The fiscal year of the Town government shall
begin on the first day of July and shall end on the last day of June
of the next year. The fiscal year shall also constitute the budget
and accounting year.
[Amended 11-7-2000]
Before the Town or School Department makes any
purchase of or contracts for supplies, material or equipment, ample
opportunity shall be given for competitive bidding under the provisions
of state law and with such exceptions as the Town Council may prescribe
by ordinance.
[Amended 11-7-2000]
No office, department or agency, during any
budget year, shall expend or contract to expend any money or incur
any liability, or enter into any contract which by its terms involves
the expenditure of money, for any purpose, in excess of the amounts
appropriated for that general classification of expenditures pursuant
to this Charter. Any contract, verbal or written, made in violation
of this Charter shall be null and void. Nothing in this section contained,
however, shall prevent the making of contracts or the spending of
money for capital improvements to be financed in whole or in part
from the issuance of bonds, notes or the capital expenditure funds
nor the making of contracts of lease or for services for a period
exceeding the budget year in which such contract is made.
All fees received because of the provisions
of any state law or Town ordinance by any officer or employee shall
belong to the Town and shall be paid to the Town Treasurer at such
intervals as the Town Manager may require.
Property held by the Town for charitable uses
shall be held, administered and disposed of in the name and on behalf
of the Town by the body entrusted with its administration or, if none
is specified, then by the Council, in accordance with the terms of
the gift and the laws of the state with respect to property held in
charitable trusts.
[Amended 11-3-1992; 11-2-2004; 11-2-2010; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 871]
The School Committee shall hold a public hearing on its proposed
budget on or before April 1 of each year, and shall submit its budget
to the Town Manager on or before April 15 of each year. All other
Town departments shall submit their proposed budgets to the Town Manager
on or before March 15 of each year. On or before March 15 of each
year, the Town will notify residents by newspaper of general circulation,
and by the Town website or other electronic means, that a copy of
the proposed Town budget will be available for review at the Town
Hall and on the Town website by May 1 of each year. The Town Manager
shall transmit the Town budget to the Town Council on or before May
1 of each year. The Town Council shall hold a public hearing on the
recommended budget on or before May 15 of each year. The Town Clerk
shall prepare sufficient copies of the budget to be available for
public distribution prior to the hearing.
[Amended 11-3-1992; 11-2-2004; 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 871]
The Town Council may revise the budget as submitted by the Town
Manager and shall adopt a budget on or before June 10 of each year.
Any changes following the public hearing on the recommended budget
will be highlighted in the adopted budget. A copy of the adopted budget
will be available for review at the Town Hall and on the Town website.
If the Town Council recommends an increase in the total expenditures
as proposed by the Town Manager, it shall also provide for increasing
the total anticipated revenues and shall indicate the revenues necessary
to maintain a balance between revenues and expenditures. No revenue
from any source other than the tax levy shall be included in the budget
as recommended by the Town Council unless the facts clearly warrant
the expectation that such amount actually will be realized in cash
during the budget year.
[Amended 6-12-2017 by Ord. No. 871]
A copy of the budget, as finally adopted by
the Town Council, shall be certified by the Town Clerk and filed in
the office of the Town Treasurer. Sufficient copies of the budget
shall be made available by the Town Clerk for the use of all offices,
departments and agencies and for the use of interested persons.