OLR Report 2014-R-0158 answer the questions Which municipalities have a board of finance and what is their form of government? How do municipalities with boards of finance elect members and fill vacancies?
Of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, 120 (71%) have a board of finance. These municipalities vary according to their form of government, but generally follow the same distribution as Connecticut municipalities as a whole: 95 (80%) have a selectmen-town meeting, six (5%) have a representative town meeting, 11 (9%) have a mayor-council, and eight (7%) have a manager-council form of government.
The methods for selecting and filling vacancies on boards of finance depend on whether a town operates under the state statutes (i.e., statutory town) or under a charter (i.e., charter town). For statutory towns, state law establishes the selection and vacancy-filling methods. For charter towns, the charter establishes the methods. Regardless of whether a municipality operates under the statutes or a charter, it must comply with state law’s minority representation requirements, which prohibit members from the same political party from comprising more than a specified percentage (generally two-thirds) of a board’s membership.
For more information, read the full report.
