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Editor's Note: Former Art. I, Personnel Board, was repealed 10-14-2015 STM, Art. 17. This article also provided for the renumbering of former Arts. II through VI (former §§ 25-6 through 25-33) as Arts. I through V (§§ 25-1 through 25-28), respectively.
There shall be a Finance Committee consisting of seven legal voters of the Town, who shall be appointed by the Moderator as hereinafter provided. No elected or appointed officer or employee, other than a member of the Personnel Board or the Capital Improvements Committee, shall be eligible to serve on the Finance Committee.
The Moderator shall annually appoint members, whose term shall be three years, so as to replace those whose terms have expired. All terms of office shall commence immediately upon qualification and shall expire at the close of the final adjournment of the Annual Town Meeting of the year in which the term expires or until a successor is appointed and qualified.
The Moderator shall fill, for the remainder of the term, any vacancy that may occur in the membership of the Finance Committee.
The Finance Committee shall elect its own officers.
The members of the Finance Committee shall serve without pay, except the Finance Committee may appoint one of its members to act as a paid Clerk.
Members of the Finance Committee shall cause a true record of its proceedings to be kept.
A. 
All articles in any Warrant for a Town Meeting shall be referred to the Finance Committee for its consideration. The Board of Selectmen, after drawing any such Warrant, shall transmit immediately a copy thereof to each member of the Finance Committee.
B. 
A public hearing shall be held, at least 14 days before such Town Meeting upon all such articles, unless a public hearing by some other tribunal is required by law. The recommendations, if by a tribunal other than the Finance Committee, shall be made to the Finance Committee at least 30 days before such Town Meeting.
C. 
The Finance Committee shall, after due consideration of the subject matter of such articles, report its recommendations and those of other tribunals to Town Meeting, in writing.
D. 
In an emergency, the Finance Committee may waive the thirty-day requirement.
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee annually to consider the expenditures in previous years and the estimated requirements for the ensuing year of the boards, officers, and committees of the Town, as prepared by them in such form and detail as may be prescribed by the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall add to such statement of expenditures and estimates another column, giving the amounts which in its opinion should be appropriated for the ensuing year, the method of financing, and shall further add thereto such explanations and suggestions relating to the proposed appropriations as it may deem expedient and report thereon as provided in § 25-7.
In the discharge of its duty, the Finance Committee shall have the free access to all books of records and accounts, bills, and vouchers, excluding those determined to be executive session records, on which money has been received or paid to and from the Town Treasury, and any other public records as defined in M.G.L. ch. 4, § 7(26). Officers, boards, and committees of the Town shall, upon written request, furnish the committee with facts, figures, public records, and any other information within 10 days of the request.
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to make an annual report of its activities, with recommendations relative to financial matters and the conduct of Town business, to be contained in the Annual Town Report.
The Finance Committee may employ clerical or other assistance, to be paid from such funds as the Town may appropriate for the use of the Finance Committee.