Header:
General Laws of Rhode Island
TITLE 45. TOWNS AND CITIES
CHAPTER 9. BUDGET COMMISSIONS
Date:
08/31/2009
Document:
§ 45-9-11. Expenditures in excess of appropriations prohibited
(a) No official of a city or town which is subject to the jurisdiction of a fiscal overseer, budget commission or receiver, except in the case of an emergency involving the health and safety of the people or the people's property declared by the city or town council, shall knowingly expend or cause to be expended in any fiscal year any sum in excess of that official's departmental or other governmental unit's appropriation duly made in accordance with the law, nor commit the city or town, nor cause it to be committed, to any obligation for the future payment of money in excess of that appropriation, with the exception of court judgments.
(b) An official who intentionally violates this section shall be personally liable to the city or town for any amounts expended in excess of an appropriation to the extent that the city or town does not recover such amounts from the person or persons to whom such amounts were paid and shall not be indemnified by the city or town for any such amounts. The superior court shall have jurisdiction to adjudicate claims brought by the city or town, or on the city's or town's behalf by a budget commission established under this chapter, and to order relief that the court finds appropriate to prevent further violations of this section. A violation of this section shall be sufficient cause for removal.
(c) For the purposes of this section, the word "official" shall mean a city or town department head, permanent, temporary or acting, including the superintendent of schools, and all members of municipal boards, committees, including the school committee, and commissions which recommend, authorize or approve the expenditure of funds, and the word "emergency" shall mean a major disaster, including, but not limited to, flood, drought, fire, hurricane, earthquake, storm or other catastrophe, whether natural or otherwise, which poses an unexpected and immediate threat to the health and safety of persons or property.
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