Norwich — The Charter Revision Commission made no changes to its final recommendations for charter changes Friday, despite requests from the City Council to reconsider decisions on some issues.

The commission held a rare Friday night meeting to make final decisions for a report on recommended charter changes to present to the City Council on May 18.

The council had asked the commission to raise the allowed bonding limit without needing a referendum, to allow four-year council member terms with higher pay and to allow the recommended new position of deputy mayor to be appointed by the council.

Chairman Les King enumerated each of the several items Mayor Deberey Hinchey and the City Council had asked to change, making motions on each to reject any changes in the final recommendations.

The most controversial item discussed during a joint meeting between the charter commission and the City Council on Tuesday was the commission’s stance that the city should keep the $800,000 bonding limit without needing a referendum. The City Council asked that the limit be raised to 1 percent of the previous year's city budget.

Commission member and former Mayor Arthur Lathrop said previous councils had used the $800,000 frequently as incentives to developers, and future developers would expect more if the cap was raised.

Lathrop, who strongly opposes raising the cap, argued Friday that inflation should not be a reason to raise the limit, because while city expenses have risen, residents’ salaries have not. Charter member and former City Manager Richard Podurgiel agreed and said the current cap gives voters direct say in at least some city spending matters. Norwich does not have provisions for budget referendums.

During the Tuesday meeting, aldermen said they favored changing the title of the council president pro tempore to deputy mayor, but they objected to a proposal that the position go to the highest vote getter in the council election. Aldermen preferred allowing the council to choose the deputy mayor.

Lathrop said the position is mostly ceremonial. But he said when the deputy mayor is asked to preside at meetings in the mayor’s absence, the position would hold more merit if the person was the highest vote getter.

Charter member Debra Dickey proposed a compromise that would have allowed the council to appoint the deputy mayor if the highest vote getter did not want the position, but the proposal failed to win support from other commission members.

The commission also affirmed its stance that City Council positions remain at two-year terms with the current $100 per month stipend and that Board of Education terms be changed to staggered four-year terms.

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