MUNICIPAL OFFICERS, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, DEPARTMENTS, AND AGENCIES

Location:
MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES; MUNICIPALITIES;
Scope:
Connecticut laws/regulations;


July 18, 2012		2012-R-0301
MUNICIPAL OFFICERS, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, DEPARTMENTS, AND AGENCIES

By: Rute Pinho, Associate Analyst

You asked us for a list of municipal officers, boards, commissions, departments, and agencies required or allowed by law.

A search of the statutes shows at least 133 required and optional municipal officers and entities, which we have grouped into three tables: (1) officers, (2) boards and commissions, and (3) departments, agencies, and authorities.

This is not an exhaustive list of all possible municipal officials and entities. Municipalities operating under a home rule charter may also have any officers, boards, commissions, departments, and agencies “which are necessary to carry out any municipal powers, duties or responsibilities under the general statutes” (CGS § 7-193(b)).

Towns can also establish a wide variety of regional entities with responsibilities for specific municipal functions. OLR Report 2010-R-0072 describes these entities and their responsibilities and powers.

Table 1: Municipal Officers


*Officer*	*CGS §*	*Comment*
*Required*
Registrar of vital statistics	7-37	Town clerk is the ex officio registrar of vital statistics
Municipal agent for elderly persons	7-127b
Chief executive officer	7-193	In towns with a home rule charter
Police matron	7-286	Required in towns over 20,000
Independent auditor	7-392
Justices of the peace	9-183a
Selectmen	9-185, 188
Town clerk	9-185, 189
Treasurer	9-185, 189
Tax collector	9-185, 189
Registrar of voters	9-185, 190
Constables	9-185, 200
First selectman	9-188
Deputy registrar	9-192
Library directors	9-207	Required in towns after establishing a library
Election moderators	9-229
Superintendent of schools	10-157
School medical advisor	10-205	Required in towns over 10,000
School nurse or nurse practitioner	10-212
Safe school climate coordinator	10-222k	Required in each school district
Safe school climate specialist	10-22k	Required in each school
Health director	19a-200 (a)
Sanitarian	19a-200 (b)	Health director may be sanitarian
Animal control officer	22-331
Tree warden	23-58
Civil preparedness director	28-7 (b)	May be a regional director
Building official	29-260
Local fire marshal	29-297
Sealer of weights and measures	43-6	Required in towns over 75,000
*Optional*
Assistant town clerk	7-19
Acting town clerk	7-20
Town clerk pro tempore	7-21
Assistant registrars of vital statistics	7-38
Special constables	7-92
Town manager	7-98
Deputy city or town manager	7-99a
Assistants to deputy city or town manager	7-99a
Assessors	7-100k
Municipal agent for children	7-127c
Assistant municipal agents for children	7-127c
Municipal historian	7-148 (b) (5) (D)
Lake patrolmen	7-151b	Appointed by the energy and environmental protection commissioner
Parking violation hearing officers	7-152b
Citation hearing officers	7-152c
Police officers	7-274
Firefighters	7-301
Fire police officers	7-313a
Zoning enforcement officer	8-3
Assistant registrar of voters	9-192
School attendance officer	10-199
Harbor master	15-1
Constables for fish and game protection	26-6a
Deputy fire marshal	29-297
Fence viewer	47-44
Borough bailiff	52-50

Table 2: Municipal Boards and Commissions


*Board or Commission*	*CGS §*	*Comment*
*Required*
Zoning board of appeals	8-5	Required in towns with a zoning commission
Board for admission of electors	9-15a
Board of assessment appeals	9-199
Board of education	9-203
School readiness council	10-16r	Required for state school readiness grant
Teacher professional development committee	10-220a
Safe school climate committee	10-222k
School governance council	10-223e, as amended by PA 12-116	Required for each low-achieving school
School turnaround committee	PA 12-116, § 19	Required for commissioner's network school
Library board of trustees	11-21	Required in towns that have established a library
Board of appeals for building official decisions	26-266
*Optional*
Board of assessors of clerical or other assistance	7-100k
Commission on aging	7-127b
Public recreational facilities commission	7-130c	May be a regional entity
Forest commission	7-131
Shade tree commission	7-131
Conservation commission	7-131a
Conservation and recreational commission	7-131m
Economic development commission	7-136
Foreign trade zone agency or board	7-136d
Municipal development and industrial commission	7-137a	May be a regional entity
Historic district commission	7-147c
Historic properties commission	7-147r
Fair rent commission	7-148b
Fair housing commission	7-148g
Ethics commission	7-148h
Discriminatory practices board	7-148i
Charter commission	7-190
Charter revision commission	7-190	In towns with a home rule charter
Home rule ordinance revision commission	7-190	In towns with a home rule ordinance
Consolidation commission	7-197
Board of gas, electrical, or gas and electrical commissioners	7-216	Only in towns that have established a gas or electric plant
Cooperative utility board	7-233c	May be a regional entity
Transit district board of directors	7-273b	May be a regional entity
Board of police commissioners	7-274; 9-201
Board of fire commissioners	7-301
Board of commissioners of special services district	7-339q
Board of finance	7-340, 9-202
Civil service board	7-408
Personnel appeals board	7-422
Zoning commission	8-1
Combined planning and zoning commission	8-4a
Planning commission	8-19
School safety committee	10-220f
Indoor air quality committee	10-231f
Aviation commission	15-80
Board of appeals for airport zoning regulations	15-94
Harbor management commission	22a-113k
Flood and erosion control board	25-84
Shellfish commission	26-257a	May be a regional entity
Veterans' advisory committee	27-135	May be a regional entity
Energy improvement district board	32-80a

Table 3: Municipal Departments, Agencies and Authorities


*Department, Agency, or Authority*	*CGS §*	*Comment*
*Required*
Traffic authority	14-297
Inland wetlands agency	22a-42
Health department	19a-200	May be a regional entity
Aquifer protection agency	22a-354o	Required in towns in which an aquifer protection area is located
Civil preparedness organization	28-7	May be a regional entity
*Optional*
Public recreational facilities authority	7-130a
Land acquisition and development authority	7-131p
Lake authority	7-151a
Municipal authority to develop or redevelop a single parcel	7-163d
Parking authority or division	7-203
Water pollution control authority	7-246; 22a-458	May be required in certain towns
Municipal resource recovery authority	7-273aa
Police department	7-274
Fire department	7-301
Volunteer fire department	7-314
Port authority	7-329a
Housing authority	8-40
Redevelopment agency	8-126
Community development agency	8-169d
Urban homesteading agency	8-169q
Development agency	8-188
Housing site development agency	8-216b
Urban rehabilitation agency	8-292
Harbor improvement agency	13b-56
Human resource development agency	17b-852, 8-210
Stormwater authority	22a-498	Allowed only in select towns

RP:ro