Does the Board of Finance Need Alternates?

When three of the town's six Board of Finance members cannot make a meeting, it has to be canceled or postponed due to a lack of the four needed for a quorum.

Town Councilman Nick Kapoor notes how important the Board of Finance is at budget time, deliberating on a series of workshops, as well as funding requests for major projects and other fiscal issues for Monroe.

To prevent cancellations and postponements, Kapoor has proposed the addition of two board alternates who can stand in when full members are absent. Currently, the Board of Finance does not have alternates.

Some believe alternates may not be added without a change to Monroe's Town Charter, but Kapoor believes the Town Council can make the change with an ordinance.

The Town Council's Legislative & Administrative Committee is awaiting a legal opinion from Town Attorney John Fracassini as to whether or not a charter change is the only way to add alternates.

A State Statute

Kapoor said he believes Connecticut General Statute 7-340a allows the council to approve of alternates with an ordinance.

Sec. 7-340a. Alternate members of boards of finance. Appointment or election provided for by ordinance. Any town, in addition to such powers as it has under the provisions of the general statutes, any special act or municipal charter, shall have the power to provide by ordinance for the appointment or election of not more than three alternate members to its board of finance, subject to the provisions of section 9-167a concerning minority representation of political parties.

Such alternate members shall, when seated as herein provided, have all the powers and duties set forth in the general statutes, any special act or municipal charter relating to such town for such board of finance and its members.

Such alternate members shall be electors and taxpayers of such town. If a regular member of such board is absent or is disqualified, such absent or disqualified member shall designate an alternate to so act. In the event that an absent or disqualified regular member shall fail or refuse to designate an alternate to so act, the majority of the regular members of the board of finance not absent and not disqualified may designate an alternate subject to the provisions of section 9-167a, to so act for such absent or disqualified regular member.

"My idea, because we can't adopt an ordinance in time for the Town Clerk to certify these elected positions to the municipal ballot this year, is to adopt an ordinance that says the Town Council will appoint one Democrat and one Republican as alternates to the Board of Finance to have terms that run from the fourth Monday in November 2013 to the fourth Monday in November 2015, which is when all the municipal elected officials take office," Kapoor said. "And then in November 2015, enact two or three elected positions for alternate members to the Board of Finance."

Other alternatives Kapoor suggested are:

• Enact the ordinance to allow three elected positions effective November 2015
• Have the ordinance effective for three elected positions for Board of Finance alternates for November 2013