[Amended 8-20-2020 by Ch. 167, Acts of 2020]
The town manager and the town meeting shall from time to time
provide for the grouping of town agencies into convenient units for
the delivery of municipal services. The organization of the town into
operating agencies for the provision of services and the administration
of the government may be accomplished through either of the methods
provided in this article.
(a)
By-Laws - Subject only to express prohibitions in a general law or
the provisions of this charter, the town meeting may, by by-law, reorganize,
consolidate, create, merge, divide or abolish any town agency, in
whole or in part; establish such new town agencies as it deems necessary
or advisable; determine the manner of selection, the term of office
and prescribe the functions of all such agencies; provided, however,
that no function assigned by this charter to a particular town agency
may be discontinued, or unless this charter specifically so provides,
assigned to any other town agency.
(b)
Administrative Plan - The town manager may from time to time, after
consultation with the select board, prepare and submit to the town
meeting plans of organization or reorganization which establish operating
divisions for the orderly, efficient or convenient conduct of the
business of the town.
Whenever the town manager proposes such a plan, the select board
shall hold 1 or more public hearings on the proposal giving notice
by publication in a local newspaper, which notice shall describe the
scope of the proposal and the time and place at which the hearing
will be held, not less than 7 nor more than 14 days following said
publication.
An organization or reorganization plan shall become effective at the expiration of 60 days following the date the proposal is submitted to the town meeting unless the town meeting shall, by a majority vote, within such period, vote to disapprove the plan. The town meeting may vote only to approve or to disapprove the plan and may not vote to amend or to alter it. The town manager, through the administrative plan, and subject only to express prohibitions in a general law or this charter, may reorganize, consolidate or abolish any town agency, in whole or in part; establish such new town agencies as are deemed necessary and to the same extent as provided in section 5-1(a) for by-laws; and for such purpose may transfer the duties and powers and, so far as is consistent with the use for which the funds were voted by the town, transfer the appropriation of one town agency to another; provided, however, that no function assigned by this charter to a particular town agency may be discontinued or assigned to any other town agency unless specifically authorized by this charter.
Every reorganization plan submitted by the town manager pursuant
to this section shall contain a proposed by-law which contains, in
detail, such amendments, revisions, repeals or otherwise of existing
ordinances as may be necessary to accomplish the desired reorganization.
Such reorganization plan and proposed ordinance shall be accompanied
by a message from town manager which explains the benefits expected
to ensue.
All appointments and promotions of town officers and employees
shall be made solely on the basis of merit and fitness demonstrated
by examination or other evidence of competence and suitability.
[Amended 8-20-2020 by Ch. 167, Acts of 2020]
(a)
Establishment - There shall be a department of finance and financial services headed by a director of municipal finance who is the town manager or the town manager's appointee per Article 4, who shall be responsible for the management of the fiscal and financial affairs of the town and for the supervision and coordination of all activities of all town agencies in relation to any fiscal or financial matter. If the director of municipal finance is not the town manager, the appointment of a director of municipal finance by the town manager shall become effective on the fifteenth day following the day on which notice of the appointment is filed with the select board, unless the select board shall, within that period, by a majority of all of its members vote to reject such appointment or has sooner voted to ratify it.
(b)
Scope of Department Activities - The department of finance shall
be responsible for and shall include the following functions:
(1)
coordination of all financial services and activities of the
town;
(2)
maintenance of all accounting records and other financial statements
for all offices and agencies of the town;
(3)
payment of all financial obligations on behalf of the town;
(4)
receipt of all funds due to the town from any source;
(5)
maintenance of all property valuation records and systems;
(6)
rendering advice, assistance and guidance to all town offices
and agencies in any matter relating to financial or fiscal affairs;
(7)
monitoring throughout the fiscal year of the expenditure of
funds by town offices and agencies, including the periodic reporting
on the status of all accounts with recommendations concerning fiscal
and financial policies to be implemented by such offices and agencies;
and
(8)
coordination of all financial transactions associated with the
procurement of all goods, supplies and materials by town offices and
agencies with the central procurement procedures established pursuant
to chapter 30B of the General Laws.
(c)
Director of Finance and Financial Services
The department of financial services shall be headed by the
director of municipal finance who shall serve as the chief financial
officer.
The treasurer and collector shall have such powers and duties
as may be vested in those offices expressly by general or special
law, but shall otherwise report to and be under the direction and
supervision of the director of municipal finance.
The powers and duties of the director of municipal finance shall
include the following:
(1)
coordination, administration, and supervision of all financial
services and activities;
(2)
assistance in all matters related to municipal financial affairs;
(3)
implementation and maintenance of uniform systems, controls
and procedures for all financial activities in all departments, including
the school department, and including, but not limited to, maintenance
of all financial and accounting data and records;
(4)
implementation and maintenance of uniform budget guidelines
and procedures;
(5)
assistance in development and preparation of all department
budgets and spending plans;
(6)
review of all contracts and obligations; monitoring of the expenditure
of all funds, including periodic reporting to appropriate agencies
of the status of accounts; establishment of a spending plan for each
department; and the allotment of funds on a periodic basis.
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In all cases where the duty is not expressly charged to any
other department or office, it shall be the duty of the chief financial
officer to promote, secure and preserve the financial interests of
the town.
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The chief financial officer shall from time to time promulgate
rules and regulations governing any subject within the jurisdiction
of the department of finance as are necessary to implement the provisions
of this section.
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(d)
Operating Divisions - The department of finance and financial services
shall consist of the following divisions:
(1)
Division of Collections
The division of collections, headed by a town collector, shall
collect all accounts due to the town from any source.
(2)
Division of Treasury Management
The division of treasury management, headed by a town treasurer,
shall receive and take charge of all money belonging to the town.
(3)
Division of Accounting
The division of accounting, headed by a town accountant appointed
by the select board, shall be responsible for the following:
(a)
the maintenance of accounts for all financial transactions of
the town;
(b)
the pre-audit of all purchase orders, receipts and disbursements;
(c)
the preparation of payrolls;
(d)
the preparation of warrants for the payment of all bills of
the town;
(e)
the preparation of periodic reports on the status of departmental
receipts and expenditures; and
(f)
the maintenance of central grant and contract files.
(4)
Division of Assessing
The assessing division shall be under the charge of a board of assessors elected by the voters as provided in article 3. The division of assessing shall be responsible for the following:
(a)
establishing the valuation of all real and personal property;
(b)
maintaining records substantiating all assessments made;
(c)
preparing and issuing commitments for the collection of property
taxes and motor vehicle excise taxes by the office of collections;
and
(d)
acting on abatement and exemption applications filed with it
and representing the town before the appellate tax board.
(5)
Division of Procurement
The division of procurement shall be responsible for purchasing
all supplies, material and equipment for all offices and agencies
of the town to the extent provided by the General Laws, and for the
purposes of the General Laws, the town purchasing agent shall be the
chief procurement officer of the town.
There shall be a department of fire and emergency services which
shall be headed by a fire chief, who shall have full and absolute
authority in the administration of the department and who shall make
all rules and regulations for its operation. The fire chief shall
be responsive to the town manager in coordinating the operation of
the fire and emergency services department with the operation of all
other town agencies. The fire chief appointed under this section shall
have the powers and duties of a fire chief appointed pursuant to section
42 of chapter 48 of the General Laws.
