A. 
There shall be a Budget Commission of five (5) members appointed by the Council for a term of office lasting three (3) years. One (1) member of the Council, the Administrator and Treasurer shall serve as ex officio members with no voting rights. Vacancies shall be filled by the Council for any unexpired term.
[Amended 11-5-1996; 11-4-2008]
B. 
The Budget Commission shall elect a Chairman and Secretary, and shall adopt its own rules and order of business.
A. 
The Administrator shall notify all departments, officers, commissioners and agencies by the second day of December to prepare their budget requests for the next fiscal year. These budget requests shall be submitted to the Administrator by the twentieth day of December.
[Amended 11-2-1981; 11-5-1996; 11-5-2002; 11-7-2006]
B. 
The Administrator shall annually assemble the budget requests of all departments, offices and agencies. He/she shall receive from the head of each department, office and agency, including all private corporations, an estimate of the amount necessary to carry on its work during the coming year. These estimates shall be presented to the Budget Commission.
[Amended 11-5-1996]
C. 
The Town shall undertake a capital improvement program process pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 22 of Title 45, Section 7 of the General Laws and to require the Administrator to collect capital improvement program information for a five-year period from the date of the present budget cycle for presentment to the Planning Commission, then the Budget Commission for advisory opinions and, thereafter, to the Town Council for consideration and possible adoption.
[Added 11-6-2012]
A. 
The Budget Commission shall hold its first meeting for the consideration of the recommended annual budget for the Town of Charlestown for the fiscal year next ensuing not later than the last week in January.
[Amended 11-2-1981; 11-5-1996; 11-5-2002; 11-4-2008]
B. 
It shall investigate the recommendations of the various departmental budget requests and may request the head of any department, board, office, commission or agency supported wholly or in part by town funds, to explain their estimates and recommendations. It shall report periodically to the Council of progress in the preparation of the budget.
[Amended 11-8-1988; ratified by Town Council 2-10-1992]
C. 
The Budget Commission shall receive no later than March 22, the Charlestown education budget and any proposed warrant items from the Charlestown School Committee. The Commission shall review the budget with the Charlestown School Committee and make recommendations with explanations for the total it recommends in its final report to the Town Council.
[Added 11-5-2002; amended 11-4-2008]
D. 
The Budget Commission shall complete its consideration of the budget, including all necessary conferences with the Council, Administrator, department representatives, Charlestown School Committee, citizens and private corporations, no later than March 31. The Budget Commission shall also on that date publish its recommended budget by filing two (2) copies with the Town Clerk's office, one for posting for public inspection in the Clerk's office, and the other copy for the use of town officers. The Town Clerk shall have sufficient copies of the budget prepared for distribution to interested persons.
[Amended 11-2-1981; 11-5-2002; 11-4-2008]
The budget format shall include as a minimum the following:
A. 
In parallel columns opposite the several items of anticipated revenues, there shall be placed the amount of each item in the budget of the last completed fiscal year, the amounts of such items actually received during that year, the amount of each item in the budget of the current fiscal year and the amount actually received to the time of preparing the budget plus receipts for the remainder of the current fiscal year, estimated as accurately as may be, and anticipated revenues for the coming fiscal year.
B. 
In parallel columns opposite the several items of proposed expenditures, there shall be placed the amount of each such item in the budget of the last completed fiscal year, the amounts of such items actually expended during that year, the amount of each such item in the budget of the current fiscal year and the amount actually expended to the time of preparing the budget plus the expenditures for the remainder of the current fiscal year estimated as accurately as may be, and the amount of proposed expenditures for the coming fiscal year.
C. 
The estimates of receipts for all departments shall be detailed by source. The estimates of expenditures shall be detailed by departments and the principal subdivisions thereof, offices, boards, commissions and agencies of the town, and shall show for each such unit the requested amount broken down by personal service, contractual service, materials and supplies, fixed charges and capital outlays.
[Amended 11-5-2002;11-4-2008]
The Council may revise the budget as submitted by the Budget Commission and shall adopt it for consideration as a tentative budget for presentation at the Budget Public Hearing. This shall be completed and made public no later than the second Monday in April.
[Amended 11-2-1981; 11-5-2002; 11-7-2006; 11-4-2008]
A. 
The Budget Public Hearing shall replace the Financial Town Meeting on the proposed budget. Sufficient copies of the budget shall be prepared for public distribution at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the Budget Public Hearing to be held no later than May 10.
[Amended 11-2-2010]
B. 
After the Budget Public Hearing and no later than the Tuesday next following the second Monday in May, the Town Council shall make final revisions to the proposed budget and warrant item(s) to be placed on the ballot of the all-day Financial Referendum to be held on the first Monday in June from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. These recommendations shall include taxes or other revenues necessary to balance the budget as well as issuance of bonds to finance capital projects.
[Amended 11-5-2002; 11-4-2008]
The Council shall submit its final recommendations no later than the Tuesday next following the second Monday in May to the Town Clerk for inclusion on the ballot of the Financial Referendum (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) on the first Monday in June. The Town Clerk shall certify the questions for the ballot and submit them to the state for printing said ballot. The Town Clerk also shall publish a legal notice in a newspaper having distribution within the Town of Charlestown.
[Amended 11-7-2006; 11-4-2008]
A copy of the budget as finally adopted by the Town Council after the Budget Public Hearing shall be certified by the Town Clerk and filed in the office of the Administrator. Sufficient copies thereof shall be made available by the Town Clerk for the use of all departments, offices, and agencies, and for the use of interested persons.
[Amended 11-8-1988; ratified by Town Council 2-10-1992]
The Administrator shall authorize all expenditures for the departments, offices and agencies to be made from appropriations on the basis of approved allotments and not otherwise. An approved allotment may be revised, however, during the fiscal year. If at any time during the first three-quarters (3/4) of the budget year (but ordinarily at the end of any quarterly period) the Administrator shall ascertain that the remaining unexpended balance of appropriations for the year will be insufficient to cover the work programs, he/she shall reconsider the work programs and allotments of the several departments, offices and agencies, and revise the allotments so as to forestall the making of expenditures in excess of appropriations; provided, however, that the revision is within departments, offices and agencies. The Council during the last quarter of the budget year, may revise allotments between departments, offices, commissions and agencies.