How to find this - google Town of Worthington, MA then go to Town's website and click on municipal directory (upper left side of site) scroll down to finance committee and click, the following is located there.
Mission Statement
Worthington's Finance Committee consists of five members that are elected to three year overlapping terms. The origin of municipal finance committees in Massachusetts began in 1870 when a group of Quincy citizens banded together to restore financial order in their municipality, creating the Commonwealth's first finance committee. In 1910 the Massachusetts General Court acknowledged the need for municipal finance committees state-wide with its adoption of Chapter 130, section 2 of the Acts of 1910. This inserted Chapter 39, section 16 into the Massachusetts General Laws.
Section 16. Every town whose valuation for the purpose of apportioning the state tax exceeds ten million dollars shall, and any other town may, by by-law provide for the election or the appointment and duties of appropriation, advisory or finance committees, who shall consider any or all municipal questions for the purpose of making reports or recommendations to the town; and such by-laws may provide that committees so appointed or elected may continue in office for terms not exceeding three years from the date of appointment or election. In every town having a committee appointed under authority of this section, such committee, or the selectmen if authorized by a by-law of the town, and, in any town not having such a committee, the selectmen, shall submit a budget at the annual town meeting.
In addition to the state law Worthington's Finance Committee is governed by Section II of the Town's General Bylaws:
The primary responsibility of the Finance Committee is the development of the Town's annual budget and its recommendations to the Town's Annual Town Meeting. Cities and towns in Massachusetts operate on a fiscal year basis which begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th. Worthington's Annual Town Meeting is held on the first Saturday in May for the ensuing fiscal year that begins on July 1st. The budget process usually begins in January with the various town departments submitting their budget requests for the upcoming year. The Finance Committee then meets on a weekly basis starting in February through the month of April preparing the budget that will be ultimately inserted on the "Warrant" for the Annual Town Meeting. The warrant is the document that sets out the order of business that will be acted upon at town meeting. For help with municipal finance terminology please click on this Municipal Finance Glossary link.
|
Jeff, I’m sorry I don’t see that as I look at :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.worthington-ma.us/Pages/WorthingtonMA_Clerk/generalbylaws.pdf Is this not the spot to see it ?
Population of Worthington Ma 1,156
DeleteThey have no Town Adminstrator
Taxes Worthington Ma $ 16.59
DeleteTaxes Templeton Ma $ 16.72
As above link Section II reads -
ReplyDeleteFinance Committee Duties
It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to consider any and all Town questions of a financial nature and to make recommendations thereon to the voters of the Town. All financial articles proposed for insertion in a Town Meeting warrant shall, prior to the time said warrant is posted, be referred to the Finance Committee for consideration. Unless the Finance Committee by a majority vote decides otherwise, a public hearing shall be held before said Committee at least two weeks prior to the Town Meeting to consider and act upon all such proposed articles. The Committee shall also consider annually the estimated budget requirements of the various Town Boards and Officers which shall be prepared in such form and detail and presented at such time as may be prescribed by the Finance Committee. After due consideration of such financial articles and budget estimates the Finance Committee shall recommend to the voters whatever action relative thereto it deems advisable for the best interest of the Town. In the discharge of these duties, said Committee shall have free access to all books of records, accounts, bills and vouchers in which money has been or may be paid from the Treasury.