sessions before turning to a charter change first proposed by the Board of Selectmen last month. RTM Moderator Alexis Voulgaris told the board that the RTM debated the measure for roughly 90 minutes before settling on a threshold of 50 signatures, well below an initial proposal of 350. Because the RTM amended the item, the board had to approve the revised language before it could be forwarded to Town Clerk Jackie Hudkins for filing with the secretary of state within 15 days.
"We started at 350 and we ended, after about 90 minutes of passionate conversation, at 50," Voulgaris told the board. Rabin made the motion to accept the amendment; Khanna seconded it, and it passed 3-0.
On old business, Attorney Owen Weaver briefed the board on the second read of a plan to advertise the sale of seven properties the town acquired through tax lien foreclosure judgments over the past year and a half. Weaver said the properties must first receive a municipal improvement referral from the Planning and Zoning Commission before any advertisement or request for proposals is drafted; a final sale would also require approval from the Board of Estimate and Taxation. Khanna said she had fielded a question from a local real estate agent about the listings; Weaver said no outside agent would be needed. Resident Peter Alexander asked whether other town-held parcels, such as Caroline Pond, could similarly be sold; officials said that property was not comparable. Rabin's motion to advertise the sale and refer it to Planning and Zoning passed 3-0.
In new business, Town Administrator Kate Buch presented two options for the 2026 outdoor dining season, both with barrier fee increases tied to higher personnel costs, differing mainly in whether the season would end in early October to free up Department of Public Works crews for leaf collection. Camillo said the board would revisit the item in two weeks. Anne Young, interim manager of historic properties for the town, asked the board on behalf of the Historic District Commission to be named study committee to evaluate 341 North Street, known as the Albert C. Hencken House, for local historic designation; that item also awaits a second read.
Energy Management Advisory Committee Chair Peter Schweinfurth presented the committee's annual report, warning that total town energy costs reached $9.2 million in fiscal 2025, up 40 percent from $6.6 million in fiscal 2021, even as overall consumption fell nearly 6 percent over the same period. He recommended the town establish a standing building committee, hire a town energy manager and retain a commissioning agent on major capital projects, citing an unconnected solar array at New Lebanon School as a cautionary example.
"We need a culture of saving," Schweinfurth told the board.
Adam Probolsky of Probolsky Research presented findings from the town's resident satisfaction survey, which drew 425 respondents. He said 69 percent of residents were satisfied with overall town services, with traffic congestion standing out as the lowest-rated area.
"You have really positive strong numbers," Probolsky told the board, while cautioning that a national decline in trust in government was tempering some results.
The board also heard from Assistant Town Attorney Lisa Waller and Commissioner of Human Services Demetria Nelson on an ADA Title II appeal filed by Laureen Taylor over a 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Taylor requested a 30-day continuance, which Town Attorney Barbara Schellenberg advised was within the board's discretion to grant. Rabin's motion to grant the continuance passed 3-0.
Why It Matters
The signature-threshold change makes it easier for residents to force items onto the RTM's agenda, a shift RTM leaders say followed genuine floor debate rather than a top-down decision. The foreclosed-property sales, if ultimately approved, would return seven parcels to private ownership and tax rolls after the town spent roughly 18 months pursuing judgments. And EMAC's report puts a hard number on a growing municipal cost line: without new efficiency investment, the committee warns the town's $9.2 million energy bill will keep climbing regardless of usage cuts, a pressure point for future capital budgets on school and municipal building projects.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of Feb. 26, 2026 regular meeting minutes Tally: For: 3, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 3 - Vote: Approval of Feb. 26, 2026 special meeting minutes Tally: For: 3, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 3 - Vote: Advertise sale of seven foreclosed properties and refer to Planning and Zoning Commission for municipal improvement status Tally: For: 3, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 3 - Vote: Accept RTM-amended charter change setting RTM petition threshold at 50 signatures Tally: For: 3, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 3 - Vote: Grant 30-day continuance on ADA grievance appeal from Laureen Taylor Tally: For: 3, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 3 - Action: Request for approval of 2026 outdoor dining fees — Continued to next Board of Selectmen meeting (first read) - Action: Historic District Commission study committee appointment for 341 North Street — Continued to next Board of Selectmen meeting (first read)
Source
Greenwich Community Television: Board of Selectmen meeting, March 12, 2026