Article 40

TOWN REPORTS AND RECORDS

Printed version of Article 40

Section 1 Annual Reports

All Town Officers, Boards, and Committees shall file an annual report of their doings with the Board of Selectmen on or before January 15 of each year, and the Board of Selectmen shall cause such reports to be included in the Annual Town Report.

Any Committee failing to report as required to the Town Meeting shall be discharged unless the Town Meeting shall vote to continue the Committee notwithstanding.

Section 2 Distribution of Annual Town Report

The Selectmen shall have the printed Annual Town Report ready for distribution not later than March 25 of each year.

Section 3 Minutes of Proceedings

In carrying out the provisions of Section 7-9 (b) of the Charter, each Town Board, Commission, Committee and Sub-Committee shall record the minutes of its proceedings within a reasonable time. The minutes shall contain therein the body’s official name, date, time of opening and adjournment, members present, minutes of previous meeting corrected or approved, motions voted thereon as approved or denied, and that the meeting was duly posted by the Clerk or Secretary or, in the absence of the Clerk or Secretary, by the Chair or the Chair’s designee. The minutes shall be attested by the Clerk or Secretary or, in the absence of the Clerk or Secretary, by the Chair or the Chair’s designee.

Henceforth, each Town Board, Commission, Committee and Sub-Committee shall file its minutes with the Town Clerk, who will make the minutes available as public records.

In the event that any of these bodies are dissolved, these records shall be placed in the Town Clerk's Office for seven years.

Section 4 Real Estate Valuation Lists

In carrying out the provisions of Section 3-4 (b) of the Charter, the Assessors shall make available for public inspection their valuation lists for real estate for each year. The valuation lists shall be accessible in their office via computer; they shall be available online via the Town web site; and they shall be printed as documents for reference at the Morse Institute Library.

Section 5 Records of Tax Abatements

In carrying out the provisions of Section 3-4 (b) of the Charter, the Assessors shall make available for public inspection their lists of approved tax abatements as defined in Section 60 of Chapter 59 of the General Laws, including abatements for statutory exemptions as defined in Section 5 of said Chapter 59. The Assessors shall publish in the Annual Town Report for the just completed fiscal year the total amount of tax abatements, with subtotals by type, and the total amount of possible tax abatements for cases pending before the appellate tax board.

Section 6 Planning Board Report to Town Meeting

The Planning Board shall distribute its report on warrant article recommendations, as specified in Section 3-11 (b) of the Charter, to each Town Meeting Member at least seven (7) days in advance of a Town Meeting except where compliance with this provision would defeat the purpose of a Special Town Meeting. The said recommendations shall be those of a majority of the Board, but this shall not be construed to prevent recommendations by a minority as such.

Section 7 Copies of Reports in Library

Two copies of all studies and reports prepared for the Town of Natick which have been authorized by a vote of Town Meeting shall be placed in the Town Library (the Morse Institute) within seven (7) days of the receipt of the completed document by any Town Department or office and retained for public examination.