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[Amended 11-4-2008 ] The Council shall fix the salaries of the Mayor and of all Council or Mayoral appointees. Prior to the first day of July during the year in which the regular election of the Mayor is held, the Council shall approve by ordinance a salary for the Mayor, to be effective with the commencement of the Mayoral term next following the election. The Mayor’s salary shall not be subject to any further interim increase or decrease during said term of office. The Council shall further have the power to approve or disapprove wage and salary schedules recommended by the Mayor for administrative department employees.

The Council by ordinance may create, change, and abolish offices, departments and agencies, other than the offices, departments and agencies established by this Charter. The Council by ordinance may assign additional functions or duties to offices, departments or agencies established by this Charter, but may not discontinue or assign to any other office, department or agency any function or duty assigned by this Charter to a particular office, department or agency.

The Council shall act only by ordinance or resolution, and all ordinances or resolutions, except ordinances making appropriations, shall be confined to one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in the title. Any ordinance making appropriations shall be confined to the subject of appropriations.

No ordinance shall be passed until it has been read at two (2) separate meetings or unless such readings are dispensed with by a vote of seven (7) members of the Council. The final reading shall be in full, unless the measure shall have been printed or typewritten and a copy thereof furnished to each member prior to such reading. The yeas and nays shall be taken upon the passage of all ordinances or resolutions and entered upon the record of the proceedings of the Council, and every ordinance or resolution shall require, for final passage, the affirmative vote of six (6) Council Members or, in the event of a tie vote of 5-5, the affirmative vote of five (5) Council members and the Mayor. No member shall be excused from voting, except on matters involving ...

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] Resolutions passed by the Council shall become effective immediately upon passage unless an effective date is specifically stated herein but no ordinance shall go into effect until thirty (30) days after its approval unless it be declared an emergency measure on the ground of an urgent public need for the preservation of peace, health, safety or property the facts showing such urgency and need being specifically stated in the ordinance itself and the ordinance being passed by an affirmative vote of not less than seven (7) members of the Council, except that an ordinance approved pursuant to §§ 6.2.2 and 6.2.6 of this Charter shall be effective on July 1st next following the adoption and approval of the ordinances unless such ordinance...

Measures passed as emergency measures shall be subject to referendum like other measures, except that they shall not be suspended from going into effect while the referendum proceedings are pending. If, when submitted to a vote of the electors, an emergency measure be not approved by a majority of those voting thereon, it shall be considered repealed, as regards any further action thereunder and all rights and privileges conferred by it shall be null and void, provided such measure so repealed shall be deemed sufficient authority for any payment made or expense incurred in accordance with the measure previous to the referendum vote thereon.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] The Council shall appoint a Council Clerk, a Board of Assessment Appeals, and shall fill by appointment all vacancies arising in the membership of the Library Board other than life memberships. The Council shall make all other such appointments to boards, authorities, agencies, committees and offices as may be required by Charter, ordinance, resolution or General Statutes, except as otherwise provided by this Charter.

All such appointments shall be made on the basis of the candidates' general experience and qualifications. The nominator of any such candidate for appointment shall state the experience and qualifications of the nominee at the time of the nomination.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Charter, the Council may remove an appointee only for misfeasance or nonfeasance in the performance of the official duties of his or her office. In such event the Council must state in writing the reasons for removal and must afford the member a public hearing before the Council and such removal shall be effective only if approved by an affirmative vote of seven (7) members of the Council.

The power to appoint persons to employment, granted to the Mayor by this Charter, shall be exercised solely and exclusively by him or her. Neither the Council nor any of its members, either publicly or privately, shall dictate, or attempt to dictate, the appointment of any person to employment, the power to appoint which is granted to the Mayor. [Amended 11-4-2008] Any violation of this section by a Council Member shall be cause for his or her removal from office after a hearing before the Council and the affirmative vote of eight (8) members of the Council. Nothing herein shall be construed to deny to the Council or its members the right to make inquiries of the Mayor or his or her subordinates.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] The Council shall have the power to investigate town affairs. In exercising this power, the Council shall have the power to require any town elected or appointed official, officer, director, department head, or employee to furnish the Council or its designee all information, contracts, reports, papers, documents, records, or other material which is in the possession of the elected or appointed official, officer, director, department head, or employee, and which, in the opinion of the Council is necessary to enable the Council to discharge the duties imposed upon it by this Charter, or to properly and completely investigate town affairs. It is hereby made a duty and obligation of all town elected or appointed officials, officers, direc...

The Council shall appoint a Council Clerk who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Council. The Council Clerk shall keep a record of all Council actions and the minutes of all Council meetings. Such records shall be filed in the Town Clerk's office as a public record and the Town Clerk is authorized to issue certified copies thereof. Each Council may by resolution prescribe the procedures and duties of the Council Clerk not inconsistent with this Charter.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] (a) The Mayor shall, within thirty days of taking office, nominate a Town Attorney who shall be admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut for a period of not less than five (5) years. The Mayor shall, within two (2) business days of making the nomination, notify the Town Clerk, the Council Chairman, and the Council Clerk, in writing, of said nomination. Not later than thirty (30) days following receipt of the notice of nomination by the Council Chairman, the Town Council may, by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire membership, vote to reject the nomination. In the event the Town Council fails to act, or fails to reject the nomination, the nomination shall be deemed approved. In the event the nomination is rejecte...

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] The Town Attorney shall appoint assistant Town Attorney(s) as required to deal with the workload of his or her office. Assistants to the Town Attorney shall be compensated in a manner and in an amount approved by the Town Council.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] The Town Attorney shall be the chief legal advisor of all offices, departments and agencies and of all officers and employees in matters relating to their official powers and duties. The Town Attorney shall represent the Town in all legal proceedings. The Town Attorney shall perform all services incident to his or her position as may be required by the General Statutes, by this Charter or by ordinance.

The Council shall provide for such funding and resources as may be reasonably necessary to conduct the legal business of the Town and to maintain records within the Town offices of legal proceedings and legal opinions concerning Town affairs.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] There shall be a Board of Assessment Appeals consisting of three (3) electors of the town appointed by the Council, each to serve for a term of three (3) years from the first Monday of the January next succeeding the date of his or her appointment, one of whom shall be appointed each year.

[Amended 11-4-2008 ] No more than two (2) members of the Board of Assessment Appeals shall be registered members of the same political party at the time of their appointment.