A.
There shall be a Department of Finance headed by a Director of Finance. The Department shall oversee all Town financial operations to include: purchasing oversight, accounting, accounts payable and payroll. The Director of Finance shall be appointed and may be removed by the Town Manager, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of Article IX of this Charter. It shall be the duty of the Director of Finance to maintain and operate a modern municipal accounting system showing the current condition of all funds and appropriations, and to file a report with the Town Manager and Council by the third Monday of each month of the financial transactions of the preceding month which show: the amount of each appropriation; the charges against and credits year to date; and the unencumbered balance. A report should also be prepared and filed with the Town Manager and Council within 90 days of the conclusion of each fiscal year covering all financial transactions. The Director of Finance prescribes the form of accounts to be kept by each department, office, board, commission and agency of the Town except the Board of Education, and the times and manner in which monies collected on the Town's account by any such department, officer, board and commission or agency shall be paid into the Town Treasury. The Director of Finance performs such other duties as may be prescribed by the Council by ordinance or by the order of the Town Manager consistent therewith.
B.
The Director of Finance is the Chief Financial Officer of the Town
and therefore has an extreme fiduciary obligation to safeguard Town
assets as is a common expectation for such role.
There shall be a Town Treasurer appointed by the Town Manager
for an indefinite term. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive
and safely keep all monies belonging to the Town by depositing the
same in a bank or banks to be selected by them with the approval of
the Council. The Treasurer may invest from time to time in securities
of the United States or time or demand deposits with the approval
of the Council monies of the Town not needed for immediate expenditure.
The Treasurer shall likewise invest any trust funds of the Town for
which other provision has not been made by the terms of the gift creating
such fund in securities legal for the investment of trust funds in
Connecticut. The Treasurer shall keep such accounts as shall be prescribed
by law or ordinance or by the orders of the Director of Finance, approved
by the Town Manager. No money shall be drawn from any Town account
except by check, countersigned by the Treasurer or the deputy, and
neither of them shall affix their signature to any such check unless
they are satisfied that the expenditure represented thereby has been
legally incurred. Except as otherwise provided by this Charter, the
Tax Collector and the Assessor shall respectively have all the powers
and duties conferred upon tax collectors and assessors by the Connecticut
General Statutes and other duties as may be assigned to them by the
Town Manager. The Purchasing Agent shall purchase all supplies, materials
and equipment required by all commissions, boards, departments and
offices of the Town, except the Board of Education, with respect to
the purchase of supplies and materials that are clearly education
oriented, and the Library Board of Trustees, with respect to the purchase
of books and other materials peculiar to libraries. The Board of Education
and the Library Board of Trustees may avail themselves of the Purchasing
Agent's services in purchasing any commodity or service. The
Purchasing Agent shall have other such duties as may be prescribed
by the Town Manager.
There shall be a Police Department consisting of the Chief of
Police, appointed by the Town Manager, and such other officers and
employees of such ranks and grades as the Council may determine. The
Police Department 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 Connecticut General Statutes and the ordinances of the Town,
and all rules and regulations made in accordance therewith. All members
of the Police Department 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 Connecticut General Statutes.
The powers and duties of the Animal Control Officer, as provided in
the Connecticut General Statutes, shall be vested in the Police Department
in accordance with a job description. The Chief of Police shall be
the chief administrative officer of the Police Department. The Chief
shall assign all members of the division to their respective posts,
shifts, details and duties, be responsible for the care and custody
of all property used by the department and disposal thereof, and for
the efficiency, discipline and good conduct of its members and shall
make rules for the operation of the department and the conduct of
police work. The violation of these rules by any member of the Department
shall be punishable by appropriate disciplinary action, which may
include loss of pay, suspension from duty and removal, provided that
no member of the Department shall be removed or suspended by the Chief
without receiving the approval of the Town Manager. Violation of any
provisions of this section shall constitute cause for dismissal or
suspension.
It is the intent of this Charter that fire protection shall
continue to be provided by the volunteer companies heretofore established
in the organization and conduct of which no change is contemplated.
The Town, however, by this Charter, preserves the right to establish
or encourage the establishment of additional volunteer companies,
until the Council shall by ordinance otherwise determine.
A.
There shall be a Fire Chief, appointed by the Town Manager, who shall
direct the operation of fire companies at fires, institute and conduct
suitable training programs for fire fighters in cooperation with company
officers, and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by ordinance
or the orders of the Town Manager. The Chief shall make rules for
the operation of the Department subject to the approval of the Town
Manager. The violation of these rules by any member of the Department
shall be punishable by appropriate disciplinary action, provided that
no member of the Department shall be removed or suspended by the Chief
without receiving the approval of the Town Manager within 24 hours.
B.
There shall be a Fire Marshal appointed by the Town Manager from
within the Fire Department if qualified, who shall not serve in any
other position that is appointed by the Town Manager. The Fire Marshal
shall have all powers and duties as provided in the Connecticut General
Statutes and such other duties as prescribed by ordinance and subject
to operating rules of the Fire Department.
There shall be a Director of Emergency Management, appointed
by the Town Manager. The Director of Emergency Management duties shall
be in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes and the State
of Connecticut's Emergency Operations Center directives. In the
event the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) becomes active, the following
departments will work together under the general direction of the
Director of Emergency Management: Police, Fire, Ambulance, Community
Development Department and Department of Public Works.
There shall be a Director of Community Development appointed
by the Town Manager who shall be responsible for the following functions:
building code enforcement, engineering, planning, wetlands, and zoning.
The Department duties shall include: preparation of plans and specifications
for the construction or reconstruction of streets, sidewalks, curbs,
gutters, storm sewers, drains and other structures and to oversee
the construction of the same, and to perform such other duties as
may be prescribed by the Town Manager. The Town Engineer shall be
a State of Connecticut licensed professional engineer.
There shall be a Director of Public Works, appointed by the
Town Manager who shall be responsible for the oversight of the Highway
Department, Transfer Station and solid waste collection and disposal.
The Highway Department duties shall include: summer and winter maintenance
of all public streets and ways; maintain and operate storm sewers
and other drains, to construct or reconstruct streets, sidewalks,
curbs, gutters, maintenance of storm sewers and drains and other structures;
to care for grassed areas in the streets; and to perform other duties
as may be prescribed by the Town Manager.
There shall be a Department of Parks and Recreation consisting
of a Director of Parks and Recreation and such other employees as
the Council may determine, and an Advisory Parks and Recreation Board
consisting of six members appointed by the Town Council, for terms
of two years beginning on the first Council meeting in January following
the biennial election. Any vacancy shall be filled by appointment
by the Town Council for the unexpired portion of the term. The Department
of Parks and Recreation shall have charge of all parks, park and recreation
properties, and of all recreational activities, including aquatics
and senior citizen programming. The Department shall provide ordinary
care and maintenance of park grounds and buildings and all public
grounds, including Board of Education grounds by agreement with said
Board. The Advisory Parks and Recreation Board shall study the parks
and recreation facilities and programs of the Town and shall meet
with the Director of Parks and Recreation on a regular basis to advise
with respect to the development and use of the Town's parks and
recreation program. The Director of Parks and Recreation shall be
appointed by the Town Manager and shall make rules for the use of
parks, public grounds and recreation facilities consistent with the
ordinances of the Town and the Connecticut General Statutes. The Director
shall be the Tree Warden and, as such, shall have all powers and duties
conferred on the Tree Wardens by the Connecticut General Statutes.
The Director shall have such other duties as may be assigned by the
Town Manager. Employees of the Department of Parks and Recreation
may be appointed by the Director, with the approval of the Town Manager.
There shall be a Library Director appointed by the Town Manager
who shall be responsible for the administration and operation of the
Cora J. Belden Library, and who shall be responsible for the hiring
of all library staff. The Director shall receive such compensation
as the Town Manager may determine. There shall be a Board of Trustees
consisting of six members who shall be appointed by the Council to
two-year terms, with such terms beginning on the first Council meeting
in January following the biennial election, and who shall act in an
advisory capacity to the Library Director. Vacancies shall be filled
by the Council for the unexpired term in accordance with Connecticut
General Statutes. The trustees shall serve without compensation.
There shall be such other departments, offices and agencies,
organized in such manner as the Council shall determine by ordinance,
provided that the appointing authority for all such departments, offices
and agencies shall be the Town Manager.
