Except as otherwise provided in this Charter,
the legislative body of the Town shall be the Town Meeting with all
the powers conferred by the General Statutes and by this Charter.
Members of the Town Meeting shall be electors
of the Town, and all others entitled to vote at Town Meetings pursuant
to the General Statutes, including a person 18 years of age or older
who owns property listed on the grand list with an assessed value
of $1,000 or more per person.
The Annual Town Meeting shall be held on the
third Tuesday in January each year, unless changed by a vote of a
Town Meeting. The Annual Town Report shall be presented for discussion
at this meeting. Each board chairman shall assign at least one of
its members to be present at this meeting, ready to discuss that board's
activities and concerns.
(a)
The Annual Budget Meeting shall be a Town Meeting
for the consideration of the annual budget and shall be held on the
third Wednesday in May of each year. Adoption of the annual budget
shall be by majority vote of those qualified to vote present and voting.
Notwithstanding the provision of Section 3-6 of this Charter, the
procedure to be followed in preparing and submitting the budget for
the Annual Meeting shall be as prescribed by Section 9-3 of this Charter.
The Meeting shall have the power to decrease or delete any appropriation
or item in any appropriation, but it may not increase or add to any
appropriation or item in an appropriation or make any appropriation
for a purpose not recommended by the Board of Finance, except as otherwise
provided for in Section 7-34b of the Connecticut General Statutes
and Article XIX of the amendments to the Constitution of the State
of Connecticut.
[Revised 12-5-2002]
(b)
Special Town Meetings may be called from time to time
by the Board of Selectmen and as required by Sections 3-7(e) and 3-8(b)
of this Charter.
[Revised 12-5-2002]
Legal notice of all Town Meetings shall be advertised
in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town, and a copy
of this notice shall be posted on the exterior bulletin board at the
Town Office Building, and at the office of the Town Clerk, at least
five days prior to the date of the meeting. It shall be typewritten
or printed and must contain place, date and hour of the meeting and
list all articles to be acted upon. Before or on the date of the meeting,
the Selectmen shall cause a copy of the notice, along with the Return
of Notice, to be filed with the Town Clerk, and the Town Clerk shall
cause such copy and Return to be recorded in the Town Meeting Record
Book.
(a)
The First Selectman or his representative shall call
the Town Meeting to order, and the first action of the Town Meeting
shall be to choose a moderator. All business shall be conducted as
provided by Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, as amended.
(b)
The Town Clerk or Assistant Clerk shall serve as clerk
of the Town Meeting. In their absence, a clerk shall be chosen by
an action of the Town Meeting. Action of all Town Meetings shall be
by majority of qualified voters present and voting pursuant to Section
7-6 of the General Statutes and as amended.
(c)
The regular written minutes of the Town Meeting shall
be taken by the clerk and recorded in the Town Meeting Record Book,
and as otherwise provided by state statutes.
(a)
The Town Meeting shall have the sole power to enact
or repeal ordinances, except as provided in Section 6-4(b) of this
Charter.
(b)
In addition to such acts of the Town Meeting as are
required by the General Statutes or by other provisions of this Charter
to be by ordinance, every act creating, altering or abolishing any
agency or board or authorizing the borrowing of money to be secured
by bonds or notes of the Town, except as provided in Section 9-6 of
this Charter, establishing any rule or regulation for the violation
of which a penalty is imposed, or placing any burden upon or limiting
the use of private property, except as provided in Section 4-13 of
this Charter, shall be by ordinance.
(c)
Every ordinance, except the annual budget ordinance,
a bond ordinance and an ordinance making a general codification of
ordinances, shall be confined to a single subject which shall be clearly
expressed in its title. All ordinances which shall amend or repeal
existing ordinances shall set forth in full the section or subsection
to be amended or repealed and, if it is to be amended, shall indicate
matter to be omitted from the revised section or subsection by enclosing
the same in brackets or striking through said text and new matter
by underscoring. When published prior to enactment in a newspaper
or otherwise, the same indications of omitted and new matter shall
be used, except that italics may be substituted for underscoring.
The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be: "Be it ordained by
the Town Meeting of the Town of Haddam."
[Revised 12-5-2002]
(d)
An ordinance enactment or repeal may be initiated
by the Board of Selectmen by filing the complete text of such proposed
ordinance with the Town Clerk.
(e)
An ordinance enactment or repeal may be initiated
by a petition of at least 50 persons entitled to vote at a Town Meeting.
Such petition shall conform to the requirements of Section 7-9 of
the General Statutes and shall contain the personal signatures, printed
names and addresses of said persons, and shall contain the intent
of such proposed ordinance, and shall be filed with the Town Clerk.
If the petition complies with this subsection, then the Town Clerk
shall notify the Board of Selectmen of such proposed ordinance within
two business days after the receipt of such petition.
(f)
The Board of Selectmen shall hold a public hearing
on the proposed ordinance within 30 days after the Selectmen's proposal
was filed with the Town Clerk or within 30 days after the petition
was received from the Town Clerk. The Board of Selectmen shall give
seven days' notice of the hearing by publication of the proposed ordinance
in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town.
(g)
Within 15 days after the hearing, there shall be a
Special Town Meeting at which the proposed ordinance will be considered.
The Selectmen shall call said meeting pursuant to Section 3-4(b) of
this Charter. The call shall state the proposed ordinance in full
and shall provide for a yes or no vote. Such ordinance shall be published
in a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town within 10
days of its passage. Unless otherwise provided in the ordinance, such
ordinance shall become effective 15 days after the publication thereof.
(h)
Any such ordinance proposed by petition shall be submitted
for review to the Town Attorney before publication. The Town Attorney
may make any necessary corrections to insure accuracy but may not
make any changes in the meaning or intent of the ordinance.
(a)
The Board of Selectmen may call a Special Town Meeting
to enact resolutions at any time in the discharge of their duties.
(b)
No less than 50 persons entitled to vote at a Town
Meeting may petition over their personal signatures for the enactment
of any proposed lawful resolution by filing such petition, including
the complete text of such proposed resolution and the printed names
and addresses of said person, with the Town Clerk. Said petition shall
also conform to the requirements of Section 7-9 of the General Statutes.
If the petition complies with the foregoing, then the Town Clerk shall
notify the Board of Selectmen of such proposed resolution within two
business days after the receipt of such petition. If the subject of
the resolution is a proper one for action at a Town Meeting, the Board
of Selectmen shall call a Special Town Meeting to be held within 30
days after the receipt of such petition from the Town Clerk. Said
call shall be made pursuant to Section 3-4(b) and shall state the
proposed resolution in full. The Board of Selectmen may add other
matters to the call of the meeting, but the resolution shall come
first in the meeting. Said resolution shall become effective at passage
unless the resolution provides otherwise.
(c)
Any such resolution proposed by petition shall be
submitted for review to the Town Attorney pursuant to Section 3-7(h).
The acceptance and abandonment of roads by the
Town, the sale or other disposition of real estate of the Town used
or reserved for Town purposes and the purchase or other acquisition
of real estate for such purpose shall require approval of Town Meeting.
The sale of real estate not used or reserved for Town purposes shall
be in accordance with an ordinance adopted by Town Meeting.
