The powers which are conferred and the duties which are imposed
upon any office, board or commission under the General Statutes, or
any ordinance or regulation, in force at the time of this Charter,
shall take effect and, if such office, board or commission is abolished
by this Charter or superseded by the creation herein of a new commission,
board or office upon which are granted similar powers and jurisdiction,
shall be thereafter exercised and discharged by the commission, board
or office upon which are imposed corresponding or like functions,
powers, and duties under the provisions of this Charter. All commissions,
boards and offices abolished by this Charter, whether elective or
appointive, shall continue in the performance of their duties until
provision shall have been made for the discontinuances of such commissions,
boards and offices and the performance of their duties by other commissions,
board and offices created by this Charter and until the Town Clerk
shall have notified the members of such commissions, boards or offices
as are abolished by this Charter that their successors have qualified.
All records, property, and equipment whatsoever of any commission,
board or office or part thereof, all the powers and duties of which
are assigned to any other commission, board or office by the Charter,
shall be transferred and delivered intact forthwith to the commission,
board or office to which such powers and duties are so assigned. If
part of the powers and duties of any commission, board or office are
by this Charter assigned to another commission, board or office, all
records, property and equipment relating exclusively, thereto shall
be transferred and delivered intact forthwith to the commission, board
or office to which such powers and duties are so assigned. Otherwise
all such records, property and equipment shall be transferred and
delivered intact for protective storage by and under the responsibility
of the Town Clerk.
All employees of the Town on the effective date of this Charter
shall retain such position pending action by the appropriate person
or agency charged by this Charter with powers of appointment or removal
of said employees. Any provisions in force at the time this Charter
shall take effect, and not inconsistent with this Charter, in relation
to personnel, appointments, ranks, grades, tenure of office, promotions,
removals, pension and retirement rights, civil rights or any other
rights or privileges of employees of the Town or any office, department
or agency thereof shall continue in effect, unless and until amended
or repealed in accordance with the provisions of this Charter.
All officers, commissions, boards, agencies and other entities
shall have the power to engage such employees and consultants as necessary.
However, no officer, commission, board, agency or other entity shall
employ part time or full time employees in excess of the number provided
for in the Annual Town Budget approved by the Board of Finance, without
the prior approval of the Board of Finance and the recommendation
of the Board of Selectmen.
All appropriations approved and in force and all funds, including
special or reserve funds in the name of the Town, at the time of the
adoption of this Charter, shall remain in full force and effect, unless
and until the same shall be amended, transferred or abolished by the
Board of Finance under the provisions of this Charter.
No action or proceeding, civil or criminal, pending on the effective
date of this Charter, brought by or against the Town or any office,
agency, board or commission thereof, shall be affected or abated by
the adoption of this Charter or by anything herein contained; but
all such actions or proceedings may be continued notwithstanding the
fact that the functions, powers and duties of any office, agency,
board or commission party thereto may by or under this Charter be
assigned or transferred to another office, agency, board or commission,
but in that event the same may be prosecuted or defended by the head
of the office, agency, board or commission to which such functions,
powers and duties have been assigned or transferred by or under this
Charter.
On and after the effective date of this Charter, all general
laws of the State of Connecticut applying to the Town, all ordinances
or parts of ordinances and all bylaws or parts of bylaws of the Town,
and all rules and regulations of commissions, boards and agencies
of the Town not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter or
repealed thereby shall be and shall continue to remain in full force
and effect unless and until repealed or amended. All special acts
or parts of special acts of the State of Connecticut relating to the
Town of Suffield, except those expressly repealed by the provisions
of this section, shall continue to apply in full force and effect,
except as they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter.
The following Special Acts of the State of Connecticut shall be repealed:
"Special Act No. 423 (1959) An Act Concerning Minority Representation
on the Board of Finance in the Town of Suffield"; "Special Act No.
528 (1949) An Act Establishing A Planning and Zoning Commission for
the Town of Suffield"; and the Planning and Zoning Commission and
the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be considered established under
the provisions of Chapter VII of this Charter and the General Statutes
of the State of Connecticut. (Approved 11-3-1992)
This Charter may be amended in the manner prescribed by the
General Statutes. The Board of Selectmen shall review the several
provisions of this Charter from time to time as it deems such review
to be in the best interest of the Town but not less often than once
every five years, said review to be published as part of the Annual
Town Report. The Board of Selectmen shall appoint a commission not
later than five years from the effective date of this Charter to review,
amend or revise said Charter in the manner prescribed by the General
Statutes.
A.
This Charter is intended to avail, make use of and exercise the full
home rule powers of the Town under the Home Rule Law, and any other
statute now in effect or hereafter enacted and any other home rule
powers thereof under the Constitution of the State of Connecticut,
under the common law, or otherwise.
B.
If any section or part of any section of this Charter shall be held
invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not
affect the remainder of this Charter nor the context in which said
section or part thereof so held invalid may appear, except to the
extent that an entire section or part of a section may be inseparably
connected in meaning and effect with the section or part of the section
to which such ruling shall directly apply.
When the context so requires, the masculine gender shall include
the feminine and the singular shall include the plural, and the plural
the singular.
All references to the General Statutes made herein are to the
General Statutes of the State of Connecticut, revision of 1958, and
all references to said General Statutes, to the Special Acts or Special
Laws of the State of Connecticut and to the ordinances, regulations
and bylaws of the Town of Suffield are to them as they exist on the
effective date of this Charter and as the same may be amended from
time to time.
This Charter shall become effective the first Monday of January,
1985.
The municipal legislative body may make minor and technical
revisions of a nonsubstantive nature to the Charter or home rule ordinance
provided such revisions are deemed minor, technical and nonsubstantive
by a two-thirds majority vote of such legislative body.
