Town of Barrington, RI Budget Forecast Committee

Establishment and purpose. There is hereby established a Budget Forecasting Committee for the purpose of encouraging improved planning, collaboration, and goal-setting by the Town Council, the School Committee, the Committee on Appropriations, and the community-at-large. The Budget Forecasting Committee is charged with serving in an advisory capacity to the School Committee, Town Council, and Committee on Appropriations on long term budgetary issues, and in that capacity shall create a document which can be used by all parties to understand the current budgetary situation and allow for more informed long-term planning, which in turn will allow for improved decision-making in maintaining fiscal discipline and delivering essential community services.

Membership and term. The Budgetary Forecasting Committee shall be comprised of the following members:

(1)

Two members of the School Committee, appointed by the School Committee and serving at the pleasure of the School Committee, with their term on the Budget Forecasting Committee to run concurrent with their term on the School Committee; and

(2)

Two members of the Town Council, appointed by the Town Council and serving at the pleasure of the Town Council, with their term on the Budget Forecasting Committee to run concurrent with their term on the Town Council; and

(3)

Two members of the Committee on Appropriations, appointed by the Committee on Appropriations and serving at the pleasure of the Committee on Appropriations, with their term on the Budget Forecasting Committee to run concurrent with their term on the Committee on Appropriations; and

(4)

The Town Moderator will serve as an ex-officio member.

Quorum and rules of procedure. A quorum of the Budget Forecasting Committee shall consist of three members; provided, however, that there shall be no quorum unless at least one Town Council member, one School Committee member, and one Committee on Appropriations member is present for the Budget Forecasting Committee meeting. The meetings of the Budget Forecasting Committee shall be subject to the Open Meetings Act and the documents produced by it shall be governed by the Access to Public Records Act. The Budget Forecasting Committee may establish its own rules of procedure, provided that the rules of procedure are not contrary to law. Any question of procedure not governed by rules of procedure adopted by the Budget Forecasting Committee shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Procedure.

Liaisons. The Town Manager, Town Finance Director, School Superintendent and School Director of Administration and Finance shall all act as nonvoting liaisons to the Budgetary Forecasting Committee, and shall give the Committee such assistance as is necessary to ensure that the Committee may fulfill its function.