| Home Page | Town Policies |
| Date: | Adopted by a vote of the Board on July 29, 1991, Revised June 29, 1992, Revised 1997 |
| Location: | Town of Billerica, Massachusetts |
1.0) Reports to the Board
1.1) The Town Administrator shall submit to the Board of Selectmen pursuant to Sections 3-2 and 3-3 of the Billerica Home Rule Charter) the following written reports by the 15th calendar day of each month and those indicated as quarterly reports shall be provided in the months of January, April, July, and October:
1.1.A.) The current status of each department or agency, on a one page summary, relative to the current fiscal year budget identified by the cumulative overtime expenditures, the approved budget voted by town meeting and/or supplemented by the Reserve Fund, the difference between spent and budgeted, the current cumulative dollar projection, and the cumulative percent of spent versus budgeted.
1.1.B) The current status from the Town Accountant's office relative to the current fiscal year budget identified by the cumulative revenues, the projected annual revenues, the difference between collected and budgeted, the current cumulative dollar projection, and the cumulative percent of revenues versus budgeted for the following items:
1.1.C) The current month end report of all expenditures for all detailed accounts from the Town Accountant's office.
1.1.D) The quarterly status of accomplishments relative to the annual goals and objectives established by the Board of Selectmen.
2.0) Asset Management
2.1) The Town Administrator shall maintain an inventory of all town owned land.
2.2) The Town Administrator shall maintain a list of properties subject to tax taking by year, plate and parcel, and reason; such list shall be coordinated with a similar list of properties with overdue taxes; a report shall be filed quarterly to the Board of Selectmen.
3.0) Town Meeting Warrant Articles
3.1) The Town Administrator shall submit in writing, and in sufficient time for the Board of Selectmen to approve, any Town Administrator proposed Warrant Article (pursuant to Section 2-12 of the Billerica Home Rule Charter) which is intended for inclusion in any Town Meeting Warrant.
3.2) The Board of Selectmen shall order any Town Meeting Warrant (pursuant to Section 2-12 of the Billerica Home Rule Charter) according to the following order:
3.2.A) The Proposed Budget for Town Meeting (pursuant to Section 5-5 of the Billerica Home Rule Charter), or revisions to it, submitted by the Town Administrator and placed on the warrant by the Board of Selectmen will be placed after non-money articles. The articles requesting money will follow the the budget.
3.2.B) Warrant Articles initiated by the Board of Selectmen or individual members, except for money articles.
3.2.C) Warrant Articles initiated by the Town Administrator and approved by the Board of Selectmen, except for money articles.
3.2.D) Warrant Articles initiated by the School Committee or individual members, except for money articles.
3.2.E) Warrant Articles initiated by the Planning Board or individual members, except for money articles.
3.2.F) Warrant Articles initiated by the Finance Committee, except for money articles.
3.2.G) Warrant Articles initiated by other boards, committees, commissions and agencies according to their order in the Proposed Budget, except for money articles.
3.2.H) Warrant Articles initiated by other boards, committees, commissions and agencies not mentioned in the Proposed Budget, except for money articles.
3.2.I) All other Warrant Articles initiated by petition that deal with changes to the General By-Law or Zoning By-Law, in that order, which are not included in the above, except for money articles.
3.2.J) All other Warrant Articles initiated by petition which are not included in the above, except for money articles.
3.3) The Spring and Fall Town Meeting Warrants and the Board of Selectmen's written Report of Recommendations thereto shall be mailed, if deemed necessary by the Board of Selectmen, to each Town Meeting Representative at least fourteen (14) days before the town meeting is to convene (pursuant to Article I of the General By-Laws).
5.0) Committee Appointments
5.1) The Annual Subcommittee Appointments from the Chairman are effective from July 1, 1997 through June 30, 1998.
Board of Selectmen Subcommittee and Appointee(s)
5.1.1) Alcoholic Beverages Committee JFO, ALD
5.1.2) Betterment Committee EJH, RAM
5.1.3) Bike Path Committee EDR, EJH, RAM
5.1.4) Billerica Plan All Members
5.1.5) Billerica Green-Up Day/Earth Day JFO, EDR, EMH
5.1.6) Cable Advisory Committee BMC, EDR
5.1.7) Chapter 32B Eligibility EDR, BMC, RAM
5.1.8) Christmas Tree Lighting Committee JFO, ALD, EMH
5.1.9) Community Teamwork Incorporated THC
5.1.10) Computer Study Committee JFO
5.1.11) Cross Connection Committee EJH
5.1.12) Ditson School Building Committee BMC, EJH
5.1.13) Economic Development Committee JFO, EDR
5.1.14) Grandfather/Undersized Lots Committee BMC, EJH
5.1.15) Griggs Farm/Town Land Use Committee JFO
5.1.16) Historic Building Committee EJH, BMC
5.1.17) Library Building Committee ALD
5.1.18) Lowell Regional Transit Authority ALD, JFO
5.1.19) Massachusetts Selectmen's Association ALD
5.1.20) Middlesex County Selectmen's Association All Members
5.1.21) Museum Committee EJH
5.1.22) Northern Middlesex Council of Governments ALD
5.1.23) Prison Expansion Committee BMC, JFO
5.1.24) Route 3 Widening Committee ALD
5.1.25) Selectmen's Ball Committee ALD, EJH, JFO, EMH
5.1.26) Senior Citizens Advisory Committee JFO, BMC
5.1.27) Sewer Waiver Committee BMC, EJH, EMH
5.1.28) Recycling Committee ALD
5.1.29) State and Federal Funds Committee EDR, JFO, RAM
5.1.30) Street Acceptance & Discontinuance Committee ALD
5.1.31) Street, Traffic & Drainage Advisory Committee EDR
5.1.32) Taxi License Policy Committee JFO, BMC
5.1.33) Town Manager's Contract ALD, EDR
5.1.34) Tri-Town Committee JFO, RAM
5.1.35) Vietnam Veterans' Park Committee JFO, EDR, THC
Appointee key is:
EDR = Ellen Day Rawlings, THC = Thomas H. Conway, Jr.
JFO = James F. O'Donnell, Jr. RAM = Robert A. Mercier, Town Manager
ALD = Arthur L. Doyle, EMH = Evelyn M. Haines, Assistant Town Manager
5.2) The Board of Selectmen shall appoint a Cable Television Advisory Committee of five members (pursuant to Article I of the Renewal Cable Television License Granted to Greater Boston Cable Corporation on March 23, 1987) for the duration of the ten (10) year renewal license and provide for the operation of an I-NET (pursuant to Article 3 of the Renewal Cable Television License Granted to Greater Boston Cable Corporation on March 23, 1987) by January 1, 1992.
6.0) Licensing
6.1) The Town Administrator shall provide the necessary resources of the Police, Fire and Building Departments and the Treasurer's office in order to properly conduct the annual license renewal processes and also provide continuing enforcement and monitoring of all licenses in force.
6.2) The Town Administrator shall arrange for the issuance all licenses from the Town Administrator's/Board of Selectmen's office; licenses shall be revoked immediately, unless otherwise negotiated by the Board, and retrieved forthwith from the licensee, in the event that the payment for the license fee is not paid by cash, a bona fide check or banking instrument.
7.0) Rate Setting
7.1) Rate schedules for Water, Sewer, Ambulance and Cemetery may be adjusted annually in order to keep costs and revenues in close alignment, that is, these Town services shall be as close to self sustaining as possible.
7.2) The Town Administrator shall, in cooperation with the Cemetery Commission, prepare a five year business plan for the orderly expansion and maintenance of the Cemetery Department. This plan shall be a separate section of the annual Five Year Capital Plan.
8.0) STANDING RULES
8.1) Scheduling of Meetings
8.1.A) Regular meetings of the board shall be held the first and third Monday of each month to convene promptly at 8:00 P.M. unless rescheduled by a vote of the board due to holidays or unforeseen circumstances, and except during the months of July and August when the board shall meet once in each month.
8.1.B) Special meetings may be called by the chairman, or in the Chairman's absence, the Vice Chairman or the Secretary, by a majority request of the board at any time. In either case, at least 48 hours notice shall be given to each member, except in emergencies. The agenda of special meetings may be limited by a majority vote of the board.
8.1.C) Emergency meetings may be called by the chairman, or in the Chairman's absence, the Vice Chairman or the Secretary, by a majority request of the board without notice for situations where immediate, undelaying action is deemed to be imperative.
8.1.D) Except in emergencies, written notice of all meetings shall be filed with the town clerk at least 48 hours before each meeting is to convene.
8.1.E) Any meeting may be postponed providing all available members of the board are polled by telephone or otherwise personally contacted and a majority indicates agreement.
8.2) Agenda Format of Meetings
8.2.A) The ORDERS OF THE DAY or agenda for all meetings shall be organized as follows:
8.2.A.1) The major agenda segments shall be as follows where possible:
8.2.A.2) In each of the preceding major segments, old business shall be scheduled before new business.
8.2.B) All agenda requests shall be place on the agenda in the proper segment, group, and in the order they are received via date stamp.
8.2.C) All requests received up to 1:00 P.M. of the third business day (usually a Thursday) preceding a meeting shall be included on the agenda at which time the agenda shall be closed. All requests shall be in writing, stating the purpose for the agenda item, parties to be present, and as much information as possible to permit board review in advance of the meeting. The agenda shall be posted and available to the public by 9:00 A.M. on the day of the meeting. Board members may submit late items to the agenda, but these items must be considered as new business for scheduling purposes, must be in writing and must state the purpose of being late.
8.2.D) During the meeting, all agenda items, except public hearings, shall be taken in the order of the agenda. Public hearings shall be held at the scheduled times or as soon thereafter as possible. In cases where parties fail to appear at the time when the agenda item is taken up, these items shall be deferred to the next meeting under new business or by a majority vote of the board, be taken up at another position on the agenda.
8.3) Procedures During Meetings
8.3.A) No person shall address a public meeting of the board without leave of the presiding officer at such meeting, and all persons in the audience shall, at the request of such presiding officer, be silent. If after warning from the presiding officer, said person persists in disorderly behavior, said officer may order the person to withdraw from the meeting, and, if the person does not withdraw, said officer may order a constable or other appropriate authority to remove and/or confine the person in some convenient place until the meeting is adjourned.
8.3.B) Petitioners will be limited to a ten minute presentation, unless permission to speak for a longer period is requested and granted by a majority vote of the board.
8.3.C) Visitors may be permitted to speak on any matter properly on the agenda before the board, but only after each member of the board who so desires, has spoken.
8.3.D) In cases where a member of the audience wishes to speak on a matter, the chair may request said party to rise to be recognized, state said party's name, place of residence and/or purpose for addressing the board. The board may exercise an option to limit debate from the audience and the chair may do so with majority consent of the board.
8.3.E) All proceedings during the meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, except as indicated herein. Where conflict arises, these rules shall govern.
8.4) Time of Meetings
8.4.A) All meetings shall begin at 8:00 P.M. and to end no later than 11:30 P.M.. If Business remains to be transacted at the scheduled adjournment time, the board may either vote to continue the meeting for an additional one half hour or adjourn to another time to complete the business. The unfinished business shall appear on the agenda of the next meeting under old business.
8.4.B) Any member of the board expecting to be absent, or late, shall notify another member or the town administrator's office prior to the beginning of a meeting.
8.5) Amendments to the Rules - The rules may be amended by a majority vote of the members present, providing notice of the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing to each member of the board at a prior duly convened meeting of the board. An amendment shall be construed as any addition of a new rule or a deletion or modification of an existing rule.
8.6) Executive Sessions
8.6.A) All executive sessions shall be conducted according to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 39, Section 23A. A copy of this legislation and a commentary is attached for reference in Appendix A.
8.6.B) No executive session may be held unless and until an open meeting of the board, for which proper notice was given, has first convened. Notice in writing of a proposed executive session that will involve the discussion or consideration of an individual must be given to that individual at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting, unless such notice is so waived by the individual in writing.
8.7) Minutes - The minutes to be kept by the board shall report the names of all board members present, the presence of the town administrator, the subject acted upon, and shall record exactly the notes and other official action taken, but such minutes shall not include a lengthy record of discussions of such meetings. The minutes may also include other documents submitted during the proceedings by a majority vote of the board. Magnetic recordings of meetings taken by the board's staff shall be saved until the board approves of said minutes.
9.0) General
9.1) The Town Administrator shall be responsible for directing the Treasurer to solicit signatures from the Selectmen for only for expenditure warrants that are within budgeted levels, and particularly those related to Short Term Borrowing.
9.2) The Town Administrator shall be responsible for providing to the Board of Selectmen,the General Administrative and Secretarial requirements of the Board, and arrange for two fully trained resources in this regard. Training shall include general secretarial duties, computer training in word processing and spreadsheets, preparing meeting minutes, managing appointments, and other tasks identified by the Board; the Board will identify its primary and secondary resource in this regard.
9.3) The Town Administrator shall be responsible for compliance with all policies established by the Board of Selectmen and cause a record of official policies to kept in a publication in the Town Administrator's office which shall be available at all times to the Board and the public.
9.4) The Board of Selectmen will not make appointments to the position of constable to a resident of another community if that community will not appoint qualified Billerica residents.
10) Applications for Boards, Committees and Commissions
Applications submitted for positions on Boards, Committees and Commissions in the Town of Billerica will be kept on file file to be used for vacancies that occur during the year. At the end of each fiscal year, the applications will be discarded.
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