All the inhabitants within the territorial limits of the City
of Putnam and the Town of Putnam, as heretofore constituted, shall
continue to be a body politic and corporate under the name of "The
Town of Putnam," hereinafter called "the Town," and as such shall
have perpetual succession and may hold and exercise all powers and
privileges heretofore exercised by said Town and City and not inconsistent
with the provisions herein conferred and all powers or privileges
conferred upon towns under the general law of the State of Connecticut.
All property, both real and personal, all rights of action and
rights of every description and all securities and liens in said Town
and City as of the effective date of this Charter are continued. The
Town shall be liable for the debts and obligations of said Town and
City except as hereinafter provided. Nothing herein shall be construed
to affect the right of the Town to collect an assessment, charge,
debt, or lien. If any contract has been entered by said Town or City
prior to the effective date of this Charter, or any bond or undertaking
has been given by or in favor of said Town or City which contains
provision that the same may be enforced by an office or agency therein
named, which is abolished, such contracts, bonds, or undertakings
shall continue in full force and effect in the Town. The power conferred
and the duties imposed upon any office or agency shall, except as
otherwise provided in this Charter, be exercised, and discharged by
the Board of Selectmen.
In addition to all powers granted to towns under the constitution
and general law, the Town shall have all powers expressly granted,
and all other powers incident to the management of property, government,
and affairs of the Town, including the power to enter into contracts
with the United States or any federal agency, the State of Connecticut
or any political subdivision thereof for services and the use of facilities,
the exercise of which is not expressly forbidden by the constitution
and general law of the State of Connecticut. The enumeration of powers
in this and any other chapter of this Charter shall not be construed
as limiting this general grant of power, but shall be considered as
an addition thereto.
In the construction of this Charter and of all ordinances adopted
hereunder, the following rules shall be observed:
1.
All
words and phrases shall be construed and understood per the common
and approved usage of the language, but technical words and phrases
and such phrases may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning
in the law shall be construed and understood per such peculiar and
appropriate meaning.
2.
Every
word in any Charter provision or ordinance importing the masculine
gender shall apply to females as well as males and every word importing
the singular number only shall extend and be applied to several persons
or things as well as to one person or one thing and every word importing
the plural number only shall extend and be applied to one person or
thing as well as to several persons or things.
3.
The
use of any verb in the present tense shall include the future where
applicable.
4.
All
words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more municipal
officers or to other persons shall be construed as giving such authority
to a majority of such officers or other persons unless it shall otherwise
be expressly declared in the provision giving the authority.
5.
Whenever
a provision requires the head of a department or other officer of
the municipality to do some act or perform some duty, it shall be
construed to authorize subordinates to do the required act or perform
the required duty unless the terms of the provision designate otherwise.
6.
The
time with which an act is to be done as provided in any provision
of this Charter or ordinance or in any order issued pursuant to any
ordinance, when expressed in days, shall be computed by excluding
the first day and including the last, except that if the last day
be a Sunday or holiday it shall be excluded; and when any such time
is expressed in hours the whole of Sunday, from 12:00 midnight to
12:00 midnight, shall be excluded.
7.
Whatever
any provision of this Charter imposes greater restrictions upon the
subject matter than the general provision imposed by this Charter,
the provision imposing the greater restriction or regulation shall
be applicable.
Words and phrases used in this Charter shall have the following
meaning, unless otherwise specified:
A portion of an agency charged with the duty of examining
a special matter referred to it and reporting its findings to the
entire agency.
Whenever the term "advice and consent" of the Board of Selectmen
is used in this Charter, it shall be construed to mean an affirmative
vote of the Board of Selectmen.
Any elective or appointed board, commission, committee, authority
or office.
The words "Board of Selectmen or Board" shall mean the Board
of Selectmen of the Town of Putnam, Connecticut.
An agency, duly appointed, empowered to perform certain acts
or exercise certain jurisdiction.
The Special Services District of the Town of Putnam, Connecticut.
The word "municipality" or "municipal" shall be construed
as the Town of Putnam, including its Special Services District.
The word "oath" shall be construed to include an affirmation
in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for
an oath, and in such cases the words "affirm" and "affirmed" shall
be equivalent to the words "swear" or "sworn".
A local law of the Town, duly enacted, in accordance with
powers granted in the Charter, and in a manner prescribed by this
Charter and the general law of Connecticut, prescribing permanent
rules of conduct or of government, affecting all the citizens of the
town.
The word "person" shall include a corporation, firm, partnership,
association, organization, and any other group acting as a unit, as
well as an individual.
A person who is eligible to vote at Town or District Meetings
as defined in the General Statutes, as amended, of the state of Connecticut.
Reasonable time or notice shall be deemed to mean only such
time as may be necessary for the prompt performance of the act required.
A local law, duly enacted by an agency empowered to do so,
prescribing permanent rules of conduct or of government affecting
all citizens over which the enacting agency has jurisdiction.
An action, duly enacted by an agency empowered to do so,
and of a temporary nature, of limited application or of a special
character.
An action, duly enacted by an agency or official empowered
to do so, providing for the administration of the affairs of a department
under the jurisdiction of said agency or official.
A portion of any agency charged with the duty of dealing
with all matters of a particular nature which may be referred to it.
The "State" or "this State" shall mean the State of Connecticut.
The general law of this State, being the General Statutes,
as amended, of the State of Connecticut.
The Town of Putnam, Connecticut.
A meeting of electors and qualified voters lawfully assembled
in accordance with the Charter and the General Statutes, as amended.
The word "week" shall mean seven days.
The word "year" shall mean a calendar year, unless otherwise
provided in this Charter.
The underlined headings of the several section and subsections
of this Charter are intended as mere captions to indicate the contents
of the section or subsection and shall not be deemed or taken to be
titles of such sections, nor as any part of the section or subsection,
nor, unless expressly so provided, shall they be so deemed when any
of such sections or subsections, including the headings, is amended.
