[Adopted 9-20-1930 STM, Art. 3]
[Amended 6-27-1973 STM, Art. 1; 8-14-1974 STM, Art. 12; 10-3-2020 STM by Art. 12]
There shall be a Finance Committee for the town,
to which shall be referred all Articles in any warrant hereafter issued
for a Town Meeting. The Select Board Members, after drawing a warrant
for the Annual Town Meeting, shall immediately forward a copy thereof
to each member of said Committee, which shall consider all Articles
of the warrant and make a report, in print, for each year on a segregated
basis by departments, in substantially the same form as shown on pages
88, 89 and 90 of the 1970 Edition of the Massachusettes Finance Committee
Handbook at least one (1) week in advance of the Town Meeting. For
the purpose of assisting the Finance Committee in preparing these
reports, the Town Accountant shall act as advisor to the Finance Committee.
Said Finance Committee shall consist of seven (7) persons to be appointed
as provided in the following section.
[Amended 6-27-1973 STM, Art. I]
The Moderator of the Town Meeting when this
bylaw is adopted shall, within thirty (30) days after such bylaw becomes
effective, appoint from the citizens of the town two (2) persons whose
terms of office shall expire at the adjournment of the first Annual
Meeting following the time when this bylaw becomes effective, two
(2) whose terms of office shall expire at the adjournment of the second
Annual Meeting following the time when this bylaw becomes effective
and one (1) whose term of office shall expire at the adjournment of
the third Annual Meeting following the time when this bylaw becomes
effective. Annually thereafter, the Moderator presiding at the close
of an Annual Town Meeting shall, within thirty (30) days, appoint
members to fill those places vacant by reason of their term of office
expiring. Said Committee shall choose its own officers and shall,
with the exception of its Secretary, serve without pay. Whenever the
membership of the Committee is increased, the Moderator shall be empowered
to appoint additional members for such terms necessary to allow the
expiration of terms of members in an equal number each year, if possible.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in said Committee,
said vacancy shall be filled by said Committee by the appointment
of a person to serve until the close of the next Annual Town Meeting,
when the Moderator thereof shall appoint, in the same manner as the
original appointment, a successor to fill out the unexpired term of
the person whose office has been vacated.