Town of New Milford, CT TOWN MEETING

An Annual Town Meeting for the consideration of the budget and the transaction of other Town business shall be held on the first Tuesday in May. Consideration of the budget at the Annual Town Meeting shall not include a vote upon the budget as proposed for referendum pursuant to Section 807 of this Charter. Special Town Meetings shall be called by the Town Council under the terms of this Charter and in the manner provided by the Connecticut General Statutes.

In the call of the Annual Town Meeting, the Town Council shall recommend a date for a referendum consistent with Section 807 of this Charter. The Annual Town Meeting shall by majority vote by those attending have the power to amend the recommendation for a referendum date set forth therein.

Section 902 Procedure.

All Town Meetings shall be called to order by the Mayor or his designated representative. A moderator shall be elected and all business shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by Chapter 90 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Robert's Rules of Order. The Town Clerk shall serve as clerk of all Town Meetings, but in the absence of the Town Clerk the meeting may designate an Acting Clerk.

All actions at a Town Meeting, unless otherwise specified in this Charter, shall be adopted by a majority vote of the qualified voters present and voting at the meeting. The minutes of all Town Meetings shall be filed by the Town Clerk in the Town Clerk's Office.

Town Meetings shall be authorized by resolution of the Town Council, which resolution shall either fix the time and place of such meeting or shall authorize the Mayor to fix such time and place. The Mayor, or in his absence the Acting Mayor, shall give notice of all Town Meetings consistent with Chapter 90 of the Connecticut General Statutes, however, this provision shall not apply to the Annual Town Meeting.

The Town Meeting shall not act upon any proposal except upon the recommendation of the Town Council or as provided by Section 904 of this Charter nor act upon any appropriation that has not been acted upon by the Town Council and approved by the Board of Finance.

Section 903 Actions requiring Town Meeting.

The following actions require a Town Meeting, duly called by the Town Council:

the issuance of bonds and all other forms of financing, the term of which is in excess of one (1) year.

any appropriation supplemental to the total annual budget which is in excess of one-eighth (1/8th) of one (1) mill of the last completed Grand List of the Town, or any supplemental appropriation if the cumulative total of supplemental appropriations for the current fiscal year shall already exceed one-half (1/2) of one mill of the last completed Grand List.

All real estate purchases, sales or transfers, except, however, the Town Council may accept:

(1)

easements or fee title interest in roads which have been recommended for acceptance pursuant to Connecticut General Statute 8-24 and approved by the Town Planning Commission provided that such roads have been constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Town Road Ordinance in effect at the time of such acceptance.

(2)

easements, fee title interests in real property and other gifts to be used by the Town in approved municipal improvements, or municipal roads and may exchange, release or abandon easements with the prior recommendation pursuant to Connecticut General Statute 8-24 of the Planning Commission.

The creation or abolishment of any permanent board, commission, department or agency not otherwise provided for in this Charter.

(e)

Initial applications for state or federal grants involving a local financial share estimated to exceed an amount equal to one-fifth (1/5th) of one (1) mill per thousand dollars on the last completed Grand List.

(f)

Real estate leases and/or lease options to which the Town is a party which involves a term in excess of five (5) years.

(g)

Proposals for municipal improvements disapproved by the Town Planning Commission pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 126 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

The minutes of the Special Town Meeting shall be filed by the Town Clerk in the Town Clerk's Office

Section 904 Town Meetings by petition.

Town Meetings to consider the matters enumerated in Section 903 of this Charter shall be called in the following manner:

A petition on a form pre-approved by the Town Clerk may be filed with the Town Clerk and, except as otherwise provided herein, the petition shall conform to the requirements of Chapter 90 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

The petition shall contain the full text of the proposal and shall be signed in ink or indelible pencil by at least two (2) percent of the electors of the Town.

The petition shall be accompanied by affidavits signed and sworn to by each circulator as provided in Chapter 90 of Connecticut General Statutes.

The Town Clerk shall, within five (5) days after receipt of the petition, determine whether the petition and affidavits are sufficient as prescribed by law and if so, certify said petition to the Town Council.

(e)

Upon receipt of the petition and certification by the Town Clerk, the Town Council shall call a Special Town Meeting for the consideration of the proposal to be held within twenty-one (21) days after the petition is received by the Town Council.

(f)

The Town Council may hold one or more Public Hearings on such proposal prior to its submission to a Town Meeting.

Section 905 Submission of matters to voters.

The Town Council may, not less than five (5) days prior to any Special Town Meeting, remove the vote on any item on the call of said meeting and submit the same to the voters by vote on the voting machines as provided in Section 7-7 of the Connecticut General Statutes. The Town Council shall set the date for such vote not less than seven (7) calendar days nor more that[1] fourteen (14) calendar days following the Special Town Meeting pursuant to the provisions of said Section 7-7 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

[1]

Editor's Note: So in original.

In exercising the above powers, the Town Council shall first determine that the matter is of sufficient import or significance to merit broad participation by the electors and voters.

In the event that a petition for vote by ballot or voting machine has been filed and certified in accordance with the provisions of Section 7-7 of the Connecticut General Statutes, the Town Meeting, as to any item for which such petition has been filed and certified, shall be held only for the purpose of electing a Moderator, holding a Public Hearing on the proposal and setting a date for such vote.

Section 906 Power of Overrule — Town Meeting Actions.

All actions of the Town Meeting pursuant to the provisions of Sections 408, 409, 902, 903 and 904 of this Charter shall be subject to overrule by a Special Town Referendum in the following manner:

If, within ten (10) days after any such action of the Town Meeting, a petition, on a form pre-approved by the Town Clerk, conforming to the requirements of Chapter 90 of the Connecticut General Statutes and signed in ink or indelible pencil by at least three (3) percent of the total electors of the Town, is filed with the Town Clerk requesting its reference to the Town voters at a Special Referendum, the effective date of such action, if an affirmative action, shall be suspended.

Said petition shall be accompanied by affidavits signed and sworn to by each circulator as provided in Chapter 90 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

The Town Clerk shall, not later than the close of the next business day after receipt of the petition, determine whether the petition and affidavits are sufficient as prescribed by law and if so, certify the petition to the Town Council.