Villages of Quechee • White River Junction • Hartford • West Hartford • Wilder
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PS – Don’t forget to join us for Selectmen’s Meeting’s every other Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm at the Hartford Town Offices. Specific dates and agendas are posted on this web site.
The Town of Hartford is organized and governed under the traditional Town Meeting form of government of many New England communities. This form of government is thought by many to be the purest and most direct form of democracy remaining in the United States today.
Under this form of government, residents gather each year in March to make their opinions heard and cast their votes on matters of public interest such as the Annual Budget, adoption of local ordinances, and other policy-related matters.
A nonpartisan Board of Selectmen, elected for two and three-year staggered terms, is then charged with managing the affairs of the community. Generally speaking, the Selectmen insure that all of the duties imposed upon the Town and its other officials or staff are performed in a timely and cost-effective manner. More specifically, Selectmen may enact ordinances and rules in areas including, but not limited to, the following:
Hartford voters have elected to appoint a professional Town Manager to assist the Board of Selectmen with the execution of their duties. Under this form of government, many of the day-to-day responsibilities traditionally charged to the Selectmen are transferred to the person holding this position. The Town Manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of the Town, administration of the annual budget, supervision of employees, hiring and firing of staff, setting salaries, and enforcing personnel policies. The Town Manager also functions as the Delinquent Tax Collector and as the Director of Personnel and Purchasing. At all times and in all matters, the Manager is subordinate to and takes direction from the Board of Selectmen.
The Board meets every other Tuesday night to take action on a wide variety of public business. These meetings are held in the Town Offices and begin at 6:30 pm. Persons wishing to have specific items considered by the Board must submit these materials in writing no later than 12:00 noon on the Wednesday preceding the Selectmen's scheduled meeting. The public is welcome to attend.
Other matters of interest or concern may be forwarded directly to the Town Manager's Office for immediate attention. Please see the Town Directory for office hours and telephone numbers.