What Do 'They' Do?

You, like me, may find yourself wondering what many of the elected offices on the ballot do. More importantly, there are people out there who not only don’t know what these offices do but think they know and have a fundamental misunderstanding of their roles. 

Recently, I saw someone on Facebook say they weren’t voting for the current Town Treasurer because the budget is out of control. The truth is, the treasurer has absolutely no influence over the budget, and anyone who is basing their vote for that position on a desire to shift the budget will be sorely disappointed. Then, after I'd already written most of this, a discussion broke out about Constables. With that in mind, we thought it might be wise to educate the populace on the role of each position.

Town treasurer

Here’s what the state says about the treasurer's role, but in layman's terms, they are responsible for paying bills, not setting spending priorities:

The town treasurer shall receive all money belonging to the town, pay it out on the order of the proper authority and keep a record of all moneys received and when received and of all moneys paid out, when, for what and upon whose authority, which record shall always be open to the inspection of any taxpayer in such town and shall be presented to each annual town meeting, being first sworn to by him and adjusted by the selectmen. The town treasurer shall be, ex officio, treasurer of the town trust funds and may appoint a deputy who shall, in the absence or disability of the town treasurer, perform all his duties.

Payment of any obligation of any town may be made by a national bank or state bank and trust company located in this state in accordance with the directions of the treasurer of the town, on order of the proper authority of such town, and the treasurer may authorize such bank to debit the town's account therefor.

Constables

The literature on the role of constables at the state level is quite old, but back in 1994, here’s what they said about this role (it's very long, so click through if you want more than just the basics). Keep in mind that this is a wide-ranging description and not all constables will perform these duties. In Stafford, for instance, we use Judicial Marshals for many of these functions:

SUMMARY

As you know, there are two types of constables, elected and appointed. The basic difference is that usually appointed constables have law enforcement functions while elected constables are primarily responsible for serving civil process and tax warrants and carrying out other sheriff-like civil duties. But this general rule does not always hold since towns can, by ordinance, make elected constables law enforcement officials. It appears that such officials would have to take some sort of police training such as that offered by the Municipal Police Training Council. However, there are a number of ambiguities in the statutes concerning constables.

ELECTED CONSTABLES

Constables are elected during the regular municipal elections for two year terms. Towns cannot elect more than seven constables each, except Groton which can elect up to 14. The law prohibits judges, except judges of probate, from holding the office of constable (CGS § 7-87). When the number of constables to be elected is an even number, no person is allowed to vote for more than one-half the number. In cases when the number is an odd number, the person cannot vote for more than the basic majority of the number (CGS §§ 7-187 and 200).

The elected constable is required to take a proper oath of office prior to beginning his term. In addition, elected constables are prohibited from receiving a license to serve alcoholic beverages (CGS §§ 7-87, 30-45).

There are a number of duties of elected constables that are very clear under the statutes.

• Service of Process

• Probate Court

• Command of Assistance

• Tax Collection

• Animal Related Duties

• Court Attendance

• Other Duties

Zoning Board of Appeals

According to UConn's Center for Land Use Education and Research, a Zoning Board of Appeals has the following powers:*

1. To hear and decide appeals from decisions of the Zoning Enforcement Officer;

2. To grant variances from the application of the zoning regulations. The variance power is limited to extraordinary situations and must:

   1. Be in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the zoning regulations;

   2. Consider the public health, safety, convenience, welfare and property values;

   3. Be used only with parcels having unusual conditions that cause 'exceptional difficulty or unusual hardship;' and

   4. Must not be used if the regulations provide that certain prohibited uses may not be permitted by variance; [8-6]

3. To hear and decide on special permits and special exemptions where that power is conferred on the Zoning Board of Appeals by the zoning regulations

Board of Assessment Appeals

While I could not find a local description of this board’s role, West Hartford sums it up nicely:

“The Board of Assessment Appeals considers appeals for real estate, business personal property, and motor vehicles in the month of March. According to Connecticut State Statute §12-111, you have a right to appeal the assessment to the Board of Assessment Appeals.”

*This article originally included a description found on the Zoning Board of Appeals page of the Stafford website, but we were later informed that this information was wrong and was erroneously on that page.