[Adopted 2015 (Ch. 3, § 14, of the 1968 Bylaws)]
A. 
The Select Board shall create a Department of Finance and appoint a Finance Director/Accountant to manage said Department. The Select Board shall fix his/her compensation in a manner consistent with the Personnel Bylaw and related plan and within the amount annually appropriated for that purpose.
[Amended 4-25-2023 ATM by Art. 22]
B. 
The Select Board shall appoint a Finance Director/Accountant solely on the basis of his/her executive and administrative qualifications. He/she shall be a professionally qualified person of proven ability, especially fitted by education, training and previous experience to perform the duties of the office. He/she shall not have served in an elective office in the Town's government for at least 12 months prior to appointment.
C. 
The Select Board shall commence the process of hiring a Finance Director/Accountant within 14 days of the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of Finance Director/Accountant.
A. 
The Select Board, in the event of a vacancy in the office of Finance Director/Accountant for any reason, shall appoint, within 60 days of the occurrence of that vacancy, a qualified person as an Interim Finance Director/Accountant for a term not to exceed 90 days to perform the duties of the Finance Director/Accountant on an interim basis. He/she shall not have served in an elective office in the Town's government for at least 12 months prior to his/her appointment.
[Amended 4-25-2023 ATM by Art. 22]
B. 
The Interim Finance Director/Accountant shall have all of the powers and duties of the Finance Director/Accountant, unless otherwise provided by Town bylaw.
C. 
If the vacancy is not filled by the end of that interim appointment, the Select Board may reappoint the Interim Finance Director/Accountant for an additional sixty-day appointment.
The Finance Director/Accountant, notwithstanding any provision of Chapter 46, Article II, of the Sherborn General Bylaws to the contrary and except as otherwise provided in this section, shall have the independent authority to perform all the duties required by law or the Town's Bylaws and shall:
A. 
Report directly to the Town Administrator, who shall be responsible for annually evaluating his/her performance, and coordination of the day-to-day financial operations. The Finance Director/Accountant shall have direct access to the Select Board to consult on the financial operations of the Town;
[Amended 4-25-2023 ATM by Art. 22]
B. 
Appoint, employ, supervise, evaluate, retain and may suspend or terminate the staff, whether employees or contractors, necessary for the operation of the Finance Director/Accountant Department;
C. 
Manage the cash flow of the Town, and record reconciliation;
D. 
Conduct a strategic analysis and forecasting of: revenue, expenditures (short, intermediate and long term), and employee benefits;
[Amended 4-25-2023 ATM by Art. 22]
E. 
Meet periodically with the Treasurer (whether elected or appointed), Collector (whether elected or appointed), Director of Assessing and the Town Administrator as a group or separately;
F. 
In consultation with and considering the recommendations of the Treasurer, Collector, Director of Assessing and Town Administrator, create, maintain and oversee consistent and integrated financial procedures and computer systems throughout the Town's financial function;
G. 
Coordinate financial information with the Sherborn and Dover/Sherborn Regional School Departments, and the Treasurer, Collector, Director of Assessing, and the Town Administrator and provide reports, as needed or requested, to Town departments and committees;
H. 
Perform all the duties specifically required of a Town Accountant by the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
I. 
Perform other duties, not assigned by law to the Town Treasurer or Town Collector or the Town Board of Assessors, as the Select Board shall determine, including but not limited to the administration of payroll/benefit programs for Sherborn's municipal and school employees;
[Amended 4-25-2023 ATM by Art. 22]
J. 
Report quarterly on each of the above enumerated duties to the Chairman of the Select Board, Chairman of the Advisory Committee, Treasurer, Collector, Director of Assessing and Town Administrator; such reports shall be public record except as to portions which may be exempt from disclosure under law and available to the general public.
The Select Board may terminate, remove or suspend the Finance Director/Accountant from office pursuant to procedures set forth in the written employment agreement between the Town and the Finance Director/Accountant; or in the absence of a written employment agreement, for cause and in accordance with the Town's bylaws.
Should any section or provision of this bylaw be determined by a court to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the bylaw as a whole or any other section or provision hereof other than the section or provision so determined to be unconstitutional or invalid.