[Amended 11-3-1987; 11-8-1988; 6-12-1990; 6-26-1996]
The City Council shall have the power to create,
establish or eliminate, after public hearing, all boards, commissions
and departments, except the hereinafter-listed boards, commissions
and departments and those mandated by state statute, as it deems necessary
for the efficient, orderly, economical and coordinated operation of
the municipal government, by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of its full
membership.
List of Boards, Commissions and Departments
Which Cannot be Consolidated or Eliminated
1. Public Utilities Commission
6. Board of Assessment Appeals
The City Council shall appoint and may remove
a Corporation Counsel who shall be an attorney at law admitted to
practice law in this state, in good standing as a member of the Connecticut
Bar and who has been in active practice of his/her profession in Connecticut
for at least five years. He/she shall appear for and protect the rights
of the City in all actions, suits or proceedings brought by or against
it or any of its departments, officers, agencies, boards or commissions.
He/she shall be the legal advisor of the City Council, or any committee
thereof, the City Manager, all City officers, boards and commissions
and such other officials as the City Council shall from time to time
authorize, in all matters affecting the City and shall, upon written
request, furnish them with a written opinion of any question of law
involving their respective powers and duties. Upon request, he/she
shall prepare or approve forms of contracts or other instruments to
which the City is a party or in which it has an interest. He/she shall
have power, with approval of the City Council, to appeal from orders,
decisions and judgments and, subject to the approval of the City Council
and within the appropriation therefor, to compromise or settle any
claims by or against the City. Whenever any person violates or threatens
to violate any order or regulation of the City of Meriden, the Corporation
Counsel is authorized in the name of the City to institute, before
any court having jurisdiction, a civil action praying for an injunction
restraining any such person from committing or continuing such violation.
The Corporation Counsel, with the written consent of the City Council,
may employ assistant corporation counsels and/or special counsel to
assist him/her in the conduct of the Department of Law. The Corporation
Counsel may appoint such other employees and incur such other expenses
as he/she may deem necessary, provided that an appropriation has been
made therefor.
[Amended 6-26-1996]
The City Council shall appoint a Board of Assessment
Appeals consisting of three members who shall serve for terms of two
years. They shall exercise all the powers and perform all the duties
prescribed for Boards of Assessment Appeals by the General Statutes.
They shall keep correct minutes of their meetings and shall file a
report of their findings with the Department of Finance and the City
Clerk at the completion of their work. Two members shall form a quorum
of said Board, and the concurrence of two votes shall be necessary
for the transaction of its business.
The Board of Assessment Appeals shall hear all
appeals regarding assessments, in the manner by the General Statutes
provided as to appeals from assessments of City taxes.
Special meetings of said Board may be called
by the City Manager at any time upon reasonable notice to the members
and shall be called at any time upon the written request of a majority
of the members of said Board.
[Amended 6-26-1996]
There shall be a Board of Ethics consisting
of five members. Members shall be appointed in accordance with § C3-3J
of the City Charter for a term of three years, except that of the
initially appointed members, who will serve for one year, two for
two years, and two for three years. No more than two shall be members
of the same political party.
All members shall be electors of the municipality.
No member shall be appointed or continue to serve who shall (1) hold
or be nominated for any elective public office, (2) have held public
office, including office as a member of a party committee as defined
by state statute, or have been a declared candidate for elective public
office, or have been a member of any municipal agency, board, commission
or committee, during a one-year period prior to appointment, (3) hold
office in any party committee defined by state statute, (4) serve
as a member of any other municipal agency, board, commission or committee,
(5) be a City employee.
The City Council shall enact, and may amend
from time to time, a Code of Ethics to provide guidelines for ethical
standards of conduct for all City officials, employees, and contractors,
by setting forth those acts or actions which are incompatible with
the best interests of the City, by directing disclosure of private
financial or other interests in matters affecting the City, by providing
for a procedure by which said Board shall hear complaints and issue
decisions and advisory opinions, by providing for penalties and the
effect of violation of such code, and by defining conflicts of interest
under said code, all in conformity with state statutes, as the same
may be amended from time to time.
Any elected official, department head or chief
assistant to an elected official or department head shall not be entitled
to or receive or claim additional compensation for any personal services
rendered for or on behalf of the City of Meriden.
[Amended 11-3-1987]
In addition to the removal powers and procedures set forth in §
C3-3M, the City Council may, by majority vote, remove any person appointed by it from any board, commission or committee for nonattendance.
Such removal must be on an individual basis
and must be voted within 30 days of the date of the introduction of
the removal resolution.
[Amended 11-7-2006]
Unless otherwise provided in this Charter or
otherwise directed by ordinance, the term of all appointments to boards,
commissions and agencies made by the City Council shall be three years
from the first day of February.
In the event that the term of any appointee
expires and until a new appointment is made by the City Council, the
incumbent appointee shall continue to serve in that office until the
new appointment is made. The new appointee shall serve the remainder
of the three-year term from the date of the expiration of the previous
term.
The City Council shall provide by resolution
for any staggered terms which it may deem necessary to implement its
appointing authority by majority vote.