[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Foxborough
as Art. I, §§ 1 through 4, of the General Bylaws. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Amended 5-14-2018 ATM
by Art. 21; 1-30-2023 STM by Art. 1]
A.
Every Town meeting shall be called by a warrant under the hands of
the Select Board. The warrant shall state the time and place of the
meeting and all the subjects to be acted upon.
B.
The Select Board shall insert in the warrant for the Annual Meeting
each subject requested of them in writing by 10 registered voters
of the Town no later than February 15. The warrant shall close on
February 15 or the next closest Friday at 4:00 p.m. All items to be
included in a budgetary appropriation must be submitted to the office
of the Town Accountant no later than February 1 or the next closest
Friday at 4:00 p.m.
C.
Subject to the provisions of the General Laws, in order to ensure
that balanced budgetary appropriations, matching expected revenues
with expenditures, are submitted to Town Meeting the following procedures
will be followed: During the first week of November prior to the Annual
Town Meeting, the Town Manager and the Finance Director will communicate
budgetary guidelines from the Select Board to all Town departments;
preliminary budget requests are to be returned to the Town Manager
and Finance Director by the first week in December; during December
and January, all budget requests will be analyzed with requesting
departments; and by the first Select Board's meeting in February,
a balanced summary of budgetary appropriations will be presented for
preliminary approval. Departments and warrant articles not following
this process will receive estimated funding to maintain a balanced
budget presentation.
D.
The Select Board shall call a Special Town Meeting to be held not
later than 45 days after receipt of a request for same in writing
by 200 registered voters. They shall insert in the warrant all subjects
requested of them by the petition and all other subjects requested
in writing by 100 registered voters, any time prior to the closing
of the warrant.
[Amended 5-11-2015 ATM
by Art. 17; 1-30-2023 STM by Art. 1]
A.
The polls for all Town meetings, including elections, shall be open
for such hours, not less than four, between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.,
as shall be determined by the Select Board.
B.
The Annual Meeting for the election of Town officers shall be held
on the first Monday of May in each year at suitable and convenient
polling place(s) designated by the Select Board. The same meeting
shall reassemble at 7:00 p.m. on the following Monday at a suitable
and convenient place designated by the Select Board to consider the
remaining articles of the warrant.
[Amended 5-8-2023 ATM by Art. 21]
C.
The Select Board shall give notice of the Annual Meeting by directing
the constables to post an attested copy of the warrant at the Town
office and at each place where the meeting is to be held at least
seven days prior to the meeting day. The Select Board shall give notice
of any Special Town Meeting at least 14 days before the meeting and,
in addition, shall cause an attested copy of the warrant to be published
in a local newspaper or posted electronically on the Town website,
as the Select Board shall deem appropriate, prior to the date of the
Town Meeting.
A.
Except for the election of officers, a quorum of any Town meeting
shall consist of 100 registered voters. In the absence of a quorum,
a smaller number may organize only to adjourn the meeting to a time
and place certain.
B.
In all matters of parliamentary procedure not provided for in the
Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, the Town bylaws, Town policies,
procedures and practices, the Town Moderator (and the voters) shall
be guided by the principles of fairness, clarity, and efficiency,
in that order. In determining any parliamentary question, the Town
Moderator shall give due regard to the entire body of scholarship
encompassing parliamentary procedure, but with particular emphasis
on the most recently published edition of Town Meeting Time, a manual
of parliamentary procedure published by the Massachusetts Moderators
Association, but resort may also be had for guidance to other authorities
and examples of parliamentary procedure, including reference to rules
and rulings of state and local legislative bodies. No vote shall be
taken to increase a sum of money specified in any article of appropriation.
Any special article involving the appropriation of $10,000 or more
shall be voted by a secret ballot and voting list if previously moved
by 25% of those present and voting at either an Annual or Special
Town Meeting.
C.
No vote shall be reconsidered at the same meeting except upon motion
duly made and voted within one hour after such vote, or thereafter
upon order of two-thirds of those present and voting. At any adjourned
meeting, no vote taken previously shall be reconsidered in the absence
of a written notice of intent so to move filed with the Town Clerk
not later than 12:00 noon of the day of adjournment.
D.
No meeting shall dissolve or take action with like effect until after
it has acted upon each article in the warrant.
E.
The Moderator shall preside at each Town meeting, except elections,
and s/he shall determine the bounds of the hall for the purpose of
admitting or excluding visitors. S/he may require any motion to be
presented in writing, and s/he may waive the seconding of motions
whenever s/he shall refuse to put any questions obviously frivolous
or immaterial to the matter at hand. Unless otherwise provided by
law or by vote at the meeting, s/he shall take all votes by a show
of hands; if the result be in doubt, s/he shall count or cause to
be counted the uplifted hands; if still in doubt or if the result
is questioned by 10% of those present and voting, s/he shall appoint
tellers who shall verify the vote.
F.
Whenever a two-thirds vote is required by statute, such vote may
be declared as such by the Moderator without a count and be recorded
as such by the Clerk upon such declaration; provided, however, that
seven or more members of a Town Meeting may challenge such declaration,
all as provided by MGL c 39, § 15, at which time a count
shall be held.
A.
Whenever a question is under debate, the following motions shall
have precedence in the order given:
(1)
To adjourn the meeting to a time and place certain.
(2)
To lay on the table (nondebatable).
(3)
The previous questions (nondebatable).*
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*
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A motion on the previous question shall be put to the meeting
as: "Shall the main question now be put?"
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(4)
To commit, recommit or refer to a committee.
(5)
To amend.
(6)
To postpone action on the article to a day certain.
(7)
To postpone action on the article indefinitely.
B.
A negative vote shall permit debate and motions for amendment to
continue.
C.
An affirmative vote shall effect:
(1)
An end
to all debate on the main questions and on any proposed amendments
then pending before the meeting; and
(2)
The
putting to a vote each pending proposed amendment in the reverse order
of presentment, i.e. the most recently made shall be considered first;
then
(3)
The
putting to a vote the main question, either in its original or amended
form, depending upon whether a motion to amend has already carried.
