Select Board adopts credit-card and financial policies and approves warrant totaling $59,472.59

The Select Board voted to adopt a set of financial and administrative policies intended to tighten controls and improve operational flexibility, and it approved General Warrant No. 5 in the amount of $59,472.59.

The package included a new credit-card policy that extends procurement-card access to department heads with standard receipt and documentation requirements, a payroll authorization procedure that clarifies who may release payroll on a weekly basis, state-fee signatory authority for timely filings, and clarified tax-payment procedures requiring certified funds for certain legal notices. Board members said clearer rules will help operations and reduce ad hoc spending.

Board members also reviewed and approved General Warrant No. 5, asking staff to clarify several line items during the meeting (truck repairs, sewer pump rebuilds, calcium purchases for road treatments and lab supplies for wastewater testing). The Town Manager provided line-item explanations when asked: credit-card charges, radiator and truck repair invoices, sewer pump rebuild costs, and lab/supply purchases were cited as primary components of the warrant.

In addition to the financial policies, the Town Manager reminded the board that a newly adopted ethics ordinance has been distributed to boards and committees and should be reviewed; staff will likely bring the ordinance back to the board for discussion of application and expectations.

Next steps: The board signed policies where needed and asked staff to circulate clarified explanations of warrant items in the packet for the public record.