Name

Phone Number

James Hayes

525-3136

Lori Coutu

525-6592

Michael McLeod

525-2143

Raymond Miller

525-2660

Elizabeth Dineen

 

David Hodge, Chair

525-6118

James Broderick

525-1928

 

Town of East Longmeadow

General By-Laws

Chapter 3

BUDGETS AND APPROPRIATIONS

Sections:

3.010  Appropriations Committee.

3.020  Recommendations of Committee.

3.030  Annual Estimates.

3.040  Town Accountant.

3.050  Town Audits.

3.052  Capital Planning Committee.

3.060        Department Reports on Petitioned Articles.

3.010        Appropriations Committee.

(A) There shall be an Appropriations Committee consisting of seven members to be appointed by the Moderator. At the Annual Town Meeting, the Moderator shall appoint members of the commit tee to serve for a term of three years to fill vacancies of the retiring members as they occur. The term of the appointee(s) shall commence one day after the final adjournment of the town meeting at which they are appointed.

(B) The Moderator shall have the power to fill vacancies on the committee.

(C) No Appropriations Committee member shall decide or participate in an official capacity in matters involving appropriations in which he has an interest personally or financially.

3.020        Recommendations of Committee.

(A) The Committee shall consider all articles involving the expending, appropriation, raising, transferring, or borrowing of money, and shall make report of their recommendations thereon, to be included in the warrant of any town meeting. They shall also make their recommendation on the disposition of any property owned by the Town or in the custody of the Town.

(B) The Committee shall hold a public hearing prior to the Annual Town Meeting on the submission of proposed budgets and

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(East Longmeadow 9-97)

 

3.020

such other articles to be reported upon as they deem necessary. The Committee may also hold such other public hearings as may be appropriate, on matters to be reported upon at special town meetings.

(C) The Committee shall submit to the Town Meeting a budget of the probable expenditures of the Town for the ensuing fiscal year including the amounts required to meet interest, payments on matur ing bonds and outstanding indebtedness and shall also submit an estimate of the amounts of income from all sources of revenue exclusive of taxes, and the probable amount required to be raised by taxation.

(D) In the discharge of its duty, said Committee shall have free access to all books of records and accounts, bills and vouchers on which money has been or may be paid from or to the Town Treasur­er.

(E) Officers, boards and committees of the Town shall, upon request, furnish said committee with facts, figures, and other finan­cial information pertaining to their respective activities.

(F) No expenditures shall be made or liability incurred by or in behalf of the Town until an appropriation has been made sufficient to meet such expenditure or liability, together with all prior unpaid liabilities which are payable from said appropriation; and no sum appropriated for a specific purpose shall in whole or in part be expended for any purpose unless by vote of the Town. This section shall be subject to any provision to the contrary of the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

3.030        Annual Estimates.

(A) The Selectmen and all boards, committees, head of depart­ments, or other officers of the Town authorized by law to expend money shall furnish to the Appropriations Committee, not less than ninety days prior to the date of the start of the

(Fast Longtneadow 9-97)                                        10

 

3.030

Annual Town Meeting, detailed estimates of the amount neces­sary for the proper maintenance of the departments under their jurisdiction for the ensuing fiscal year, with explanatory state­ments as to any changes from the amounts appropriated for the same purposes in the then current fiscal year, and an estimate of amounts necessary for outlays or permanent improvements. They shall also prepare estimates of any income likely to be received by the town during the ensuing fiscal year in connection with the Town's business or property entrusted to their care. The Selectmen shall include in their estimates the salaries and expenses connected with their own office, and the salaries of all other Town officers shall be included in the estimates for the office, department or branch of the public service of which they are in charge. The Treasurer shall, in addition to his estimate of the amount required for the maintenance of his own office, prepare a separate statement indicating the amounts required for the payment of interest on the Town debt and for the pay­ment of such portions of the Town debt as may become due during the ensuing fiscal year. (Ch. 41/59).

(B) After due consideration, the Committee shall make rec­ommendations of the amounts which, in their opinion, should be appropriated for the ensuing fiscal year, together with such explanations and suggestions in relation thereto, as they deem desirable, to properly inform the voters as to any action to be taken thereupon.

(C) Any department or town officers submitting a budget estimate shall have the right to, or at the request of the Commit­tee, be heard in regard to such estimates.