[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Dudley 12-18-1952 as Art. 5 of the 1952 General Bylaws. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 6-27-1995; 6-17-1996; 5-21-2001 by Art. 4F; 10-17-2001; 10-30-2006 by Art. 8; 6-22-2020 by Art. 11]
There shall be a Finance, Appropriation and Advisory Committee for the Town which shall perform the duties set forth in the following sections of this chapter and be governed by the provisions thereof. Said Committee shall consist of nine citizens of the Town and said Committee shall be appointed as provided in the following section and no person already holding an elective or appointed Town office or Town employee shall be eligible to serve on said Committee. Quorum for said Committee shall be a majority of the members currently appointed. The Finance, Appropriation and Advisory Committee may appoint members to serve on Town committees that require such service by either Town vote or by Town bylaw. All members of such Committee shall be sworn to the faithful performance of their duties, said Committee to be known as the "FAA Committee." Nothing in these bylaws shall be interpreted so as to prevent a member of the Finance, Appropriation and Advisory Committee from being appointed to serve on a committee, board or commission of the Town of Dudley as a representative of the Finance, Appropriation and Advisory Committee.
[Amended 11-4-2013 by Art. 15]
The Moderator shall appoint from the citizens of the Town five members of said Committee to serve staggered terms of three years. The Board of Selectmen shall appoint from the citizens of the Town two members of said Committee to serve staggered terms of three years. The Town Treasurer/Collector shall appoint from the citizens of the Town two members of said Committee to serve staggered terms of three years. The term of office of said appointees shall expire on June 30 of the fiscal year following which their successors are appointed. Said Committee shall choose its own officers and shall serve without pay, excepting, however, that the Secretary thereof may receive such compensation as the Town may, by vote, provide. Said Committee shall cause to be kept a true record of its proceedings.
[Amended 6-17-1996]
To this Committee shall be referred all articles in any warrant for a Town Meeting hereafter issued. The Selectmen, after drawing any warrant for a Town Meeting, shall transmit immediately a copy thereof to each member of the Committee and said Committee shall consider all articles. A public hearing shall be held on any article, unless a public hearing by some other tribunal is required by law, and a notice of such hearing shall be given by posting a copy thereof at the main entrance of the Town Hall. No provision of these bylaws shall prevent the Finance, Appropriation and Advisory Committee from sponsoring articles to be included in Town Meeting warrants and from holding hearings on such articles and making recommendations with regard to such articles.
[Amended 5-23-2005 by Art. 5; 10-25-2010 by Art. 19; 6-22-2020 by Art. 11]
It shall be the duty of the FAA Committee to consider the annual budget submitted to the FAA by the Board of Selectmen and add another column to the Town Administrator's prepared statement giving the amounts which in its opinion shall be appropriated for the ensuing year, and the Committee may prepare a statement giving explanations and suggestions in relation to the proposed appropriations as it may deem expedient and report thereon as provided in § 23-7 below.
[Amended 6-22-2020 by Art. 11]
Said Committee shall have control of the Reserve Fund as provided in MGL c. 40, § 6.
[Amended 1977]
Whenever any vacancy shall occur in said Committee by resignation, removal from Town, death, failure to qualify or otherwise, said vacancy shall be filled by the Moderator. If any member is absent from three consecutive meetings of said Committee, or attends less than 75% of the meetings scheduled, except in case of illness, or extenuating circumstances voted by said Committee, his position shall be declared vacant and filled by the Moderator after consultation with said Committee. The term of office of all persons chosen as aforesaid to fill vacancies shall expire at the Town election next succeeding said vacancy and within seven days after said annual Town election. The Moderator shall appoint a successor to fill out the unexpired term of each member whose office has been vacated.
It shall be the duty of said Committee to make a report in print and in a local newspaper, if possible, with recommendations relative to all articles in the warrant, the report to be available prior to the meeting.