Town of Avon Massachusetts: Finance Committee

Finance Committee
Avon Town Hall
65 East Main St.
Avon, Ma 02322

Town of Avon - Finance Committee.

The finance committee is the official financial watchdog of the town. Because it is difficult for all taxpayers to be completely informed about every aspect of town finances, finance committees were established so a representative group of taxpayers could conduct a thorough review of municipal finance questions on behalf of all citizens.

The primary duties of the committee are to advise and make recommendations at town meeting on budget and other areas of finance. The committee’s statutory authority is limited to the town meeting approved Reserve Fund budget. Occasionally, departments may need to incur operating costs not originally planned for when preparing their annual town meeting budget request. Unexpected department costs may include expenses associated with unanticipated staffing, increased utility and energy consumption rates, and unexpected changes in facility and equipment conditions. The finance committee’s Reserve Fund is used to relieve and assist town departments (exclusive of school accounts) with extraordinary and unforeseen non-budgeted operating costs. At year-end, remaining non-transferred reserve funds result in town savings.

The finance committee is a representative group of Avon taxpayers and are appointed (or reappointed) by the town moderator. Town by-law establishes that finance committee membership consist of seven (7) voters.

Town of Avon Finance committee members are:

Sam Kamel	2012
Eric Beckerman	2012
Sean Bastis	2013
Jason Madore	2013
Kipp Sturge	2013
Vacancy	2013
Vacancy	2013
Lou Balboni	2014
Jarrett Beeley	2014

Finance Committee Role in the Budget Process.
The finance committee is responsible for studying the financial and other affairs of the town, and to advise all officers of the town as to expenditures and appropriation recommendations. Our responsibility at town meeting is to present the voting taxpayer with a finance committee recommended balanced town-wide operating budget. The Committee’s recommended town budget is determined by anticipated revenue (including state aid, local receipts, and other available funds), anticipated state and local assessments, the realistic viability of the town departments’ expenditure requests, and long-term financial goals of the town.

The committee reviews all warrant articles being presented at town meetings. Prior to town meeting, the finance committee prepares its report and includes the committee’s recommended course of action for each warrant article. Finance committee reports are available to townspeople and are generally delivered to each household prior to the scheduled town meeting. Reports may also be available at various public locations throughout the town – including the avon public library, avon post office, avon senior center, and the avon cooperative bank. If voters need additional copies, email the committee or contact us at town hall.

(A limited supply of finance committee reports is available at town meeting. When attending town meeting, we encourage voters to bring along the reports that had been mailed to your household.)

Final Finance Committee Comment.
The finance committee studies financial and other affairs of the town on behalf of ALL town residents. We have a duty to inform, advise, and make recommendations on all Town department budgets and proposed articles that come before you - the voter - at Town meetings. We have a duty to be involved in the financial planning of the Town.
Committee members are not elected. We do not have to appeal to constituents. We do not owe allegiance to special interest groups with voting power.

The committee is unbiased in its recommendations. Before a committee recommendation is made, we study the impact the budget request has against the overall financial viability of the town. We look at both the short-term and long-term consequence of the article’s proposed expenditure request.

The committee has seen how feelings and emotion influence a voting decision at town meeting. Our major goal is to arm you – the voting taxpayer – with concise data and information, provide you with actual facts and consequences (relative to each proposed warrant article), and enable you to make independent informed decisions.
The finance committee welcomes your feedback. As voters and town meeting participants, if you have questions or concerns regarding finance committee data available to you, please let us know.