A. 
The legislative powers of the Town shall be vested in the Town Meeting as provided by this Charter and in the Town Council as specified in Sections 5-4 through 5-7 of this Charter.
B. 
The Town Meeting may be convened as a Special Town Meeting. The Annual Budget Meeting shall be held no later than the second Wednesday in May. Special Town Meetings shall be called by the Town Council as provided in this Chapter and in the manner provided by the General Statutes, as amended.
C. 
All persons eligible to vote in Town Meetings as prescribed in Title 7 of the General Statutes, as amended, shall be eligible to vote in Special Town Meetings called as provided in Section 4-7 of this Charter.
All Town Meetings shall be called to order by the Town Council Chairperson or a member of the Town Council. A moderator shall be elected and all business conducted in the manner provided by the General Statutes, as amended, except as otherwise provided in this Charter. The Town Clerk shall serve as Clerk of all Meetings but, in case of an absence, the Meeting shall select an Acting Clerk.
A. 
There shall be an Annual Budget Meeting solely for the purpose of voting on the budget by referendum. The Budget Resolutions, as approved by the Town Council pursuant to Section 4-3(B) of this Charter, will be submitted to the persons qualified to vote in a Town Meeting. At least five days' prior to such referendum, the Town Council shall publish in accordance with state law and on the Town website a notice of such referendum, setting forth the date on which, the hours (6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) during which, and the location at which the referendum will be held and the text of the questions as they will appear on the voting machine.
B. 
The text shall provide for separate approval/disapproval of the Town Government Budget and the Board of Education budget as follows:
Yes/No/
1.
In favor of the proposed Town Government Budget of the Town of Clinton for the fiscal year July 1, _____ to June 30, _____ in the amount of $ _________.
Yes/No/
2.
In favor of the proposed Board of Education Budget of the Town of Clinton for the fiscal year July 1, _____ to June 30, _____ in the amount of $ _________.
Should either budget section fail to be approved by a majority of those voting thereon, the Town Council shall forthwith revise estimated expenditures, without altering estimates of revenue except for omissions, clerical errors, or revisions of revenue to be received from the state, to arrive at revised spending levels and automatically submit the revised budget section(s) to referendum 14 days following the date the initial budget referendum was defeated. The Town Council shall hold at least one public hearing upon five days' legal notice prior to submitting the revised budget section(s) for consideration. This process shall be repeated at two-week succeeding intervals until such time as the total budget is adopted.
C. 
In the event said budget is not adopted by the third Wednesday in June, business shall be conducted in accordance with Sections 7-405 and 12-123 of the General Statutes, as amended.
A. 
Special Town Meetings shall be required for approval by vote after recommendation by the Town Council:
1. 
Any resolution making an appropriation subject to provisions of Section 10-4 of this Charter;
2. 
Any resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds or notes;
3. 
The purchase of real estate;
4. 
The sale of any real estate;
5. 
Any real estate lease and/or lease with option which involves a term in excess of three years;
6. 
Land exchange transactions.
B. 
Special Town Meetings may be called by the Town Council for:
1. 
Proposals for Town improvements disapproved by the Planning and Zoning Commission pursuant to the provisions of Section 8-24 of the General Statutes, as amended.
A. 
A referendum shall be required for:
1. 
With the exception of the annual budget, any resolution appropriating an amount over $700,000;
2. 
Any resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds, notes, and all other forms of financing equal to 3% or more of the current tax levy.
The Town Council shall fix the time and place of all referendums. Notice of a referendum shall be given and each referendum shall be conducted as provided in Title 7 of the General Statutes, as amended.
B. 
With the exception of the annual budget, 300 persons qualified to vote in a Town Meeting may petition over their signatures for any item on the call of a Town Meeting to be voted on in referendum. The procedure shall be in accordance with Title 7 of the General Statutes, as amended. Refer to Section 4-3A for annual budget referendum procedures. The provisions of Title 7 of the General Statutes shall not apply to the adoption of the Town Budget.
C. 
All referendum voting will be by ballot or machine vote.
All ordinances adopted by the Town Council, except emergency ordinances, shall be subject to overrule by referendum. All resolutions or votes of the Town Council, except those making appointments or removals or regulating exclusively the internal procedure of the Town Council shall be subject to overrule by referendum. The procedure required is as follows:
A. 
After the publication of any ordinance or the making of such resolution or the taking of such vote, a petition, signed by not less than 300 voters, must be filed with the Town Clerk requesting it be put to referendum. The effective date of such ordinance, resolution, or vote shall then be suspended. Said petition shall conform to the requirements of Section 7-9 and Section 7-9a of the General Statutes, as amended. Said petition shall contain the full text of the ordinance, resolution, or vote proposed to be repealed. The Town Clerk shall, within five days 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 Town Council.
B. 
The Town Council shall fix the time and place of such referendum, which shall not be less than seven days nor more than 14 days after the certification of said petition. Notice thereof shall be given by publication in full of the ordinance, resolution, or vote, in the manner provided by law for the calling of a Town referendum.
C. 
Such ordinance, resolution, or vote shall be submitted to the voters qualified to vote in a Town Meeting for a "Yes" or "No" vote on the ballot or voting machine. The referendum shall be held in accordance with Section 7-7 of the General Statutes, as amended, and after the polls are closed, a Moderator appointed by the Registrars of Voters shall cause the vote to be counted and the ordinance, resolution or vote so referred shall take effect immediately unless a majority of those voting thereon shall have voted in favor of overrule.
A. 
One hundred voters may, at any time, petition for the enactment of any proposed lawful ordinance or resolution on Town Meeting actions enumerated herein, by filing such petition, including the complete text of such ordinance or resolution with the Town Clerk. Said petition shall conform to the requirements contained in Section 4-6 of this Charter.
B. 
Any such proposed ordinance or resolution shall be examined by the Town Attorney before being submitted to a Special Town Meeting. The Town Attorney may correct the form of such ordinance or resolution for the purpose of avoiding repetitions, illegalities and unconstitutional provisions, but may not materially change its meaning and effect.
C. 
The Town Council shall hold one or more public hearings on such proposal prior to calling a Special Town Meeting, to be held not less than 10 days nor more than 30 days from the date of such filing. Such ordinance, resolution or vote shall be submitted to the voters in the manner specified in Section 4-6 of this Charter.