[Adopted 4-16-1974 by Art. 58 (Ch. 9 of the 1999 Code)]
[Amended 4-5-1978 ATM by Art. 52]
A. 
An Advisory and Finance Committee of 15 members shall be appointed by the Moderator for three-year overlapping terms. There shall be at least one member from each precinct of the Town. (This subsection is contained in the Town Charter.)
B. 
Appointment to this Committee shall be made by the Moderator within 30 days prior to the end of the fiscal year and within 30 days after a vacancy occurs during the year.
[Amended 6-27-1984 STM by Art. 4]
No Town officer, Town Meeting member or anyone who is not a registered voter of the Town shall be eligible for membership on this Committee.
[Amended 6-27-1984 STM by Art. 4]
A. 
The Advisory and Finance Committee shall meet for the purpose of organization each year no later than July 31 of any fiscal year.
B. 
The Committee may also reorganize at any other time during the fiscal year, at any meeting of the Committee, by a majority vote of members present and voting in the affirmative calling for such reorganization.
[Amended 5-20-2006 ATM by Art. 35]
A. 
It shall be the duty of the Advisory and Finance Committee to consider all matters proposed to be acted on at all Town Meetings, except that in no case shall the Committee make any recommendation pertaining to the candidacy of any person for any office, nor shall it make any recommendation or suggestion in regard to any question involving a license for the sale of intoxicating liquors or in regard to any article involving the adoption of constitutional amendments.
B. 
The Advisory and Finance Committee shall conduct one or more public hearings on each warrant article to be acted upon at any Town Meeting and shall issue its recommendations in a detailed printed report and make copies available to each Town Meeting member and voters at least 14 days prior to the scheduled date of the Town Meeting. In order for the Committee to make its recommendation on any warrant article in such report, the Committee may require proponents of an article to furnish the Committee with reasonably appropriate information at such public hearing and otherwise in a timely manner such that the Committee can reasonably meet the aforesaid 14-day deadline.
[Amended 6-27-1984 STM by Art. 4; 4-5-2008 ATM by Art. 19]
A. 
Annual Town Meeting warrant. The Annual Town Meeting warrant shall be closed by the Select Board no later than the third Wednesday in December. It shall be the duty of the Select Board to transmit a complete draft of the warrant to each member of the Advisory and Finance Committee and the Chairman of the Committee of Precinct Chairs within 15 days after the close of the Annual Town Meeting warrant. It shall be the duty of the Advisory and Finance Committee to transmit a complete draft of the warrant to each Town Meeting member no later than February 1 of such year.
B. 
Special Town Meeting warrant. It shall be the duty of the Select Board to transmit a complete draft of any Special Town Meeting warrant to each member of the Advisory and Finance Committee within three working days of the close of such warrant. It shall be the duty of the Advisory and Finance Committee and the Chairman of the Committee of Precinct Chairs to transmit a complete draft of any Special Town Meeting warrant to each Town Meeting member as soon as possible after its receipt from the Select Board.
[Amended 11-16-1987 STM by Art. 11; 5-20-2006 ATM by Art. 36; 10-17-2020 ATM by Art. 10; 10-18-2025 ATM by Art. 10]
The report of the Committee to the Annual Town Meeting shall be in print and shall contain a list of the regular annual departmental budget recommendations, subdivided to whatever extent seems advisable to the Committee for a vote by the Town, provided that salaries and personnel services shall be segregated from other expenses. Reports of the Committee to all other Town Meetings shall be in such form as the Committee shall deem advisable. Such report of the Committee shall also contain the recommendations of the Committee on all other Town Meeting warrant articles.
The Advisory and Finance Committee shall have authority at any time to investigate the Town's accounts and management, and the books, records and accounts of all departments of the Town shall be open to the inspection of the Advisory and Finance Committee or any of its authorized subcommittees and any person employed by it.