2016 -- S 3083

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LC006202

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO THE EXETER-WEST GREENWICH SCHOOL DISTRICT

     Introduced By: Senators Morgan, and Gee

     Date Introduced: June 14, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 1(G) of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act

Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,

Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several

amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:

      (G) Quorum.

      The quorum for the transaction of business shall be a majority of the committee, require

that at least four (4) members of the committee be present and that both towns of the school

district be represented, but a number less than the simple majority may adjourn.

     SECTION 2. Section V of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act

Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,

Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several

amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:

     Section V. Annual budget of the regional school district.

     (A) All day referendum

     The annual budget of the regional school district as proposed by the school committee

shall be voted upon in an all-day referendum in the member towns to be held on the second or

third Monday of April each year to be scheduled by the school committee, with approval obtained

by a majority vote of the combined total vote of Exeter and West Greenwich.

     (B) Purpose

     The all-day referendum shall be the forum for the voters of Exeter and West Greenwich

to approve or reject the school committee's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and to

approve or reject any warrant items that the school committee may place on the ballot.

     (C) Eligible voters and voting process

     All voters qualified to vote for at least 30 days prior to the date of the scheduled all-day

referendum or any subsequent referenda shall be eligible to vote at any all-day referendum. The

boards of canvassers of the towns of Exeter and West Greenwich shall canvass the respective

voting list of said towns prior to any such all-day referendum, and may, the provisions of §17-11-

1.1 notwithstanding, conduct the voting at a single polling place in each of Exeter and West

Greenwich.

     (D) Referenda subsequent to vote rejection of the budget

     In the event that the annual budget proposed by the school committee is rejected, the

school committee may voters reject the school committee's proposed annual budget, the

committee shall, as needed, schedule further subsequent all-day referenda to consider revised

annual budgets. Subsequent referenda may be conducted at thirty (30) day intervals and shall be

conducted in a manner consistent with Section V(C) above. Prior to any subsequent referenda, the

school committee shall meet and adopt a revised budget. The revised budget shall be, at the

minimum, in the minimum amount necessary to operate the school district for the next fiscal year

in compliance with state and federal mandates and contractual obligations. To gain voter approval

of the revised budget, the school committee may advertise the advantages of the revised budget

within the towns and may, if the school committee deems necessary, schedule an informational

district financial meeting.

     (E) Failure of referenda to yield an approved annual budget

     If the school committee is unable to obtain an approved annual budget via the referenda

process set forth above before the beginning of the upcoming fiscal year, July 1, then the school

committee shall operate the school district in accordance with §16-2-23 and may seek any relief

under applicable laws and regulations.

     SECTION 3. Section VI of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act

Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,

Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several

amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:

      (E) Times of payment of apportioned costs.

     Each member town shall pay to the district in each year its proportionate share, certified

as provided in subsection VII (E), of the construction and operating costs. The annual share of

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each member town shall be paid in such amounts and at such times that at least the following

percentages of such annual share shall be paid on or before the dates indicated, respectively:

     September 1 15 25%

     December l 15 50%

     February 1 March 15 75%

     May 1 June 15 100%

     SECTION 4. Section VII of Chapter 80 of the Public Laws of 1965, entitled "An Act

Approving and Ratifying the Agreement between the Towns of Exeter and West Greenwich,

Rhode Island, with Respect to the Formation of a Regional School District," and the several

amendments to the same subsequent thereto, are hereby amended to read as follows:

     Section VII. Procedure for the adoption of the annual budget.

     (A) Fiscal year.

     The regional school district fiscal year shall begin on July 1 of each year.

     (B) Initial budget. [No longer applicable]

     (C) Tentative maintenance and operating budget.

     1. Thereafter, [after initial budget] it shall be the duty of the regional school district

superintendent or chief administrative officer, to present to the regional district school committee,

at its regular meeting in the month of January, a preliminary budget containing his estimates of

the amount of money needed to operate the regional school district system for the ensuing fiscal

year, including therein provisions for any installment of principal or interest to become due in

such year on any bonds or other evidences of indebtedness of the district and any other

construction costs to be apportioned to the member towns in such year. The form of the budget

shall conform to the account system of the state department of education.

     2. The regional district school committee shall prepare and approve a budget which it

believes will efficiently operate the regional school district for the ensuing year not later than the

second Tuesday in March.

     3. At least seven (7) days before the all-day referendum in which the budget is to be

adopted, the regional district school committee shall hold a public hearing on the proposed

budget, at which time any citizen entitled to vote at the all-day referendum may be heard. Notice

of the date of such hearing, together with a summary of the proposed budget, accompanied by a

statement of the amount necessary to be raised by taxation shall be given at least ten (10) days in

advance thereof, by publication once in a newspaper of general circulation within the regional

school district and published in the State of Rhode Island.

     4. Within seventy-five (75) days before the all-day referendum at which the budget is to

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be adopted, the regional district school committee shall hold workshops for the purpose of

committee deliberation, public information and public input with respect to the budget. Notice of

the dates of such workshops shall be given at least ten (10) days in advance thereof, by

publication once in a newspaper of general circulation within the regional school district and

published in the State of Rhode Island.

     5. Motions to increase or decrease the budget.

     Motions to increase or decrease the budget by ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more

may be made by any qualified elector, provided that such motion is submitted to the regional

school district treasurer not later than thirty (30) days before the date of the all-day referendum.

The district treasurer shall forward the proposed amendment to the Town Clerks of Exeter and

West Greenwich for inclusion on the ballot at the all-day referendum.

     (D) Final maintenance and operating budget.

     No later than the second Tuesday of March in each year, the committee shall adopt the

final budget for the regional school district, the budget to include debt and interest charges and

any other current construction costs as separate items, and shall apportion the amounts so

necessary to be raised in order to meet the budget in accordance with the provisions of subsection

VI (D). The final budget, as adopted by the regional district school committee, shall be acted

upon at the all-day referendum to be held on the second or third Monday or April of each year as

provided by Section V.

     (E) Notification to member towns.

     Within ten (10) days subsequent to the adoption of the budget at the all-day referendum,

the regional school district treasurer shall certify to the budgeting officers and financial town

meeting of the respective towns the amount of money to be raised by taxes in each town as herein

provided for the support of the regional school district which amount shall become a part of the

budget for each respective town, and shall be appropriated in full by the financial town meeting.

     (F) Records.

     The fiscal records of the regional district school committee shall be available to the

auditors of the member towns.

     SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO THE EXETER-WEST GREENWICH SCHOOL DISTRICT

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     This act would amend certain provisions in the agreement forming the Exeter-West

Greenwich School District regarding the required quorum to transact business, referenda for the

district's annual budget and timing for the payment of apportioned costs.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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