There shall be a Finance Committee consisting of nine legal voters of the Town, who shall be appointed by the Moderator as hereinafter provided. No Town employee or special employee may serve on the Finance Committee during the term of such employment. At its initiative, the Finance Committee may nominate one or more of its members for appointment(s) to a specific committee, without such appointment(s) jeopardizing the status of a nominee's(s') membership on the Finance Committee, if so appointed.
[Adopted 6-7-2021 ATM by Art. 34]
At each Annual Town Meeting, the Moderator thereof shall appoint three members of said Committee for the term of three years. The terms of office of said members shall commence immediately upon qualification and shall expire at the end of the fiscal year in the year their respective term ends. Said Committee shall choose its own officers and shall serve without pay, and it shall cause to be kept a true record of its proceedings.
The Finance Committee shall meet as often as needed to complete its assigned responsibilities. At a minimum, the Finance Committee shall meet at least once prior to any Special Town Meeting to consider the warrant for the Special Town Meeting. The Finance Committee shall also meet as needed to deliberate the budgets and warrant articles prior to the Annual Town Meeting. If any member is absent from six consecutive regular meetings of said Committee, his position may, on vote of said Committee, be deemed vacant and filled as hereinafter provided. The Chairman of said Committee shall notify the Town Clerk in writing of any vacancy in its membership, and the Moderator shall appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term.
All department budgets, transfer requests, warrant articles, zoning articles and bylaw articles shall be referred to the Finance Committee for its recommendations. The Selectmen, after drawing any such warrant, shall transmit immediately a copy thereof to each member of said Committee. Said Committee shall, after due consideration of the subject matter of such articles, report thereon to the Town Meeting, in writing, such recommendations as it deems best for the interests of the Town and its citizens. The Finance Committee's recommendation shall be the main motion before any Town Meeting on all articles and budgets.
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee annually to consider the expenditures in previous years and the estimated requirements for the ensuing year of the several boards, officers and committees of the Town as prepared by them (or by the Finance Department) in such form and detail as may be prescribed by said Committee. The said Committee shall add to such statements of expenditure and estimates another column, giving the amount which in its opinion should be appropriated for the ensuing year, and shall further and thereto add suggestions relating to the proposed appropriations as it may deem expedient, and report thereon as provided in § 7-6.
In the discharge of its duty, said Committee shall have access to all books of records and accounts, bills and vouchers on which money has been or may be paid from the Town treasury. Officers, boards and committees of the Town shall, upon request, attend meetings of the Finance Committee and furnish said Committee with facts, figures and any other information pertaining to their several activities. The Town Accountant, when requested by the Chairman of the Finance Committee, shall attend meetings of the Finance Committee with his/her books and accounts, to furnish information as is desired by the Committee.