The Town Clerk shall be appointed by the Manager for an indefinite
term. In addition to the powers and duties prescribed for town clerks
by the General Statutes, the Town Clerk shall be the Clerk of the
Town Council, keep a journal of its proceedings which shall be a public
record, and perform such other duties as may be assigned the Town
Clerk by this Charter or by action of the Town Council or the Manager.
The Town Clerk shall have such deputies, clerks and other assistants
as the Town Council may determine, to be appointed by the Town Manager.
There shall be a Department of Finance consisting of the Director
of Finance, the Assessor and the Revenue Collector. They shall have
such deputies, clerks, and other assistants as the Town Council may
determine, to be appointed by the Manager. The Director of Finance
shall be appointed jointly by the Manager and the Superintendent of
Schools for an indefinite term and shall respectively have all the
powers and duties conferred on the director of finance by the General
Statutes. The Assessor and Revenue Collector, respectively, shall
be appointed by the Manager for indefinite terms and shall respectively
have all the powers and duties conferred on the assessors, boards
of assessors, and revenue collectors by the General Statutes. The
Department of Finance shall be responsible for maintaining all budgets,
accounts and financial records of the Town, including those of the
Board of Education. The Department of Finance shall keep records of
all financial transactions for the Town, including those of the Board
of Education, and shall perform such other duties as deemed necessary
by the Manager, Board of Finance, the Board of Education, or the Superintendent
of Schools for the sound administration of their respective budgets.
In addition, it shall have other duties as may be assigned it by the
Charter, by ordinance, or by the Town Council, Town Manager, Director
of Finance or Superintendent of Schools, and in no way shall the Department
of Finance or any provision of this Charter be deemed to abrogate
the ability of the Board of Education or the Town Council to maintain
separate administrative oversight of their respective budgets. It
shall be the duty of the Finance Director, under the supervision of
the Town Manager and the Superintendent of Schools, to install and
maintain current conditions of all funds and appropriations; to file
with the Manager and Town Council by the 10th day of each month a
report of the cumulative financial transactions of the preceding month
showing the amount of each appropriation, the charges against and
the credits to the same as of the end of the preceding month, and
the unencumbered balance therein from the beginning of the fiscal
year; to prepare and file with the Manager and Town Council within
180 days of the conclusion of each fiscal year a report covering all
financial transactions of the Town for such fiscal year; to prescribe
the form of accounts to be kept by each department, office, board,
commission and agency of the Town, and the times at which and the
manner in which monies collected on the Town's account by any
such department, office, board, commission, or agency shall be paid
into the Town treasury; and to perform such other duties as may be
prescribed by the Town Council, by ordinance or by the orders of the
Manager and the Superintendent of Schools consistent therewith.
There shall be a Department of Safety which shall consist of
the Divisions of Police and Fire. The head of the Department of Safety
shall be the Director of Safety who until the Town Council shall determine
otherwise by ordinance shall be the Manager. The Director of Safety
shall be the Traffic Authority as defined in the General Statutes.
There shall continue to be a Safety Committee subject to change by
ordinance of the Town Council.
a.Â
Division
of Police. There shall be a Division of Police consisting of the Chief
of Police and such other officers and employees of such ranks and
grades as the Town Council may determine by ordinance. The Town Council
shall by ordinance determine a system of appointments and promotions
within the Police Department.[1] The Division of Police shall be responsible for the preservation
of the public peace, prevention of crime, apprehension of criminals,
regulation of traffic, protection of rights of persons and property
and enforcement of the laws of the state and the ordinances of the
Town and all rules and regulations made in accordance therewith. All
members of the Division shall have the same powers and duties with
respect to the service of criminal process and enforcement of criminal
laws as are vested in police officers by the General Statutes. The
duties of the Animal Control Officer as provided in the General Statutes
shall be assumed by the Division of Police. The Chief of Police shall
be the executive officer of the Division of Police. The Chief of Police
shall assign all members of the Division to their respective posts,
shifts, details and duties. The Chief of Police shall be responsible
for the care and custody of all property used by the Division and
for the efficiency, discipline and good conduct of its members. The
Chief of Police shall make rules for the operation of the Division
and the conduct of police work, subject to the approval of the Director
of Safety. The violation of these rules by any member of the Division
shall be punishable by appropriate disciplinary action which may include
loss of pay, suspension from duty and removal, provided that no member
of the Division shall be suspended by the Chief for more than 10 days
without the approval of the Director of Safety and no suspension for
more than 30 days or removal shall be made except in accordance with
the provisions elsewhere in this Charter.
b.Â
Division
of Fire.[2] It is the intent of this Charter that fire protection
shall continue to be provided by the volunteer company heretofore
established in the organization and conduct of which no change is
contemplated. Additional fire companies may be established from time
to time subject to the provisions of this Charter. The Town Council
shall enter into an agreement with such volunteer fire company or
companies for the protection of the Town from fire on such conditions
as to financial assistance and the observance of such regulations
as the Town Council shall prescribe. There shall be a Fire Chief who
shall be appointed by the Town Council and who shall serve for such
term as designated by said ordinance. There shall be such number of
Assistant Fire Chiefs as designated by ordinance who shall be appointed
by the Town Council and who shall serve for such terms as designated
by said ordinance. The Fire Chief shall direct the operation of the
fire companies at fires, institute and conduct suitable training programs
for firefighters in cooperation with company officers, and perform
such other duties as may be prescribed by ordinance or the order of
the Director of Safety. There shall be a Fire Marshal and Deputy Fire
Marshal who shall be appointed by the Town Council and who shall have
all the powers and duties of fire marshals and deputy fire marshals
in towns as provided in the General Statutes.
c.Â
Safety
Committee. There shall be a Safety Committee which shall be an advisory
committee in the matter of public safety, which Committee shall consist
of the Chief of Police, Director of Physical Services/Public Works,
Director of Technical Services/Town Engineer, Director of Business
and Operations/Finance Department and one civilian who shall be appointed
by the Town Manager. Its function shall be to advise on all Town safety,
industrial, vehicular and school pedestrian traffic matters.
There shall be a Department of Public Works consisting of the
Director of Public Works, the Town Engineer, Building Official, Superintendent
of the Sewer Department, Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds,
Superintendent of Highways, the Tree Warden, and such other employees
as the Town Council may determine. The Manager shall be the Director
of Public Works until the Town Council shall determine otherwise by
ordinance. It shall be the duty of the Department of Public Works
to maintain, repair, clean and remove snow from all public streets
and ways; maintain and operate storm sewers and other drains; maintain
and operate sanitary sewers; care for and maintain all Town buildings,
including those in the jurisdiction of the Board of Education by agreement
between the Town Council and Board of Education; prepare or supervise
the preparation of plans and specifications for the construction or
reconstruction of streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, storm sewers,
drains, public buildings and other structures and construct or supervise
the construction of the same, provided that nothing herein shall preclude
the employment of engineers and architects on any such project or
the appointment of citizen advisory committees on the construction
of school or other Town buildings; care for parks, public grounds,
including those in the jurisdiction of the Board of Education by agreement
between the Town Council and Board of Education, and grassed areas
in streets and plant and care for trees within the street line and
perform other duties of the Tree Warden; enforce the provisions of
the Building Code, Zoning Ordinance, and ordinances imposing on owners
of property obligations to construct and maintain sidewalks, curbs,
gutters, storm and sanitary sewers and drains; and perform such other
duties as may be prescribed by the Town Council by ordinance.
There shall be a Department of Recreation and Parks consisting
of a Director of Recreation and Parks, such other employees as the
Town Council may determine, and an Advisory Recreation and Park Board.
The Manager shall be the Director of Recreation and Parks until the
Town Council shall determine otherwise by ordinance. The Advisory
Recreation and Park Board in office on the date of the adoption of
the amendment to this Charter shall continue in office until their
terms expire. Members shall then be appointed by the Town Manager
for terms of four years. Any vacancy shall be filled by appointment
by the Manager for the unexpired portion of the term. The Department
of Recreation and Parks shall have charge of all parks, park and recreation
properties, and of all recreational activities of the Town except
such as may be undertaken by the Board of Education, provided that
the ordinary care and maintenance of park grounds and buildings shall
be furnished by the Department of Public Works as provided elsewhere
in this Charter. The Advisory Recreation and Park Board shall study
the recreation and park facilities and program of the Town and shall
confer at least once quarterly with the Director of Recreation and
Parks and the Director of Public Works and advise them with respect
to the development and use of the Town's parks and its recreation
program. The Director of Recreation and Parks shall consult with the
Advisory Recreation and Park Board in the preparation of the budget
insofar as it relates to the Department of Recreation and Parks. The
Director of Recreation and Parks, with the approval of the Advisory
Recreation and Park Board, shall make rules for the use of parks,
public grounds and recreation facilities consistent with the ordinances
of the Town and the statutes of the state, which shall have the force
of law.
It shall be the duty of the Police Department to enforce these
rules, and at the request of the Director of Recreation and Parks
any employee of the Department of Recreation and Parks may be appointed
by the Director of Safety a special police officer with the same powers
as a member of the Police Department, but only for the purpose of
protecting public property and preserving order within the parks and
public grounds under the jurisdiction of the Department of Recreation
and Parks.
There shall be a Department of Health which shall consist of
the Director of Health, the Sanitarian, and such other employees as
the Town Council shall determine. The Director of Health shall be
appointed by the Town Council for a four-year term, shall serve under
the administrative supervision of the Town Manager, and shall possess
the qualifications prescribed by law for directors of health in towns.
The Sanitarian shall be appointed by the Town Manager for an indefinite
term. The Department shall have the powers and duties prescribed for
municipal health authorities by the Connecticut General Statutes and
shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Town Council
or Town Manager. The Director of Health and Sanitarian in office on
the date of the amendment of this Charter shall continue in office
until their successors are appointed and qualified. Nothing in this
provision shall prohibit the creation of a public health district
under conditions established by the State Department of Health.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Now the State Department of Public Health.
There shall be such other departments, offices and agencies
organized in such manner as the Town Council shall determine.
