The Capital Improvements Committee shall be established annually as set forth in Section
6-4 of the Town Charter, and shall undertake review and recommendation with respect to departmental requests for capital items and capital improvements to be undertaken during the next ensuing five years in accordance with the schedule established in said Section 6-4 and as further established hereunder.
For purposes of this bylaw, a "capital item" or "capital improvement"
shall include any item or project which exceeds $10,000 and constitutes
a "nonrecurring expense," which term is, in turn, defined as an expense
other than personnel or salary costs or other expenses ordinarily
funded as part of the annual operating budget process. In this regard,
police, fire, and highway equipment which is replaced annually shall
not be considered capital items. However, equipment replacements made
less frequently, or for the first time, shall be considered capital
items, provided that such items each cost in excess of $10,000.
Department and committee heads shall be required to submit annually
to the Capital Improvements Committee and Town Manager, on a schedule
determined by said Committee and Town Manager, complete inventories
of current capital items and capital item or capital improvement requests
for the next ensuing five years.
There is hereby established as a separate account in the treasury
a Capital Improvements Fund. Monies may be appropriated into the Capital
Improvements Fund by a majority vote of any Town Meeting, and said
monies shall be kept segregated from other funds. The Capital Improvements
Fund may be appropriated at any Town Meeting by a two-thirds vote
for any purpose for which the Town would be authorized to borrow money
under MGL c. 44, §§ 7 and 8.