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.
A. 
On a declaration by the First Selectman that a state of public emergency exists threatening the lives, health, or property of citizens, the Board of Selectmen may enact ordinances to meet such emergency without complying with the Town Meeting, publication, and hearing requirements of this chapter.
B. 
Emergency ordinances shall be so designated. Emergency ordinances may be made effective on such publication as the Board of Selectmen determines to be reasonable under the circumstances. Emergency ordinances may be overruled by Town Meetings without a time limit on the making of applications for a Town Meeting to overrule an enactment.
C. 
Emergency ordinances shall remain effective until overruled or until the First Selectman declares in writing that the state of public emergency has ended. On the occurrence of either event, emergency ordinances shall no longer have any force or effect. In the absence of any terminating action, a public emergency ordinance automatically expires 60 days following its enactment.