Unless the context otherwise clearly requires, the following
terms, when used in this Charter, shall have the following meanings:
(a)
"Annual Election" means, in the odd-numbered years, the Town Election
and means, in the even-numbered years, the State Election as defined
in the General Statutes.
(b)
"Board" means any board, commission or agency of the Town.
(c)
"Charter" means this Charter, as the same may be supplemented or
amended from time to time.
(d)
"Commission" means any board, commission or agency of the Town.
(e)
"Fiscal Year" means the period from July 1st in one year through
June 30th in the next year or such different period as the Town, by
appropriate action, may, from time to time, determine.
(f)
"General Statutes" means the General Statutes of Connecticut, Revision
of 1958, and any reference thereto, or to any provision or provisions
thereof, shall mean and include any supplements or amendments thereto.
(g)
"Home Rule Law" means Chapter 99 of the General Statutes;
(h)
"Legislative Body" means a combination of the Town Meeting and the
Board of Selectmen as defined in Section 7-193 of the Connecticut
General Statutes, the Town Meeting possessing the legislative authority
only to the extent specifically set forth in this Charter.
(i)
"Meeting" of any body includes any adjourned session thereof.
(j)
"Municipal Election" means Town Election.
(k)
"Special Act" means a Special Act enacted by the General Assembly
of Connecticut.
(l)
"Term" of the Town Clerk and Justices of the Peace shall commence
on the First Monday of January following their respective elections.
The term of the Registrar of Voters shall commence on the Wednesday
following the first Monday of January following his election. Unless
otherwise provided by General Statutes, this Charter or in the ordinance
hereafter adopted creating an office or board, the term of elected
officers and agents and the members of all elected boards and commissions
shall commence on the tenth day following the date of their respective
election, the term of appointed officers and agents and of members
of appointed boards and commissions shall commence on the date prescribed
by the appointing authority.
(m)
"Town" means the Town of Orange.
(n)
"Town Election" means the election held on the first Tuesday after
the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years.
(o)
"Town Meeting" means, when used in this Charter, the Annual or a
Special Meeting of the electors of the Town for the purpose specifically
set forth in this Charter. "Town Meeting" as used in the Connecticut
General Statutes shall be deemed to refer to the legislative body
of the Town and shall be construed to mean the Board of Selectmen
except in relation to the purposes or powers of the Town Meeting as
set forth in this Charter.
(p)
The masculine pronoun, wherever used shall include the feminine pronoun.
Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of meetings
of all boards and commissions.
The maximum number of members of all boards, commissions, committees or similar bodies who may be members of the same political party shall be as provided in the General Statutes, except for the membership of the Board of Ethics which shall be as provided for in Article VI, Section 6.80 of this Charter.
In computing the period of time of any notice under this Charter,
the day on which the notice is given and any Sunday and any legal
holiday shall be included, but the day on which the matter is to occur
shall be excluded. The same principle shall govern other computations
of time for purposes hereof.
All elected and appointed officers and members of boards and
commissions shall hold office until their successors have been chosen
and qualified.
Except as otherwise specifically required by the General Statutes,
applicable Special Acts or by the provisions of this Charter, the
terms of appointment to appointive boards and commissions shall, wherever
possible, be established and maintained at staggered biennial intervals.
All elected and appointed officers and members of boards, agencies
or commissions of the Town shall swear or affirm the faithful performance
of their duties, a record of the administration of which oaths shall
be filed with the Town Clerk.
Oaths may be administered by all persons so authorized by Section
1-24 of the Connecticut General Statutes. The form of such oaths shall
be as follows:
You solemnly swear that you will faithfully discharge, according
to law, your duties as _______ to the best of your ability; so help
you God.
This Charter may be amended in the manner prescribed by the
General Statutes.
(a)
This Charter is intended to avail, make use of and exercise the full
home rule powers of the Town under the Home Rule Law, and any other
statute now in affect or hereafter enacted and any other home rule
powers thereof under the Constitution of the State of Connecticut,
under the common law, or otherwise.
(b)
Nothing herein contained shall be construed as intended to conflict
with, or be inconsistent with, any general statute of the State of
Connecticut expressing any substantial public policy of the State.
It shall be construed as an assertion of the Town's full power
and authority to prescribe its organic law for the administration
of its local affairs.
(c)
If any provision of this Charter shall be held invalid by a court
of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not affect the remainder
of this Charter nor the context in which such provision so held invalid
may appear, except to the extent that an entire section may be inseparably
connected in meaning and effect with the provision to which such holding
shall directly apply.
(d)
All ordinances, resolutions and legislative actions of the Town in
effect as of the effective date of this Charter shall continue in
full force and effect except to the extent they may be inconsistent
with the provisions of this Charter.
