Chapter 4 - The Board of Selectmen

Section 4-1 - The Board of Selectmen

There shall be a Board of Selectmen as provided in chapter 3, Section 3-4 of this Charter.

Section 4-2 - The First Selectman

The First Selectman shall be chairman of the Board of Selectmen and shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Selectmen. He shall be an ex-officio member, without vote, of all other Town boards, commissions and committees. He shall be the official head of the Town for all ceremonial and military purposes. In the absence of the Town Manager, he shall exercise the authority and perform all the duties of the Town Manager for a period not to exceed 90 consecutive days, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Charter. During his absence or disability his duties shall be performed by another member of the Board of Selectmen chosen by the members of such board, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Charter.

Section 4-3 - Board of Selectmen’s General Powers & Duties

Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the Board of Selectmen shall have the powers and duties conferred by the general and special laws of the state upon the Board of Selectmen of the Town. Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the legislative power of the Town shall be vested in the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen shall have the power to enact, amend or repeal ordinances and resolutions not inconsistent with this Charter or the general statutes of the state providing for the preservation of good order, peace, health and safety of the Town and its inhabitants; create or abolish by ordinance boards, commissions, departments or offices except those provided for in this Charter; and establish by resolution such study, advisory or consulting committees as the Board may determine to be necessary or appropriate for the general welfare of the Town. The Board of Selectmen is authorized in adopting ordinances to incorporate any nationally recognized code, rules and regulations that have been printed in book form, or any code officially adopted by any administrative agency of the state, or any portion thereof, by reference thereto in such ordinance; provided, upon adoption of any such ordinance wherein any such code, rules and regulations or portions thereof have been incorporated by reference, there shall be maintained two copies of such code, rules and regulations in the office of the Town Clerk for examination by the public. The Board of Selectmen may contract for service and the use of facilities of the United States or any federal agency, the State of Connecticut and any political sub-division thereof, or may, by agreement, join with such political subdivisions to provide services and facilities. The Board of Selectmen shall consider and endorse a plan of development in accordance with general statutes.

Section 4-4 - Procedure

The Board of Selectmen shall fix the time and place of its regular meetings and provide a method for the calling of special meetings. It shall determine its own rules of procedure. Three members shall constitute a quorum; however, no motion, ordinance, resolution or otherwise, except to adjourn or to fix the time and place of its meeting, shall be adopted by less than three affirmative votes.

Section 4-5 - Public Hearing on Ordinances

At least one public hearing, ten day notice of which shall be given by publication in a newspaper having a circulation in the Town, and by posting in a public place or places as the Board of Selectmen shall prescribe, shall be held by the Board of Selectmen before any ordinance shall be passed. The passage of such ordinance shall be advertised in one or more newspapers having a circulation in the Town and shall not become effective until twenty days after such publication; provided, an ordinance stated to be a public emergency measure and stating the facts constituting such public emergency shall become effective immediately after publication and no public hearing or notice of public hearing shall be required for any public emergency ordinance. Every public emergency ordinance including any amendments thereto, shall automatically stand repealed at the termination of the sixty-first day following final passage of such ordinance. All ordinances shall be filed with the Town Clerk and recorded, compiled and published by the Town Clerk as required by law.

Section 4-6 - Petition for Overrule of Action by the Board of Selectmen

Ordinances, resolutions or votes of the Board of Selectmen shall be subject to overrule in accordance with the provisions of this section. However, this Section 4-6 shall not apply to emergency ordinances, actions making appointments or removals, or regulating exclusively the internal procedure of the Board of Selectmen.
If within forty-five days after the publication of any ordinance, resolution or vote, a petition signed by not less than ten percent of the electors of the Town, as determined from the latest election official lists of the registrars of voters, is filed with the Town Clerk requesting its reference to a special Town meeting, the effective date of such ordinance, resolution or vote shall be suspended and the Board of Selectmen shall fix the time and place of such meeting, which shall be held within twenty days after the filing of the petition, and notice thereof shall be given in the manner provided by the general statutes for the calling of a special Town meeting. An ordinance, resolution or vote so referred shall take effect upon the conclusion of such meeting unless at least 100 voters constituting a majority of those voting shall have voted in favor of overruling.

Section 4-7 - Coordination

The Board of Selectmen may, at its discretion, convene any or all Town officials, boards, commissions or committees to review, plan or coordinate activities and operations of Town government, and may require reports to be submitted to it from all appointed boards and commissions. At any such meeting the electors and taxpayers of the Town may submit suggestions and comments for consideration by the appropriate official, board, commission or committee.