TOWN MEETING

TOWN OF HOLDEN PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Holden Town Council will hold a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, August 15, 2016, at the Holden Municipal Building, 570 Main Road, to receive testimony regarding the amendments to the Charter for Holden, Maine, set forth below. Copies of the amendments are available for public inspection during the regular business hours at the Town Office. Rod Black, Chairperson ARTICLE II TOWN COUNCIL Sec. 2.13 - ENUMERATION OF POWERS Without limitations of the foregoing, the Council shall have the power to: 5. Make, alter, and repeal the Comprehensive Plan and any ordinances, pertaining to zoning, land use, Cconditional Zzoning, Road Acceptance, State Mandated Changes, municipal road ownership, and Ssubdivision Mmatters after review and recommendation by the Planning Board. See Section 3.02(1) (f). ARTICLE III TOWN MEETING 3.02 - PURPOSE OF THE TOWN MEETING 1. Town Meeting is required for approval of the following: (d) Make, alter, and repeal ordinances pertaining to the Comprehensive Plan, and Zoning Ordinance Changes, except Conditional Zoning, Road Acceptance, State Mandated Changes, and Subdivision matters. See Section 2.13(5). (e)(d) The Town Council shall submit any motion appropriating more than $250.000.00 for a single capital improvement, and any motion authorizing general obligation bonds or notes for capital improvements in excess of 2% of the most recent State Valuation amount, to the voters at a regular or special Town Meeting. (f)(e) Any expenditures from a reserve account exceeding 2% in the aggregate, of the most recent State Valuation amount. (g)(f) Transfer of funds from one reserve account to another. EXPLANATION: This article, if approved, would transfer authority to make, alter, and repeal certain ordinances from Town Meeting to the Town Council and require review and recommendation by the Planning Board. ARTICLE II TOWN COUNCIL Sec. 2.13 - ENUMERATION OF POWERS Without limitations of the foregoing, the Council shall have the power to: 8. Recommend, along with the Budget Review Committee's recommendation, the annual budget to the Town Meeting. EXPLANATION: This article, if approved, makes clear that the Town Council is vested with the power to recommend the annual budget to Town Meeting. ARTICLE II TOWN COUNCIL Sec. 2.13 - ENUMERATION OF POWERS Without limitations of the foregoing, the Council shall have the power to: 15. The Town Council may approve by motion an appropriation up to and including $250,000.00 for a single capital improvement project. ARTICLE III TOWN MEETING Sec. 3.02 - PURPOSE OF TOWN MEETING 1. Town Meeting is required for approval of the following: (e) The Town Council shall submit any motion appropriating more than $250,000.00 an amount in excess of $500,000.00 above any applicable reserve account for a single capital improvement, and any motion authorizing general obligation bonds or notes for capital improvements in excess of 2% 0.2% of the most recent State Valuation amount, to the voters at a regular or special Town Meeting. ARTICLE III TOWN MEETING Sec. 3.02 - PURPOSE OF TOWN MEETING 2. The Town Meeting shall: (a) Not increase or decrease the amount of any appropriation above the amount recommended by the Town Council or Budget Review Committee by more than one and one-half percent (1.5%). The greater of the two recommendations shall be the ceiling. ARTICLE III TOWN MEETING Sec. 3.02 - PURPOSE OF TOWN MEETING 2. The Town Meeting shall: (b) Not make any appropriation not recommended by the Town Council or Budget Review Committee. ARTICLE VIII BUDGET Section 8.02 - PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF THE BUDGET The proposed budget prepared by the Town Manager shall be reviewed by the Town Council and Budget Review Committee. The Town Council and the Budget Review Committee shall each prepare joint budget recommendations. The joint budget recommendations shall be published and the Town Council shall fix the time and place for holding a public hearing on the budget recommendations and shall give a public notice of such hearing in accordance with Section 2.07. After the public hearing the Town Council and Budget Review Committee shall then review the budget recommendations and present them, without or without change, to the annual Town Meeting. ARTICLE VIII BUDGET Section 8.09 - CAPITAL PROGRAM The Manager shall prepare and submit to the Town Council a long range capital program at the time of submission of the proposed annual budget. The capital program shall include: (4) The estimated annual cost of operating and/or maintaining facilities to be constructed or equipment to be acquired. ARTICLE VIII BUDGET Section 8.10 - BUDGET REVIEW COMMITTEE Each year at the beginning of the budget preparation process, the Town Council shall appoint at least nine (9) five (5) members of the public who are residents of the Town of Holden to act as a Budget Review Committee. The Budget Review Committee shall review the expenditures budget proposed by the Town Manager and the Town Council and hold at least one joint meeting with the Town Council. Each Town Meeting warrant article pertaining to the budget lines referred to in Section 3.02.1(a) shall indicate an amount recommended by the Budget Review Committee. The Budget Review Committee shall act solely in an advisory capacity. August 5, 2016