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Upcoming
Agenda
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Appropriations
Committee Online
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WHO WE ARE: The
Hopkinton Appropriation Committee is an appointed
board of volunteer citizens and is charged to
deliver a balanced budget to Town Meeting each
year, based on available funds and the budgetary
requests of all boards, departments and committees
in town.
WHAT WE ARE DOING: The
Hopkinton Appropriation Committee has begun a
public information campaign to help residents
understand the Town's budget and the choices
facing the community in the coming fiscal year
(FY07) and in the years ahead. This
campaign includes articles in local news media and
additional information on the budget and the
budgetary process on the town website.
WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW AND
WHY: Growth in revenue has reached a plateau
but service growth continues. Therefore, the Town
continues to face tough fiscal challenges and
decisions. This is a long-term problem as
contractual and other expense obligations related
to the current operational structure drive annual
increases that exceed available funding.
This leaves the community with three
essential choices.
Do we,
1.
Cut services or change operations to
match available funding;
2.
Support and enhance services by
providing additional funding through periodic
overrides or by creating new revenue sources; or
3.
Allow services to erode over time
and address them only when they become obviously
problematic?
We
seek your input and ideas about these choices.
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Stuart
Cowart, Chairman
Charles O’Leary
Andrew Harris
Richard Odell
Fred Hoskins
Benjamin Palleiko
Kevin Lagasse
Ronald Eldridge
Joseph Karner
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The function of this Committee is to “consider any and all questions involving the expenditure of money, for the purpose of making reports or recommendations thereon to the Town”. It is governed by the requirements of M.G.L. Ch. 39, s. 16 and by Town By-Law. An appointing committee, consisting of the Moderator, Board of Selectmen, and Town Clerk, make appointments to the Appropriation Committee, which is made up of nine (9) members, appointed for staggered terms of three (3) years. No person holding any elective or appointive office is eligible to serve on this Committee.
The primary work of the Appropriation Committee is review, analysis, and the making of recommendations on the budgets of Town departments, which are submitted approximately six months prior to the beginning of the fiscal year to which the budget applies. All requests by Town boards, officers or committees, or by citizens, for appropriations or expenditure of money in the Town warrant are referred to the Committee for its suggestions or recommendations. The Committee is required to submit a budget at the Annual Town Meeting.
The By-Law specifies those members be “voters of sound business experience or good judgment”. In addition, members must be able to make a substantial commitment of time, particularly in the months leading up to the Annual Town Meeting.
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