The fiscal year of the Town shall be the Uniform Fiscal Year
as defined by the Connecticut General Statutes.
The Manager may, or at the request of the Council shall, require
each department, office or agency of the Town supported wholly or
in part by Town funds, or for which specific Town appropriation is
made, including the Board of Education, to set forth, in narrative
or such other form as the Manager may prescribe, a program or programs
showing services, activities and work accomplished during the current
year and to be accomplished during the ensuing fiscal year.
The Manager shall compile preliminary estimates for the annual
budget. The head of each department, office or agency of the Town
as described in § C-802 shall, at least 150 days before
the end of the fiscal year, except the Board of Education which shall,
at least 120 days before the end of the fiscal year, file with the
Manager on forms prescribed and provided by the Manager's office
a detailed estimate of the expenditures to be made by said department,
office or agency and the revenue, other than tax revenues, to be collected
thereby in the ensuing fiscal year and such other information as may
be required by the Council or by the Manager. Each commission, board,
department and office shall be entitled to an opportunity to be heard
by the Manager with respect to its estimates.
Not later than 105 days before the end of the fiscal year, the
Manager shall present to the Council the proposed budget for the ensuing
fiscal year for all commissions, boards, departments and offices,
including the Board of Education, such budget hereinafter referred
to as the Manager's Proposed Budget. At the time of its submission
to the Council, the Manager shall file a copy in the office of the
Town Clerk as a public record and a copy on the website and within
10 days thereafter shall cause sufficient copies of the proposed budget,
including the Board of Education budget, to be prepared in order that
they may be available to interested persons.
A.
The Council shall hold two public hearings at which any elector or
taxpayer may have the opportunity to be heard regarding appropriations
for the ensuing fiscal year. The first such hearing shall be held
not later than 15 days following the presentation of the proposed
budget of the Manager. The Council, at least five days prior to the
aforementioned first public hearing, shall cause to be published on
the website and in a newspaper having circulation in the Town a notice
of such public hearing and a summary of said Manager's Proposed
Budget showing anticipated revenues by major sources, and proposed
expenditures by functions or departments in the same form as prescribed
for the budget estimates in § C-803, and shall also show
the amount proposed to be raised by taxation. After consideration
of the budget and within 30 days after holding the first public hearing,
the Council shall hold the second public hearing. The Council, at
least five days prior to the aforementioned second public hearing,
shall cause to be published on the website and in a newspaper having
circulation in the Town, a notice of such public hearing and summary
of the tentative Town budget which it proposed to adopt in the same
form as prescribed herein for publication of the Manager's Proposed
Budget. Within 20 days after holding such second public hearing, the
Council shall complete its consideration of the budget, and after
making such modifications and amendments to said budget as it may
deem advisable, it shall adopt the Town budget by a majority vote
of all its members. The Council shall simultaneously fix the tax rate
in mills which shall be levied on taxable property in the Town for
the ensuing fiscal year. In the event the Council shall fail to adopt
the Town budget on or prior to the date provided, the Manager's
Proposed Budget as submitted to the Council shall be deemed to have
been finally adopted by the Council as the Town budget, and thereafter
expenditures shall be in accordance with said budget. In the event
the Council shall fail to fix the tax rate on or prior to the date
prescribed, the Manager shall fix said tax rate in mills.
B.
In accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes, the Council
shall be deemed to be the budget-making authority and the legislative
body of the Town and shall have all the powers and duties contained
in said statutes for the creation of a "Reserve Fund for Capital and
Nonrecurring Expenditures."
The adoption of the Town budget shall constitute the appropriation
to each commission, board, office and department, or major subdivision
thereof when so indicated in the budget, of the sum estimated in the
budget to be expended by each unit respectively, except that the Board
of Education shall have the authority to expend the total sum appropriated
to it in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes.
The Council may appropriate subject to the limitations imposed in Article IV, § C-408, of this Charter, any unappropriated and unencumbered balance in the Town treasury, provided there shall be attached to the resolution or ordinance making such appropriation the certificate of the Director of Finance that such balance actually exists free from encumbrances.
The Manager may at any time transfer any unencumbered appropriation
balance or portion thereof from one classification to another within
the same department, office or agency, except within the Board of
Education. The Council may transfer the whole or any part of the unencumbered
balance of any appropriation, except the appropriation of the Board
of Education, to any other purpose which the Council may legally appropriate
money, provided that such a transfer may be made from budget appropriations
only in the last six months of the fiscal year and that there shall
be attached to the resolution making the transfer the certificate
of the Director of Finance that such balance exists free from encumbrances.
Transfers among any capital project funds may occur at any time and
are not subject to the six-month limitation stated above.
No money from any Town fund, including but not limited to the
general fund, shall be expended or obligated for any expenditure incurred
by any commission, board, department or office of the Town except
in accordance with an appropriation by the Council. No contract, work
order, purchase order or other authorization to spend money by any
commission, board, department or office, except the Board of Education,
shall be valid until the Director of Finance certifies in writing
that there is an unexpended and unencumbered balance of an appropriation
sufficient to meet the estimated cost thereof. The Director of Finance
after such certification shall immediately encumber the appropriation
with the estimated cost. The Board of Education shall set up its own
system of budgetary control and certification of the sufficiency of
unexpended and unencumbered balance of an appropriation.
The unencumbered balance of all general fund appropriations
shall lapse at the end of the fiscal year for which they were made,
and any such balance shall be credited to the general fund.
In the absence of unappropriated funds to meet emergency appropriations under the provisions of Article IV, § C-408, of this Charter, the Council may by resolution authorize the issuance of notes, each of which shall be designated "Emergency Note" and may be renewed from time to time, but all such notes of any fiscal year and any renewals thereof shall be paid not later than the last day of the fiscal year next succeeding the fiscal year in which the emergency appropriation was made.
No notes shall be made payable upon demand. Any note may be
made subject to redemption prior to maturity on such notice and at
such time as may be stated in the note.
A.
The Council, the Board of Education, and the Library Board shall
each establish rules and regulations covering purchases of goods and
services for the Town, schools, and library respectively. Sealed bids
or proposals shall be invited by the respective purchasing authority
for any purchase or contract for purchasing, including a continuing
order for contract for the purchase of the same commodity or services
over a period of one year involving the expenditure of $30,000 or
more. Invitation for sealed bids or proposals shall be by giving 10
days public notice thereof by publication at least once in one newspaper
having a circulation in the Town and by posting on the Town bulletin
board and on the website.
B.
Sealed bids or proposals shall not be required for professional services
when professional requirements or ethics prohibit such bidding, or
when the Council, the Board of Education, or the Library Board shall
determine, for reasons expressly stated, that sealed bids or proposals
for a matter before that body are unnecessary or not in the best interests
of the Town.
C.
The purchase or contract shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder,
or all bids or proposals shall be rejected. All sealed bids or proposals
shall be opened publicly and shall be kept for a period of one year
thereafter in the office of the Purchasing Agent or the Board of Education
or the Library Board, as applicable, where they shall be available
for public inspection.
D.
During a state of emergency, the procurement of a competitive bid
may be waived by the Town Manager to address issues of public health,
safety and welfare.
Contracts for the construction of streets, sewers, Town and
school buildings and other public works with any private contractor
shall be made in accordance with relevant provisions of the Connecticut
General Statutes and under such rules and regulations as may be established
by the Council or the Board of Education, whichever has jurisdiction.
However, on any contract involving the expenditures of $30,000 or
more, sealed bids or proposals shall be invited and 10 days public
notice given thereof by publication at least once in one newspaper
having circulation in the Town, and by posting on the Town bulletin
board and on the website, unless the Council or the Board of Education
or Project Building Committee, whichever has jurisdiction, shall determine
for reasons which it shall expressly state that sealed bids are not
in the best interest of the Town. The purchase or contract shall be
let to the lowest responsible bidder, or all bids or proposals shall
be rejected. All sealed bids or proposals shall be opened publicly
and shall be kept for a period of one year thereafter in the office
of the Purchasing Agent or the Board of Education where they shall
be available for public inspection.
Payrolls, bills or other claims against the Town, except those
of the Board of Education, shall not be paid until the same have been
verified for correctness and legality by the Director of Finance,
and all payments shall be made by check drawn on a Town bank account
signed by the Town Treasurer and countersigned by the Manager. All
payrolls, bills or other claims against the Board of Education shall
be verified as such Board may provide, and payment shall be made by
check signed by an agent designated by the Board of Education and
countersigned by the Town Treasurer who shall only serve in this role
to verify the amount of funds to cover such payments. The Manager
and the Treasurer, on approval of the Council and the Board of Education
shall each designate a deputy or deputy agent covered by the bond
of said principal, who may sign or countersign certificates, payrolls,
bills, claims and checks.
All fees collected by officials and employees of the Town in
their official capacities shall be paid into the Town treasury, except
witness fees payable to police officers and fees payable to Constables
and Justices of the Peace.
The Manager, Town Clerk, Director of Finance, agent of the Town
deposit fund, Revenue Collector, Building Official and persons authorized
to sign and countersign Town checks and such other officials and employees
as may be determined by the Council, shall before entering on their
respective duties, execute to the Town, in the form prescribed by
the Council and approved by the Town Attorney, and file with the Town
Clerk, a surety bond or other adequate insurance to be fixed by the
Council, conditioned upon the honest and faithful performance of such
official duties. The Council, if it deems it to be in the best interest
of the Town, may prescribe a name schedule bond, schedule position
bond or blanket bond, or may designate which commissions, boards,
departments, offices and agencies shall be covered by a specific type
of the aforementioned bonds. Premiums for such bonds shall be paid
by the Town.
Any person or persons who make or cause to be made any payment
from Town monies in violation of the provisions of this Charter, or
who receive such payment shall be jointly and severally liable to
the Town for the full amount of such payment. Any contract, verbal
or written, made in violation of this Charter shall be null and void.
Any person or employee of the Town who violates any of the provisions
of this Charter shall be subject to a penalty in such amount as shall
be determined by ordinance, and such a violation may be grounds for
removal.
The Council shall cause an audit of the Town accounts, including those of the Board of Education, to be made once a year, or more often if deemed necessary, by the Town Auditor as provided for in Article VI, § C-609. The report of such audit shall be public record and available for public inspection.
