[Amended 3-13-1978 ATM, Art. 4; 2-6-2012 STM, Art. 13]
There shall be a Finance Committee consisting
of seven legal voters of the Town who shall be appointed by the Moderator
as hereafter provided. No elected or appointed Town officer or Town
employee shall be eligible to serve on such Committee, except that
a member of the Finance Committee may be a member of the Capital Planning
Committee, Landfill Study Committee, or any other advisory committee
that does not have a budget reviewed by the Finance Committee.
[Amended 3-13-1978 ATM, Art. 4]
The Moderator of the Town Meeting shall, at
the conclusion of the Annual Town Meeting at which this amendment
is adopted or at the first Annual Town Meeting following adoption
of this bylaw, if at a Special Town Meeting, and each third year thereafter
appoint three members of said Committee for terms of three years.
In all other years he shall appoint two members for terms of three
years. If this amendment is adopted at a Special Town Meeting, the
then-serving Finance Committee shall appoint a seventh member to serve
from that time until the next Annual Town Meeting. The term of office
of said member shall commence immediately upon qualification and shall
expire at the close or final adjournment of the annual Town meeting
at which their successors are appointed. Said Committee shall choose
its own officers, shall serve without pay, and shall cause to be kept
a true record of its proceedings.
[Amended 6-11-2007 ATM, Art. 19]
Whenever any vacancy shall occur in said Committee
by resignation, removal from Town, death, failing to qualify or otherwise,
said vacancy shall be filled by the Moderator.
[Amended 6-15-2021 ATM, Art. 20]
To this Committee shall be referred all articles
in any warrant for a Town Meeting hereafter issued. The Select Board,
after drawing 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
all articles 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 in at least four public places in the Town. After due consideration
of the subject matter in such articles, said Committee shall report
thereon to the Town Meeting such recommendations as it deems best
for the interests of the Town.
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee annually to consider the expenditures of previous years and the estimated requirements for the ensuing year of the several boards, officers and committees of the Town as prepared by them in such form and detail as may be prescribed by said Committee. Said Committee shall add to said statement of expenditures and estimates another column giving the amounts which, in its opinion, should be appropriated for the ensuing year and shall further add thereto such explanations and suggestions relating to the proposed appropriations as it may deem expedient and report thereon as provided in §
18-4.
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee
to make an annual report of its doings with the recommendations relative
to financial matters to be printed with the annual reports of the
other Town officers.