To piggyback on a previous post, must selectmen listen to Town meeting vote?
There is also a post back in 2013, which is from an article in The Gardner News, with a quote from a current member of the select board, which said in part, that trust and transparency is needed to get Templeton back on tract. So what better way to do that than for the select board to follow Town meeting vote. If a by law was voted on at Town meeting, then I think the select board and or Town Administrator should forward all department head budget requests, proposals etc., to the Advisory Board if requested, because that seems to be the wish of the Town meeting vote.


article 20, from annual Town meeting 2014:


CHANGE TO THE TOWN BUDGET PROCESS

To see if the Town will vote to change Article IV “Advisory Committee,” Section 4 of the Town By-Laws to read: 

“It shall be duty of the Town Administrator in conjunction with the BOS to consider expenditures and develop a budget for the ensuing fiscal year of the several boards, officers and committees of the town, as prepared by them in such form and detail as prescribed by the Town Administrator.”; or take any other action relative thereto.

Submitted by the Board of Selectmen

On a substitute motion duly made and seconded the Town voted that Article III “Town Officers“ of the Town By-laws be herby amended:

4. “It shall be duty of the Town Administrator in conjunction with the BOS to consider expenditures and develop a budget for the ensuing fiscal year of the several boards, officers and committees of the town, as prepared by them in such form and detail as prescribed by the Town Administrator.”

Passed Unanimously/May 19^th @ 8:38pm

Article IV – Advisory Committee

Section 1. There shall be an Advisory Committee consisting of seven legal voters of the town

who shall be appointed by the Moderator as hereinafter provided. No elective or

appointive town officer or town employee shall be eligible to serve on said

committee, except that a representative from the Advisory Committee shall be

entitled to serve as a member of the Capital Planning Committee and the Insurance

Committee.

Amended 5-13-03 & 5-11-11

Section 2. The Moderator of the town meeting when this By-Law is adopted shall, within thirty

days after such by-law becomes effective, appoint 2 members of said committee for

terms of one year, 2 members for terms of two years, and 3 members for terms of

three years. At each Annual Town Meeting thereafter the Moderator thereof shall

appoint 3 members of said committee for terms of three years. The terms of office of

said members shall commence immediately upon qualification and shall expire at the

close of final adjournment of the Annual Town Meeting at which their successors are

appointed. Said committee shall choose its own officers and shall serve without pay,

except the chairman who shall receive such amount as voted upon at the Annual

Town Meeting, and it shall cause to be kept a true record of its proceedings.

Amended 5-11-11

Section 3. The said committee shall fill any vacancy which may occur in its membership, by

vote, attested copy of which shall be sent by the secretary to the Town Clerk. If any

member is absent from five consecutive meetings of said committee, except in case of

illness, his position shall be deemed to be vacant and shall be filled as herein

provided. The term of office of any person so chosen to fill a vacancy shall expire at

the final adjournment of the next succeeding Annual Town Meeting, and the

Moderator thereof shall appoint his successor to complete the unexpired term of the

member in whose office such vacancy originally occurred.

Section 4. It shall be the duty of the Advisory Committee annually to consider the expenditures

in 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. The said committee shall add to such

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 section five of Article II.

Section 4a. All articles, other than those deemed by the Board of Selectmen to constitute an

emergency, sought to be inserted in the Town Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting

shall be filed with the Board of Selectmen, and referred by them to the Advisory

Committee on or before April 10

th and all articles sought to be inserted in the Warrant

for a Special Town Meeting shall be referred by the Board of Selectmen to the

Advisory Committee at least 14 days before the date set for such meeting.

Amended 5-16-13

Section 5. In the discharge of its duty, said committee shall have free access to all books of

record and accounts, bills and vouchers on which money has been or may be paid

from the town treasury. Officers, boards, and committees of the town shall, upon

request, furnish said committee with facts, figures, and any other information

pertaining to their several activities.

Section 6. It shall be the duty of the Advisory Committee to make an annual report of its doings,

with recommendations relative to financial matters and the conduct of town business,

to be contained in the annual town report.

Sections 1-4, 5, 6 Passed 3-5-51,

Section 4a Passed 3-9-57, Amended 3-10-73, Approved by A/G 7-27-73

Sections 1 & 2 Amended 5-11-11, Approved by A/G 5-17-11

Since this Town Meeting vote did not change Article IV of the Town by-laws, those would seem still be in effect in my opinion.

Jeff Bennett