Budget Committee

Budget Committee Minutes | Budget Hearings

Budget Committee Description

Amendments approved at the 2014 Annual Budget Hearing on Monday, January 6, 2014.

Proposed amendment to the vote taken on December 20, 1976, providing a new Budget Committee.

Article 2:  Upon a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that the voters create a Budget Committee for the Town and three(3) elected members now serving shall forthwith constitute the Budget Committee, and one member shall be elected at each succeeding Annual Town Meeting, commencing in 1982, for the term of three(3) years to fill the office of the member whose term expires:  the member who shall serving the final year of his or her three(3) year term to act as Chairperson of the Budget Committee during that year, and interim vacancies shall be filled by the Selectboard until the Annual Town Meeting.  The Budget Committee may advise the Town Officers on accounting and bookkeeping procedures.

In the discretion of those officials responsible for operating under any Town budget, budgeted funds may for good cause be transferred from one line item to another line item which do not result in any change in the total budget.  The Budget Committee shall have the power in its discretion to authorize without call of a Town Meeting budget over-expenditures not to exceed five (5) percent of the total of any budget.  The total of any budget shall mean the sum total of the line items in the budget.  Any unexpected need which would create an over-expenditure of the total budget shall be brought to the attention of the Budget Committee for appropriate action.  Any unexpected need in excess of five (5) percent of any total budget shall require previous approval of a majority of the voters at a duly warned Town Meeting.

Any funds, other than gifts and bequests, which do not appear as expected revenues in the budget as adopted, shall not be expended without authorization of the Budget Committee. 

No member of the Selectboard shall be qualified to serve on the Budget Committee and no member of the Budget Committee shall participate in the consideration of any budget in which he or she has a direct interest by reason of any Town office or any employment held by him or her.

It shall be required that all budgets be submitted to the Budget Committee for examination, not less than eight (8) weeks fifty-six (56) days previous to the anticipated date of the Annual or Special Town Meeting.  The Budget Committee Shall hold at least one (1) duly warned public hearing at the Fairlee Town Hall to consider any proposed budget, not less than six (6) weeks forty-two (42) days previous to the Annual or Special Town Meeting. 

The final report, with recommendations of the Budget Committee shall be delivered to the Town Auditors for printing in the appropriate Annual Town Report not less than five (5) weeks thirty-five (35) days previous to the Annual Town Meeting. 

The Town Clerk shall act as the Clerk of the Budget Committee and keep a full recording of its proceedings.