In accordance with Chapter 41, Section 106B of the Massachusetts
General Laws, the Selectboard shall establish and annually appoint
a committee to be known as the Capital Improvements Planning Committee
("Committee"), composed of one member of the Selectboard, and at least
four (4) but not more than eight (8) other members. The Town Administrator
shall be a non-voting member. The Committee shall elect its own officers.
The Committee shall study proposed capital projects and improvements involving major tangible assets and projects which are generally purchased or undertaken at intervals of not less than five (5) years, have a useful life of at least five (5) years, and cost at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000). All officers, boards, committees and commissions shall, by the first Friday in December of each year, submit to the Selectboard, on forms prepared by it, information concerning all anticipated projects requiring Town Meeting action during the ensuing (6) six years. The Selectboard shall transmit such information in a timely fashion to the Committee. This § 14-1 is also applicable to projects sponsored by the Selectboard. The Committee shall consider the criticality, relative need, impact, timing and cost of these expenditures, the effect each will have on the financial position of the Town and future maintenance and replacement costs, recognizing the useful life of assets in accordance with the Uniform Massachusetts Accounting System (UMAS) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board.
The Committee shall prepare an annual report recommending a Capital
Improvements Budget for the next fiscal year. The report shall be
submitted to the Selectboard for consideration and approval. The Selectboard
shall submit its approved Capital Budget to the Annual Town Meeting
for adoption by the Town.
The Committee's report must include all projects submitted in accordance with Subsection B, with the Committee's recommendation on each of the projects clearly written. Upon unanimous vote, the Committee's report may also include recommendations for capital improvements costing less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or having a useful life of under five (5) years, but not both. No appropriation for a capital improvement expenditure requested by a department, board, or committee shall be voted at a Town Meeting, unless the proposed capital improvement is recommended in the Committee's annual report, or the Committee shall first have submitted a supplemental report to the Selectboard in accordance with Subsection F including such recommendation and, explaining its omission.
Such Capital Improvements Program, after adoption, shall permit the
expenditure on projects included therein of sums from departmental
budgets for surveys, architectural or engineering advice, options
or appraisals; but no such expenditure shall be incurred on projects
which have not been so approved by the Town through the appropriation
of sums in the current year or in prior years, or for preliminary
planning for projects to be undertaken more than five (5) years in
the future.
The Committee's report and the Selectboard's recommended Capital
Budget shall be made available to Town residents in a manner consistent
with the Annual Town Report. The Committee shall file all its reports
with the Selectboard.
The Committee may amend, add to, or delete from any Capital Budget
recommendation previously adopted by the Town if it determines that
an extraordinary and unforeseen circumstance occurred after such time
information was required to be submitted for consideration at the
Annual Town Meeting, and which recommendation must be acted upon before
the next Annual Town Meeting. Any such amendment, addition or deletion
shall be explained and submitted in a supplemental Committee report
to the Selectboard for consideration and approval, and as determined
by the Selectboard placement on the next Special Town Meeting Warrant.