All the inhabitants dwelling within the territorial limits of
the Town of Durham, as heretofore constituted, shall continue to be
a body politic and corporate under the name of "The Town of Durham,"
hereinafter in this Charter called "the town," and as such shall have
perpetual succession and may hold and exercise all powers and privileges
heretofore exercised by the town and not inconsistent with the privileges
herein conferred, and all powers and privileges conferred upon towns
under the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut as amended,
hereinafter called the "General Statutes."
All property, both real and personal, all rights of action and
rights of every description and all securities and liens vested or
inchoate in the town as of the date when this Charter shall take effect
are continued in the town, and the town shall continue to be liable
for all debts and obligations of every kind for which the town shall
be liable on said date, whether accrued or not. Nothing herein shall
be construed to affect the right of the town to collect any assessment,
charge, debt, or lien. If any contract has been entered into by the
town prior to the effective date of this Charter, or any bond or undertaking
has been given by or in favor of the town which contains provisions
that the same may be enforced by any office or agency therein named,
which is hereby abolished, such contracts, bonds, or undertakings
shall in no manner be impaired but shall continue in full force and
effect, and the powers conferred and the duties imposed with reference
to this same upon any such office or agency shall, except as otherwise
provided in the Charter, thereafter be exercised and discharged by
the Board of Selectmen of the town.
In addition to all powers granted to towns under the Constitution
and General Statutes, the town shall have all powers specifically
granted by this Charter and all powers fairly implied in or incident
to the powers expressly granted herein and all other powers incident
to the management of the property, government and affairs of the town,
including the powers to enter into contracts with the United States,
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 federal and state constitutions
and General Statutes of the State of Connecticut. In the event that
the functions of existing offices and/or agencies are transferred
under such contract or agreement, such offices and/or agencies may,
by ordinance, be abolished.
All officers, boards, commissions, and other agencies of the
town shall have the authority to engage, and may remove, clerical,
professional, technical, or other staff as may be required. Expenditures
for such staff may not exceed the limits of their individual appropriations.
Except as specifically provided herein no office, board, agency or
commission member shall receive compensation directly or indirectly
for goods or services furnished to that office, board, agency or commission.