From: Milton David Schroeder Jr Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 8:34 PM To: Carmen Garcia Irizarry; Jessica Michaud Subject: Possible Research Topic for the Ad Hoc Committee Dear Chairwoman Garcia-Irizarry, I've been thinking about one of the points Mr. Capon raised regarding the relatively small number of Connecticut municipalities that continue to operate with separate Planning and Zoning Commissions. An interesting question occurred to me. Rather than asking why so many municipalities have combined their commissions, perhaps it would be equally worthwhile to ask why a number of municipalities have chosen to retain separate commissions after all these years. What advantages have they found in maintaining that structure, and what lessons might they be able to share with us as we conduct our own evaluation? With that in mind, I wondered whether it might be worthwhile to contact the Planning Commissions in the municipalities Mr. Capon mentioned—East Lyme, Stamford, Danbury, Bristol, and Roxbury—to ask whether they would be willing to share their experiences and perspectives on maintaining separate commissions. I also recall that you mentioned possibly speaking with someone from Stonington, which could provide another useful point of comparison. Before pursuing this, however, I wanted to ask whether you think this would be a productive avenue of inquiry and consistent with the Committee's work. If so, my initial thought was to begin by sending a brief letter addressed to each Planning Commission, care of the Town Planner, explaining our Committee's charge and asking whether they would be willing to share any observations or recommendations. My guess is that a written response may not always be practical, so I would likely follow up with a phone call to the Town Planner to see whether they could put me in contact with the Chair of the Planning Commission or another appropriate representative. Do you think this would be a reasonable approach, or would you suggest another method that might be more likely to produce useful information? I'd appreciate your thoughts. Sincerely, Dave Schroeder