The Mayor shall compile preliminary estimates for the annual budget. The head of each department, office or agency of the Town, supported wholly or in part from Town Funds or for which a specific Town appropriation is made, including the Chairman of the Board of Education for such Board, shall at least (90) days before the end of the fiscal year, file with the Mayor on forms or computer files provided by him or her a detailed estimate of the expenditures to be made within and the revenue to be collected thereby in the ensuing fiscal year. Minority reports, if any, are to be submitted to the Mayor, which must be passed on to the Council together with the Mayor's recommendations.
The Mayor shall, at least ninety (90) days before the end of the fiscal year, present to the Council an annual budget proposal consisting of:
(a) 
A budget message outlining the financial policy of the Town government and describing in connection therewith the important features of the budget plan;
(b) 
Estimates of revenue, presenting in parallel columns the itemized receipts collected in the last completed fiscal year, the receipts collected during the current fiscal year prior to the time of preparing the estimates, the receipts estimated to be collected during the remainder of the current fiscal year, and estimates of the receipts, other than from the property tax, to be collected in the ensuing fiscal year and an estimate of the available cash surplus for the current fiscal year as well as the cumulative surplus on the books at the end of the fiscal year. To the extent that use of a portion of the cumulative surplus is being recommended, the Mayor shall present a reason for such recommendation.
(c) 
Itemized estimates of expenditures presenting in parallel columns the actual expenditures for each department, office or agency for the last completed fiscal year and for the current fiscal year to the time of preparing the estimates, the expenditures, as estimated for the remainder of the current fiscal year, the requests of the several departments, offices and agencies for the ensuing fiscal year and the Mayor's recommendations of the amount to be appropriated for the ensuing fiscal year, including the appropriation to the reserve fund for capital and nonrecurring expenditures, if any, for all items except those of the Board of Education which he or she shall transmit to the Council as submitted to him or her by said Board. The Mayor shall present reasons for all his recommendations. The Chairman of the Board of Education shall have the same duties and follow the same form and procedure with respect to the budget of the Board of Education as is provided herein for departmental estimates. The Council may decrease but not increase the budget items.
(d) 
As part of the annual budget or as a separate report attached thereto, the Mayor shall present a program, after consultation with the town Planning and Zoning Commission in accordance with Section 8-24 of the General Statutes concerning municipal improvements of proposed nonrecurring capital expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year and for four fiscal years thereafter. Estimates of the cost of such projects shall be submitted by each department, office or agency annually, including the Board of Education, in the same manner as estimates of other budgetary requirements prepared by the Mayor. The Mayor shall recommend to the Council those projects to be undertaken during the ensuing fiscal year and the method of financing the same, except he must send all capital recommendations of the Board of Education to the Council.
(a) 
Not less than thirty (30) days before the beginning of the fiscal year, the Council shall hold a public hearing, at which budgets for the ensuing fiscal year, as prepared pursuant to the provisions of Section 701 and 702, shall be presented, and at which all persons shall be heard in regard to any appropriation which they are desirous that the Council should recommend or reject. The Council shall, after such public hearing, hold a special meeting at which it shall consider the budgets so presented and any other matters brought to its attention and shall thereupon prepare and cause to appear in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the Town, a report in a form prescribed by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management containing the itemized information prescribed by CGS.
(b) 
Not less than twenty (20) days before the beginning of the fiscal year, the Council shall adopt an operating budget.
(c) 
Said operating budget shall be subject to the power of referendum as provided in Section 309(a) of this Charter.
(d) 
Immediately after the Board of Tax Review has finished its duties and the grand list has been completed, the Council shall meet, and with due provision for estimated uncollectible taxes, abatements and corrections, shall lay such tax on such list as shall be sufficient, in addition to the other estimated yearly income of the town and other available funds as may be recommended, not only to pay the expenses and appropriations of the Town for the ensuing fiscal year, but also to absorb any revenue shortfall of the town at the end of the preceding fiscal year if the expenditures for such fiscal year are in excess of the revenues for such fiscal year.
(a) 
The estimate of expenditures submitted by the Council may include a recommended appropriation for a contingent fund in an amount not to exceed two (2) percent of the total estimated expenditures for the current fiscal year. No expenditure or transfer shall be made from the contingent fund except by action of the Council.
(b) 
No officer of the Town shall expend or enter into any contract by which the Town shall become liable for any sum which, with contract then in force, exceeds the appropriation for the department. Such prohibited conduct shall be deemed unethical.
(c) 
All transfers whether interdepartmental or intradepartmental within the approved budget for any fiscal year may be made upon the recommendation of the Mayor with approval by the Council. Intradepartmental transfers can be done without Council approval for any amount under five thousand dollars ($5,000.00).
(d) 
If any occasion arises whereby more money is needed for any budget item of the Town than has been appropriated as provided in this Charter, the Mayor may approve additional expenditures up to five thousand dollars ($5,000.00), not to exceed the contingent fund, and shall notify the Council of such fact within thirty (30) days and the Council shall make the necessary appropriations, therefore.
(e) 
If any occasion arises whereby an additional appropriation is required in amount exceeding twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00) but less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00), said appropriation may be made upon recommendation of the Mayor with the approval by the Council up to a maximum additional appropriation of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00).
(f) 
In the event that an additional appropriation exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), such appropriation shall not be made until the same has been voted by the Town at a meeting called for such purpose, provided that said appropriation has been recommended by the Mayor and approved by the Council.
(g) 
At such time as the cumulative total of all additional appropriations during any fiscal year exceeds the sum of $100,000.00, no further appropriation shall be made until the same has been voted by the Town at a meeting called for such purpose, provided that said appropriation has been recommended by the Mayor and approved by the Council.
(h) 
Any town meeting required to be held under this section shall be subject to the right of referendum as provided in Section 309(a) of this Charter.
(i) 
The amount required for any additional appropriation may be drawn either from any cash surplus available or from any contingent fund established as provided by law. If no such cash surplus exists, and no funds are available in the contingent fund, such appropriation may be financed by borrowing, and the amount of such borrowings shall be included in and made part of the tax laid by the Council under the provisions of Section 703 of this Charter.
(j) 
The provisions of this section and of the preceding section shall not be a limitation upon the Town in issuing bonds under the provisions of law or expending the proceeds thereof in accordance with the vote of the Town. The provisions of Sections 7-346 and 7-347 of the General Statutes shall apply to the Town with the Council performing the duties and functions therein fixed for a Board of Finance.
(k) 
When the Town is maintaining a reserve fund for capital and nonrecurring expenditures in accordance with Sections 7-359 through 7-369 of the Connecticut General Statutes, appropriations from the reserve fund shall not be made until the same have been voted by the town at a meeting called for such purposes, provided that said appropriations have been recommended by the Mayor and approved by the Council. Payments into said accounts may be made upon recommendation by the Mayor and approval by the Town Council.
A special appropriation or transfer of unexpended balances, and payment into or appropriation from the reserve fund for capital and nonrecurring expenditures, requiring Town Meeting approval in accordance with this Charter, may be decreased by a Town Meeting, but may not be increased. A Town Meeting may make no special appropriation or transfer of funds not recommended by the Mayor and approved the Council.
Any appropriation from the capital and nonrecurring expenditure fund shall not lapse until the purpose for which the appropriation was made shall have been accomplished or abandoned. A project shall be deemed to have been abandoned if three (3) fiscal years shall lapse without any expenditure from or encumbrance of the appropriation.
The Town Meeting shall not act upon any appropriation or expenditure which has not first been recommended by the Mayor and approved by the Council.
It shall be the duty of the Tax Collector to prepare and mail to each taxpayer, at least seven (7) days before the date when taxes are due and payable, a tax bill, the form of which shall be acceptable to the Commissioner of Revenue Services.
Except as specifically provided in this Charter, the assessment of property for taxation and the collection of taxes shall be carried on as provided in the General Statutes or special laws of the State applicable to the Town of Wolcott.
(a) 
The several departments, commissions, boards, committees and officers of the Town shall not involve the Town in any obligation to spend money for any purpose in excess of the amount appropriated therefore unless said obligation has been authorized in the manner provided in Section 704 of this Charter. Each order drawn upon the Treasurer shall state the department, commission, board, committee or officer or the appropriation against which it is to be charged. When any department, commission, board, committee or officer shall desire to secure a transfer of funds in its, his or her appropriation from funds set apart for one specific purpose to another, before incurring any expenditure therefore, such department, commissions, board or officer shall make application to the Mayor whose duty it shall be to examine the matter and, upon the Mayor's recommendation such transfer may be made with Council approval.
(b) 
Every payment made in violation of the provisions of this Charter shall be deemed illegal and every official authorizing or making such payment or taking part therein shall be jointly and severally liable to the Town for the full amount so paid or received. If any officer or employee of the town shall knowingly incur any obligation or shall authorize or make any expenditure in violation of the provisions of this Charter, or take part therein, such action may be cause for his removal.
(c) 
Public Bidding Procedure. The Council, the Mayor, and all boards, commissions and agencies of the Town of Wolcott shall be required to put out to public sealed bid all expenditures for any one (1) item or service in excess of twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) dollars. One item or service is defined as but is not limited to any single item or service, any single purchase order for multiple items or services of like kind, any contracts for multiple items or services whose sum total exceeds twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00). All bids shall be published in a newspaper having a local circulation at least one (1) time prior to the date set for opening of bids, the first date of publication to be at least fifteen (15) days prior to date set for opening of bids. The notice of bids shall contain a notice of where more particular detail may be obtained and the date and time and place of bid opening. The public shall have the right to attend bid openings at the date, time and place set in the notice. The Town of Wolcott shall reserve the right to reject any or all bids.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following expenditures shall be exempt from the provisions of the above public bidding procedure with the approval of the Town Council, or the Board of Education for those expenditures under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education.
(i) 
expenditures for architects, engineers, land surveyors, medical professionals, attorneys, accountants or artists, and such other professional or technical services;
(ii) 
expenditures for contracts that can only be performed or provided by one party in the judgment of the Mayor, the Municipal Finance Officer, or Business Manager of the Board of Education for those expenditures under the Board's jurisdiction.
(iii) 
expenditures for contracts made through cooperative purchasing arrangements with other government or quasi-governmental entities when, in the judgment of the Mayor, the Municipal Finance Officer, or Business Manager of the Board of Education for those expenditures under the Board's jurisdiction, such contracts are in the best interests of the Town.
(iv) 
expenditures for contracts made in accordance with procedures approved by the Town Council, or Board of Education applicable to cases of emergency involving a threat to the public health, safety or welfare. Provided that such expenditures are made in accordance with the procedures adopted by the Town Council or Board of Education, no additional Town Council or Board of Education approval shall be required by this Section. Such emergency expenditures procedures shall be adopted by the Town Council and the Board of Education respectively within sixty (60) days of effective date of this Charter.
(v) 
expenditures for those contracts where, in the opinion of the Mayor, the Municipal Finance Officer, or the Business Manager of the Board of Education for those expenditures under the Board's jurisdiction, it would not be practicable or in the best interest of the Town to proceed in the manner required by the above public bidding procedures and the Town Council or the Board of Education affirmatively determines that adherence to the public bidding procedure would not be practicable or in the best interest of the Town.
The Council shall, at a duly authorized meeting of its members, designate a certified public accounting firm to audit the books and financial affairs of the Town government for the current fiscal year in accordance with Chapter III of the General Statutes. Upon receiving an RFP for public accounting services, that firm may be given a multiple year contract up to three (3) years without further action by the Town Council. No such firm chosen shall serve more than five (5) consecutive years in that capacity. Such five (5) year restriction may be extended for one (1) year by a 2/3 vote of the Council. Such restriction may be extended an additional one (1) year by a 2/3 vote of the Council. Said restriction may only be extended a maximum of two (2) years in a row. No auditing firm shall serve a consecutive period of more than seven (7) years. The Town Council must include as part of the chosen auditing firm's contract, mandatory compliance by the auditing firm with section 415 of this charter.
All officers and employees as may be required to do so by the council shall, before entering on their official duties, execute to the Town, in the form prescribed by the Council and approved by the Town Attorney and filed with the Town Clerk, a surety company bond in a penal sum to be fixed by the Council, conditioned upon the faithful performance of such official duties. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the Town Council, if it deems it to be in the best interests of the Town, from prescribing which departments, offices, agencies, boards, or commissions shall be covered by a specific type of the aforementioned bonds. Premiums for such bonds shall be paid by the Town.
Salaries of all the officers and other employees of the town directly or indirectly under the supervision of the Mayor shall be determined by the Town Council upon recommendation of the Mayor except as herein provided.