Finance Committee

The Weare Finance Committee is an advisory board appointed by the Town Moderator for the purpose of providing information and recommendations to Weare voters regarding budgets of the Town and School.   The committee typical meets only during budget season, October through March of each year.

FINANCE COMMITTEE ORDINANCE 

The Weare Finance Committee shall be composed of a minimum of nine (9) but not more than thirteen (13) members appointed by the Moderator.  Members shall be appointed for three-year terms and no member shall be appointed to more than two consecutive three-year terms.  The Town Moderator may remove and replace members for the lack of attendance as a majority of the committee sees necessary.

The members shall, on an annual basis, elect a chairman, vice chairman and secretary from among themselves. 

Structurally, the Finance Committee shall organize their sub units as they see fit.

The sub-units will report their recommendations to the full Finance Committee for review and discussion.  It will require a majority vote of the full committee to advance any recommendations to either the Town Meeting of School District Meeting.  A quorum is required for the sub-units  and the full committee to conduct a meeting.  A quorum for the full committee is defined as more than half of the number of members of the full committee, and the quorum for a sub unit is defined as more than half the members of each sub unit. 

The Finance Committee shall be informed of any article requiring its attention no later than seven (7) calendar days after the public hearing on the budget required for the Deliberative Session (Town) or Session 1 (School). 

It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to: 

1.    Explain the tax impact of monies raised at each Town or School District Meeting. 

2.    Review and evaluate warrant articles based on short and long term ramifications
and make recommendations pertaining to the same.

3.    Withhold recommendations only if there is insufficient information.

The Finance Committee shall be required to work cooperatively with the Selectmen, Town
Departments and School District to ensure that all the respective budgets will best serve the
community's needs.

The Finance Committee shall report, in writing and on the Town website, any and all warrant articles and operating budget recommendations no later than one week prior to each Town or School District Meeting.  This written report shall include: 

1.    The total amount requested by the Selectmen or School District for any given
warrant article. 

2.    The total amount recommended by the Finance Committee for the same. 

3.    The tax impact of both recommendations. 

4.    The reason (s) for the Finance Committee recommendations. 

Further, the Selectmen and the School District shall be notified of any and all relevant Finance Committee recommendations as soon as such recommendations are finalized, but no later than two weeks prior to each Town or School District Meeting. 

The Finance Committee Report shall be made available to any and all interested persons at the Town Office prior to each Town or School District Meeting, and again at the voter check-in table during the Town or School District Meeting. 

The Board of Selectmen shall mail the final recommendations of the Finance Committee as written by the Finance Committee, along with the warrant mailing prior to the second (ballot voting) session of Town Meeting. 

Being a public body, the Finance Committee is subject to the Right-to-Know Law (RSA 91) and is required to conduct all of its meetings in a manner which is open to the public; post notices of its meetings; keep minutes of its meeting and to have those minutes available for public inspection in the Selectmen’s Office within 144 hours of its meeting. 

The Town Moderator is encouraged to ensure that the Finance Committee members represent a cross-section of the community. 

Any member of the Finance Committee who seeks a local elected office shall be disqualified from serving on the Finance Committee during the duration of that year’s budget discussions.  The Moderator shall be empowered to appoint a temporary replacement for that member during that time. 

The vote of this Town Meeting shall supersede prior recorded voted establishing the Finance Committee and it duties from the 1929, 1938, 1939, 1945, 1950, 1952, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2009 Town Meetings.

Amended:  March 13, 2012