Except as otherwise provided in this Charter,
all appointed officials, boards and commissions and authorities shall
have all the powers and duties prescribed by the Connecticut General
Statutes. A quorum for a duly called meeting of any board, commission
or committee shall consist of not less than a simple majority of that
board's, commission's or committee's total membership. All appointed
boards, commissions and authorities will establish operational policy
directives to meet their duties and the exercise of their powers and
shall communicate them to the First Selectman. No later than September
1 following the fiscal year for which the report is based, all such
appointed Town officials, boards, commissions and authorities shall
also furnish the First Selectman annual report data summarizing progress
and programs from which the First Selectman can write the Annual Report
of the Town. In addition, all such appointed officials, boards, commissions
and authorities covered by these provisions shall provide the First
Selectman with job specifications from which formal job descriptions
can be produced to meet the needs of their departments. They shall
also provide the First Selectman with performance reports of the effectiveness
and adequacy of employees, goods and services used in the implementation
of policy directives and in servicing the needs of their departments
and shall follow the procedures in Chapter VIII, § 7, to
obtain goods and services.
The First Selectman shall appoint, subject to
the approval of the Council, the following: Zoning Board of Appeals,
alternate members of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Police
Commissioners, Library Board of Trustees, Board of Assessment Appeals,
Parks and Recreation Commission, Conservation and Water Resources
Commission, Inland Wetlands Commission, Economic Development Commission,
Building Board of Appeals, Board of Health, Historic District Commission,
Commission for the Aging and such other Town officials and members
of such other boards, commissions and committees as may be established
under the provisions of this Charter or by the Connecticut General
Statutes. The First Selectman shall supervise and direct the same.
All such appointive officers shall be resident electors of the Town
of Monroe, except as provided in this Charter.
Appointees shall take office on the day of their
appointment and shall serve until they resign or until their respective
successors shall have been appointed. Terms of such officers and members
of such boards, commissions and committees shall be as specified by
ordinance, unless otherwise provided in this Charter. An appointee
wishing to resign shall submit such resignation in writing to the
First Selectman, Town Clerk and chairman of the respective board,
commission or committee. Any appointee may be removed from office
by the Council upon the recommendation of the First Selectman for
the failure or neglect of such appointee to perform the powers and
duties for which appointed. Such neglect shall include but not be
limited to absence from meetings, nonparticipation in the work of
the board, commission or committee, failure to carry out the functions
of the appointed office or failure to carry out such duties as may
be assigned by the board, commission or committee. Any vacancy occurring
by reason of resignation, removal or death from any board, commission
or committee shall be acted upon by the First Selectman in a timely
manner.
There shall be a Board of Assessment Appeals
consisting of three members for terms of three years. The First Selectman
annually shall appoint one member to succeed the member whose term
expires. Said Board shall have all powers and duties conferred or
imposed by the Connecticut General Statutes on boards of assessment
appeals and whose principal function is to hear and decide cases involving
alleged inequities in tax assessments.
There shall be a Library Board of Trustees consisting
of seven members for terms of six years. Biennially, the First Selectman
shall appoint two members to succeed the members whose terms expire.
Such Board shall have all the powers and duties conferred or imposed
by the Connecticut General Statutes on boards of libraries and shall
have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed in this Charter
or by ordinance. The Library Board of Trustees shall have the responsibility
for policies of the public library.
There shall be a Zoning Board of Appeals consisting
of five members for terms of five years. Annually, the First Selectman
shall appoint one member to succeed the member whose term expires.
Said Board shall have all powers and duties conferred or imposed by
the Connecticut General Statutes on zoning boards of appeals.
There shall be three alternates to the Zoning
Board of Appeals, each appointed for a term of three years. Annually,
the First Selectman shall appoint one member to succeed the member
whose term expires. Each member shall, when seated, perform the duties
of a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Alternates shall have
the privilege of participation in all meetings and hearings without
vote until seated. For each regular member of the Zoning Board of
Appeals who is absent or disqualified, the Chairman of the Board shall
designate one alternate to be seated on the Board. Said Chairman shall
choose alternates in rotation so that they shall act as nearly equal
a number of times as possible, and if any alternate is not available
in accordance with such rotation, said fact shall be recorded in the
minutes of the meeting in accordance with the Connecticut General
Statutes, as amended.
There shall be a Board of Police Commissioners
consisting of five members who shall each serve for a term of three
years. Vacancies on said Board shall be filled by appointment of the
Council upon recommendation of the First Selectman for the balance
of the unexpired term. No person shall be appointed to the Board who
holds an elective office or other appointive office in the Town of
Monroe. No person serving on the Board shall seek elective office
or accept another appointive office in the Town of Monroe. The Board
shall be the policy-making unit and shall establish operational policy
directives to be executed by the Chief of Police and shall have the
duties and powers as are conferred or imposed under the provisions
of this Charter and the Connecticut General Statutes.
The Board shall create a policy handbook as
a record of Departmental policy, to include policy for appointment
and promotion by examination, cause for removal in accordance with
the Connecticut General Statutes, criteria for fitness for duty and
other such policies as are deemed advisable concerning the operation
of the Department. The minutes of the meetings of the Board may avoid
revealing the details concerning privileged information relating to
police investigation that would jeopardize the rights of individuals
concerned. The Board shall review the general management and supervision
of the Police Department and shall be responsible for property and
equipment used in connection with the operation of the Department
and shall evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the Department
in executing enforcement of laws and ordinances governing the Town
of Monroe, the enforcement of rules and regulations concerning the
operation of the Department and the conduct of officers and employees
with relation to policies set by the Board. The Board of Police Commissioners
shall appoint the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police will be responsible
for making recommendations concerning the hiring and removal of all
Police Department personnel. In the case of sworn personnel, except
the Animal Control Officer and Park Ranger, the Board of Police Commissioners
will make decisions concerning the hiring and removal of such personnel.
In the case of civilian members of the Police Department, the First
Selectman will make decisions concerning the hiring and removal of
such members of the Police Department, after consultation with the
Chief of Police.
The First Selectman shall appoint an Economic
Development Commission consisting of seven members serving terms of
five years each and who shall be appointed at the expiration date
of the terms of the current members. The Council may, by legislative
action, create and appoint an Economic Authority in accordance with
the Connecticut Statutes.
The Commission shall conduct research into the
economic conditions and trends in its municipality, shall make recommendations
to appropriate officials and agencies of its municipality regarding
action to improve its economic condition and development, shall seek
to coordinate the activities of and cooperate with unofficial bodies
organized to promote such economic development and may advertise and
may prepare, print and distribute books, maps, charts and pamphlets
which in its judgment will further its official purposes.
There shall be a Historic District Commission
appointed by the First Selectman consisting of five members and three
alternates. One or more members or alternates of the Historic District
Commission shall reside in a historic district under the jurisdiction
of the Commission, if any persons who reside in any such district
are willing to serve on such Commission. The Commission is charged
with the preservation and protection of buildings and places of historic
interest in the district and shall perform the duties and functions
of a historic district commission as provided in the Connecticut General
Statutes, as amended, and by such ordinances as the Council shall
enact. Each appointment shall be for a five-year term.
There shall be a Conservation and Water Resources
Commission consisting of seven members appointed by the First Selectman,
each for a term of four years. The Commission shall have the powers
and duties set forth in the Connecticut General Statutes and applicable
ordinances.
There shall be an Inland Wetlands Commission
consisting of seven members appointed by the First Selectman, each
for a term of four years. The Commission shall have the powers and
duties set forth in the Connecticut General Statutes and applicable
ordinances. Upon the ratification of this Charter the seven members
of the former Conservation and Water Resources and Inland Wetlands
Commission will become the members of the Inland Wetlands Commission
and serve out the remainder of their original terms.
The First Selectman shall appoint a Board of
Health consisting of five members who shall serve terms of three years.
One of the five members of the Board shall be the Director of Health
of the Town of Monroe. The Board of Health shall coordinate Town activities
relating to public health. The Council may specify by ordinance additional
duties and powers of the Board.
There shall be a Parks and Recreation Commission
consisting of nine members, who shall serve terms of four years, to
be appointed by the First Selectman. The Parks and Recreation Commission
shall plan, promote, organize, supervise, develop and carry out parks
and recreational programs and facilities for the Town. The Council
may specify by ordinance additional duties and powers of the Commission.
The First Selectman shall appoint a Building
Board of Appeals consisting of five members for a term of five years
each to fill the seats of incumbent Board members. Each member shall
meet the requirements of the Connecticut General Statutes for members
of building boards of appeals.
Each member shall serve until a successor has
been appointed. If a resident appointee cannot be found in the Town
of Monroe to satisfy the requirements of the Connecticut General Statutes
for membership, then the Council is authorized to make such appointment
from qualified residents in contiguous communities. In the absence
or disqualification of a member, the First Selectman shall designate
a qualified substitute. No member of the Board shall vote on any question
in which the Board member is engaged as contractor, dealer, consultant,
or preparer of plans or specifications or in which the Board member
has any personal interest.
There shall be a Commission for the Aging which
shall develop and coordinate programs for the aging, consisting of
seven members appointed by the First Selectman for terms of three
years each. The Council may specify by ordinance additional duties
and powers of the Commission and any special membership requirements
applicable. The Commission shall study the needs of the elderly and
coordinate municipal and state programs to meet such needs and shall
have the powers and duties in accordance with the Connecticut General
Statutes and applicable ordinances.
There shall be an Emergency Medical Services
Commission consisting of five members appointed by the First Selectman
for terms of three years each. The Commission shall function pursuant
to the Connecticut General Statutes and applicable ordinances.
There shall be a Housing Authority of the Town
of Monroe appointed by the First Selectman and consisting of five
members, each serving a term of five years. One of the five members
shall be a tenant of a property overseen by the Authority. The Authority
shall have the powers and duties set forth in the Connecticut General
Statutes and applicable ordinances.
There shall be an Architectural Review Board
consisting of five members appointed by the First Selectman for terms
of three years each. The membership of the Board shall include an
architect or design professional, if any such persons are willing
to serve on such Board. The purpose of the Architectural Review Board
is to raise the general aesthetic level of the building development
in Town by reviewing proposals for new nonresidential buildings, alterations
or additions and by promulgating regulations concerning the aesthetics
for building design and site layout, to be submitted to the Planning
and Zoning Commission for consideration and approval.
Any applicant submitting plans for nonresidential
development to the Planning and Zoning Commission must contemporaneously
therewith provide a copy of such application to the Architectural
Review Board. The Architectural Review Board shall review such application
and make whatever recommendations it deems appropriate, if any, concerning
such application to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Architectural
Review Board must provide its recommendations to the Planning and
Zoning Commission within 30 days after receiving such application
or prior to the close of the public hearing concerning such application,
whichever occurs first.
There shall be a Water Pollution Control Authority
consisting of five members appointed by the First Selectman for terms
of four years each. The Authority shall function pursuant to and in
accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes, the Monroe Town
Charter and applicable ordinances.
There shall be a Youth Commission consisting
of seven members appointed by the First Selectman for terms of two
years each. The membership of the Commission shall include at least
one member currently under 21 years of age, a representative of the
school system, a representative of the Police Department, and a representative
of a private youth serving agency. The Youth Commission shall function
pursuant to and in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes,
the Monroe Town Charter and applicable ordinances.
