[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting of the Town of Belchertown 5-13-1985 by Art. 17 as Ch. III, Art. 2 of the 1985 Compendium of Bylaws. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A Finance Committee of five members shall be appointed by the Moderator for three-year overlapping terms.
A. 
No person holding an elective or appointive town office shall be eligible to serve on said Committee.
B. 
At the close of each Annual Town Meeting, there shall be appointed a member or members of the Finance Committee for terms of three years to succeed the member or members whose terms expire that year. The term of office shall begin on July 1 of each year.
To this Committee shall be referred all articles in any warrant for a town meeting hereafter issued. The Select Board, after drawing up any warrant for a town meeting, shall transmit immediately a copy thereof to each member of the Finance Committee, and said Committee shall consider all such articles. A public hearing may be held upon any article, unless a public hearing by some other tribunal is required by law, and a notice of such hearing shall be given by posting a copy thereof at the main entrance to the Town Hall. After due consideration of the subject matter in such articles, said Committee shall report thereon to the town meeting, in print or otherwise, such recommendations as it deems best for the interest of the town.
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to consider the annual estimates and expenditures as prepared by the Town Accountant and to add another column to his prepared statement giving the amounts which, in its opinion, should be appropriated for the ensuing year, and the Committee shall add thereto such explanations and suggestions in relation to the proposed appropriations as it may deem expedient and report thereon as provided in § 42-2.
Whenever any vacancy shall occur in said Committee by resignation, removal from town, death, failure to qualify or otherwise, said vacancy shall be filled by the Moderator, and if any member is absent from five consecutive meetings of said Committee, except in case of illness, said Committee shall consider his position vacant and so advise the Moderator, who shall proceed to fill the same. The term of office of all persons chosen as aforesaid to fill vacancies shall expire at the close or final adjournment of the Annual Town Meeting next succeeding said vacancy, and at said Annual Town Meeting a successor shall be appointed to fill out the unexpired term of each member whose office has been so vacated, in the same manner as the original appointment.
It shall be the duty of said Committee to make an annual report, in print, of its doings, with recommendations relative to financial matters.