The Council shall consist of nine (9) members, who shall be chosen in accordance with Section 202(a) and Section 204 of this Charter. At each Town election, the Council shall be elected for terms of two (2) years except as otherwise provided herein. All members of the Council shall serve without compensation except for reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in the performance of official duties during the term for which they are elected. No member of the Council shall hold any other office under the government of the Town of Southington.
(7-23-1984)
The Council shall meet on the second Monday in November in each odd-numbered year and organize by electing by a majority vote of all the members elected thereto one (1) of its members to be Chairman and one (1) of its members to be Vice Chairman of the Council for a term coextensive with that of the Council. In the absence of the Chairman and Vice Chairman, an acting chairman shall be chosen by the Council members present at a meeting of the Council and perform such other duties consistent with his office as may be imposed by the Council.
(11-3-1970)
The Town Clerk shall be the clerk of the Council. Within ten (10) days after each meeting of the Council, he shall prepare and have available in his office for public inspection the minutes of such proceedings, including the vote of each member upon any issue before the Council. Said minutes shall be presented to the Council for approval at the next successive meeting of the Council. Immediately following approval of the minutes by the Council, the clerk shall record said minutes in a record book and shall certify minutes to be a true and accurate record. Such record book shall be available for public inspection in the office of the Town Clerk at all reasonable times. The Council shall furnish the Town Clerk the necessary secretarial assistance to perform the duties prescribed by this chapter and fix the compensation therefor.
The Council shall meet at least once a month and shall fix the time and place of its regular meetings and provide a method for the calling of special meetings. It shall determine its own rules of procedure. The presence of six (6) members shall constitute a quorum, but no ordinance, resolution or vote, except a vote to adjourn or to fix the time and place of its next meeting, shall be adopted by less than five (5) affirmative votes, except as otherwise provided herein.
(a) 
The Council shall have the power by resolution, in its sole discretion, with or without cause, to remove or suspend the Manager, and shall have the power, in its sole discretion and for whatever cause it shall deem sufficient, to remove or suspend by resolution any person appointed to any other office or position by the Council.
(b) 
The Council shall act first by suspending such person and shall promptly serve him with a copy of the resolution of suspension together with the reasons therefor, if any. If within ten (10) days after service of said resolution such person shall file a request in writing with the Town Clerk for a public or private hearing before the Council, the hearing requested shall be held at a time and place set by the Council not less than five (5) days nor more than fifteen (15) days after the filing of the request. At such hearing the person may be represented by counsel. If no hearing is requested, or at the conclusion of the hearing, the Council shall promptly by resolution terminate the suspension and either restore the person to, or remove him from, his office or employment. During the period of suspension any such person shall be ineligible to perform the duties of his office or employment. Compensation, if any, shall be continued during the period of suspension or for thirty (30) days from the date of suspension, whichever is longer. There shall be no appeal from the decision of the Council.
At least one (1) public hearing, at least five (5) days' notice of which shall be given by publication in at least two (2) newspapers having major circulation in the Town and by posting in such public place or places as the Council shall by ordinance prescribe, shall be held by the Council or a committee thereof before any ordinance except one relating to appointment or designation of officers of the Council or its procedure shall be passed. The passage of such ordinances shall be advertised in at least two (2) newspapers having major circulation in said Town and shall not become effective until twenty (20) days after such publication. All ordinances shall be filed with the Town Clerk and recorded in a book kept for that purpose, except that bond ordinances need not be filed in a book for ordinances.
(11-3-1970)
If at any time before the effective date of any adopted ordinance or resolution, except the annual budget, and except a resolution fixing the tax rate, and except a resolution making an appointment or removal, and except an ordinance making a special appropriation of less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or except an emergency ordinance as defined in this chapter, there shall be filed with the Town Clerk in respect of such ordinance or resolution a petition signed by qualified electors of the Town in number equal to five (5) percent of the total number of electors in the Town, as determined by the last effective list of the Registrars of Voters, requesting the reference of such ordinance or resolution to the voters, and upon certification by the Town Clerk that the sufficient number of valid signatures are attached to the petition, the ordinance or resolution shall not take effect until the same has been submitted at a special election which the Council must call, to be held in accordance with the provisions of any statute, if applicable, otherwise not less than thirty (30) nor more than forty-five (45) days after the filing of such petition. Following such election, the ordinance or resolution shall take effect unless a majority of those voting thereon, such majority consisting of at least five (5) percent of the qualified electors in the Town as determined by the last effective list of the Registrars of Voters, shall vote in the negative.
(11-3-1970; 11-8-1994)
An emergency ordinance shall be only for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, shall contain an explicit statement of the nature of the emergency, and shall be adopted by not less than six (6) affirmative votes in the Council, and in no event shall the annual budget or any appropriation, except as hereinafter provided, constitute an emergency ordinance. For the purpose of meeting an emergency as herein defined, or to prevent the breakdown of any essential service rendered by a department, board, commission, or agency of the Town, the Council by an affirmative vote of not less than six (6) of its members may appropriate, notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter, a sum not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in any one (1) year. Every such emergency ordinance, including any amendments thereto, shall automatically stand repealed at the termination of the sixty-first day following passage of said ordinance.
(11-7-1972)
In addition to the appointment of a Manager pursuant to Section 401, the Council shall also appoint by an affirmative vote of a majority of the total membership of the Town Council:
(a) 
A Town Attorney for a term of two (2) years.
(b) 
A Park and Recreation Board consisting of five (5) members to serve for a term of four (4) years.
(c) 
A Board of Tax Review consisting of three (3) members for a term of four (4) years.
(d) 
(Reserved.)
(e) 
A Zoning Board of Appeals consisting of five (5) members and four (4) alternate members for a term of not more than four (4) years.
(f) 
A Library Board consisting of nine (9) members for a term of four (4) years.
(11-3-1970; 11-2-1971; 11-7-2000; 11-7-2006)
The governing body of the Town shall be the Council, which shall exercise and perform all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of the Town except as the same may be assigned by this Charter to some other officer, board or agency, which powers shall include. in addition to all other powers. all the powers and duties now or hereafter conferred or imposed upon town meetings and boards of selectmen, except for the making of voters and related matters in towns by the General Statutes and in the Town of Southington (in particular) by special acts. In addition thereto, the Council may provide for the payment, in part or in whole, of the cost of a public work or improvement by assessment, taxation, service charge, connection charge or such other method of payment as shall be deemed fair and equitable on or against the owners of real estate especially benefited thereby, and to enforce or collect such assessments, taxes or other charge as a personal liability of the owner or directly as a lien on the lands benefited. This paragraph shall not be construed so as to limit or prevent the powers otherwise conferred upon the Department of Public Works. The Council may provide by ordinance for the exercise of any of the administrative powers of the former Board of Selectmen not otherwise assigned by this Charter by the Manager or some other officer, board or agency. The legislative power of the Town is vested exclusively in the Council except as otherwise provided in this Charter. It shall have power, subject to the provisions of this Charter, by ordinance to create or abolish departments, offices and employments, fix the compensation of officers and employees of the Town except employees of the Board of Education, and the charges, if any, to be made for services rendered to the Town. It shall further have power to make, alter and repeal ordinances or resolutions not inconsistent with this Charter and the general laws of the state for the execution of the powers vested in the Town as provided in Chapter I of this Charter for the government of the Town and the management of its business, and for the preservation of the good order, peace, health and safety of the Town and its inhabitants.
The electors shall have the power to propose to the Council any ordinance, except an ordinance appointing or removing officials, specifying the compensation or hours of work of the officials or employees, adopting the annual budget, authorizing the levy of taxes, or fixing the tax rate. The ordinance shall be proposed by a petition to the Council setting forth the proposed ordinance and requesting its adoption, which petition shall be filed by qualified electors of the Town, in number equal to five (5) percent or more of the total number of the qualified electors of the Town as determined by the last effective list of the Registrar of Voters. The petition shall be filed with the Town Clerk, who shall within ten (10) days determine whether or not the petition contains the required number of valid signatures, and if it does he shall so certify to the Council at its next regular meeting. The Council shall within sixty (60) days after certification either adopt the proposed ordinance after a public hearing or submit the same to the electors at a special election to be held within ninety (90) days from the date of the Town Clerk's certification, provided that if a general election or town election is to occur within four (4) months of such certification, the ordinance may be submitted at such election. The ordinance shall be adopted if a majority of those voting vote in the affirmative and such majority consists of ten (10) percent or more of the total number of qualified electors of the Town, as determined by the last effective list of the Registrars of Voters.