Article III: Elected Officers, Elected Boards and Commissions

§ C3-1 General powers and procedures; records; compensation.

Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, all elective Town officers, boards and commissions shall have the powers and duties prescribed by law. It shall be the responsibility of all officials of the Town to carry out their duties with the highest ethical standards regardless of personal considerations. Their conduct should at all times be for the public good and within the bounds of law, should be above reproach and should avoid conflict between public and private interest and responsibilities.

Except as otherwise provided by law, all elected boards and commissions shall elect a Chairman, a Vice Chairman and a Secretary within 60 days following the first Monday in December. All boards and commissions shall make regulations for the conduct of their meetings and the execution of their duties, including written policy established by each board and commission. Such regulations and policies and any amendments thereto shall be filed with the Town Clerk and shall be public record. Any vacancy in any of the officers' positions on any board or commission shall be filled by the majority vote of the members of such board or commission.

Copies of all minutes taken by each board and commission shall be filed with the Town Clerk and First Selectman within seven (7) business days. The recorded vote of each member thereof on all issues shall be filed with the Town Clerk and with the First Selectman within two (2) business days. The Town Clerk shall maintain files of such minutes, which shall be public record. Any changes to filing deadlines of minutes or recorded votes adopted by the Legislature and incorporated into the CT General Statutes subsequent to the adoption of this Charter shall supersede this section and shall be deemed to prevail.

Board and commission members, except members of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Assessment Appeals (per Section 12-121 of the CT General Statutes), shall serve without compensation, except that necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties shall be paid from an appropriation for that purpose. The Board of Selectmen, limited by the provision of necessary budget appropriation and § C4-13 of this Charter, shall determine the compensation of the individual officers.

All resignations must be submitted in writing to the Town Clerk, except that the Town Clerk shall submit his or her resignation in writing to the First Selectman.

§ C3-2 Elected Town officers, boards and commissions.

The following officers and members of boards and commissions shall be elected for the terms herein specified commencing on the first Monday in December, unless otherwise provided herein. They shall be duly sworn to perform the duties prescribed in this Charter and in the CT General Statutes.

First Selectman and Board of Selectmen.

The First Selectman and two (2) other members of the Board of Selectmen ("remaining Board of Selectmen") shall be elected at the regular biennial Town election in the manner provided for in § C2-4 of this Charter for the terms of two (2) years.

No more than a bare majority of this entire Board, including the First Selectman, shall be members of the same political party.

Town Clerk. The Town Clerk, who shall also be the Registrar of Vital Statistics, shall be elected at alternate biennial elections for a term of four (4) years commencing on the first Monday in January succeeding his or her election.

Town Treasurer. The Town Treasurer shall receive all money belonging to the town, pay it out on the order of the proper authority and keep a record of all moneys received and when received and of all moneys paid out, when, for what and upon whose authority, which record shall always be open to the inspection of any Brookfield taxpayer and shall be presented to each annual town meeting, being first sworn to by the Town Treasurer and adjusted by the selectmen. The Town Treasurer shall be, ex officio, treasurer of the town trust funds and may appoint a deputy who shall, in the absence or disability of the Town Treasurer, perform all his duties. The Town Treasurer shall be elected at alternate biennial town elections for a term of four (4) years commencing on the first Monday in January succeeding his or her election.

Board of Finance. The Board of Finance shall consist of six (6) members each of whom shall be elected for a term of four (4) years. At each regular biennial Town election there shall be elected sufficient members to succeed each member whose term shall expire. The First Selectman shall be an ex officio member of the Board of Finance and, when present, shall vote only in case of a tie.

Board of Assessment Appeals. There shall be a Board of Assessment Appeals having three (3) members elected for terms of four (4) years. At each regular biennial Town election one (1) member or two (2) members shall be elected for terms of four (4) years on a rotating basis as terms expire.

Board of Education. There shall be a Board of Education having seven (7) members elected for terms of four (4) years. At each regular biennial Town election there shall be elected a sufficient number of members to maintain its number at seven (7) in the manner provided in § C2-4 of this Charter. Each political party shall have the right to nominate as many candidates as there are vacancies to be filled, and the electors may vote for the full number of such members to be elected. In the event of a mid-term election to fill a vacancy, notwithstanding any state statutes or Charter provision to the contrary, a political party may not nominate a candidate to fill that vacancy, and no candidate of that party may be a candidate, if the election of that candidate would result in the number of members of the same political party exceeding a bare majority.

Planning and Zoning Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall consist of seven (7) members each of whom is elected for a term of four (4) years. At each regular biennial Town election, there shall be elected sufficient members to succeed each member whose term shall expire.

Zoning Board of Appeals. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall consist of five (5) members each of whom is elected for terms of four (4) years. At each regular biennial Town election there shall be elected sufficient members to succeed each member whose term shall expire.

§ C3-3 Elected state officers; terms.

At the next succeeding regular election for such office and thereafter, the following officers shall be elected:

Registrars of Voters. Two (2) Registrars of Voters, each for a term of four (4) years commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday of January succeeding their election to perform the duties prescribed in Title 9 of the CT General Statutes.

Judge of Probate. One (1) Judge of Probate for a term of four (4) years commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in January succeeding the election to perform the duties prescribed in Title 45 of the CT General Statutes.

§ C3-4 Transition of elected or appointed officers, boards and commissions.

All incumbent officers, board members and commission members shall continue to hold the office to which they were elected or appointed for the term for which they were elected or appointed and until their successors hereunder have been elected or appointed and qualified to succeed them.