[Adopted 6-5-1974 as Ch. 4, Art. II of the 1974 Code]
A Conservation Commission is hereby established
for the Town for the development and conservation of natural resources,
including water resources, in the Town.
[Amended 4-22-1998; 2-17-2016]
The Conservation Commission shall consist of
nine members, who are electors of the Town, to be appointed by the
chief executive officer of the Town. The Conservation Commission shall
have two alternate members to be appointed in the same manner as regular
members. Such alternate members shall, when seated as provided herein,
have all powers and duties of regular members as set forth in the
General Statutes, Ridgefield Town Charter and Town Ordinances. When
not seated, alternate members may discuss items of business. However,
after a motion is made, or after the close of a public hearing, discussion
on the motion or on the subject application shall be limited to voting
members. Alternate members are encouraged to attend all meetings and
executive sessions, and they shall have the right to be members of
subcommittees. If a regular member of the Commission is absent, disqualified,
or otherwise unable to act at any meeting, the Chairman of the Commission
shall designate an alternate to act in place of such regular member,
choosing alternates in alphabetical rotation so that they act as nearly
equal a number of times as possible, and such assigned alternate shall
act for the entire meeting. If any alternate is not available in accordance
with such rotation or is disqualified from acting on a specific item
of business, such fact shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting
and the next alternate in rotation will be seated.
The members of the Conservation Commission shall
elect one member to serve as Chairman.
Each member of the Conservation Commission shall
be appointed for a term of three years, and terms shall be staggered
so that at least two members are appointed each year.
The members of the Conservation Commission shall
serve without salary.
The chief executive officer of the Town may
remove any member of the Conservation Commission for cause and fill
any vacancy or an unexpired term.
The Conservation Commission shall:
A.
Conduct researches into the utilization and possible
utilization of land areas of the municipality, and may coordinate
the activities of unofficial bodies organized for similar purposes,
and may advertise, prepare and distribute books, maps, charts, plans
and pamphlets as necessary for its purposes;
B.
Keep an index of all open areas, publicly or privately
owned, including open marshlands, swamps and other wetlands, for the
purpose of obtaining information on the proper use of such areas,
and may from time to time recommend to the chief executive officer,
the legislative body or the Planning and Zoning Commission plans and
programs for the development and use of such area, which may include
the acquisition of conservation easements;
C.
Keep records of its meetings and activities and make
an annual report to the municipality in the manner required of other
agencies; and
D.
Have all the rights and powers conferred upon it pursuant
to the General Statutes of Connecticut.
The Conservation Commission may acquire land
in the name of the municipality for any of its purposes and may receive
gifts in the name of the municipality for any of its purposes and
shall administer the same for such purposes, subject to the terms
of the gift and to the approval of the legislative body of the municipality.
The Conservation Commission is hereby designated
as agent for the Town in making applications for state aid under C.G.S.
§§ 7-131d through 7-131k, inclusive, and federal aid
under any federal open space program, provided that the acquisition
of such land set forth in such applications shall be completed with
funds exclusively within the control of the Conservation Commission.
