A.
Appointment. The Town Council shall appoint for an
indefinite term a Town Manager who shall be the chief executive officer
of the Town to serve at the pleasure of the Council and who shall
be chosen exclusively on the basis of executive and administrative
qualifications, character, education, training and experience. At
the time of appointment, said Manager need not be a resident of the
Town or of the state of Connecticut, but the Town Manager shall reside
in the Town during tenure of office. The Town Manager shall devote
full working time to the duties of the office. The compensation of
the Town Manager shall be fixed by the Council and shall not be decreased
except at the beginning of a fiscal year of the Town by a vote of
the Council taken at least one month prior to that date.
B.
Removal.
(1)
The Town Manager may be removed by a majority vote
of the entire membership of the Council as herein provided. At least
30 days before the proposed removal of the Manager, the Council shall
adopt a resolution stating its intention to remove the Town Manager
and the reasons therefor. A copy of the resolution shall be served
on the Manager who may, within 10 days, demand a public hearing. In
this event the Manager shall not be removed until such public hearing
has been held. Upon the passage of such a resolution the Council may
suspend said Town Manager from duty, provided that the salary of said
Manager shall continue until removal from office. Any action of the
Council in removing the Town Manager shall be final.
(2)
Upon the suspension, removal or resignation of the Town Manager, the Council may appoint a temporary Manager, who shall be a qualified administrative officer of the Town, to serve at the pleasure of the Council for not more than 90 days. The temporary Manager shall have none of the powers of permanent appointment as are conferred upon the Manager in § C503 of this article.
A.
The Town Manager shall be responsible to the Council
for the supervision, direction and administration of all departments,
agencies and offices.
B.
The Town Manager shall:
(1)
Ensure that all laws and ordinances governing the
Town are faithfully executed.
(2)
Make periodic reports to the Council.
(3)
Attend Council meetings with full right of participation
in its discussions but without a right to vote.
(4)
Submit to the Town Council and make available to the
public complete reports on the finances and on the administrative
activities of the Town as of the end of each fiscal year.
(5)
Make recommendations to the Town Council concerning
the affairs of the Town and facilitate the work of the Town Council
in developing policy.
(6)
Keep the Council fully advised as to the financial
condition and anticipated future financial needs of the Town.
(7)
Prepare and submit to the Council an annual budget.
(8)
At the time of an emergency or disaster, expend the necessary funds to assure the smooth operation of Town business and the health, safety and well-being of the Town and its residents, consistent with this Charter; see § C409.
(9)
Assist the Council to develop long-term goals for
the Town and strategies to implement such goals.
(10)
Encourage and provide staff support for regional and
intergovernmental cooperation.
(11)
Promote partnerships among Council, staff and citizens
in developing public policy and building a sense of community.
(12)
Exercise such powers and perform such other duties
as may be required by ordinance or resolution of the Council not inconsistent
with this Charter.
The Town Manager shall appoint, and may remove,
all department directors and employees of the Town except as otherwise
specifically provided by this Charter or the C.G.S. The Town Manager
may, subject to the approval of the Council, perform the duties of
any such office except those of the Town Treasurer and Town Clerk,
provided that, in case the Town Treasurer is absent or unable to act,
the Town Manager may countersign checks in accordance with the provisions
of § C505 of this Charter. The Town Manager may designate
an appointee to serve as acting Manager during the Manager's absence.
In addition to those administrative departments, agencies and offices established by this Charter, as set forth in § C303B, the Town Council shall establish by ordinance various administrative departments, agencies and offices responsible for public services. Such departments, agencies and offices shall, except as otherwise provided in this Charter, have the powers and duties prescribed by law and by ordinance or resolution of said Council. The department directors shall have the power to appoint and remove such deputies, assistants and employees as shall be deemed necessary, with approval of the Town Manager and pursuant to the personnel provisions of Article VI of this Charter. The directors shall be responsible for the efficient discharge of the responsibilities of their departments, agencies and offices. The directors may delegate a part of the administrative duties of the department, agency or office to any appointee.
The Town Clerk shall have all powers and duties
conferred or imposed by law on Town Clerks, shall serve as Clerk of
the Council and shall have such other duties as are prescribed in
this Charter or are assigned by the Manager or the Council. All fees
collected by the Town Clerk or deputies or assistants shall be paid
into the Town Treasury.
A.
B.
Accounts shall be kept by the Department of Finance
showing the financial transactions for all departments and agencies
of the Town. Forms for such accounts shall be prescribed by the Director
of Finance with the approval of the Town Manager. Financial reports
shall be prepared for each quarter and for each fiscal year and for
such other periods as may be required by the Town Manager or Town
Council.
(1)
Organization.
(a)
The Director of Finance shall have direct supervision
over the Department of Finance and the administration of the financial
affairs of the Town. Subject to the approval of the Manager, the Director
of Finance may perform the duties of any office within the Finance
Department except that of the Treasurer, and may consolidate one or
more such offices under one person, provided that the Town Treasurer
shall not also be the Tax Collector or the purchasing agent.
(b)
The Tax Collector, Assessor and Treasurer shall
have all powers and duties imposed by law on such officers and shall
have such other powers and duties as the Director may prescribe.
(c)
Purchasing. The Town Council shall establish,
by ordinance, procedures regarding the procurement of goods and services.
(d)
Nothing herein shall prevent the creation of
petty cash funds in individual departments from which small expenditures
may be made under rules promulgated by the Director of Finance as
to amounts, audits, evidence of expenditure and system for replenishment.
(2)
Assessment and collection of taxes. Except as specifically
provided in this Charter, the assessment of property for taxation,
the billing and collection of taxes shall be performed as provided
in the C.G.S.
(3)
Expenditures and accounting.
(a)
No purchase shall be made by any department,
board, commission or officer of the Town other than the Board of Education,
except through the purchasing agent.
(b)
No vouchers, claim or charge against the Town
shall be paid until the same has been audited and approved by the
Director of Finance or an agent for correctness and validity. Payment
of all approved claims shall be authorized by the Director of Finance
which authorization shall be valid when countersigned by the Treasurer,
provided that, in the absence or inability to act of either the Director
of Finance or Treasurer, the Manager may be authorized to substitute
temporarily for either but not both of them.
(c)
The Director of Finance shall prescribe the
time at which and the manner in which persons receiving money on account
of the Town shall pay the same to the Town Treasurer.
(d)
The several departments, commissions, officers
and boards of the Town shall not involve the Town in any obligation
to spend money for any purpose in excess of the amount appropriated
therefor unless the matter has been approved by the Council. Each
order drawn upon the Treasurer shall state the department, commission,
board or officer and the appropriation against which it is to be charged.
(e)
Except as otherwise provided in § C406, additional appropriations over and above the total budget may be made from time to time by resolution of the Council, upon recommendation of the Manager and certification from the Director of Finance that there are available unappropriated general fund or other resources in excess of the proposed additional appropriations.
(f)
Appropriations for construction or for other
permanent improvements, from whatever source derived, shall not lapse
until the purpose for which the appropriation was made shall have
been accomplished or abandoned. Any such project shall be deemed to
have been abandoned if three fiscal years shall elapse without any
expenditure from or encumbrance of the appropriation. Any portion
of an annual appropriation remaining unexpended and unencumbered at
the close of the budget year shall lapse.
(g)
Every payment made in violation of the provisions
of this Charter shall be deemed illegal and every official authorizing
or making such payment or taking part therein and every person receiving
such payment or any part thereof shall be jointly and severally liable
to the Town for the full amount so paid or received. If any officer
or employee of the Town shall knowingly incur any obligation or shall
authorize or make any expenditure in violation of the provisions of
this Charter or take any part therein, such action shall be cause
for removal.
A.
The Town Manager, Town Clerk, Director of Finance,
Treasurer, Tax Collector, Director of Public Works, Building Official
and such other officers and employees as may be required to do so
by the Council shall, before entering on their respective official
duties, execute to the Town, in the form prescribed by the Council
and approved by the Town Attorney, and file with the Town Clerk, a
surety company bond in a penal sum to be fixed by the Council, conditioned
upon honesty and/or the faithful performance of such official duties.
B.
Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the Council,
if it deems it to be in the best interests of the Town, from prescribing
a name schedule bond, schedule position bond or blanket bond, or from
prescribing which departments, offices, agencies, boards or commissions
shall be covered by a specific type of the aforementioned bonds. Premiums
for such bonds shall be paid by the Town.
Salaries of the Town Clerk, all directors and
all employees in the classified service of the Town shall be determined
by the Council, in conformity with a systematic pay plan for the positions
involved, upon recommendation of the Manager, provided that nothing
herein shall be construed to limit the power of the Board of Education
to fix the compensation of the employees of the school system.
