The Board of Selectmen shall consist of the First Selectman
and four Selectmen, no more than three of the Board of Selectmen shall
be members of the same political party and who shall be elected as
this Charter provides. (Approved 11-6-2001)
Except as otherwise specifically provided for in this Charter,
the Board of Selectmen shall have the powers and duties which on the
effective date of this Charter were conferred by the Constitution
and the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut upon the Board
of Selectmen, and shall continue to have such powers and duties as
the Constitution and General Statutes, and this Charter, as the same
may be amended from time to time confer.
The Board of Selectmen shall have the power to appoint such
personnel and members of Boards and Commissions as provided for in
Chapters VI and VII of this Charter, and by the General Statutes.
The newly elected Board of Selectmen shall hold an organizational
meeting within 14 days after taking office. The First Selectman shall
assume the chair as permanent presiding officer of the Board. The
Board shall then designate who shall act in place of the First Selectman
in the event of absence or disability.
The Board of Selectmen in accordance with the General Statutes
and this Charter 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, except that each Selectman shall
always retain the ability to make a motion or offer a proposal which
shall be considered by the Board without the necessity of a second.
The votes of each member shall be recorded at the session at which
they occur, and reported in the minutes of such meeting. Three members
shall constitute a quorum and no resolution or action shall be adopted
by fewer than three affirmative votes. (Approved 11-6-2001)
All meetings shall be open to the public excepting that upon
a majority vote, portions of the meeting may be closed to the public
for executive sessions.
If the Board of Selectmen shall find that an emergency exists
in the Town affecting public peace, health or safety, it shall be
empowered to adopt regulations and ordinances stating the facts constituting
the public emergency, which regulations shall become effective immediately
upon the affirmative vote of no fewer than three members of the Board
without public hearing or notice thereof. When the Board of Selectmen
shall find that an emergency no longer exists, it shall so declare
and terminate the state of emergency. Every such emergency regulation
or ordinance shall be repealed upon the termination of the emergency
and shall automatically stand repealed at the termination of the sixty-first
day following the adoption thereof. Provided, however, that if action
has been initiated on the same subject matter providing for a permanent
ordinance under this Charter prior to the sixty-first day, then such
emergency ordinance shall remain in full force and effect until final
action is taken on said permanent ordinance.
A.Â
The Board of Selectmen shall have the power to investigate any and
all appointive agencies, boards, commissions, departments and offices,
and for such purposes shall have the power to call witnesses before
the Board of Selectmen to testify as to any matter under investigation.
B.Â
Subject to the provisions of the General Statutes and any municipal
collective bargaining agreements made thereunder by the Town of Suffield,
the Board of Selectmen shall have the power to and may remove for
cause, which cause shall not be political, by affirmative vote of
the majority of the Board, any person appointed to any agency, board,
commission, department and office by the Board of Selectmen. Removal
by the Board of Selectmen of any such person shall be commenced by
the giving of a written notice of proposed removal, stating the reasons
for such removal and the effective date of such removal, which date
shall not be less than 14 days after receipt of said notice by the
person to be removed. If such person shall desire a hearing thereon,
he/she shall request the same in writing within 10 days of the receipt
of said notice and the Board of Selectmen shall set a hearing date
not less than 10 days nor more than 30 days after receipt of said
request and shall take final action on said removal not more than
30 days after said hearing.
If a hearing is held as provided herein, the person to be removed
shall be entitled to be represented by counsel, and to present witnesses
and evidence in support of his position.
If the person to be removed shall fail to so request a hearing
then the removal shall take effect on the date stated in said notice.
C.Â
If the Board of Selectmen has reason to believe that pending the
effective date of a removal, the immediate suspension of the person
to be removed is necessary for the protection of the interests of
the Town, it may serve a written notice of suspension upon such person.
Such suspension shall become effective immediately and remain in effect
pending the completion of the removal proceeding unless such suspension
is modified or terminated by the Board of Selectmen or a court of
competent jurisdiction.
D.Â
The compensation of a person being removed or suspended shall continue
until such removal becomes effective or until a later date not exceeding
three months from the effective date of removal if so specified in
the notice of removal.
The members of the Board of Selectmen and all other elected
Town officials shall receive such compensation as may be determined
by the Annual Town Budget submitted to and adopted at the annual Town
budget meeting.
The Board of Selectmen shall hold a hearing by February 28 of
each year to present the annual report, after which hearing it shall
adopt the annual report within fifteen days, with corrections to the
official copy, if necessary. (Approved 11-3-1992)
