The Board of Selectmen shall consist of a First Selectman, to be elected for a four-year term, and four other Selectmen, each to be elected for a four-year term, with two Selectmen being elected at each regular Town Election. A political party may nominate and an elector may vote for the same number of candidates for the First Selectman and the Board of Selectmen as there are members to be elected to the Board at any election. The votes cast for an unsuccessful candidate for First Selectman shall be counted as votes for that person as a Selectman for a four-year term. Excluding the First Selectman, not more than three members of the Board shall be of the same political party. The Board of Selectmen shall elect from among its own members a Deputy First Selectman who shall serve as acting First Selectman during the absence of the First Selectman. No Selectman may hold any other Town office or be an employee or contract employee of the Town, except that a Selectman may be an employee of the Town's Board of Education. For the purpose of this section, the term "Town office" shall not include membership on temporary or advisory agencies.
The Board of Selectmen shall hold at least one regular meeting per month. Special meetings of the Board of Selectmen may be called at any time by the First Selectman or by any two Selectmen. The presence of any three members of the Board of Selectmen shall constitute a quorum, except as otherwise herein provided. A majority of the votes cast at a meeting of the Board of Selectmen at which a quorum is present at the time of the vote shall constitute the act of the Board of Selectmen unless a greater vote is required by this Charter, by any ordinance adopted by the Town, or by a General Statute or special act applicable to the Town. At every meeting of the Board of Selectmen there shall be set aside a specified time period for public participation during which members of the public may address the Board.
The Board of Selectmen shall have all of the powers, duties, and responsibilities conferred upon it (i) by this Charter and all of the powers proper, incidental, or convenient to the exercise of such powers; (ii) by any General Statute or any special act applicable to the Town; and (iii) by any resolution or ordinance relating to matters within the scope of authority of the Board of Selectmen that is adopted by the Town. The Board of Selectmen shall be responsible for having the Chief Administrative Officer carry out all acts and policies of the Board of Selectmen, and all resolutions and ordinances adopted by the Town.
The Board of Selectmen shall set policy and shall, directly or by granting authority to the Chief Administrative Officer, authorize action on all matters concerning the administration of the Town, except for those matters for which the Town's Board of Education in accordance with the General Statutes is responsible. The Board of Selectmen shall not have policy-making powers relating to land use boards and commissions and shall not have policy-making powers relating to other agencies and officials which are inconsistent with the powers granted to such other agencies and officials by the General Statutes. The Board of Selectmen shall set policy and authorize action on all matters concerning special revenue funds for recreation and emergency medical services and other such funds that may be, from time to time, established by the Town. The Board of Selectmen shall monitor the current and projected administrative, governmental, and fiscal needs of the Town.
The Board of Selectmen shall be empowered to function as the Town's legislative body as described in § 2.03 of this Charter.
A. 
Employment of Chief Administrative Officer. The Board of Selectmen shall hire and may discharge a Chief Administrative Officer. A minimum of four votes of the Board of Selectmen shall be required either to hire or discharge a Chief Administrative Officer. The Chief Administrative Officer shall be responsible to the Board of Selectmen for all of his or her actions and shall report to and keep the Board of Selectmen informed on a timely basis regarding all of the duties assigned to the Chief Administrative Officer by the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen shall establish the annual salary of the Chief Administrative Officer.
B. 
Appointment of Town Counsel. The Board of Selectmen shall appoint the Town Counsel for the Town.
C. 
Acceptance of public roads and improvements. The Board of Selectmen, upon the affirmative vote of at least three members, may accept any public improvement or public road as provided in the Plan of Conservation and Development, local land use regulations, or General Statutes as may be approved or recommended by the Town's Planning and Zoning Commission.
D. 
Acceptance of gifts on behalf of the Town. The Board of Selectmen, upon the affirmative vote of at least three members, may accept gifts including but not limited to open space or similar real estate interests on behalf of the Town. Any gift not accepted by vote of the Board of Selectmen may be accepted by Town Meeting that includes the acceptance of such a gift on the call of the Town Meeting. The Board of Education, upon the affirmative vote of at least five members, may accept gifts on behalf of the Town relating to matters that, in accordance with the General Statutes, are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education.
E. 
Disposition of Town property. The Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education, respectively, are empowered by this Charter to dispose of Town property under the jurisdiction of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education, respectively, having a fair market value of up to $25,000; disposition of Town property having a fair market value greater than $25,000, but not exceeding $50,000, shall require approval of the Board of Finance. Disposition of Town property having a fair market value greater than $50,000 shall require the approval by a Town Meeting. Such dispositions shall be accomplished consistent with the regulations that have been established for this purpose by the Board of Finance, and the proceeds of any such disposition shall be deposited into the Town's general fund. Disposition of real estate shall require a public hearing as required under the General Statutes.
F. 
Filling of unexpired terms on appointive agencies. The Board of Selectmen shall appoint Electors of the Town to fill unexpired terms for all vacancies that may exist on all appointive agencies for which the Board of Selectmen is the appointing authority.
G. 
Removal of appointees for cause.
(1) 
Appointee removal for nonattendance. The Board of Selectmen, upon the affirmative vote of at least three members, may remove any regular or alternate member of an appointive agency if such member is absent from three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of such agency or from more than 40% of the regular and special meetings of such agency during the preceding 12 months.
(2) 
Appointee removal for cause. The Board of Selectmen may remove for cause any regular or alternate member of an appointive agency, provided that, upon the affirmative vote of at least four members, the Board first notifies such member in writing of its intent to remove the member, the specific grounds for removal of the member, and the opportunity for the member to be heard at a hearing before the Board.
Within seven days after receipt of the Board's notice, the member shall respond in writing to the Board, either requesting a hearing before the Board or declining the opportunity for such hearing. If the member either does not respond within seven days after receipt of the Board's notice or declines the opportunity for a hearing before the Board, the Board shall render its decision within 30 days, and written notice of the decision shall be mailed to the member. If the member requests a hearing before the Board, the hearing shall be held not less than seven days nor more than 30 days after receipt of the member's request and shall be conducted in executive session unless otherwise requested by the member. The Board shall render its decision within 10 days after the conclusion of the hearing, and written notice of the decision shall be mailed to the member.
Removal of the member shall require the affirmative vote of at least four members of the Board. The decision of the Board shall be final.
From the date of the Board's initial written notice to the member until the date of the Board's decision, the member shall be suspended from the agency to which he/she was appointed.
H. 
Filling of vacancies of elective officials and on elective agencies. The Board of Selectmen shall fill all vacancies of elective officials until the next Town election, except those vacancies occurring on multimember elective agencies. Vacancies on a multimember elective agency shall be filled by the remaining members of that agency until the next Town election. If a vacancy exists for more than 45 days, the Board of Selectmen shall be empowered to fill the vacancy until the next Town election. The replacement member shall be of the same political party as the vacating member or shall be an unaffiliated voter. Nothing contained herein, however, shall preclude a special election from being held in accordance with the provisions of the General Statutes to fill a vacancy in an elective office or to fill a vacancy on an elective agency in lieu of the procedures set forth above for filling such vacancies.
I. 
Appointment of temporary advisory or study committee. The Board of Selectmen may establish temporary advisory or study committees for a period not to exceed 24 months to make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen. The term of any such temporary advisory or study committee may be extended for no more than two six-month periods without approval by a Town Meeting.
J. 
Funding of new positions. No new position in any Town department or agency shall be funded by a transfer of unexpended balances between departments or agencies or by a redistribution of unexpended balances within a department or agency unless approved by the Board of Selectmen. Notwithstanding the above, the Chief Administrative Officer may hire an unbudgeted temporary employee with the approval of at least four members of the Board.
K. 
Annual Report. The Board of Selectmen shall receive from the Chief Administrative Officer, approve, and make available to the public, an Annual Report.
There shall be a Police Department which shall be subject to policies established by the Board of Selectmen. The Chief Administrative Officer shall be responsible for the administration of the Police Department and shall appoint and promote members of the Police Department after consultation with the Chief of Police in accordance with policies established by the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen, after consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer, shall appoint the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police may be discharged by the Board of Selectmen only in accordance with the procedures applicable to such discharge, as set forth in the General Statutes.