Chapter 62

SPECIAL PROJECT COMMITTEE

[HISTORY: Adopted 8-5-1996 by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Somers, effective 8-25-1996. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Charter

Budget and Finance -- See Ch. 7.

~ 62-1. Purpose.

A. The Town of Somers shall establish a Special Project Committee (hereinafter "Committee") under powers granted to the Board of Selectmen in Chapter V of the Town Charter, ~~ 5-1 and 5-22, which shall receive direction from and report to the Board of Selectmen regarding needs for capital expenditures for public building or capital improvement projects in the Town of Somers.

B. The Board of Selectmen shall submit to the Board of Finance, in accordance with Town of Somers Charter Chapter VI, ~~ 6-4 and 6-7, at such time and in such manner as the Board of Finance may require, a request for funds to be expended for specific stated capital projects.

C. Upon approval of the appropriation requested of the Board of Finance by the Board of Selectmen, the Committee shall have the authority to enter into contracts for any services and to purchase or contract to purchase any supplies, materials, equipment and other commodities required to complete the capital project or projects funded in the town budget.

D. The Town Treasurer shall maintain a complete and accurate accounting of expenditures for each capital project and shall report as to the status of the account for each capital project to the Board of Selectmen monthly, or more frequently upon request of the Board of Selectmen.

E. Upon completion of each capital project, the Treasurer shall submit a final accounting to the Board of Selectmen of all moneys expended for each capital project and any surplus that may remain in the budget for each project. Any surplus remaining from each capital project shall be designated for the town's general fund.

~ 62-2. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE -- The expenditure of an aggregate sum in excess of $10,000 for any one public building project.

CAPITAL PROJECT -- The construction, purchasing, leasing, extension, replacement, furnishing, equipping or major alteration to any building owned by the Town of Somers, including but not limited to school buildings, fire houses, police buildings, libraries, garages, outbuildings and the Town Hall, including the improvement of the site of an existing building but shall not include the cost of a site.

CONSTRUCTION -- The building of a new building or repairing of an existing building, and all aspects of planning involved with the work, including but not limited to architectural and engineering drawings and plans; for purposes of defining the scope of each capital project, construction shall not include drawings, plans or other studies or documents completed prior to the Committee recommending the capital project to the Board of Finance and approval and appropriation of the capital project.

EXTENSION -- The addition to an existing building or remaining portion of an existing building or the erection of a new structure or group of structures on the same site, for a specific use as a public building, for existing buildings damaged by fire, flood or other natural catastrophe.

MAJOR ALTERATION -- A capital improvement of an existing public building, which alteration bears a total cost greater than $10,000.

REPLACEMENT -- The erection of a new structure or group of structures on the same or another site to replace a public building totally destroyed by fire, flood or other natural catastrophe.

~ 62-3. Composition; membership; terms.

A. Membership of the permanent Special Project Committee shall consist of the following:

(1) The Committee shall consist of seven members who shall be residents and legal voters of the Town of Somers, each of whom, following initial terms of appointment, shall serve for a term of two years, and who shall be appointed by the Board of Selectmen in the following manner, with the following initial terms of appointment.

(a) One member shall be a member of the Board of Selectmen, as designated by a majority of the Board of Selectmen. Initial term: two years from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

(b) One member shall be a member of the Board of Finance, as designated by a majority of the Board of Finance. Initial term: three years from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

(c) One member shall be a member of the Board of Education, as recommended by a majority of the Board of Education. Initial term: one year from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

(d) One member skilled in the profession of building and construction shall be appointed by a majority of the Board of Selectmen. Initial term: two years from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

(e) Three members shall be designated at large and appointed by a majority of the Board of Selectmen. Initial terms:

[1] One member, three years from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

[2] One member, two years from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

[3] One member, one year from date of appointment, and then two years thereafter.

(2) Initial terms of one, two or three years are intended to be approximate and shall be calculated to begin at the time of appointment and end on a date following the election of the Board of Selectmen or, in years when Selectmen are not elected, at the same time of year.

B. In the event that any board as above stated, within 30 days of receiving a written request from the Board of Selectmen, fails to designate personnel to serve on the Committee, then a majority of the Board of Selectmen shall name the personnel from the appropriate board.

C. No member of the Committee whose membership derives from membership on the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance or Board of Education shall remain a member of the Committee beyond the time she or he is a member of said appropriate board.

~ 62-4. Limitations.

A. It is the express intent of this chapter that the Committee herein created shall not be responsible for the care, maintenance or operation of any public buildings, lands, apparatus or other such public property but rather shall address only capital expenditures for public building projects. Where a conflict arises as to the definitions of "care," "maintenance" or "operation," there shall be a conclusive presumption that if the needed expenditure for any project or cause shall exceed $10,000, it is not care, maintenance or operation, and if the needed expenditure for any project or cause is $10,000 or less, it is conclusively presumed to be care, maintenance or operation.

B. Said Committee shall not have the authority, without prior approval of both the Town Treasurer and the Board of Selectmen, to transfer any unexpended sum within its budget from one project to another project.

C. The Board of Selectmen may remove any member for cause and may fill any vacancy to complete any unexpired term in accordance with Town Charter Chapter V, ~~ 5-1, 5-2, 5-4, 5-22 and 5-23.