[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting 10-28-1997, Art. 26.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
The spring session of the Annual Town Meeting shall be held
on the first Tuesday in May, and the fall session of the Annual Town
Meeting shall be held on the fourth Tuesday in October.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23; 10-25-2011 ATM, Art. 7; 5-1-2018 ATM, Art. 24]
A.
The warrant for the spring and fall sessions of the Annual Town
Meeting shall close not later than at 12:00 o'clock noon on the seventh
Friday preceding the date set by bylaw for the said session to convene.
The warrant for any Special Town Meeting which is to be called shall
close not later than at 12:00 o'clock noon on the fifth (5) Friday
preceding the date such Special Town Meeting is to convene. Notwithstanding
the date set in any warrant for a Town Meeting, no Town Meeting shall
be convened by the Town Moderator until six (6) weeks following the
closing of the warrant for an Annual Town Meeting and until four (4)
weeks following the closing of the warrant for a Special Town Meeting.
B.
Notice of every Town Meeting shall be given at least twenty-eight
(28) days before an annual meeting (spring or fall session) and at
least twenty-one (21) days before any special meeting, by posting
a copy of the warrant for such meeting in the office of the Town Clerk,
on the Town bulletin board, and in at least one public place in each
precinct, by mailing a copy of the warrant to the Town Moderator and
to the Chair of the Finance Committee and by publication in a local
newspaper of notice of the date, time and place that the Town Meeting
will be held, together with a summary, prepared by the Town Manager,
of the subject matter of each article contained in the warrant for
such meeting sufficient for identification.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
Whenever a Town Meeting votes to adjourn to another date, the
Town Clerk shall cause notice of such adjournment to be published
in a local newspaper. If there is insufficient time to publish such
notice, notice of the date, time and place at which the meeting will
reconvene shall be given by posting such notice in the office of the
Town Clerk, on the town bulletin board, and in one or more public
places in each precinct, by delivering such notice to the Town Moderator
and to the Chair of the Finance Committee and by posting such notice
on the government access channel of the cable television system.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
After an article in the warrant has once been acted on, it shall
not be again considered at that meeting except by a two-thirds vote
to reconsider said article.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
No vote passed at any meeting shall be reconsidered at any adjournment
of that meeting unless notice is given in writing to the Moderator
at the meeting that a motion to reconsider will be made at the adjournment
thereof.
[Amended 5-1-2018 ATM,
Art. 24]
Whenever a two-thirds vote is required on any matter and whether
such quantum of vote is required by state statute, town charter, town
bylaw, by the usual rules of parliamentary procedure, or otherwise,
the Moderator may, without an actual count, declare that such matter
has been adopted by a vote of 2/3 of the number of persons present
and voting, and such declaration shall stand as final unless such
declaration is immediately challenged by ten (10) or more voters rising
in their place to so indicate. If such challenge is made a count of
the vote to verify, or to overturn, the declaration of the Moderator
shall be conducted, forthwith.
[Amended 5-1-2018 ATM,
Art. 24]
Fifty (50) voters shall constitute a quorum for the transaction
of business at any Annual or Special Town Meeting.
At any Special Town Meeting, a two-thirds vote shall be required
to raise money by taxation or to appropriate or transfer money from
available funds (including free cash or surplus revenue) of the town.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23; 10-25-2011 ATM, Art. 7; 5-1-2018 ATM, Art. 24; 5-4-2021 ATM by Art. 19]
Votes on all motions, including motions requiring a two-thirds
or greater majority, may be taken in the first instance by a voice
vote or by the use of an electronic voting system, at the Moderator's
discretion. Following a voice vote, if the Moderator is in doubt,
he may call for the use of an electronic voting system, or a standing
vote. If the vote as declared by the Moderator is immediately challenged
by seven (7) or more voters rising in their place for such purpose,
the vote may be retaken electronically or be taken by a "yes" or "no"
ballot. A vote by ballot shall be taken in the first instance if requested
by at least seven (7) voters present. If the electronic voting system
is unavailable for any reason, all other voting methods will be used
as stated above.
Ballot voting shall be under the direction of the Moderator
and officially designated tellers appointed by the Moderator. The
Town Clerk shall furnish the ballots.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
At any Town Meeting held for the transaction of town business,
no person whose name is not on the list of voters shall be admitted
to the floor of the hall. This shall not apply to Town Meetings held
solely for the election of town officers. The Town Moderator shall
determine the bounds of the floor of the hall. Any person not on the
list of voters shall be allowed into the hall in areas designated
by the Moderator as outside the bounds of the floor. Any person who
is not a voter of the town shall address the Town Meeting only with
the consent of the Moderator.
No person shall address the meeting without first being recognized
by the Moderator. When two or more persons rise to speak at the same
time, the Moderator shall name the one entitled to speak.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
Unless some other provision is made by law, by Town Charter
or by town bylaw, the Town Moderator shall be guided in rulings on
procedure by the rules of procedure contained in the most recent edition
of Town Meeting Time (a publication of the Massachusetts Moderators
Association).
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
All evening sessions of Annual and Special Town Meetings shall
begin as soon as a quorum of the body is present after the time set
in the warrant calling the meeting and shall be adjourned by the Town
Moderator at 10:30 o'clock in the evening, or as near that hour as
may be according to the nature of the business then pending. The Town
Meeting may, by a two-thirds vote, suspend the operation of this bylaw.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the holding
of a Town Meeting during the daytime.
[Amended 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
All motions offered for the consideration of the meeting shall
be in writing.
[Amended 5-4-1999 ATM, Art. 14; 10-24-2006 ATM, Art. 23]
[Amended 5-1-2018 ATM,
Art. 24]
The Finance Committee consists of seven (7) members, each to
serve for a period of three (3) years without compensation.
[Amended 5-1-2018 ATM,
Art. 24]
The Moderator shall make an appointment to fill any vacancies
in the Finance Committee within thirty (30) days after such vacancies
occur.
A.
The Finance Committee shall ask for and receive budget reports
and recommendations from all departments in the town and shall consider
all articles in the warrant for Annual and Special Town Meetings and
report its findings in printed form to the Town Meeting which considers
such articles.
B.
The Finance Committee shall have access to all facts, figures,
records and other information relating to all fiscal affairs of town
departments, town officers and town agencies, and the same shall be
furnished forthwith to the Finance Committee by town departments,
town officers and town agencies whenever so requested by the Finance
Committee.
C.
The Finance Committee shall mail, or cause to be delivered to
the residence of each registered voter, not less than seven (7) days
before the date of Annual or Special Town Meetings, a post card designating
each Town Meeting date, place and time with detailed information on
how a copy of the warrant information can be obtained.
[Amended 5-1-2018 ATM,
Art. 24]
