A. 
The electors of the Town of Little Compton shall assemble annually in Financial Town Meeting at a date, time and place to be established by the Town Council, said date and time to be set by the Council no later than February 1st of each year, with the meeting to take place on any date during the third full week in May, unless due to extenuating circumstances and by vote of approval by the Town Council, that period of time may be extended through the third full week of June. The purpose of the annual Financial Town Meeting shall be for the imposing of a tax, for providing for the expenditure of such sums of money as may be necessary to pay the Town's debts and interest thereon, for the support of Town services for the ensuing fiscal year, for the expenditure of funds from any source for all other lawful purposes, and for transacting such other business as may lawfully come before such meeting.
[Approved at election 11/8/2022]
B. 
No money shall be drawn from the general fund, nor from moneys in any other Town fund, during the fiscal year, except pursuant to appropriations made at the annual or at a special Financial Town Meeting, subject to the exception provided for emergency appropriations in Section 508 below. Funds received by and under the control of the Agricultural Conservancy Trust shall not be subject to this requirement for annual appropriation or reappropriation. This subsection shall not be interpreted to restrict the Town Treasurer from making transfers of funds for investment purposes. The general fund is hereby defined as the general Town account into which all receipts are deposited and from which moneys are withdrawn pursuant to Town meeting appropriations, as distinguished from any and all specially designated funds established by or with the approval of the Town meeting as the depository for moneys received and to be expended for specifically designated purposes.
[Reso. 7/6/06; approved at election 11/7/06]
The annual Financial Town Meeting may be recessed to a subsequent date by vote of the electors present. Any such recessed Financial Town Meeting shall be reconvened one week after the date of the original Financial Town Meeting, and, as may be necessary, at one week intervals thereafter. Special Town meetings may be called by the Town Council or by petition of ten percent (10%) of the electors of the Town and shall be warned and limited as to subjects to be considered as provided in State law, pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 3, Title 45, Sections 6 and 7 of the General Laws.
[Reso. 7/6/06; approved at election 11/7/06]
There shall be a Town Moderator, who shall be elected at the general election in each even numbered year, to serve for a term of two years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. By the last day of January of the year following each general election the Town Council shall appoint with the approval of the Moderator an Assistant Town Moderator to serve for a term concurrent with that of the Moderator, who shall perform the duties of Moderator at any time that the Town Moderator is unable to serve or upon the request of the Town Moderator. The Assistant Town Moderator shall be an elector of the Town. The Town Moderator, or the Assistant Town Moderator as aforesaid, shall preside at all regular and special Town meetings. If both Moderator and Assistant Moderator are unable to preside, the Town Council shall appoint an interim Moderator who shall serve until either the elected Moderator or Assistant Moderator are able to resume their position during their term of office.
[Approved at election 11/8/2022]
The warrant for any Town meeting, whether the Annual Financial Town Meeting or a Special Meeting, shall be prepared and the meeting shall be warned by the Town Clerk as provided by relevant provisions of Chapter 45-3 of the Rhode Island General Laws, except as otherwise provided herein.
The listing of warrant items may be grouped to be voted on as one or more units comprising multiple warrant items, provided however that the Town meeting may by majority vote, amend, remove or vote separately on individual items in such grouping. The order of items to be considered at the meeting may be changed by a two-thirds vote of the electors present and voting. The listing and text of the warrant items to be voted on shall be posted with the warrant. Voters may amend the total amount listed for any individual warrant item but may not amend individual line items within such warrant item.
The Budget Committee Report as supplied to the electors shall include the listing of warrant items, which shall have been determined as aforesaid, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 502.B and 504 herein. The Budget Committee Report shall also include the Committee's recommendations, as provided in Section 502.B, as well as any other data, information, or material the Committee deems appropriate. A listing of the full text of all warrant items is available on the Town website.
[Approved at election 11/4/14]
The Town Moderator shall have all of the authority conferred upon moderators by State law in conducting and managing the business of Town meetings. The quorum for any Town meeting shall be five (5%) percent of the electors of the Town of Little Compton. The Moderator shall grant permission for the admission of persons who are not electors of the Town, provided however, that all such persons may be seated in an assigned area apart from the seating for electors, and shall have no right to vote, and no right to speak except with the specific permission of the Moderator.
[Reso. 7/20/00; approved at election 11/7/00; approved at election 11/4/14]
No proposal for the expenditure of money, other than those contained in the budget as compiled from the Town officer's and departmental requests shall be acted upon by the Town Meeting unless it shall have been presented to the Town Clerk in a petition signed by no less than fifty (50) electors of the Town no later than the sixth day of March, except to include no fewer than five (5) business days from the March 1st deadline established in Section 503 of this Charter. All such petitions and proposals for expenditure shall indicate the agency or organization for which the appropriation is requested and the specific purposes, in the form of a line item breakdown where appropriate, for which the request for appropriation is being made. The petitions and proposals shall be reviewed by the Budget Committee and recommendations thereon shall be included in the Budget Committee report, and shall appear in the posted list of warrant items, and identified as a citizen stroke.