With the exception of emergency ordinances covered under Section
806, any Town Meeting shall have the legislative power to enact ordinances
consistent with the Connecticut General Statutes and this Charter
on any matter which the Connecticut General Statutes or this Charter
authorizes to be legislated by ordinance, and in general for preservation
of the good order, health, welfare and safety of the Town and its
inhabitants. Any enactment which provides a penalty shall be in the
form of an ordinance. Enact, or enactment, as used in this section,
includes the adoption, amendment or repeal of an ordinance.
An ordinance enactment may be initiated by a member of the Board
of Selectmen or by a petition signed by at least 50 electors of the
Town. The Board of Selectmen shall within 35 days after the proposed
ordinance has been initiated hold at least one public hearing on it.
Not more than 10 days nor less than seven days' notice of the
hearing shall be given by publication of the proposed ordinance in
a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town and by making
copies available at the Town Office Building.
After publication and hearing (or hearings) the Board of Selectmen
shall refer the proposed ordinance enactment, or amended version thereof,
to Town Meeting, after which the Town Meeting shall proceed in accordance
with Section 805 of this Charter.
If the Town Meeting votes to enact a proposed ordinance, the
ordinance as enacted shall be published within 10 days in a newspaper
having a general circulation in the Town and filed with the Town Clerk,
who shall record it in a book kept for that purpose. If the Town Meeting
votes to reject the proposed ordinance, the fact of such rejection
shall be similarly published and filed. An enactment may not become
effective earlier than 15 days after publication.
When the Board of Selectmen refers a proposed ordinance enactment
in accordance with Section 803, by vote of Town Meeting the proposed
ordinance may be rejected, adopted, or amended and adopted, by majority
vote, and shall, if adopted, become effective on a date set by the
meeting; but not until it has been published in a newspaper having
a general circulation in the Town. The Town Clerk shall promptly record
the ordinance in a book kept for that purpose.