Pursuant to Article V, Section 6(6), of the Town Charter, the Town Administrator's powers and duties include to "negotiate contracts on behalf of the Town with the approval of the Town Council." At all times subsequent to the adoption of this article, prior to the Town Council approving any collective bargaining agreement or public union contract (collectively referred to herein as "public contracts"), the Town Council shall convene and hold a public hearing to detail all significant monetary and nonmonetary changes to existing or new public contracts. No public hearing shall be scheduled unless and until the Town Administrator shall have submitted a report detailing the key provisions in the public contract under discussion, including any and all changes from the prior public contract. Such report shall be in tabular or memorandum form, or a combination of both, whichever will communicate the changes in a clear and complete manner, and shall include a fiscal impact study of the proposed public contract by the Finance Director.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of North Smithfield as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Ch. 2, Art. XVI, § 2-224, of the 1994 Code]
Said report of the Town Administrator and Finance Director shall be available to the public through the Town Clerk's office not less than one week in advance of the public hearing date.
The Town Council shall be required to hold said public hearing not less than two weeks prior to any vote to ratify the public contract.
Although at this time state law prohibits the enforcement of this article with reference to any public contract entered into by the North Smithfield School Committee and/or School Department, those public bodies are urged to follow this procedure as well with a Public Hearing at a Town Council Meeting.
In addition, any organization or group, public or private, that receives at least 50% of its funding through tax appropriations or grants from the Town of North Smithfield and who have employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement or other public contract are strongly encouraged to make the details of said proposed contracts public with a public hearing before the North Smithfield Town Council before ratification by that organization or group's executive board, board of directors, or other like kind of supervisory committee in a manner consistent with the provisions outlined above.