Local Government in Connecticut, Third Edition

Contents

ConTEnTs Foreword vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi 1 What Is Local Government in Connecticut? 3 2 Forms of Local Government 7 3 Who Runs These Governments? 24 4 Key Local Government Officials and Their Roles 30 5 State Government vs. Local Government 37 6 Charter Revision Process 42 7 Municipal Employees and Unionization 45 8 Federal Government’s Role in Local Government 53 9 Some Nuts and Bolts of the Local Government Process (or How Business Is Transacted at the Local-Government Level in Connecticut) 57 10 Where Does the Money Come From? 62 11 Where Does the Money Go? 72 12 Public Safety: Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services 76 13 Homeland Security and Emergency Management 84 14 Public Works 94 15 Land Use: Planning and Zoning, Wetlands and Watercourses 103 16 Risk Management in Local Government 108 17 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Local Government 112 18 Health and Human Services 116 19 Municipal Clerk 122 20 Education: Function, Role, Relationship to Town 125 21 Technology in Local Government and Education 137 22 Other Local-Governmental Officials 143 23 Two-Year Political and Financial Calendar 148 24 Public and Private Utilities 157 25 Economic Development at the Local Level 163 26 Regionalization 169 27 Freedom of Information Laws and Ethics 174 28 Basics of Municipal and Educational Pensions 179 29 Public Policy in Local Government 186 30 Careers in Local Government 192 Appendixes A Abbreviations and Acronyms 197 B Key Associations Involved with Connecticut Local Government 199 C Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) and Map of Counties 200 D Higher Education in Connecticut 203 E Municipal Forms of Government in Connecticut as of 2013 205 F Municipal Populations, Revaluation Dates, Town Code Numbers 207 G Map of Towns and Cities 210 H Partial List of Connecticut General Statutes for Municipalities 211 Bibliography 217 Index 219 ...