If within ten days after the final passage of any measure a petition signed by voters equal in number to at least five per cent of the total number of voters, and addressed to the town council or to the school committee, as the case may be, protesting against such measure or any part thereof taking effect, is filed with the town clerk, the same shall thereupon and thereby be suspended from taking effect; and the town council or the school committee, as the case may be, shall immediately reconsider such measure or part thereof; and if such measure or part thereof is not entirely rescinded the town council shall submit the same, by the method herein provided, to a vote of the voters either at the next regular town election, or at a special election which may, in its discretion, be called for the purpose and such measure or part thereof shall forthwith become null and void unless a majority of the voters voting on the same at such election vote in favor thereof. The petition described in this section shall be termed a referendum petition and section
8-1(a) shall apply to the procedure in respect thereto, except that the words "measure or part thereof protested against" shall for this purpose be understood to replace "measure" in said section whenever it may occur, and "referendum" shall be understood to replace the word "initiative" in said section.
For any measure to be effective under initiative
procedure and for any measure to be declared null and void under any
referendum procedure at least twenty percent of the voters shall vote
at an election upon which an initiative or referendum question is
submitted to the voters.
Measures which include the following subject
matter shall not be subject to initiative and referendum procedures:
(a) revenue loan orders; (b) appropriations for the payment of debt
or debt service; (c) internal operational procedures of the town council
and the school committee; (d) emergency measures; (e) the town budget
as a whole or the school committee budget as a whole; (f) appropriation
of funds to implement a collective bargaining agreement; (g) procedures
relating to election, appointment, removal, discharge or any other
personnel action; and (h) proceedings providing for the submission
or referral of a matter to the voters at an election.
The town council may, of its own motion, and
shall, upon request of the school committee if a measure originates
with that committee and pertains to the affairs under its administration,
submit to a vote of the voters for adoption or rejection at a general
or special town election any proposed measure, or a proposition for
the repeal or amendment of any measure, in the same manner and with
the same force and effect as are hereby provided for submission on
petition.
If two or more proposed measures passed at the
same election contain conflicting provisions, only the one receiving
the greater number of affirmative votes shall take effect.
The town council may call meetings of the voters
of the town. Upon the request in writing of three hundred voters setting
forth the purpose (the specific purposes) thereof, the town council
shall call a meeting of the voters. The president of the town council
or other designee of the town council, shall preside and regulate
the proceedings of such meetings. The president of the council shall
cause the attendance of town officials and employees necessary to
respond to the issues and concerns raised by petitioners.