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Sec. 301. - Date and Purpose of Annual Financial Town Meeting.#
(a)
The electors of the Town of Exeter shall assemble annually in financial Town meeting on the second Tuesday in the month of June of each year. The purpose of the annual financial Town meeting shall be for the imposing of a tax, providing for the expenditure of such sums of money as may be necessary to pay the Town's debts and interest thereon, for the support of the Town services for the ensuing fiscal year, and for all other lawful purposes, and for transacting such other business as may lawfully come before such meeting.
(b)
No money shall be drawn from the general fund, nor from moneys in any other Town fund, during the fiscal year, except pursuant to appropriations made at the annual or a special financial Town meeting, or in accordance with subsection 307(c) when no quorum is present. This subsection shall not be interpreted to restrict the Town Treasurer from making transfers of funds for investment purposes or restrict the use and expenditures of non-budgetary unanticipated funds received from state, federal, other governmental unit(s), or private sources that become available during the fiscal year and are designated for a specific purpose.
(Amd. of 11-3-98; Amd. of 11-7-06, § 1; Amd. of 11-08-22(1); Ord. of 11-5-24(4))
Sec. 302. - Recessed and Special Town Meetings.#
The annual financial town meeting may be recessed to a subsequent date and time by vote of the electors present, provided, however, that if any such recess is for more than fifteen (15) days, the warrant or so much thereof as remains to be considered, shall be reposted in the manner provided by law for the original posting. Special town meetings may be called and shall be warned and limited as to subjects to be considered as provided in state law.
Sec. 303. - Town Moderator.#
There shall be a Town Moderator, who shall be elected at the general election in each even-numbered year, to serve for a term of two years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. All candidates for Town Moderator must be qualified electors of the Town, and residents thereof, and must remain qualified electors and residents throughout their term of office. The term of the Town Moderator shall begin upon the issuance of the certification of his or her election.
The Town Moderator shall preside at all regular and special town meetings, provided, however, if he or she shall not be present at the time set for the convening of any town meeting, the Town Clerk shall call the meeting to order and preside until the election by the voters present of a moderator pro tempore, and such election shall be the first order of business. All candidates for moderator pro tempore must have the same qualifications as candidates for Town Moderator.
Sec. 304. - Notice and Agenda for Meetings.#
The warrant for any town meeting shall be prepared and the meeting shall be warned as provided by law. The arrangement of items of business on the warrant as they are to be warned and taken up at the Town Meeting shall be determined by the Moderator in consultation with the Town Clerk and the Town Council President. The order of items to be considered at the meeting may be changed by a two-thirds vote of the electors present and voting. The text of the resolutions to be voted on shall be posted with the warrant and copies made available at the Town Hall.
Sec. 305. - Conduct of Meetings.#
The Town Moderator shall have all of the authority conferred upon moderators by state law in conducting and managing the business of town meetings. Pursuant to the State open meetings law, the Moderator shall grant permission for the admission of persons who are not electors of the Town; provided, however, that all such persons shall be seated in an assigned area apart from the seating for the electors of the Town, and such persons shall have no right to vote. Such persons shall also have no right to speak except with the specific permission of the Moderator.
(Amd. of 11-08-22(1))
Sec. 306. - Proposals for Expenditure Outside of Budget.#
No proposal for the expenditure of money, other than those contained in the budget presented by the Council, shall be acted upon at any Financial Town Meeting unless it shall have been presented in a petition signed by at least fifty (50) electors of the Town, and shall have been filed with the Town Clerk at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the Meeting. The warrant for the Meeting shall include notice of all such proposals for expenditure.
Sec. 307. - Quorums for Meetings.#
(a)
A quorum for any Town financial or special meeting shall be fifty (50) electors of the Town of Exeter. In the event that, for any reason, a quorum is not present at the time a meeting is scheduled to open the Town Moderator, or if not present the Town Clerk, is authorized to delay the opening time of the meeting by no more than one hour.
(b)
If the meeting quorum is not met before one hour has lapsed, the Town Moderator, or if not present the Town Clerk, shall announce that due to the lack of a quorum, the meeting cannot be called to order.
(c)
Whenever any scheduled meeting lacks a quorum, any and all budgets, budget line items, and resolutions previously posted and copied pursuant to Section 304 and published in summary form pursuant to Section 503 and presented by the Town Council for the scheduled meeting shall be made a part of the record and shall be deemed approved by default and any and all proposals for expenditure outside of those that the Council presented, shall be deemed unapproved and rejected by default.
(Amd. of 11-08-22(1))