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Town of Ridgefield, CT
Fairfield County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[(4)(7)(12)(16)(19)]
The election, term of office and qualifications of the First Selectperson shall be in accordance with Article IV of this Charter.
The First Selectperson shall be the full-time chief executive and administrative officer of the Town, and shall be required to carry out the duties charged by the General Statutes and specifically described in Section 8-3 of this Charter.
The First Selectperson shall have all the powers, duties and responsibilities conferred upon that office by law and which are not inconsistent with this Charter; in addition shall have such powers as are necessary or incidental to the discharge of the duties and responsibilities as set forth in this Charter.
The First Selectperson shall be a full voting and participating member of the Board of Selectpersons and shall preside at meetings of the Board when present.
The First Selectperson shall be an ex officio member of all other agencies of the Town, but without the power to vote.
The First Selectperson may, in writing, appoint a member of the Board of Selectpersons to be his or her representative on any board, but without the power to vote.
The First Selectperson, during his or her term of office, shall not hold any civil office which provides compensation, under the government of the United States, the State of Connecticut, or any subdivision thereof, except that of notary public, nor shall the First Selectperson hold any of those offices which are considered incompatible, in accordance with Section 9-210 of the General Statutes.
The First Selectperson shall, with general policy direction from the Board of Selectpersons:
(a) 
Be responsible for the proper performance of the First Selectperson's office;
(b) 
Be responsible for coordinating the administration of the departments of the Town, except for those functions expressly reserved or delegated to specific Town agencies or departments by law or this Charter;
(c) 
Be directly responsible for all administrative offices and employees, except as otherwise provided by law;
(d) 
Be responsible for the coordination and guidance of the Board of Selectpersons in the discharge of all the Board's duties and responsibilities;
(e) 
Be responsible for making a continuous review of the current and future needs of the Town, including financial needs and budget requirements, in connection with which the First Selectperson may require reports and information to be submitted by any Town agency and shall keep the Board of Selectpersons fully informed as to the financial condition of the Town;
(f) 
Be responsible for the development and publication of a set of priorities which shall provide a guide for those things the Town shall attempt to accomplish during the coming year, and this shall serve as a policy guide in the development of the annual Town budget;
(g) 
Be responsible for the development and annually update a long term capital improvement plan for the Town;
(h) 
Be responsible for advising the Board of Selectpersons of the availability of such federal and/or state funds for which the Town may qualify. This information shall be made available to the Board of Finance;
(i) 
Be responsible for the implementation of proper financial procedures for those Town agencies over which the First Selectperson has jurisdiction;
(j) 
Be responsible for keeping full and complete records of the activities of the office of the First Selectperson, make periodic reports to the Board of Selectpersons and the Board of Finance, keep or cause to be kept complete books of account showing the financial transactions and condition of the Town and all other accounts and records as may be prescribed by the Board of Selectpersons, the General Statutes and the Town Meeting;
(k) 
Be responsible for establishing purchasing procedures for the Town, subject to such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Board of Selectpersons and elsewhere in this Charter;
(l) 
Purchase or cause to be purchased, subject to such rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by the Board of Selectpersons in accordance with Section 10-3 of this Charter, all supplies, materials, equipment and other commodities required by any Town agency, except those Town agencies which, under the provisions of this Charter, ordinance, special act, or the General Statutes of Connecticut, purchase such items in the performance of their own particular duties. Rules and regulations established by the Board of Selectpersons regarding the method of purchasing by budgeted Town agencies shall apply uniformly to offices and all Town agencies, to the extent that they are dependent on the budget of the Town for monies being expended. The First Selectperson shall be responsible for informing such Town agencies of said regulations;
(m) 
Competitive bidding. Before making any purchase, except surety bonds, the First Selectperson shall give opportunity for competitive bidding under such rules and regulations as the Board of Selectpersons shall prescribe. All sales of Town property shall be made at the direction of the First Selectperson following the provisions prescribed by the Board of Selectpersons;
(n) 
Be directly responsible for the other duties which the General Statutes assign to the chief executive in the absence of such separate municipal appointive officials as Police Chief or Welfare Officer.
The First Selectperson shall appoint, with approval of the Board of Selectpersons and in accordance with such provisions of the General Statutes, such administrative officers as are assigned to the First Selectperson for appointment, and such other assistants or employees as may be required, subject to such rules and regulations as may be adopted pursuant to the provisions of Article IX of this Charter. Such appointees may be removed by the First Selectperson.
The First Selectperson, with the approval of the Board of Selectpersons, may appoint and remove members to such advisory committees as the First Selectperson may wish to establish to assist in carrying out the duties and responsibilities of his or her office. Such committees shall be subject to the provisions of Section 5-12[1] of this Charter and shall serve without compensation, and their authority shall be limited to assembling information and making recommendations, within the limits prescribed by the Board.
[1]
Editor’s Note: See now Section 5-16.
In the event that the First Selectperson shall find that a state of emergency exists within the Town, requiring immediate action to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens, he or she may declare that such a state of emergency exists, publish such declaration by the most effective means available, and take such action as shall be in the best interest of the Town; provided that the Board of Selectpersons shall meet as soon as possible to ratify such action and to take such further action as may be necessary.
A state of emergency shall terminate when so voted by the Board of Selectpersons or declared, in writing, by the First Selectperson or by vote of the Town Meeting.
To assist in the discharge of the duties and responsibilities of the office and of the Board of Selectpersons, the First Selectperson may assign and delegate duties to other members of the Board of Selectpersons and to officials responsible to the First Selectperson, except as to such powers and duties which may not under the General Statutes be delegated. Such assignments and delegations, if permanent, shall be made public knowledge through the posting on the Town bulletin board, and shall be made known to any Town agency affected.