[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) shall
be the chief administrative officer of the Town. As such, he or she
shall possess, have and exercise the administrative powers as directed
by the Mayor or Acting Mayor, except as otherwise limited by this
Charter, state law and/or federal law.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The CAO shall be appointed and may be removed
or suspended, with or without pay, by the Mayor. The qualifications
of the CAO shall be a Master of Business Administration degree, Master
of Public Administration degree, or such other education, general
executive and administrative experience and ability as are necessary
to perform the duties of the office. The CAO shall be appointed on
the basis of such factors including, but not limited to, education,
municipal and public experience, professional training, and executive
and administrative qualifications, and shall be considered an “at
will” employee.
The CAO shall devote his or her entire time
and business interest to the management of the town's affairs and
shall not, during his or her term of office, be an employee of or
perform any executive duty for any person, firm, corporation or institution
other than the Town of Stratford.
The Chief Administrative Officer shall have
the powers and duties hereinafter enumerated and shall be directly
responsible to the Mayor for the proper administration thereof:
1.
To recommend to the Mayor adoption of such measures
as he or she may deem necessary or expedient;
2.
To assist the Mayor in the submission to the Council
of the Annual Budget as by this Charter required;
3.
To perform such other duties as may be prescribed
by this Charter or required of him or her by the Mayor;
4.
To assist the Mayor in all aspects of labor negotiations,
personnel issues, financial management, and any other field of public
administration commensurate with his or her knowledge and experience.
There shall be six (6) administrative departments
as follows: Public Works, Safety, Health, Economic and Community Development,
Finance and Office of Town Clerk, the functions of which shall be
prescribed by the Council except as herein provided.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Fire Chief, Chief of Police, Administrator
of Emergency Medical Services, Human Resources director and the heads
of each administrative department shall be a director, or the CAO
may serve as a director of any or all departments until such time
as a director is deemed necessary, unless otherwise precluded by law.
Each director shall be chosen on the basis of
his or her general executive and administrative experience and ability
and of his or her education, training and experience in the class
of work which he or she is to administer.
Each director shall be appointed by the Mayor.
The directors of departments shall be immediately
responsible to the Mayor for the administration of their departments
and their advice in writing may be required by the Mayor on all matters
affecting their departments. They shall prepare estimates, which shall
be open to public inspection, and they shall make all other reports
and recommendations concerning their departments at stated intervals
or when requested by the Mayor. In the event of a vacancy in any subordinate
office as provided by this Charter the directors within their respective
departments may exercise the powers and duties of such subordinate
offices.
A director may be removed by the Mayor at any
time and is considered an "at will" employee unless superseded by
contract or law.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Mayor shall appoint a health officer, an
animal control officer, a tax collector, a treasurer, and an assessor
and may appoint one or two assistant assessors, all of whom shall
be employees of the Town. They shall have all the powers conferred
and perform all of the duties imposed upon them by the General Statutes.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
A certificate of the appointment of each director
and each subordinate employee signed by the Mayor shall be filed with
the Town Clerk and recorded in the records of the Council
The Director of Public Works shall exercise
all the powers and perform all the duties necessary for the administration
of the department of public works. The department of public works
shall be concerned with (a) maintenance of the streets, highways,
buildings, lands, including parks and recreation areas, and all other
physical assets of the town; (b) refuse collection and disposal; (c)
preparation of data for the expansion, construction or repairing of
public buildings and other physical assets of the town, including
construction, laying out, expansion or repairing of highways, sidewalks,
curbs, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, sewerage treatment facilities,
seawalls and devices to prevent shore erosion; (d) administration,
compilation, maintenance, review and enforcement of the building code,
plumbing code, electrical code, gas and oil burner code, and ordinances
of the town and statutes of the State relating thereto to provide
minimum standards to safeguard life, limb and property, and to promote
the public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, construction
and quality of materials of all buildings and structures within the
town, and to provide minimum standards for the maintenance, location
and use of all buildings and structures within the town; (e) the issuance
of permits or licenses for the construction, repair, alteration or
remodeling of all buildings, public and private; (f) inspection of
all buildings, public and private, for the purpose of ascertaining
the existence of fire hazards and hazards caused by rot, deterioration,
dilapidation or catastrophe; (g) such other and further matters as
prescribed by statutes of the State of Connecticut and local ordinances
or as may be referred to it from time to time by the Mayor.
The department of public works shall be composed
of the director of public works, the town engineer, the building inspector,
the superintendents of highways, wastewater treatment, sanitation,
building maintenance, and parks, and their respective employees.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Director of Safety shall exercise all the
powers and perform all the duties necessary for the administration
of the department of safety. The department of safety shall be concerned
with (a) police protection of the town, its citizens, and their individual
and collective property; (b) the extinguishing and prevention of fire;
(c) emergency medical services; (d) maintenance of all equipment entrusted
to its charge; (e) maintenance of disaster and emergency facilities;
(f) instruction of all townspeople in matters of safety and fire prevention;
(g) the enforcement of all penal statutes of the state and ordinances
of the town; (h) the control of stray dogs; (i) such other and further
matters as prescribed by the statutes of the state of Connecticut
and local ordinances or as may be referred to it from time to time
by the Mayor.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The department of safety shall be composed of
the director of safety, the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief, the Administrator
of Emergency Medical Services and their respective employees and/or
volunteers.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Animal Control Officer and any such Assistant
Animal Control officers as are appointed shall be under the jurisdiction,
supervision and control of the chief of police. During the absence
or disability of the Animal Control Officer, the Assistant Animal
Control Officers shall perform all the duties of the Animal Control
Officer.
The Director of Health shall exercise all the
powers and perform all the duties necessary for the administration
of the department of health. The department of health shall be concerned
with (a) maintenance of all public health facilities; (b) air pollution
control; (c) pollution control of streams; (d) instruction of all
townspeople in matters of public health; (e) inspection of premises
where food is served to the public; (f) inspection of all devices,
outlets, and facilities for the dispensing of drinking water to the
public; (g) inspection of all premises where food is sold to the public
for private consumption; (h) inspection of all premises maintained
for the care of sick or aged persons; (i) enforcement of the sanitary
code and state laws relating to any of the foregoing concerns; (j)
such other and further matters as prescribed by statutes of the State
of Connecticut and local ordinances or as may be referred to it from
time to time by the Mayor.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The department of health shall be composed of
the director of health, all other employees required by law, and such
other employees as have been assigned.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Dirrector of Health shall have all the powers
and duties set forth by federal, state and local law.
The Director of Finance shall exercise all the
powers and perform all the duties necessary for the administration
of the department of finance. The department of finance shall be concerned
with (a) fiscal policy of the town (b) compilation and maintenance
of a grand list of property within the town subject to taxation; (c)
assessment of valuation of property on the grand list; (d) preparation
of data incident to presentation of the annual budget of the town;
(e) supervision of the execution of contracts of the town; (f) supervision
of payment of debts of the town including bonded indebtedness; (g)
supervision of the collection of taxes levied by the town; (h) maintenance
of financial records of the town; (i) custody of public funds; (j)
such other and further matters as prescribed by the statute of the
state of Connecticut and local ordinances or as may be referred to
it from time to time by the Mayor.
The department of finance shall be composed
of the director of finance, the town treasurer, the tax collector,
the assessor, the purchasing agent, and their respective employees.
Accounts shall be kept by the department of
finance showing the financial transactions for all departments of
the Town. Forms for such accounts shall be prescribed by the director
of finance with the approval of the Mayor, which forms shall be adequate
to record all cash receipts and disbursements, all revenues accrued
and liabilities incurred, and all transactions affecting the acquisition,
custody and disposition of values and for the making of such reports
of the financial transactions and conditions of the Town as may be
required by law or ordinance.
The Purchasing Agent of the Town shall purchase
all supplies, materials, equipment and other commodities and services
for all departments, agencies, boards or commissions of the Town including
that purchasing done for the Board of Education. All purchasing done
for the Board of Education shall be done in accordance with the specification
as to quality defined by said Board of Education.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
Financial reports shall be prepared for each
quarter and each fiscal year, and for such other periods as may be
required by the Mayor and/or Council. Said reports shall be provided
to the Mayor and the Council.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
Payments by the Town shall be made as certified
by the head of the appropriate department or other division of the
town government as approved by the director of finance. Payments shall
be authorized by the director of finance and the Mayor. The director
of finance shall examine all payrolls, bills and other claims and
demands against the town, and shall issue no warrant for payment unless
he or she finds that the claim is in proper form, correctly computed
and duly certified, that it is justly and legally due and payable,
that an appropriation has been made therefor which has not been exhausted
or that the payment has been otherwise legally authorized and that
there is money in the town treasury to make payment. He or she may
require any claimant to make oath to the validity of the claim. He
or she may investigate any claim and for such purposes may examine
witnesses under oath and if he or she finds it is fraudulent, erroneous
or otherwise invalid he or she shall not issue a warrant therefor.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
(a)
The Town shall conduct an audit upon any of the following:
(a) after the close of the fiscal year, an annual audit will be conducted;
(b) upon the death, resignation, removal or expiration of the term
of any director of the Town or such other employee as determined by
the director of finance, the director of finance shall make an audit
and investigation of accounts of such director or employee and shall
report such findings to the Mayor and the Council; (c) upon the death,
resignation, removal or expiration of the term of the director of
finance, the Mayor shall direct that an independent audit be made
of his or her accounts, and the findings of such audit shall be reported
to the Mayor and the Council; and (d) upon the authorization of the
Council, at any time, the accounts of any officer or department head
of the Town may be audited.
The Town Clerk shall exercise the powers and
perform the duties of a Town Clerk as provided by the General Statutes,
except as herein otherwise provided, and shall perform such other
duties required by this Charter. The fees or compensation provided
by the General Statutes to be paid to the Town Clerk shall be collected
by him or her in accordance with the provisions of the General Statutes
or this Charter or ordinances of the town; shall be deposited with
the treasurer of the town as required by the director of finance;
and at the time of making each such deposit, the Town Clerk shall
file with the treasurer a full statement of such receipts. The Town
Clerk shall also keep a record of receipts in his or her office in
book form, which record shall show the name of each person from whom
money is received, the amounts thereof and for what received.
The Town Clerk shall receive a salary in lieu
of all fees and other compensation.
[Amended 11-4-2008]
The Mayor shall develop a wage and salary schedule
for Town employees, which schedule shall be approved by the Town Council.
