from Town meeting, May 20, 2013:
Article 59
To see if the Town will vote to rescind Town By-Law XLVII, the Personnel ByLaw,
and replace it with the following:
The Board of Selectmen is responsible for the administration of all personnel policies
and procedures.
Submitted by the Personnel Board
On a motion duly made and seconded the town voted that Revised General By-Laws,
Article XLVII- Personnel By-Law, be amended to read as follows:
The Board of Selectmen is responsible for the administration of all personnel policies
and procedures.
Passed/May 20th @ 8:10
The above seems to say the selectmen and not town meeting approves personnel policies and procedures such as hours compensation etc. The people who pushed for this should not now speak of "it should go to town meeting" or "it has gone to town meeting in the past" That has/was changed with this town meeting vote along with other votes.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Friday, December 23, 2016
The following is from a division of local services "A guide to financial management for Town officials"
11.1 WHAT ARE THE BASIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF TOWN MEETING RELATIVE TO MUNICIPAL FINANCE?
Town meeting is the legislative body and appropriating authority of a town. As the legislative body, town meeting enacts bylaws and other measures to provide for the operation of municipal government and the administration of town affairs. For example, town meeting typically enacts personnel, zoning and building code by-laws and establishes various town select committees. As the appropriating authority, town meeting also approves the annual budget and — by approval of appropriations — authorizes specific expenditures. With the exception of the school operating budget, town meeting may vote a budget on a line-item basis, in which case each separate line item constitutes a separate appropriation. Alternatively, town meeting may vote appropriations more generally and thereby afford department heads a measure of flexibility in expending funds to operate their departments. The budgets adopted by town meetings in Massachusetts are affected by the Proposition 21 ⁄2 limitations upon local property tax levies. So-called overrides of these tax limitations, which allow for additional taxing capacity to fund the budget, may only be approved by a general referendum vote of all town residents. The initial town budget is approved at annual town meeting prior to the July 1 commencement of the fiscal year. During the course of the fiscal year, special town meetings may be convened to refine the budget, transfer funds or address other municipal business. Town meetings are generally referred to as open town meetings if all residents may participate and vote on matters being considered by the meeting
By contrast, some communities act at representative town meetings, where only elected town meeting representatives vote and decide matters being addressed. Town meeting must also approve the issuance of debt. A two-thirds vote of the meeting is required for this purpose. Approval of town meeting is also necessary to establish a stabilization fund and appropriate monies into it. Likewise, a two-thirds vote of town meeting is required to make appropriations from the stabilization fund. Town meeting may also enact additional by-laws concerning the financial management and organization of the town. As the legislative body, town meeting ratifies major policies concerning the financial management of the municipality.
11.3 W H AT CAN BE DONE T O MAKE TOWN MEETING AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE ?
Because town meetings convene infrequently and generally have a great deal of business and information to deliberate upon, it is important that issues be identified , data and information assembled , and analysis completed by municipal officers , committees and interested persons in advance of the meeting . Committee meetings , publi c hearings , cable television programs and news paper articles offe r convenient forums for the dissemination of important information on municipal matters . Computer technologies may also help to develop informational reports to assist town meeting . In any event, advance preparation of relevant information and its presentation to town meeting in a concise and meaningful manner will result in a more effective meeting.
posted by Jeff Bennett
11.1 WHAT ARE THE BASIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF TOWN MEETING RELATIVE TO MUNICIPAL FINANCE?
Town meeting is the legislative body and appropriating authority of a town. As the legislative body, town meeting enacts bylaws and other measures to provide for the operation of municipal government and the administration of town affairs. For example, town meeting typically enacts personnel, zoning and building code by-laws and establishes various town select committees. As the appropriating authority, town meeting also approves the annual budget and — by approval of appropriations — authorizes specific expenditures. With the exception of the school operating budget, town meeting may vote a budget on a line-item basis, in which case each separate line item constitutes a separate appropriation. Alternatively, town meeting may vote appropriations more generally and thereby afford department heads a measure of flexibility in expending funds to operate their departments. The budgets adopted by town meetings in Massachusetts are affected by the Proposition 21 ⁄2 limitations upon local property tax levies. So-called overrides of these tax limitations, which allow for additional taxing capacity to fund the budget, may only be approved by a general referendum vote of all town residents. The initial town budget is approved at annual town meeting prior to the July 1 commencement of the fiscal year. During the course of the fiscal year, special town meetings may be convened to refine the budget, transfer funds or address other municipal business. Town meetings are generally referred to as open town meetings if all residents may participate and vote on matters being considered by the meeting
By contrast, some communities act at representative town meetings, where only elected town meeting representatives vote and decide matters being addressed. Town meeting must also approve the issuance of debt. A two-thirds vote of the meeting is required for this purpose. Approval of town meeting is also necessary to establish a stabilization fund and appropriate monies into it. Likewise, a two-thirds vote of town meeting is required to make appropriations from the stabilization fund. Town meeting may also enact additional by-laws concerning the financial management and organization of the town. As the legislative body, town meeting ratifies major policies concerning the financial management of the municipality.
11.3 W H AT CAN BE DONE T O MAKE TOWN MEETING AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE ?
Because town meetings convene infrequently and generally have a great deal of business and information to deliberate upon, it is important that issues be identified , data and information assembled , and analysis completed by municipal officers , committees and interested persons in advance of the meeting . Committee meetings , publi c hearings , cable television programs and news paper articles offe r convenient forums for the dissemination of important information on municipal matters . Computer technologies may also help to develop informational reports to assist town meeting . In any event, advance preparation of relevant information and its presentation to town meeting in a concise and meaningful manner will result in a more effective meeting.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Authority versus responsibility:
you can delegate authority but not responsibility. Bev, you need to look at the current job description of the Town Administrator and see what responsibilities the administrator has been given by the selectmen. Then look at the articles brought to Town meeting about the personnel board. I believe you will find an article to abolish the personnel board and allow the selectmen to act as such. Then look at the warrant article that created the town administrator position. Look at who brought these articles to town meeting. What ever authority the town administrator has, he was given by the selectmen and or town meeting. It seems odd that some of the same people who were in favor of abolishing the personnel board and making the selectmen act as such suddenly now think it should all go to town meeting. Remember the personnel by-law was abolished or changed and the personnel policy was changed. The place to begin is with those two items and perhaps bring a citizens petition to try to change them. It really all begins and ends with the residents. They get the government they allow.
In my opinion, a citizens group should begin looking at those items and how they could be changed.
posted by Jeff Bennett
you can delegate authority but not responsibility. Bev, you need to look at the current job description of the Town Administrator and see what responsibilities the administrator has been given by the selectmen. Then look at the articles brought to Town meeting about the personnel board. I believe you will find an article to abolish the personnel board and allow the selectmen to act as such. Then look at the warrant article that created the town administrator position. Look at who brought these articles to town meeting. What ever authority the town administrator has, he was given by the selectmen and or town meeting. It seems odd that some of the same people who were in favor of abolishing the personnel board and making the selectmen act as such suddenly now think it should all go to town meeting. Remember the personnel by-law was abolished or changed and the personnel policy was changed. The place to begin is with those two items and perhaps bring a citizens petition to try to change them. It really all begins and ends with the residents. They get the government they allow.
In my opinion, a citizens group should begin looking at those items and how they could be changed.
posted by Jeff Bennett
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