Legislative authority of the Town shall be vested in the Town
Meeting open to all registered voters.
[Amended 10-29-2018[1]]
The Annual Town Meeting shall be held on the first Monday in
May.
[1]
Editor’s Note: This article also provided the transitional
provision that this Charter amendment will become effective beginning
with the 2020 Annual Town Meeting.
[Amended 5-9-2022 ATM by Art. 15]
Special Town Meetings may be called at the discretion of the
Select Board, by a petition signed by 200 registered voters of the
Town, or as may otherwise be provided in the Massachusetts General
Laws.
The Moderator shall be elected at the regular annual election
for a term of one year and he shall preside over the Annual and Special
Town Meetings. Within 20 days following his or her election, the Moderator
shall appoint a Deputy Moderator to serve as Moderator in the event
the Moderator is absent from any Town Meeting. The Moderator shall
also make appointments as required of him or her by Bylaw or action
of Town Meeting. The Deputy Moderator shall in no event exercise any
of the appointive powers granted to the Moderator. The term of the
Deputy Moderator shall end at the same time as that of the Moderator.
The Moderator and Deputy Moderator shall receive no compensation for
their services.
[Amended 5-9-2022 ATM by Art. 15]
The Select Board shall prepare the warrant for the Annual Town
Meeting and shall each year establish the date at which it is closed
for the submission of Articles. However, in no event shall the warrant
for each Annual Town Meeting remain open for submission of Articles
beyond March 15.
Articles for either the Annual or any Special Town Meeting may
be submitted in writing by:
Notice of all Town Meetings shall be established by posting
a copy of the warrant in not less than five public places in the Town.
This shall be accomplished at least seven days before the Annual Town
Meeting and at least 14 days before any Special Town Meeting.
The number of registered voters necessary to constitute a quorum
shall be established from time to time as a Bylaw voted by Town Meeting.
The Town Meeting may be adjourned by a number of registered voters
less than a quorum.
[Amended 5-9-2022 ATM by Art. 15]
A warrant report for the Annual Town Meeting shall be assembled
and printed by the Select Board and placed in distribution to the
households of the Town not less than one week prior to the Town Meeting.
The warrant report shall contain for each Article an explanation of
the Article by its petitioner, and a recommendation by the Warrant
Committee. The recommendation of the Warrant Committee shall be based
on financial and non-financial considerations. If three or more Committee
members vote against a recommendation. a minority report shall be
appended to the recommendation. If fewer than three members of the
Warrant Committee vote against a recommendation of the full Committee,
a minority report may be appended upon request of the dissenting members.
The Select Board shall prepare a brief overview of the general government
budget Article, commenting upon significant trends and departures
from the budget of previous years and containing such remarks as they
deem appropriate.
A warrant report shall be prepared in a like manner by the Select
Board for each Special Town Meeting and may be placed in distribution
to the households of the Town at any time before the Special Town
Meeting. However, if in the judgment of the Select Board the printing
and distribution of a warrant report would unduly delay the Special
Town Meeting and cause injury to the Town, the Select Board may, in
place of a printed warrant report, request the petitioner for each
Article and the Warrant Committee to report only verbally on each
Article on the floor of the Town Meeting.
A Warrant Committee of nine members shall be appointed by the
Moderator. It shall recommend the Annual Town Budget for vote by the
Town Meeting and fulfill all the duties of a finance committee as
required by general law. It shall hold a public hearing not less than
30 days prior to the Annual Town Meeting to inform the residents of
the Town of its proposed recommendations and to hear testimony and
argument before publication of its final recommendations. This hearing
shall be attended by all elected and appointed Town officers, unless
they are deterred by illness or other reasonable cause.
All elected and appointed Town officers shall attend Town Meetings
unless deterred by illness or other reasonable causes.
[Amended 5-9-2022 ATM by Art. 15]
Any 10 voters of the Town may secure, by written petition to
the Select Board, the inclusion of an Article for the warrant of any
duly scheduled Annual Town Meeting, and at least 100 registered voters
may secure the same for any Special Town Meeting. Articles may also
be included for the warrant of Annual and Special Town Meetings as
may otherwise be provided in the Massachusetts General Laws.
A vote of Town Meeting shall be subject to only one motion for
reconsideration and such motion shall require a two-thirds vote. Action
on a motion for reconsideration shall be postponed until the next
session unless the current session has been declared to be the last.
No motion for rescission will be in order.
