Okay, it's uh 7 p.m.

We'll start the meeting.

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And we'll start with a joint meeting with the select board.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um for excused members were all here.

I would have to announce that Dr.

Bill Town has uh resigned from the committee.

So that leaves five people with four vacancies.

If anyone that would like to start some people from the town have let me know they applied to the moderator, I don't know what the status of their applications are.

Okay, next item discussion with the select board regarding roles and responsibilities for annual town meeting on May 4th, 2026.

Expectations for making motions and giving verbal explanations.

Would someone from the select board or the administration want to start since um you all initiated this?

Sure.

So as you know, a couple years ago um the finance committee asked the select board to make the motions and essentially carry the verbal comments at town meeting.

The select board has done that for a number of years, or a number of town meetings, and um this is my opinion, and I know the select board members have opinions as well, but um at least from my perspective, it does seem like the checks and balances are because are we not checking and balancing each other.

Um the finance committees in the charter with a very important purpose, which is to make recommendations and guide town meeting.

Um the select board has a different role.

Their role is to set the warrant.

And with the select board setting the warrant, moving the articles, and explaining the articles.

It is beginning to feel like all of the you know, it's a very closed system.

So the select board is also the implement implementing the body.

They they are supposed to be setting policy and implementing the actions.

So um I know a couple of select board members have brought this up to me, and I think that it is time to reevaluate kind of what does what at town meeting and the roles of the of the finance committee and the select board.

Thank you.

Anyone from the select board have any uh comments yet?

Yeah.

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you.

Um I'll be in and um chair.

Um, I'll go around to the uh my fellow select board here and see who wants to start with comments if any.

Uh yeah, I guess it's because um I had taken some um classes regarding town meeting and procedures with the MMA after I was elected, and it it did become a concern that it was like a conflict of interest to have us um holding this role at town meeting.

Um so I did bring it up as an agenda item, something we should discuss with you.

Thank you, Jean, very much.

Go ahead, Amy Maria, I see your hands up.

Thank you.

Um, yeah, you know, this conversation came up as well during the time that we had um reviewed the charter.

And um it was it was a topic, and it was one that um I know for the China Review Committee.

We did not want to change any language in the charter.

Um there was some conflicts with respect to um how that procedure should go, and I know for the China Review Committee we wanted to keep it um such that you know the language and the statutory um responsibilities were intact, that mean that the finance committee is the fiscal watchdog.

the charter and um it was it was a topic and it was one that um I know for the China Review Committee we did not want to change any language in the charter um there was some conflicts with respect to um how that procedure should should go and I know for the China Review Committee we wanted to keep it um such that you know the language and the statutory um responsibilities were intact that being that the finance committee is the fiscal watchdog um and that um it's it's critical that they present to town meeting a very detailed report on those finances um any you know with respect to um uh how to spend the money right how to spend our town money um where it's coming from um and a very detailed report to the to the legislative body which in our case is town meeting floor um there was you know uh uh uh and then you know the chair at the time of the finance committee didn't really agree with the charter review committee and move forward to the select board with that recommendation uh you know that was before my time so you know anyone who was on the select board at that time might have better knowledge on how it all played out and how that changed from uh with respects to uh select board taking on the that responsibility of presenting um the fiscal uh presenting the articles especially you know um the detailed reporting to uh town meeting floor so I don't know if you know MJ or Peter has any additional knowledge that would help with how that kind of transpired yeah thank you Anne Marie very very well said um MJ yes I I was fairly new on the select board when this sort of came to my table so I would love to hear from uh Chair um select board member Ms.

Randall so this was the idea of the finance committee it was the finance committee came to the select board and the finance committee said that they wanted to follow the model that was used in YARMA um the select board didn't really well the majority of the select board did not really agree with that um but uh we had a discussion we had a meeting the finance committee went back to their committee and they had a discussion and they told the select board that they didn't want to make the motions and do the remote comments anymore they just wanted to give their recommendations because that's all that was required by the charter so it wasn't the select board did not initiate it it was initiated by the finance committee and the finance committee independently made their decision that that's the way they wanted to do it.

Yeah thank you and it's that is how I remember it well go ahead Peter do you have any comments I know we've already been saying some of it I really had enough to say I I don't know MJ is is right on the historical perspective of it and at the time when this request was being discussed I was the loan member that did that wanted uh the finance committee to keep on doing what they were doing so you know in my opinion we're undermining the main focus of the finance committee when we're making motions or we're making recommendations the finance committee over history has been official watchdog for the town and for open for town meeting and basically you know we're taking away with them the main function of what they do and so I feel that it's best that the finance committee return to make emotions and make a recommended and make an the first and strong recommendation and if it's important to the select board we can make secondary comments after the fact but I I mean the finance committee is is sole job is to protect the fiscal uh how for the town and then I think I remember as well as I said I'm fairly new on the select board at the time um I don't remember being opposed or or um for the decision I think as MJ said we you know it was brought to us by the finance committee we discussed it and we said we'll give it a try trying to be you know satisfy um the the need at the time but yeah I think for me again it's really about checks and balances and if the if it's more transparent then this should be done by the finance committee I agree I think you know it's been well said here and I guess we need to um hear from the finance committee um now so thank you everyone Amanda so I just want to clarify one point MJ so I recall that we as a finance committee were trying to have a discussion with the select board and that there was a reluctancy to have sort of a joint meeting or discussion about it so we eventually sort of took our vote and made the decision I don't want to go too far down into the past because I think you know we have a present topic that we're trying to decide just generally speaking I do want I do think it's really an administrative task and I don't think it necessarily exclusively should belong to the finance committee.

I don't want to go too far down into the past because I think you know we have a present topic that we're trying to decide.

Just generally speaking, I do want I do think it's really an administrative task, and I don't think it necessarily exclusively should belong to the finance committee.

Where advising with our vote whether we read a motion and or an article in comments doesn't define our role.

Being a watchdog isn't writing comments to explain something that we're trying to pick up information from staff and experts on in order to relay the message to town meeting.

That's an administrative task.

That is not, I don't view that as being a watchdog task.

I view our meetings where we're diving into the details and asking questions and then ultimately deciding as a committee a watchdog task and part of our role.

But what we're really talking about is an administrative task.

And it I don't think it matters if it's coming from us or you folks, but I did think it made sense to come from you folks since you're the ones proposing and sponsoring the majority of the articles.

I mean, times the planning board sponsors theirs and they make their motion.