[Amended 3-14-1974 ATM by Art. 67; 5-6-2013 ATM by Art. 38; 5-6-2019 ATM by Art. 38; 5-1-2023 ATM by Art. 38]
The Annual Town Meeting shall be held on the
first Monday of May at 7:00 p.m. in each year at a place designated
by the Select Board. The annual election for Town officers shall be
held on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in June each year.
The Select Board, in the warrant for the election of Town officers,
shall specify when the polls will be opened and when the polls will
be closed in accordance with the provisions of Section 64 of Chapter
54 of the General Laws and amendments thereto.
The warrant for each Town Meeting shall be served
by posting an attested copy thereof at Abbot Hall and 10 other conspicuous
places in the Town at the time as prescribed in this chapter of Town
By-Laws.
The Select Board shall give at least 14 days'
public notice of their intention to issue a warrant for a Special
Town Meeting unless in their judgment public interest would suffer
by such a delay.
The warrant for the Annual Town Meeting shall
be closed at least 60 days before the time of holding said meeting
and the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting shall be served not later
than 30 days after being closed. The warrant for a Special Town Meeting
shall be served not later than 10 days after the warrant is closed.
Copies of all articles involving the expenditure of money contained
in a warrant for any Town Meeting shall immediately upon the closing
of such warrant be forwarded by the Select Board to the Finance Committee
for consideration.
The number of voters necessary to constitute
a quorum shall be 300 except at a meeting devoted exclusively to the
election of Town officers, but when there is not a quorum present
at a Town Meeting, other than a meeting for the election of Town officers
as aforesaid, a lesser number may adjourn such meeting from time to
time to a date certain without the necessity of notice of such adjournment
other than announcement thereof at the meeting at which the adjournment
is voted.
No voter rising to move a question shall proceed
to speak thereon until the motion has been distinctly stated to the
meeting by the moderator, and no person speaking shall be interrupted
by another, but by rising to state a question of order.
When called to order by the moderator, the person
having the floor shall be seated until the point of order is decided,
and if the decision be that the point of order is not well taken,
the original speaker shall immediately be given the floor.
When a question is before the meeting, the following
motions, namely: to adjourn; to lay on the table; to postpone to a
certain time; to commit; to recommit or refer; to amend; to postpone
indefinitely, shall be received and shall have precedence in the foregoing
order; and the first two shall be decided without debate.
No motion to dissolve a Town Meeting shall be
in order until every article in the warrant therefor has been duly
considered and acted upon, except that when there is not a quorum
present, a motion may be entertained to adjourn sine die, or to a
date as provided in § 274-5 of this chapter.
[Added 5-5-2014 ATM by
Art. 1]
Each session of Town Meeting shall begin with the recitation
of the United States Pledge of Allegiance.