[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting
of the Town of Wakefield 6-1-1992 by Art. 37 as Ch. II of the 1992 Bylaws. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Reports — See Ch. 51.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21]
The annual Town election shall be held on the last Tuesday of
April in each year. All matters to be considered at the Annual Town
Meeting, other than the election of Town officers and such matters
as are by law to be determined by ballot, shall be brought before
the Town at a meeting to be held on the evening of the first Monday
following the Town election.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21; 11-5-2018 RTM by Art.
17]
Notice of every Town meeting shall be given by posting the attested copy of the warrant calling the same in such public places as the Town Councilors may designate over at least two (2) successive Sundays before the time of holding said meeting and also publishing the warrant in two (2) issues of one (1) or more of the newspapers of the Town, the date of the first publication to be not less than seven (7) days before an Annual Town Meeting or an Annual Financial Meeting as defined in § 2-9(a) of the Charter and not less than fourteen (14) days before a Special Town Meeting.
[Amended 5-3-1993 ATM by Art. 14]
All articles in the warrant shall be taken up
in the order of their arrangement unless otherwise decided by a two-thirds
vote.
Every person shall stand, be recognized by the
Moderator and speak, shall respectfully address the Moderator, shall
confine himself to the question under debate and avoid all personalities.
In case of motions to amend or to fill blanks,
the one expressing the largest sum or the longest time shall be put
first, and an affirmative vote thereon shall be a negative vote on
any smaller sum or shorter time.
No motions shall be received and put until they
are seconded, and all motions shall be reduced to writing by the person
making them, when so requested by the Moderator.
The Moderator shall declare all votes, and whenever
his declaration of the vote is immediately questioned by seven (7)
or more voters present a count shall be had by tellers appointed by
the Moderator.
When a question is under debate, no motion shall
be in order except to adjourn, to lay on the table, the previous question,
to postpone to a day certain, to commit, to amend or to postpone indefinitely,
which several motions shall have precedence in the order herein named.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21]
On motions to adjourn, to lay on the table, to take from the
table and for the previous question, no person shall speak on the
motion more than two (2) minutes at a time.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21]
The previous question shall be put in the following
form: "Shall the main question be now put?" or "I move the question,"
and until this question is decided all debate on the main question
shall be suspended. Immediately after taking and adopting the previous
question the sense of the meeting shall be taken upon any pending
amendments and finally upon the main question.
[Amended 11-17-2008 RTM by Art. 21]
No person shall speak upon a question more than
once when any other person desires to be heard, nor more than twice
on the same question without permission of the meeting, nor shall
any person speak for more than five (5) minutes at one time without
permission of the Town Meeting.
No person speaking shall be interrupted but
by a call to order.
No reports of committees shall be in order unless
made under an article in the warrant which indicates the subject to
be reported upon.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21]
When a final report of a committee is placed
in the hands of the Moderator, it shall be deemed to be properly before
the meeting for its action thereon, and a vote to accept the same
shall discharge the committee but shall not be equivalent to a vote
to carry out its recommendation without a special vote to adopt it.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21]
If at a meeting of one or more sessions a motion has once been
made and voted on, such motion shall not be again considered at that
meeting, except at a later session of the meeting upon a motion for
reconsideration by a two-thirds vote, subject in all events to the
provisions of § 2-9(g)(1) of the Charter concerning written
notice to be filed with the Town Clerk. There can be no reconsideration
of a vote at any session of a meeting once the vote has been reconsidered
or after a vote not to reconsider it.
[Amended 5-10-2018 ATM
by Art. 21]
The conduct of all Town Meetings not prescribed by law, by the
Charter, or by the rules set forth in this Chapter shall be governed
by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, so far as they
are adapted to Town Meetings, and the latest edition of Town Meeting
Time shall be used as an interpretive guide.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 36-17, Motion to reconsider,
was repealed 5-10-2018 ATM by Art. 21.
[Amended 11-5-2018 RTM
by Art. 17]
When in any article in a Town meeting warrant
it is proposed to offer to the Town any land, or land and buildings,
for park or other purposes, the Town Planning Board shall consider
such proposal with respect to the possibilities, needs and plans for
future development of the Town, holding a public hearing thereon with
such notice as it deems reasonable if it determines that such hearing
is desirable, and after such consideration shall report its recommendations
to the Town meeting. Such an article shall be placed only in the Annual
Town Meeting warrant unless the Town Council considers the matter
especially urgent; then it may be acted on at a Special Town Meeting.
[Added 11-29-2001 RTM by Art. 23]
The Annual Financial Town Meeting, as provided for in Section 2-9(a) of the Charter, shall be held on the first Monday of November in each year.
