There shall be a Town Solicitor appointed by
the Town Council to serve at its pleasure. The Solicitor need not
be required to devote full time to the duties of the office.
The Town Solicitor shall be the attorney for the Town
and chief legal advisor to the Town Council, Town Manager and all
Town departments, offices, boards, commissions, and agencies. The
Solicitor's duties and functions shall include representing the Town
in all legal proceedings and performing such related functions as
may be required now and hereafter by ordinance, state law, or which
may be assigned by the Town Council.
Nothing in this section shall prohibit the appointment
of a law firm to perform the duties of the Town Solicitor; nor shall
anything in this section prohibit the Town Council from providing
for the appointment of Assistant Town Solicitors if, in its judgment,
the workload of the Town Solicitor's office shall justify such appointment;
nor shall anything in this section prohibit the Council from making
provision for the hiring of special counsel to assist or act in place
of the Town Solicitor in extraordinary and limited circumstances when,
in the judgment of the Council, such provision will best serve the
interests of the Town. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the
School Department from retaining counsel to be compensated from funds
provided in its budget.