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Within ten (10) days after the filing of any recall, initiative or referendum petition the Town Clerk shall ascertain whether or not the petition is signed by the requisite number of electors who were entitled to cast their votes at the last preceding regular town election and shall attach to such petition his certificate showing the result of such examination.

If, by the Town Clerk's certificate, of which notice in writing shall be given to one or more of the persons designated, the petition is shown to be insufficient, it may be amended within ten (10) days from the date of said certificate by filing supplementary petition papers with additional signatures.

The Town Clerk shall within ten (10) days after such amendment make like examination of the amended petition and if his or her certificate shall show the same to be sufficient he or she shall file the petition in his or her office and shall notify each member of the committee of the fact. The final finding of the insufficiency of a petition shall not prejudice the filing of a new petition for the same purpose.

Proposed measures shall be submitted by ballot title. There shall appear upon the official ballot, a ballot title which may be distinct from the legal title of any such proposed measure and which shall be a clear, concise statement, without argument or prejudice, descriptive of the substance of the measure. The ballot title shall be prepared by the committee of the petitioners if for an initiative or a referendum measure, or by a committee of the Council when submitted by the Council. The ballots used when voting upon such proposed measure shall set forth the ballot title and beneath the title shall set forth the two propositions: "For the measure" and "Against the measure." If the majority of the electors voting on any such measure shall vote in favor th...

Any number of proposed measures may be voted upon at the same election in accordance with the provisions of this § 8.5.

If two or more measures adopted or approved at the same election conflict in respect to any of their provisions, they shall go into effect in respect to such of their provisions as are not in conflict, and the one receiving the highest affirmative vote shall prevail.

The Town Clerk, at least fifteen (15) days before any election at which any measure is to be submitted, shall post a certified copy of such measure or measures on the Town signpost and cause the same to be printed at least twice in a newspaper having a circulation in said town of Stratford. The text of every measure shall also be displayed in a conspicuous place at the polling booths used at such election.

The tax collector and treasurer shall give bonds payable to the Town of Stratford in such amount as shall be required by the Mayor, which bonds shall be procured from a surety company of good standing and in a form approved by the State tax commissioner, and the premium on such bonds shall be paid by the Town.

All other such officers and employees as the Council may designate shall, before qualifying and entering upon their duties, furnish a bond conditioned upon the faithful performance of their duties, to an amount and in the form approved by the Council.

All accounts and the records of every office and department of the Town shall be open to the public at all reasonable times under reasonable regulations, except records and documents from which might be secured information which might defeat the lawful purposes of the officer or department withholding them from access to the public.

All officers of the town and directors of departments before assuming their duties shall be sworn to the faithful performance thereof.

The Town Council shall establish a Code of Ethics for all Town officers and employees whether elected or appointed, paid or unpaid. The purpose being to establish a suitable ethical standard of conduct for all officers, officials or employees by prohibiting acts or actions incompatible with the best interest of the Town of Stratford.

All notices required by this Charter or by an ordinance to be made by publication shall be published in any daily or weekly newspaper printed in the English language and having a circulation in the Town of Stratford of more than five thousand copies of each edition. The publication of any such notice once in any such paper shall be legal publication.

This charter shall be effective in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes.

All General Statutes in their application to the Town and all ordinances, by-laws, rules and regulations of the Town and of its Boards and Commissions shall continue in effect except where they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter. The special act Charter adopted the second Monday of July 1921 together with any subsequent amendments thereto relating to the Town not inconsistent with this Charter and not specifically repealed by this or any other prior Charter action shall continue to effect, except as provided herein. Upon the effective date of this Charter, all ordinances of the town, resolutions of the Council, and regulations of any administrative agency of the town inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.

Provisions hereinabove notwithstanding, nothing in this Charter or in § 9.6.1 hereof shall impair or affect any rights, privileges or immunities vested on the effective date of this Charter in any person or body corporate. Any and all notes, bonds, or certificates of debt issued or authorized to be made by, with, or on behalf of the town, or any debts or liabilities due to or from the town on the effective date of this charter shall continue in full force and effect according to their provisions the same as they would have been had this Charter not been adopted. The adoption of this Charter shall not affect any taxes levied or the assessments on any list completed before the effective date hereof. All taxes levied on said assessment list may be collected ...

All officers and employees of the Town, members of the Council, and members of boards, commissions and committees of the Town shall continue in office until such office terminates by operation of laws in effect prior to the effective date of this Charter or until such office terminates by death, incapacity, resignation or removal for cause of such person. Thereafter, successor or incumbent officers shall be chosen in the manner provided by this Charter.

All records and documents utilized by the Charter Revision Commission shall be considered a permanent public record of the Town and maintained on file in the Town Clerk's office and in an appropriate record retention medium for review and access by the public. [1] [1] Editor's Note: Former § 9.8.1, Employment of Charter Revision Commission Members, which immediately followed, was repealed 11-4-2008.

If any provision of this Charter be adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such adjudication shall apply only to the provision thus adjudged, and the remainder of this Charter shall be deemed valid and effective.