Groton — The Town Council voted Tuesday to recommend big changes in the local government structure.

The recommendation of Groton's nine-member policy-setting board was that the Charter Revision Commission’s final report include provisions to eliminate Representative Town Meeting, create a Board of Finance and hold an annual budget referendum.

Councilors also voted to recommend that the budget referendum require a voter turnout of 15 percent, and that Board of Finance members be elected by district.

“I think the RTM is broke,” Councilor Bonnie Nault said.

At many meetings, the 41-member body doesn’t have a quorum of more than half its members.

But Councilor Deborah Peruzzotti said she has yet to be convinced.

“There’s a perception out there that this referendum is going to solve all the problems of the world, that our taxes are miraculously going to go down because every citizen will have a choice to vote, and that is not necessarily true,” she said.

The Charter Revision Commission will consider the council’s recommendations, but does not have to approve them before submitting a final report. Once the report is submitted to the Town Council, the council will decide whether to send it to voters at referendum for a vote. The council may not change the final commission report.

Councilors recommended several other changes to the commission’s suggestions. The council suggested that town council terms remain two years and all turn over at once. The charter revision commission had recommended four-year, staggered terms. Councilors also recommended that the town clerk’s position, which is now elected, become an appointed position.

In 70 percent of Connecticut municipalities, town clerks are elected, Groton Town Clerk Betsy Moukawsher said.

The council was split as to whether the budget referendum should have a trigger, such as a 2 percent increase in the tax to be levied, before kicking in. Councilors voted 4-4 on that provision, so it failed. Councilors also suggested the commission review the budget timeline to give the town as much time as possible to learn about state revenue before voting on the local budget.

The council recommended against changing the charter to allow non-resident taxpayers to vote in budget referendums. Councilors said they’d like to allow this, but they cannot for legal reasons. A charter provision previously allowed non-resident taxpayers to vote on bonding questions, but that provision was removed.

Once the provision is removed, it cannot legally be put back into the charter, Town Attorney Eileen Duggan said.