The Town officers shall be three Selectmen, a Treasurer, two
Registrars of Voters, a Town Clerk and 12 members of the Town Council,
all of whom shall be elected at the biennial Town elections, together
with an Assessor, a Tax Collector and the members of each of the various
Town boards, commissions and committees of the Town. Provisions in
this Charter prohibiting any Town officer from holding any other office
of trust or emolument shall not be construed to prohibit service on
committees of the Town government or on charter revision commissions
or other extraordinary, ad-hoc commissions. The Treasurer shall have
and exercise the powers and duties conferred and imposed by law on
town treasurers. The Treasurer shall exercise the functions of the
agent of public funds.
The biennial elections of the Town of New Canaan shall be held
on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November in the
odd-numbered years, except that the election of Registrars of Voters
shall be held in the even-numbered years.
There shall be a minority representation on all boards, commissions,
committees or similar bodies, whether elective or appointive, in accordance
with the General Statute § 9-167a.
Every elected Town officer, member of the Town Council and every
member of any other board or commission shall be an elector of the
Town, and if for any reason such person ceases to be an elector of
the Town, he or she shall thereupon cease to hold office or to be
such member and such office or membership shall be deemed vacant.
Members of appointed committees need not be electors or residents
of the Town.
This Charter shall not alter the manner of election nor the
date thereof, nor the term of office of any elected officer of the
Town, nor the method of appointment or term of office of any member
of the Town Council or of any Town board, commission or committee,
whether or not such manner of election, date thereof, term of office
or method of appointment was established under any previous Charter
or by any bylaw or ordinance of the Town unless the same shall be
changed by the provisions of this Charter.
Each elected or appointed officer or member of the Town Council
or member of any board, commission or committee shall, before entering
upon the performance of the duties as such officer or member, take
the oath of office prescribed by law and file the same with the Town
Clerk.
Each duly qualified Town officer, member of the Town Council
and member of other boards, commissions or committees of the Town
in office on the effective date of this Charter shall continue in
office until the expiration of the term for which he or she was elected
or appointed and until his or her successor shall be appointed or
elected and shall have qualified.
Any appointed officers or members of any appointed board, commission
or committee may be removed for cause prior to the expiration of their
respective terms by unanimous vote of the Board of Selectmen.
Failure of an appointed member to attend three successive meetings
of his or her respective board, commission or committee, without adequate
excuse, shall be a cause for removal by unanimous vote of the Board
of Selectmen.
Any action which might have been taken at any meeting of the
Board of Selectmen, the Town Council or of any board, commission or
committee on the date for which such meeting was duly called may be
taken with the same force and effect at any adjourned meeting thereof.
Each board, commission or committee shall hold such regular
meetings as it shall determine and may hold such other meetings as
are called by its Chairman or by its Secretary on the written request
of any two members thereof. Notice for all regular, special, or emergency
meetings shall be provided in accordance with the Freedom of Information
Act.
Whenever any meeting of the Board of Selectmen, the Town Council
or of a board, commission or committee shall have been duly called
and no quorum shall be present, the First Selectman, in the case of
the Board of Selectmen and the Chairman or Chairman pro tempore of
the Town Council or of such board, commission or committee in other
cases, may adjourn the meeting in accordance with the Freedom of Information
Act. Unless otherwise provided by this Charter or General Statute,
a majority of a board, commission or committee shall constitute a
quorum.
Whenever, by mistake or inadvertence, the Town Council, an officer,
board, commission or committee shall omit to perform any act at or
within a time required by this Charter, such act shall be performed
as soon thereafter as may be practicable and such action so taken
shall have the same force and effect as if performed at or within
the time required by this Charter.
There shall be an ordinance establishing a Town Code of Ethics
enacted by the Town Council setting forth standards of ethical conduct
of all Town officers and employees, members of the Town Council and
members of boards, commissions and committees of the Town.
