[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting
of the Town of North Reading 10-5-1970 by Art. 4, approved 12-4-1970. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Administration — See Ch. 5.
Notice of all Town Meetings shall be posted
in seven (7) or more conspicuous places in Town at least fourteen
(14) days prior to the time of holding such meetings. Notice of any
Town Meeting shall be given by printing the date, time, and place
of the meeting in a newspaper of local circulation at least once during
each of two (2) consecutive weeks immediately prior to such meetings
as set forth in Charter 2-4-4.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 2.2, regarding
adjourned sessions, which immediately followed this section, as amended
10-7-1974 OTM by Art. 4, approved 12-13-1974, and 5-2-1977 ATM by
Art. 29, approved 8-30-1977, was deleted 11-6-1978 ATM by Art. 15.
No motion to dissolve the meeting shall be in
order until every article in the warrant has been duly considered
and acted upon.
[Amended 10-17-1977 OTM by Art. 10, approved 2-28-1978; 10-2-2000 OTM by Art.
14, approved 3-29-2001; 10-3-2011 by OTM by Art. 29. approved 10-24-2011]
A motion to adjourn the meeting to a time, date,
and place certain shall not be made until action on the previous motion
before the meeting has been made completed. This provision shall not
apply to the omnibus articles of the June Town Meeting. Debate on
a motion to adjourn shall be limited to three (3) minutes per speaker,
and no speaker shall speak more than once, except by permission of
the Moderator, and then only briefly to answer a question raised by
another speaker.
[Amended 11-6-1978 ATM by Art. 14, approved 2-6-1979; 4-6-1998 ATM by Art.
21, approved 8-4-1998; 10-3-2011 by OTM by Art. 29. approved 10-24-2011; 6-4-2018 ATM by Art. 33, approved 9-21-2018]
The Board of Registrars shall appoint tellers
who shall permit only registered voters to enter upon the floor of
the meeting place of any Town Meeting. Any number of registered voters
present shall constitute a quorum sufficient for any session of an
Annual Town Meeting. One hundred fifty (150) registered voters shall
constitute a quorum sufficient to conduct business at any session
of a Special Town Meeting.
A.
Nonregistered voters or visitors may be admitted to
a town meeting by a majority vote of the meeting. Such persons shall
not be seated on the assembly floor, but in an area designated by
the Moderator. Specifically named individuals may, by a majority vote
of the Town Meeting, be seated with the officials and departments
they serve.
[Amended 4-6-1981 ATM by Art. 3, approved 7-21-1981]
B.
Nonregistered voters; exceptions.
(1)
Nonregistered voters serving the Town as an employee,
consultant, or in some other official capacity may be allowed to address
the meeting with permission of the Moderator.
(2)
Such persons shall not be allowed to make motions
nor shall they be allowed to vote on any question before the meeting.
A.
The Moderator shall require the seating of all persons
within the confines of the auditorium, meeting hall, or such meeting
place designated by the Select Board for the purpose of meeting and
acting upon the articles set forth in the warrant of Town Meeting,
regular or emergency, before any article may be acted upon.
[Amended 6-4-2018 ATM
by Art. 28, approved 9-21-2018]
B.
This section shall not apply to any person specifically
granted permission to stand by the Moderator.
A.
No person shall address the Town Meeting or offer
a motion or an amendment to any motion without prior recognition by
the Moderator.
B.
Any person requesting recognition by the Moderator
shall stand at his place and wait for an indication by the Moderator
that he has been recognized before addressing the meeting or offering
a motion or an amendment to a motion. Upon recognition by the Moderator,
the speaker shall first state his name and place of residence before
addressing the meeting.
A.
No person shall speak for more than five (5) minutes
on any article or portion thereof nor more than once without first
obtaining leave of the meeting, except to correct a mistake or answer
a question.
B.
When debate is closed by ordering the previous question
or by vote to close debate at a specified time, the maker of the motion
under consideration shall be allowed to speak three (3) minutes and
may grant to any other voter a part or a whole of his time, or give
his time to the meeting.
[Added 10-1-1990 OTM by Art. 8, approved 12-18-1990]
A.
All motions and amendments to motions shall be made
in writing and submitted to the Moderator before any action shall
be taken on said motions or amendments to said motions.
B.
The following motions may be excluded from the above
provisions that they must be submitted in writing to the Moderator:
[Amended 10-8-1981 OTM by Art. 16, approved 3-2-1982]
A.
When a question is before the meeting, the following
motions shall take precedence in the order listed:
(1)
Fix the time to which to adjourn (when privileged
under Robert's Rules).
(2)
Adjourn (when privileged under Robert's Rules).
(3)
Recess (when moved while a question is pending).
(4)
Raise a point of personal privilege.
(5)
Call for the orders of the day.
(6)
Lay on the table.
(7)
Move the question.
(8)
Limit or extend limits of debate.
(9)
Postpone to a time certain.
(10)
Commit or refer.
(11)
Amend.
(12)
Postpone indefinitely.
B.
Of the above motions one through eight are not debatable,
and motions nine through twelve are debatable.
[Amended 10-4-1971 OTM by Art. 12, approved 11-12-1971]
A motion for reconsideration of any article
or portion thereof shall be considered by the Meeting but once. No
article or portion thereof may be reconsidered, except at the session
during which the original article, or portion thereof, is placed before
the Meeting for action. No article or portion thereof, having once
been disposed of by the Meeting, shall be reconsidered, except by
an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present
and voting.
When a motion is readily susceptible of division
it shall be divided and the vote upon each part taken separately,
provided the Moderator deems best or seven (7) voters present so request.
[Amended 10-17-1977 OTM by Art. 12, approved 2-28-1978]
A.
When only a majority vote is required the sense of
the meeting shall be determined by a voice vote, and the Moderator
shall declare the vote as it appears to him. 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.
[Amended 4-4-2005 ATM by Art. 6, approved 7-19-2005]
B.
If the Moderator is unable to decide the vote by the
sound of the voices or if his decision is immediately questioned by
seven (7) or more voters standing in their place for that purpose,
the Moderator shall, without debate, determine the vote by ordering
a standing vote.
C.
Should twenty-five (25) voters stand in their place
favoring the use of "yes" or "no" ballots, such a vote shall be taken.
The Moderator shall appoint tellers to make and return the count.
[Amended 10-4-1971 OTM by Art. 10, approved 11-3-1971; amended 10-17-1977 OTM by Art.
11, approved 2-28-1978]
A.
When a vote is to be taken by "yes" or "no" ballot in accordance with § 172-13, the door to the meeting shall be secured, the floor cleared of all nonregistered voters, and the Moderator shall appoint a teller to direct, row by row, each voter desiring to cast a vote to proceed to the station of the tellers. The voter shall there obtain a yes and no ballot and deposit that portion of the ballot corresponding to his vote in a receptacle labeled "Ballots." The unused portion shall be deposited in a receptacle labeled "Discards."
B.
The Moderator shall implement a procedure to prevent
duplicate voting. The tally of the ballots and discards shall be made
by the tellers. The results of said tally shall be conveyed to the
Moderator to be read to the Meeting.
A.
The Moderator may, with an affirmative vote of a majority
of those attending and voting at the Town Meeting, appoint an Assistant
Moderator to assist him in the proper and orderly conduct of any Town
Meeting, regular or emergency.
B.
Such Assistant Moderator, if and when appointed, shall
be deemed the Assistant Moderator only during the session in which
he has been appointed.
C.
The services of the Assistant Moderator may be ended
at any time by declaration of the duly elected Moderator, or by a
majority vote of the Town Meeting.
A.
If a vacancy in the Office of Moderator occurs during
any term, a Temporary Moderator shall be elected by the Town Meeting.
B.
At any Town Meeting during which a Temporary Moderator
is to be elected, the Town Clerk shall preside over the meeting until
election of said Temporary Moderator is accomplished.
C.
In the absence of the Town Clerk, a member of the
Select Board shall preside over the meeting until the election of
the Temporary Moderator.[1]
[Amended 6-4-2018 ATM
by Art. 28, approved 9-21-2018]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 2.18, Recording
of Meetings, which immediately followed this subsection, was deleted
10-17-1977 OTM by Art. 13, approved 2-18-1978.
No person shall distribute or offer for sale
any literature, goods, handbills, or other materials within 100 feet
of the entrance of Town Meeting hall or halls without the consent
of a majority vote of the Board of Registrars.
A.
All articles to be inserted in the warrant of any
regularly scheduled Town Meeting must be submitted to the Select Board
in writing on or before the third Monday in March for the June session
of Town Meeting and on or before the third Monday in August for the
October session of Town Meeting.
[Amended 10-9-1986 OTM by Art. 8, approved 12-4-1986; 6-6-2011
ATM by Art. 29, approved 9-13-2011; 6-4-2018 ATM by Art. 28, approved 9-21-2018]
B.
All articles shall be signed by the person or persons
presenting the article(s), the name of said person or persons to appear
on the article in the warrant.
[Added 10-10-1991 OTM by Art. 14, approved 1-7-1992; amended 10-3-2011 OTM by Art. 29, approved 10-24-2011]
The warrant shall include an explanation of
each article. The June Town Meeting budget/omnibus article shall include
a detailed explanation of certain line items deemed appropriate by
the Finance Committee.
A.
The Select Board may, by an affirmative vote of at
least three (3) members of said Board, omit any article from any Town
Meeting warrant, regular or emergency, which the Board deems not to
be in the best interests of the Town of North Reading.
[Amended 6-4-2018 ATM
by Art. 28, approved 9-21-2018]
B.
Such power as outlined above shall not apply to such
articles submitted for inclusion on said warrants of any regular or
emergency Town Meeting when petitioned for inclusion according to
the General Laws of the Commonwealth.
The Town Administrator shall be responsible
for the providing of all physical facilities required by the Town
Meetings, regular or emergency.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 2.22, Order of
Articles for Town Meeting, which immediately followed this section
and was added 10-5-1992 OTM by Art. 7, approved 1-6-1993, was deleted
4-16-1998 ATM by Art. 22, approved 8-4-1998.
[Added 4-2-2001 ATM by Art. 19, approved 7-30-2001]
The order of consideration of the articles on
the warrant may be changed only by a four-fifth vote of the Town Meeting.
