Sec. 8-41. Appointment, qualifications and tenure of commissioners. Commissioners authorized to serve as justice of the peace or registrar of voters. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 8-41. Appointment, qualifications and tenure of commissioners. Commissioners authorized to serve as justice of the peace or registrar of voters. (a) When the governing body of a municipality other than a town adopts a resolution as described in section 8-40, it shall promptly notify the chief executive officer of such adoption. Upon receiving such notice, the chief executive officer shall appoint five persons who are residents of said municipality as commissioners of the authority, except that where the authority operates more than three thousand units the chief executive officer may appoint two additional persons who are residents of the municipality. If the governing body of a town adopts such a resolution, such body shall appoint five persons who are residents of said town as commissioners of the authority created for such town. The commissioners who are first so appointed shall be designated to serve for a term of either one, two, three, four or five years, except that if the authority has five members, the terms of not more than one member shall expire in the same year. Terms shall commence on the first day of the month next succeeding the date of their appointment, and annually thereafter a commissioner shall be appointed to serve for five years except that any vacancy which may occur because of a change of residence by a commissioner, removal of a commissioner, resignation or death shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term. If a governing body increases the membership of the authority on or after July 1, 1995, such governing body shall, by resolution, provide for a term of five years for each such additional member. The term of the chairman shall be three years. At least one of such commissioners of an authority having five members, and at least two of such commissioners of an authority having more than five members, shall be a tenant or tenants who live in housing owned or managed by such authority, if any exists, provided that any such tenant shall have resided in such housing for more than one year or is a tenant who previously resided in such housing for more than one year and is receiving housing assistance in a housing program directly administered by such authority and provided further that no such tenant shall have the authority to vote on any matter concerning the establishment or revision of the rents to be charged in any housing owned or managed by such authority. If, on October 1, 1979, a municipality has adopted a resolution as described in section 8-40, but has no tenants serving as commissioners, the chief executive officer of a municipality other than a town or the governing body of a town shall appoint a tenant who meets the qualifications set out in this section as a commissioner of such authority when the next vacancy occurs. No commissioner of an authority may hold any public office in the municipality for which the authority is created. A commissioner shall hold office until his successor is appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any commissioner shall be filed with the clerk and shall be conclusive evidence of the legal appointment of such commissioner, after he has taken an oath in the form prescribed in the first paragraph of section 1-25. The powers of each authority shall be vested in the commissioners thereof. Three commissioners shall constitute a quorum if the authority consists of five commissioners. Four commissioners shall constitute a quorum if the authority consists of more than five commissioners. Action may be taken by the authority upon a vote of not less than a majority of the commissioners present, unless the bylaws of the authority require a larger number. The chief executive officer, or, in the case of an authority for a town, the governing body of the town, shall designate which of the commissioners shall be the first chairman, but when the office of chairman of the authority becomes vacant, the authority shall select a chairman from among its commissioners. An authority shall select from among its commissioners a vice chairman, and it may employ a secretary, who shall be executive director, and technical experts and such other officers, agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as it requires, and shall determine their qualifications, duties and compensation, provided, in municipalities having a civil service law, all appointments and promotions, except the employment of the secretary, shall be based on examinations given and lists prepared under such law, and, except so far as may be inconsistent with the terms of this chapter, such civil service law and regulations adopted thereunder shall apply to such housing authority and its personnel. For such legal services as it requires, an authority may employ its own counsel and legal staff. An authority may delegate any of its powers and duties to one or more of its agents or employees. A commissioner, or any employee of the authority who handles its funds, shall be required to furnish an adequate bond. The commissioners shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

      (b) Any tenant organization composed of tenants residing within units owned or managed by the appointing authority may indicate to such authority its desire to be notified of any pending appointment of any such commissioner. A reasonable time before appointing any such commissioner, the appointing authority shall notify any such tenant organization and, in making such appointment, such authority shall consider tenants suggested by such tenant organizations.

      (c) Notwithstanding any provision of subsection (a) of this section or any other provision of the general statutes to the contrary, a commissioner of an authority may serve as a justice of the peace or a registrar of voters.

      (1949 Rev., S. 926; 1949, S. 438d; 1967, P.A. 124, S. 1; P.A. 75-415, S. 1; P.A. 78-326; P.A. 79-546; P.A. 90-245; P.A. 94-35, S. 1, 2; 94-156, S. 4, 5; P.A. 97-307, S. 3, 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 108; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 5.)

      History: 1967 act specified conditions under which vacancies are to be filled; P.A. 75-415 limited tenant commissioners to one; P.A. 78-326 deleted former limitation on tenant commissioners and specifically allowed more than one tenant commissioner provided residence requirement met; P.A. 79-546 required at least one tenant commissioner and made provision for appointment and for restricting voting power in cases involving rents in housing owned or managed by authority; P.A. 90-245 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re appointment of members who are not residents where the authority operates more than 3,000 units and requiring that authorities with more than five members have at least two members who are residents in units operated by the authority; P.A. 94-35 amended Subsec. (a) to eliminate the requirement that additional members not be residents and that such members serve at the pleasure of the chief executive official, to add provision re term duration and to provide that five commissioners constitute a quorum if the authority has more than five members, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 94-156 changed the effective date of P.A. 94-35 from July 1, 1994, to July 1, 1995, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 97-307 added Subsec. (c), allowing commissioners to serve as justices of the peace or registrars of voters, effective July 8, 1997; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that commissioner who is a tenant may have previously resided in units operated by authority provided residence was for more than one year and tenant is receiving housing assistance in housing program administered by Department of Economic and Community Development, effective June 29, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute "such authority" for "the Department of Economic and Community Development", effective October 6, 2007.

      Cited. 208 C. 161. Cited. 216 C. 112.