There shall be a consolidated Department of Finance, which shall
be responsible for the management of the fiscal and financial affairs
of the Town and for the supervision and coordination of all activities
of all government agencies in relation to any fiscal or financial
matters except for those fiscal or financial matters which are authorized
to be under the administration of the School Committee at the time
this bylaw is enacted.
It is the intention of this bylaw to consolidate all of the fiscal and financially related activities and functions of the Town into a single department as noted in § 20-19, Establishment, in order to attain the efficiencies and economies of scale, to reduce or eliminate duplication and overlapping of services, responsibilities and functions and to improve the communication and coordination between and among personnel within the department, permanently or from time to time, without regard to the lines of responsibilities which have previously been associated with the several offices herein consolidated.
[Amended 1-30-2023 STM by Art. 1]
The Director of Finance is appointed by and responsible to the Select Board
and also serves ex-officio as either the Treasurer-Collector or Town
Accountant. The Director is the executive officer and exercises direction,
supervision and control of the department in accordance with such
policies and programs as may, from time to time, be implemented by
the Town Manager. In exercising these responsibilities, the Director
reports to the Town Manager and is aware of the statutory responsibilities
of the Board of Assessors and Town officers and within these areas
consults to ensure that these responsibilities are properly exercised.
The Director shall be fully qualified by training, experience and
executive ability to discharge the duties of the office. The term
of office of the Director of Finance shall not be less than three
nor more than five years, subject to removal, or may be otherwise
provided by bylaw, charter, statute or agreement. All other personnel
necessary to staff the department as constituted herein shall be under
the direction and control of the Director of Finance subject to the
approval of the Select Board.
The Department of Finance shall be responsible for and shall
include the following functions:
A.
Coordination of all financial services and activities of the Town
government;
B.
Maintenance of all accounting records and other financial statements
for all Town governmental offices and agencies;
C.
The payment of all financial obligations on behalf of the Town;
D.
The receipt of all funds due to the Town from any source;
E.
The rendering of advice, assistance and guidance to all other Town
offices and agencies in any matter relating to financial or fiscal
affairs;
F.
The monitoring throughout the fiscal year of the expenditure of funds
by Town offices and agencies, including the periodic reporting to
all such offices and agencies on the status of accounts with recommendations
concerning fiscal and financial policies to be implemented by such
offices and agencies;
G.
Supervision of the purchase of all goods, supplies and materials
by all Town governmental offices and agencies, including a central
purchasing system, and an inventory control system;
H.
Supervision of all data processing functions and activities.
