A.
The legislative powers of the town shall be vested in the Town Meeting
as provided by this Article and in the Board of Selectmen as specified
in § C4-4 of this Charter.
B.
The members of the Town Meeting shall be the electors of the town
and all other persons entitled to vote at the Town Meeting as provided
by the Connecticut General Statutes.
C.
The Town Meeting shall be convened as the Annual Town Budget Meeting
and Budget Referendum or as a Special Town Meeting. Special Town Meetings
may be called by the Board of Selectmen when required under the terms
of this Charter and in the manner provided by the Connecticut General
Statutes.
[Amended 11-6-1984; 11-7-1989]
[Amended 11-7-1978; 11-6-1984]
The official rules for procedure for any Town Meeting shall
be Robert's Rules of Order.
[Amended 11-6-1984, 11-7-1989]
A.
Annual Town Budget Meeting.
(1)
The Annual Town Budget Meeting shall be held on one (1) of the first
seven (7) days of April, at the discretion of the Board of Selectmen,
with publications and notices required by law. The date for such meeting
shall be scheduled by said Board by January 15 of each year.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
(2)
Said Budget Meeting shall have the power to reduce, or approve any
portion of the proposed budget recommended by the Board of Finance
pursuant to C10-2.F. for final approval by the Budget Referendum as
hereinafter set forth.
[Amended 11-6-2007]
(3)
Said Budget Meeting shall not have the power to increase the proposed
budget or any portion thereof, as approved, or deemed to have been
approved by the Board of Finance.
(4)
In the event that the Budget Meeting shall fail to approve the proposed
budget for submission to the Budget Referendum at its first session,
any portions so approved shall be deemed approved for any future sessions
of the Budget Meeting prior to the Budget Referendum. In the event
and to the extent that the Budget Meeting does not approve the proposed
budget as submitted or revised, said Budget Meeting shall be recessed
and reconvened the next business day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays
and legal holidays, until the proposed budget is approved by the Budget
Meeting.
[Amended 11-6-2007]
(5)
When the proposed budget has been approved, as submitted or revised,
the Budget Meeting shall automatically be adjourned for final vote
and approval by the Budget Referendum.
B.
Budget Referendum.
[Amended 11-4-2003; 11-6-2007]
(1)
The Budget Referendum shall be by machine vote not less than seven
(7) nor more than fifteen (15) days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays
and legal holidays, from the date of approval by the Budget Meeting.
The Budget Meeting shall set the date of the Budget Referendum and
the Board of Selectmen shall set the hours and designate the place
for the Budget Referendum. Notice of the same shall be given in the
manner provided by law.
(2)
There shall be two (2) questions presented at the Budget Referendum,
one on the acceptance or rejection of the Town Operating Budget and
one on the acceptance or rejection of the Board of Education Budget.
The proposed Town Operating Budget shall be approved as a whole by
a majority of those voting who are lawfully entitled to vote or rejected
as a whole by a majority of those voting who are lawfully entitled
to vote. The Board of Education Budget shall be approved as a whole
by a majority of those voting who are lawfully entitled to vote or
rejected as a whole by a majority of those voting who are lawfully
entitled to vote.
(3)
In addition to the vote on the proposed budget, the Budget Referendum
shall also contain non-binding advisory questions as to whether or
not each of the proposed Town Operating Budget and Board of Education
Budget is too high or too low.
C.
Failure to Adopt.
[Amended 11-6-2007]
(1)
In the event that the majority of those voting who are entitled to vote in the Budget Referendum reject either the proposed Town Operating Budget, the Board of Education Budget, or both, the Board of Finance shall revise the rejected portion(s) of the budget and submit proposed revisions thereof to the Budget Meeting on the date and time as set by the Board of Finance within seven (7) days after said Budget Referendum. The Budget Meeting and any subsequent Budget Meetings as to such proposed revision(s) will be conducted in the same manner as set forth in § C6-3A herein until such time that the previously rejected portion(s) of the budget as revised shall be approved by the Budget Referendum. The Budget Referendum and any subsequent Budget Referendums will be conducted in the same manner as set forth in Section C6-3B herein until such time that the proposed budget shall be approved by the Budget Referendum.
(2)
If either the Town Operating Budget or the Board of Education Budget
or both are not approved by Budget Referendum by the start of the
next fiscal year, the previously approved town budget, including both
the Town Operating Budget and Board of Education Budget, for the prior
fiscal year shall be deemed to be the temporary budget for the new
fiscal year, with expenditures being made thereunder on a month-to-month
basis, until such time that each the Town Operating Budget and the
Board of Education Budget has been approved by Budget Referendum.
[Amended 11-7-1978]
Special Town Meetings shall be called by the Selectmen for consideration
of the following actions:
A.
After recommendation by the Board of Selectmen and approval by the
Board of Finance, any resolution for the issuance of bonds and all
other forms of financing, the term of which is in excess of one (1)
year and the amount of which is in excess of fifty thousand dollars
($50,000.).
[Amended 11-4-2003; 11-4-2014]
B.
After recommendation by the Board of Selectmen and approval by the
Board of Finance and pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes,
any resolution for any appropriation supplemental to those provided
in the Annual Budget of an amount more than fifty thousand dollars
($50,000.).
[Amended 11-4-2003; 11-4-2014]
C.
After referral to the Planning and Zoning Commission, recommendation
by the Board of Selectmen and approval by the Board of Finance, any
sale, purchase, or non-emergency demolition of real estate of the
town.
[Amended 11-6-1984; 11-6-2007; 11-4-2014]
D.
Any acceptance by the town of a state, federal or other grant involving
a local financial share estimated to be more than fifty thousand dollars
($50,000.) in any fiscal year.
[Amended 11-6-1984; 11-4-2014]
E.
Any real estate lease or lease operation to which the town is a party
which involves a term in excess of five (5) years or an aggregate
amount in excess of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.).
[Amended 11-6-1984; 11-4-2003]
F.
Any proposal the Board of Selectmen deems of sufficient importance.
[Amended 11-7-1978; 11-6-1984]
All ordinances, except emergency ordinances, shall be subject
to overrule by a special town referendum. All resolutions by the Town
Meeting or Board of Selectmen, except those making appointments or
removals or dealing exclusively with the internal procedure of the
Board of Selectmen, shall be subject to overrule by a Special Town
Referendum. The procedure for said referendum is as follows:
A.
If, within thirty (30) days after publication of any ordinance or
resolution of the Board of Selectmen, a petition conforming to the
general requirements of Section 7-9a of the Connecticut General Statutes,
as amended, and signed in ink or indelible pencil by qualified electors
of the town, equal in number to at least five percent (5%) of the
total electors of the town, as determined from the latest official
lists of the Registrars of Voters, is filed with the Town Clerk requesting
its reference to the town voters at a special referendum, the effective
date of such ordinance or resolution shall be suspended.
B.
If, within fifteen (15) days of any action by the Town Meeting, except for the Annual Town Budget Meeting(s), a petition conforming to the general requirements of Section 7-9a of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, and signed in ink or indelible pencil by qualified electors of the town, equal in number to at least ten percent (10%) of the total electors of the town, as determined from the latest official lists of the Registrars of Voters, the effective date of such ordinance or action shall be suspended. If within fifteen (15) days of any vote taken at a budget referendum, a petition to overrule the Budget Referendum as set forth in § C6-3B, conforming to the general requirements of Section 7-9a of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, and signed in ink or indelible pencil by qualified electors of the town, equal in number to at least fifteen percent (15%) of the total electors in the town, as determined from the latest official lists of the Registrars of Voters, is filed with the Town Clerk requesting its reference to the town voters at a special referendum, the effective date of such, action shall be suspended.
[Amended 11-7-1989; 11-6-2007]
C.
Said petition shall be accompanied by affidavits signed and sworn to by each circulator as provided in said Section 7-9.
D.
The Town Clerk shall, not later than the close of business on the
third business day after receipt of the last page of said petition,
determine whether the petition and affidavits are sufficient as prescribed
by law and, if so, certify said petition to the Board of Selectmen.
E.
The Board of Selectmen shall then fix the time and place of such
special referendum which shall be held not less than seven (7) nor
more than fourteen (14) days after the certification of said petition,
and notice thereof shall be given in the manner provided by law for
the calling of a town referendum.
F.
An ordinance, resolution or action, so referred, shall take effect
only upon the conclusion of such referendum, unless a majority of
those persons voting thereon shall have voted in favor of overruling
such ordinance.
A.
A petition for a special Town Meeting may be filed by any elector of the town with the Town Clerk, and, except as otherwise provided herein, such petition shall conform to the requirements of Sections 7-9 and 7-9a of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended.
[Amended 11-6-1984]
B.
Such petition shall contain the full text of the proposal and shall
be signed in ink or indelible pencil by qualified electors of the
town equal in number to at least five percent (5%) of the total electors
of the town as determined from the latest official lists of the Registrars
of Voters.
C.
Such petition shall be accompanied by affidavits signed and sworn
to by each circulator as provided in said Connecticut General Statutes.
D.
The Town Clerk shall, not later than the close of business on the
third business day after receipt of the last page of said petition,
determine whether the petition and affidavits are sufficient as prescribed
by law and, if so, certify said petition to the Board of Selectmen.
[Amended 11-6-1984]
E.
Upon receipt of the certification by the Town Clerk of said petition,
the Board of Selectmen shall call a Special Town Meeting to be held
not less than ten (10) nor more than thirty (30) days from the date
of such certification; provided, however, that said Selectmen may
hold one (1) or more public hearings on such proposal prior to its
submission to a Special Town Meeting.
[Amended 11-4-2003]
F.
The call for such Special Town Meeting shall state the proposal in
full and shall provide for a yes or no vote as to its enactment. If
a majority of those voting shall vote yes, then such proposal shall
take effect on the 10th day thereafter.
The Town Attorney is authorized to correct the form of such
ordinance for the purpose of avoiding repetitions, illegalities and
unconstitutional provisions and to assure accuracy in its text and
reference and clearness and preciseness in its phraseology, but not
materially changing its meaning and effect.
Any proposed capital expenditure of one million dollars ($1,000,000.) or more shall be submitted to the persons qualified to vote thereon for a vote by voting machine, said vote to be conducted in accordance with terms of Section 7-7 and 7-9b of the Connecticut General Statutes.
