Part 1: How East Hampton’s Government Is Organized
Before you can hold your town accountable, you need to know who is actually making the decisions.
Connecticut has some of the strongest open government laws in the country, according to its second position ranking by the Center of Public Integrity. East Hampton’s town website, which was recently updated, includes a variety of tools to assist residents. However, at all levels of government, sometimes things go awry – a decision gets made without adequate public notice, a record gets withheld, a meeting is closed without legal justification – there are options for holding public officials accountable.
This is the first in a multi-part series explaining your rights in plain language. No legal background required.
The Council-Manager Structure
East Hampton uses a Council-Manager form of government. Residents elect a seven-member Town Council, which sets overall policy and hires a professional Town Manager to handle day-to-day operations. The Town Manager, currently David Cox, oversees the town’s departments and carries out the council’s direction. The Town Council appoints the members of most town boards and commissions. The Town Manager handles the hiring process for all town employees, with the council approving those job descriptions and occasionally approving the hires initially selected by the manager.
Residents directly elect members of the Town Council, the Board of Education, and the Board of Finance. Everything else (i.e. Zoning and Planning Committee, Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA), Conservation-Lake Commission) is comprised of appointed volunteers.
Why the Appointed Boards Matter as Much as the Council
Many of the decisions that affect daily life in East Hampton do not come from the Town Council, they come from appointed boards. Zoning decisions about what can be built near your house come from the Planning and Zoning Commission, which derives its authority via state statutes. Decisions about your sewer bill or whether a new sewer line runs through your neighborhood come from the Water Pollution Control Authority, however recent events may allow the council to have more oversight of WPCS decisions. Decisions about whether a wetland near your property can be disturbed come from the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency.
Every one of those bodies holds public meetings. Every one of them is required by Connecticut law to keep public records and every resident of East Hampton has the right to attend their meetings, speak at them if there is a public comment section in the agenda, and read what they have decided.
Below you’ll find information on 10 public agencies in East Hampton:
| BODY | MEETS | WHAT IT DOES | HOW TO FIND RECORDS |
| Town Council | Tuesdays, twice monthly | Sets policy, approves budget, appoints boards and commissions | Click Here |
| Board of Finance | Monthly, plus budget season | Reviews and recommends the annual budget to voters | Click Here |
| Board of Education | Twice monthly | Oversees public schools and the school district budget | Click Here |
| Planning & Zoning Commission | Monthly, plus public hearings | Approves subdivisions, special permits, and zoning changes | Click Here |
| Board of Assessment Appeals | Monthly | Hears appeals of zoning decisions and grants variances | Click Here |
| Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) | Monthly | Manages sewer and water systems and sets sewer rates | Click Here |
| Inland Wetlands & Watercourse Agency | Monthly | Reviews activities near wetlands and watercourses | Click Here |
| Conservation-Lake Commission | Monthly | Manages Lake Pocotopaug and the watershed health | Click Here |
| Commission on Aging | Monthly | Advises on senior services and programs | Click Here |
| Housing Authority | Monthly | Oversees affordable housing inventory and policy | Click Here |
In addition to the bodies mentioned above, the town has 22 other agencies that handle a variety of public services, including the America 250 Committee, the Arts & Culture Commission, the Economic Development Commission, and others. To view these meeting agendas and minutes, visit this page, click on the “Select a Category” dropdown menu on the left, uncheck “All Categories” on the left, which is checked by default, then select the public agency that you are looking for.