[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting of the Town of Middleton 3-15-1949 by Art. 23. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 3-9-1965 ATM by Art. 7; 6-5-2021 ATM by Art. 28]
The Finance Committee shall be composed of seven members, appointed by the Moderator from among the voters of the Town, for terms of three years. The members of the Finance Committee existing at the time when these bylaws are approved shall continue to hold such offices until the terms for which they were appointed under the provisions of earlier bylaws shall have expired. The Moderator, upon their election at the Annual Town Meeting next following the adoption and approval of these bylaws, shall appoint members of the Finance Committee to fill the vacancies occasioned by the expiration of the terms of the members whose terms expire in that particular year. If any vacancy occurs in the Finance Committee, the Moderator shall appoint a member to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. The terms of office of members of the Finance Committee shall expire at the final adjournment of the Annual Town Meeting for the year in which their terms expire. No member of the Finance Committee shall hold any Town office from which they receives any compensation during their term in the Committee.
[Amended 6-5-2021 ATM by Art. 28]
The Finance Committee shall elect a Chairperson and a Clerk who shall keep a record of the business of the Committee.
[Amended 6-5-2021 ATM by Art. 28]
On or before the 15th day of January of each year, the Town Accountant shall present to the Finance Committee a statement of appropriations and expenditures for the preceding year and the estimates of expenditures for the current year as submitted by heads of departments. Before making any recommendations to the Annual Meeting as to appropriations for departments, the Finance Committee shall hold at least one public hearing in relation thereto, after first notifying the Select Board and the head of each department of the time and place of such hearing. The Finance Committee shall make its recommendations to the Town Meeting as to proposed appropriations, as segregated by the Town Accountant; and such recommendations shall be included in the Annual Town Report.
The Finance Committee shall provide itself with copies of any article in the warrant for any Annual or Special Town Meeting which involves the appropriation, expenditure or transfer of any sum of money, the creation of a debt, or the disposal of property of the Town. It shall hold at least one public hearing in relation thereto, after notifying the first person to sign the petition presented on behalf of said article of the time and place of such hearing, and shall report its recommendations thereon to the Town Meeting.