There shall be a Board of Selectmen consisting of the Mayor and six Selectmen, hereinafter referred to as the Board of Selectmen, who shall be compensated in such manner and amount as the Board of Finance and the Town Meeting shall determine. As a member of the Board of Selectmen, the Mayor shall have the same duties and rights as any other member of the Board of Selectmen, including the right to vote on any question before the Board of Selectmen. No Selectman shall hold any other position of profit under the government of the Town of Putnam, nor shall be, during the term of office for which elected, and for two years thereafter, be appointed to any other position of profit under the government of said Town where said position was created during his/her term of office.
With the Mayor presiding, the Board of Selectmen shall meet at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday following the municipal election, and shall choose one of its members to be Deputy Mayor, who shall retain the right to vote on any question(s). The Deputy Mayor shall exercise the powers and duties of the office of the Mayor in the absence, death, disability, or resignation of the Mayor until the Board of Selectmen shall fill the vacancy in accordance with the provisions of Section 9-222 of the General Statutes, as amended. During all periods when the Deputy Mayor exercises the powers and duties of Mayor, the individual shall retain the power to vote as a Board of Selectmen member.
At the first meeting of the Board of Selectmen following each municipal election the Board shall fix the time and place of their regular meetings. They shall by resolution determine their own rules of procedure. All meetings of the Board of Selectmen for the transaction of business shall be open to the public and the votes shall be recorded as prescribed by the General Statutes, as amended. Four members shall constitute a quorum, and no proposed ordinance, resolution, or vote, except a vote to adjourn or to fix the time and place of the next meeting, shall be adopted without a quorum present.
Except as otherwise specifically provided in the Charter, the Board of Selectmen shall have the powers and duties, which at the effective date of this Charter were conferred by the Constitution and General Statutes, as amended, upon Boards of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen shall review the Mayor's budget and shall submit recommendations on the budget to the Board of Finance. The legislative power of the Town shall be vested in the Town Meeting except as otherwise specifically provided in this Charter. Subject to the provisions of this Charter, said Board of Selectmen shall have the power to recommend to the Town Meeting the enactment, amendment, or repeal of ordinances not inconsistent with the Charter or the General Statutes, as amended, and to create or abolish, by resolution, ad-hoc agencies, and offices. The Board of Selectmen is authorized, in drafting ordinances to incorporate any nationally recognized code, rules or regulations that have been published, or any portion thereof, by reference in such ordinance; provided upon adoption of any such ordinances there shall be maintained two copies of such code, rules or regulations in the office of the Town Clerk for examination by the public. Said Board of Selectmen may fix the charges, if any, to be made for services rendered by the Town where such right to fix charges is not under the jurisdiction of another agency of the municipality or for the execution of powers vested in the Town as provided in this Charter.
Every ordinance, after passage, shall be filed with the Town Clerk. The Town Clerk shall record, compile, and publish said ordinance as required by law. Within 10 days after final passage, all ordinances shall be published once in their entirety in a newspaper having circulation within the Town. Every ordinance, unless it shall specify a later date, shall become effective on the 21st day after such publication following its final passage except as otherwise provided in this Charter or in the General Statutes, as amended.
An ordinance stated to be a public emergency measure may be adopted by the Board of Selectmen without Town Meeting approval. The ordinance stating the facts constituting such public emergency shall become effective immediately after publication thereof as required in this chapter. Every such emergency ordinance including any amendments shall automatically stand repealed at the termination of the 61st day following final passage of said ordinance.
The Board of Selectmen shall have the power to investigate all offices and agencies of the Town and for such purposes shall have the power to call witnesses to appear before the Board of Selectmen to testify on any matter under investigation.
At least one public hearing, notice of which shall be given in the same manner as notices of Special Town Meetings; said notices shall be published at least five days prior to the public hearing and shall be held by the Board of Selectmen before any ordinance may be passed at Town Meeting.