[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Stoughton as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 4-29-1974 ATM, Art. 75, approved 7-10-1974 (Ch. 155, Art. I, of the 1983 Code); amended in its entirety 5-4-2015 ATM, Art. 11]
The published warrant for any Town Meeting shall include the articles listed in the order in which the Selectmen request the Town Meeting to act, as provided by the General Laws of the Commonwealth. Each petitioned or requested article received by the Board of Selectmen for inclusion in the warrant shall be marked with date and time of receipt. The published warrant shall include the date of receipt of each petitioned article, along with the name and address of the petitioner. The published warrant shall also indicate those articles inserted by the Board of Selectmen at the request of an individual or organization, and identify the requester.
After each article has been accepted for inclusion in the warrant, whether by petition or at the request at the Selectmen, copies shall be forwarded within two working days to the Committee of Finance and Taxation and the Rules Committee.
[Adopted 4-30-1984 ATM, Art. 48]
[Amended 4-29-1985 ATM, Art. 13, approved 5-7-1985; 6-23-2004 ATM, Art. 43]
A. 
All department capital outlay purchases in excess of $10,000 or the threshold for soliciting quotes or responses or for bidding as mandated by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30, Section 39M, Public Works; Chapter 30B, Uniform Procurement Act for Goods and Services; and Chapter 149, Building Construction Projects, must be approved by a vote of Town Meeting before such purchases can be authorized. "Capital outlay" is defined as those items for which borrowing would be authorized under MGL c. 44, §§ 7 and 8.
[Amended 5-5-2014 ATM, Art. 20]
B. 
In the event of an emergency, the requirement of Subsection A may be waived by a two-thirds vote of the Committee on Finance and Taxation, and all such emergency purchases above the thresholds in Subsection A shall be reported by the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Taxation at the next Annual Town Meeting.
[Added 5-7-1997 STM, Art. 22]
The Board of Selectmen or its designated agent shall prepare annually a detailed report of the legal expenses incurred and paid by the Town of Stoughton during the preceding fiscal year. The first category of said report shall contain an account of all litigation to which the Town is a party, the amount of Town funds expended relative to each litigation, the status of each litigation, and the amount of any judgments or settlements, if any, which pertain to each litigation. This report shall also include, as a second separate category, the total fees, salaries, and expenses paid to any legal counsel, labor counsel, special counsel, and any other legal or necessary service provider for advising the Town, representing the Town's interest, or securing information for the Town relative to any legal matters which are not considered to be in litigation. Legal expenses for collective bargaining, arbitration, and arbitration awards shall be clearly indicated as a third separate category. This report shall be distributed to each Town Meeting member when the Report of the Committee on Finance and Taxation issues its report to the Annual Town Meeting.
[Added 5-2-2005 ATM, Art. 31]
A. 
No purchase or contract to purchase supplies or services in excess of $10,000 or the threshold for soliciting quotes or responses or for bidding as mandated by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30, Section 39M, Public Works; Chapter 30B, Uniform Procurement Act for Goods and Services; and Chapter 149, Building Construction Projects, by any municipal department other than the School Department shall be valid, and the Town shall make no payment for such purchase, unless a written purchase order has been issued in advance of such purchase to the vendor or contractor. Such purchase order shall be certified by the Town Manager or his/her designee as to compliance with the state and local procurement statutes and regulations and certified by the Town Accountant or his/her designee as to the availability of funds.
[Amended 5-5-2014 ATM, Art. 21]
B. 
This requirement shall apply to both single purchases and blanket purchases. Utility services shall be exempted from this requirement.
C. 
Such purchase order shall be issued for any amount when requested by the vendor or contractor.
D. 
In case of events where the time required to comply with the purchase order requirement would endanger the health and safety of people or property, departments may verbally authorize a purchase and within five business days after such event request a written purchase order.
E. 
The Town Accountant or his designee will be responsible for recommending policies and procedures to implement this section.