[Amended 11-8-2021 STM
by Art. 9, AG approved 12-15-2021]
There shall be a Capital Expenditures Committee which shall
perform the duties set forth in this section and be governed by the
provisions thereof and shall advise and make recommendations to the
Finance Committee on all matters relating to expenditures for capital
improvements in the Town. Said Committee shall consist of five voting
members: the Town Administrator, two at-large representatives appointed
by the Town Moderator, one member appointed by the Finance Committee
and one member appointed by the Select Board. All members are to be
legal voters of the Town. The members of the Committee shall serve
without compensation and may employ clerical or other assistance subject
to available appropriation. The Committee shall choose its own officers.
[Amended 11-8-2021 STM
by Art. 9, AG approved 12-15-2021]
The Moderator shall appoint two at-large representatives from
the community to said Committee, who shall serve terms of one year
to expire on July 31 annually. The Moderator shall make such appointments
at a Select Board meeting held in July. The Town Moderator shall either
appoint new members or reappoint current members to said committee.
[Amended 11-8-2021 STM
by Art. 9, AG approved 12-15-2021]
One member of said Committee shall be appointed annually by
the Finance Committee, and such member may, but need not be, a member
of the Finance Committee; and one member shall be appointed annually
by the Select Board, and such member may, but need not be, a member
of the Select Board. Members so appointed shall serve terms of one
year to expire on July 31 annually.
Whenever any vacancy shall occur in the office of the Committee,
whether by reason of death, resignation, removal from the Town, or
other cause, such vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority
which appointed the member whose position shall have become vacant.
A copy of such appointment shall be sent by the appointing authority
to the Town Clerk and to the Secretary of the Committee. Any person
so appointed to fill that vacancy shall hold office for the unexpired
term of the person whom he succeeds.
[Amended 11-8-2021 STM
by Art. 9, AG approved 12-15-2021; 11-14-2022 STM by Art. 6, AG
approved 2-24-2023]
A.
For the
purposes of this section, a "capital improvement" is defined as a
physical betterment, including but not limited to the construction
of new buildings or facilities and the alteration of buildings or
facilities now or hereafter existing, the purchase of land, or items
of equipment, provided that any such physical betterment having a
cost of less than $10,000 and which, in the judgment of the Committee,
is not of an unusual or nonrecurring nature shall not be considered
a capital improvement.
B.
It shall
be the duty of the Committee to ascertain annually what expenditures
for capital improvements, as herein defined, will be required by the
Town during the ensuing five years, and in making its determination
shall confer with the Finance Committee and the Town Accountant, any
Town boards, commissions, committees, officers, employees, and other
agencies and departments of the Town involved in making expenditures
for capital improvements in the Town, all of which shall cooperate
with the Committee. All such agencies and departments or other authorities
of the Town authorized by law to make such expenditures shall furnish
detailed estimates of the expenditures necessary for capital improvements
under their jurisdiction for the ensuing five years in conjunction
with their annual budget requests presented to the Town Administrator.
C.
Upon receipt
of the capital expenditures submissions from the various departments,
the Town Administrator shall assemble, prepare and present to the
Committee, by a date established by the Select Board, a proposed capital
budget for each department for the ensuing five years. The Committee
shall use the Town Administrator's report to prepare annually a program
of expenditures for capital improvements, including recommendations
for the scheduling of such expenditures and the financing thereof
and the probably impact of such improvements on the tax rate of the
Town and shall furnish such report and recommendations to the Town
Administrator on or before a date established by the Select Board
for use in preparing annual budget recommendations for the ensuing
fiscal year. Copies of such report and recommendation shall be deposited
with the Town Accountant and with the Town Clerk, and copies shall
be made available by the Town Clerk upon request. The capital program
for the following five years shall be pushed with the Capital Expenditures
Committee report and included in the Annual Town Report. Such capital
program shall be presented to the Annual Town Meeting for acceptance
in principle, subject to final action at subsequent Town Meeting(s).
At its first meeting, the Committee will elect a Chairman and
a Secretary and adopt a budget. At subsequent meetings, it will establish
ground rules, schedule meetings, determine a division of responsibilities
and adopt forms.
