2009-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Report of the Finance Committee To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and Citizens of the Town of Mashpee In the Town Meeting form of government under which many Massachusetts municipalities, like Mashpee, are constituted, the Board of Selectmen is empowered with the responsibilities of the Executive Branch of the town. Since as part-time elected officials, the Selectmen don't have the time to administer the day-to-day operations of the town, a town's Charter or bylaws entrust those obligations to a Town Manager, or other full-time, appointed position. Such is the case in Mashpee, through which the Charter created the position of Town Manager. Unlike in other forms of government which elect representatives to conduct the Legislative affairs of the municipality, in the Open Town Meeting form, the legislative business of the town is conducted at one or more Town Meetings at which the registered voters of the town assemble to vote on the business matters of the town, which can range from the approval, or defeat, of the annual town budget, to zoning matters, or to the licensing of animals, for example. To provide input to the Legislative Branch of municipal government, i.e., the voters of the town, Massachusetts law provides for the establishing of a Finance Committee to advise the voters on matters which will come before them at the ensuing Town Meeting. In Mashpee the Finance Committee is a 7 member volunteer board appointed by the Town Moderator whose function is to become familiar with the workings of the Mashpee governmental operations, provide some direction and oversight to the Selectmen and Town Manager, but primarily to act in an advisory capacity to the voters on matters which will come before them for their vote. The Charter of the Town of Mashpee adopted in 2004 specifically mandated that the Finance Committee annually perform three specific functions: • Provide the voters with a "concise and readable financial report" describing the revenues and consolidated expenses as part of the annual Town operating budget. • Calculate a projected municipal tax rate resulting from the adoption of the Town budget. • Make recommendations to the voters on each Warrant Article presented at Town Meeting, even if the Article has no financial impact. To this end the Finance Committee members fully participated in the budget preparation processes leading up to the final Fiscal Year 2010 budget presented by the Town Manager to the Selectmen and Town Meeting. In its report to the residents, the Finance Committee recommended approval of the Town Manager's $47,764,103, as presented, as well as capital expenditures of$390,000. In my cover letter to the Finance Committee's report for the May Town Meeting, I expressed the committee's concerns about future expenditures facing the town, in particular the costs of wastewater management and treatment, an issue that looms large for all the Cape Cod towns. In addition, the committee recommended that the Selectmen and Town Manager continue a close follow up and oversight of police and fire department overtime and personnel leave practices, a 32