A quorum for an Annual or Special Town Meeting
shall be not fewer than 150 registered voters.
During the legislative session of Town Meeting
the floor shall be occupied solely by registered voters, and it shall
be the duty of the Moderator to clear the floor of all nonvoters.
Nonvoters shall not address the Meeting without majority consent thereof;
provided, however, that the Moderator may allow a nonresident department
head to speak on any article the subject matter of which might affect
that department or in response to questions from the floor.
All motions and amendments shall be in writing
when required by the Moderator.
No one but the Moderator shall interrupt another
while speaking, except to call him to order.
No motion moved, seconded and stated can be
withdrawn except by the maker of the motion.
No one shall speak on the same question more
than twice, not longer than 10 minutes, without leave of the Meeting.
When a vote decided by the Moderator is questioned
by seven or more voters, it shall be made certain by the voters of
either side rising and standing to be counted by the Moderator or
tellers appointed by him.
The vote on a motion to reconsider a previous
vote shall be made before the next adjournment of the Meeting.
Articles in the warrant shall be acted upon
in their order, unless otherwise ordered by a three-fourths vote of
the Meeting.
The motions contained in this section and no
others shall be acceptable by the Moderator at Town Meetings (see
Motion Chart).
The quorum at any Special or Annual Town Meeting
shall not be questioned after a motion duly made, seconded and accepted
by the Moderator has been placed on the floor for debate until such
motion has been put to a vote and the vote thereon decided by the
Moderator.
Rules of procedure not specifically provided
by law or by these bylaws shall be determined by Town Meeting Time:
Handbook of Parliamentary Law.
When the Finance Committee recommends passage
of an article in the warrant for a Town Meeting, the Chairman or other
member of the Finance Committee shall move for adoption of the article.
When the Finance Committee's recommendation is that the article not
be adopted, a proponent of the article shall move for adoption of
the article. In the event that a motion for adoption of the article
is not made, the Chairman of the Finance Committee shall move for
indefinite postponement.
The Moderator may conduct all votes requiring
a two-thirds majority by statute in the same manner in which the Moderator
conducts the vote when a majority vote is required.
Votes of the Board of Selectmen and Finance
Committee establishing recommendations regarding Town Meeting articles
shall be made available upon the request of any registered voter at
a Regular or Special Town Meeting.