CT bans Town Budget meetings

https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/Governors-Actions/Executive-Orders/Governor-Lamonts-Executive-Orders

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 7HH

[Extract]

WHEREAS, the close contact and high attendance required for in-person voting in large numbers increases the risk of transmission of COVID-19 for voters, town officials, and poll workers and will consume a significant quantity of critically needed personal protective equipment;and

WHEREAS, the circumstances of in-person meetings or votes by members of common-interest communities may pose the same risks of transmission of COVID-19 as those posed by public votes on municipal budgets, requiring flexibility for the governing bodies of such communities to take measures to make decisions that eliminate or reduce such risks;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, NED LAMONT,Governor of the State of Connecticut, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the State of Connecticut, do hereby ORDER AND DIRECT:

1.Clarification of Executive Order No. 7I, Section 13-MandatorySuspension ofIn-Person Voting Requirements by Members of the Public on Municipal Budgets. Executive Order No. 7I, Section 13 shall be deemed to require the budget-making authority of every municipality to adopt a budget for the July 1, 2020 -June 30, 2021 fiscal year and to set a mill rate sufficient, in addition to the other estimated yearly income of such town and in addition to such revenue surplus, if any, as may be appropriated, not only to pay the expenses of the municipality for said fiscal year, but also to absorb the revenue deficit of such town, if any, at the beginning of said fiscal year using the procedures set forth therein, and to suspend any requirement for a vote on such budgets or mill rates by residents, electors, or property owners, including, but not limited to, any vote by annual town meeting or referendum. All conditions precedent to any such adoption, including without limitation, public notices, hearings, or presentations, shall proceed in a manner as closely consistent with the applicable statutes, special acts, town charters, municipal ordinances, resolutions or procedures as possible, and in compliance with the open meeting provisions set forth in Executive Order No. 7B. Nothing in this order shall invalidate or repeal the results of any vote on a budget or tax rate held by annual town meeting or referendum before the effective date of this order.2.Allowance of Use of Remote Meeting and Voting Procedures for Common Interest Ownership Association. To protect the public health and limit transmission of COVID-19, Sections 47-250 and 47-252 are modified to provide that any common interest ownership association and any executive board or committee thereof may conduct any meeting, election, or vote by telephonic, video, or other conferencing process, or by ballot without a meeting, in accordance with Sections 47-250(a)(5), 47-250(b)(7), and/or 47-252(d) notwithstanding any prohibition or limitation in its declaration or bylaws.

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