[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
The registered voters of the Town shall annually
on the fourth Wednesday in May at 7:00 p.m., assemble in Town Meeting
for the purpose of hearing official reports, ordering a tax, making
appropriations and transacting any other business relating to the
finances of the Town. The Financial Town Meeting shall be publicly
noticed and called, and the list of registered voters shall be made
out and canvassed in the same manner as provided by law in respect
to elective meetings.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
The registered voters at the Financial Town
Meeting shall have and exercise the powers vested in the Town to raise
by a tax upon real and personal estate such sums of money as may be
required to pay Town debts and to defray the necessary charges and
expenses of the Town and they also may assess, levy or impose any
other taxes for the support of the Town which legally may be assessed,
levied or imposed under any general or special laws which are now
or may hereafter be in existence.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
The Town Clerk shall cause the registered voters
of the Town to be notified of every Town Meeting which shall be legally
called. The notice to the registered voters to meet in a Town Meeting
prescribed by law shall be given by the Town Clerk issuing the Clerk's
warrant, directed to the Town Sergeant or one (1) of the constables
of the Town, requiring the Town Sergeant to post at least seven (7)
days before the day appointed for such meeting, written notifications
in three (3) or more public places in the Town of the time when and
the place where the meeting is to be held and of the business required
by law to be transacted therein. The warrant shall also be posted
electronically on the Town’s website. The notice of meetings,
when called by request as hereinafter provided, shall be given in
the manner provided for meetings prescribed by law, and the meetings
called by request shall be held at the same time of day as those for
meetings prescribed by law. At all meetings called by request only
the business stated in the warrants directing the calling of such
meetings shall be acted upon.
[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
No vote shall be passed in any Town Meeting
concerning the disposing of the Town's land or making a tax, unless
special mention be made, and notice thereof given, in the warrant
issued for the public notice of such meeting; and the Town Clerk shall
grant such warrant, except in cases where the law otherwise directs,
which warrant shall be directed to the Town Sergeant, or to one (1)
of the constables of the Town. The notice for the making of a tax
as herein provided shall be in substantially the following form:
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"PUBLIC NOTICE FOR TOWN MEETING
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND[1] AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS COUNTY OF BRISTOL, SC:
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By the Town Clerk of the Town of Barrington,
R. I. (Seal) to _______________ Town Sergeant of the Town of Barrington,
or any of the constables of the Town.
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GREETING:
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Pursuant to Chapter 3 of Title 45 of the General
Laws of the State of Rhode Island, you are hereby required to post
at least seven (7) days before the ________ day of _________________
A.D. 20__ written notifications in three (3) or more public places
in the Town of Barrington, Rhode Island, and electronically on the
Town's website, notifying the registered voters of the Town of Barrington,
qualified to vote upon any proposition to impose a tax or for the
expenditure of money to assemble in Town Meeting at the Town Hall
(or other place designated) in the Town of Barrington, on the _________
day of ______________ A.D. 20__ at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of ordering
a tax to be levied and assessed on the ratable property of the Town
and the inhabitants thereof for the payment of the Town debts and
interest, for the payment of the Town's proportion of the State tax,
for the support of schools, for the support and maintenance of the
poor, for the building, repairing and amending of highways, for the
building, repairing and amending of bridges, for the improvement in
any manner deemed fit of any property belonging to the Town, for all
necessary charges and expenses whatsoever arising within the Town,
whether incidental or not to the above (here designate any further
purpose, if any, for which Town may legally appropriate money), and
for any or all other purposes authorized by law, and to transact such
other business as may legally come before the meeting.
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Given under my hand this _______ day of _______________
A.D. 20__ at the Town of Barrington, Rhode Island.
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__________________________ Town Clerk
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[1]
Editor's Note: “Land” corrected
to read “Island.”
[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
Prior to any Town Meeting prescribed by law
or special Town Meeting called by request in the manner hereinafter
provided, the list of registered voters shall be made out and canvassed
in the same manner as provided by law with respect to elective Town
Meetings.
[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
One hundred (100) registered voters at least
shall be necessary to constitute a Town Meeting.
[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
The registered voters of the Town of Barrington
on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in November biennially
in even numbered years shall by ballot elect a Moderator to serve
for two (2) years and until a successor is elected and qualified.
The Moderator shall be a registered voter. Whenever a vacancy shall
occur in the office of Moderator, by death, removal out of town, resignation,
or by neglect or refusal to qualify, or for any other cause, the Council
may fill the same until the next regular or special election to be
held in the town; provided that if on the date and hour set for any
Annual or Special Financial Town Meeting the office of Moderator be
vacant or the Moderator be absent, the Financial Town Meeting may
elect, by a majority vote of the registered voters, a Moderator for
the time being to preside at such meeting.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
The Moderator shall preside in all meetings
of the registered voters in the Town. The Moderator shall have the
power to manage and regulate the business of each meeting conforming
to law and maintain peace and good order therein.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
If any person shall act in a disorderly manner
in any Town Meeting, the Moderator may order the offender to withdraw
from the meeting; and, on refusal, may order the Town Sergeant, or
any constable present, or any other person, to take the offender from
the meeting and to confine the offender in some convenient place until
the meeting shall be adjourned; and the person so refusing to withdraw
shall, for each offense, be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars
($100.00).
[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
The Moderator of every Town Meeting shall upon
a motion being made and seconded, relative to any business before
such meeting, after having heard all the registered voters thereon
who shall be desirous of being heard, cause the votes of the registered
voters present to be taken thereon. Whenever any question shall be
pending in any Town Meeting involving an expenditure of money, or
the incurring of liability by the Town, or the disposition of Town
property, the same shall be taken by ballot, if a ballot be called
for and the call be seconded by at least one-fifth (1/5th) of the
registered voters present.
[Amended 11-2-2004; 11-4-2014]
All questions relating to Town affairs, except
as otherwise provided, shall be decided by a majority of the votes.
A copy of the record of the proceedings of any
Town Meeting, duly certified by the Town Clerk, shall be evidence
of any act or vote of such Town in Town Meeting assembled, recited
in such copy, and the certificate of the Town Clerk that no Town Meeting
has been held to consider any subject in the certificate mentioned,
or that no vote of the Town has been taken upon such subject, shall
be evidence of the fact therein stated.
[1]
Editor's Note: Spelling of "evence" corrected.
The Moderator shall receive such compensation
for services as may, from time to time, be fixed by the laws of Rhode
Island.
[Amended 11-4-2014]
Whenever the Council, or whenever ten percent
(10%) of the registered voters of the Town less any fractional part
that may appear in the computation thereof, shall make a request in
writing, for the calling of a Town Meeting to transact any business
relating to the Town in respect of which they shall have a right to
vote, and direct the same to the Town Clerk, the Clerk shall cause
the registered voters to be duly notified of the time when and the
place where the same is to be held, and of the business proposed to
be transacted therein; provided, that the ten percent (10%) shall
be computed on the total number of registered voters appearing on
the last canvassed voting lists of the Town as having a right to vote
in the transaction of any business that may be duly presented at such
meeting. No special Town Meeting shall be called without the consent
of the Council if the subject or any of the subjects proposed to be
considered at such special Town Meeting, shall have been acted on
by the Town at any time within six (6) months previous to the time
of such proposed call.
[Amended 11-21-1994; 11-4-2014; 11-3-2020]
Except for appropriations recommended by the
Committee on Appropriations, all motions in excess of $25,000 must
be presented by a registered voter to the Town Clerk at least thirty
(30) days prior to the Financial Town Meeting and included within
the warrant for such meeting. Further, a motion to increase or decrease
an appropriation by more than $50,000, or twenty (20%) percent of
a particular line item, whichever is less, shall be filed with the
Town Clerk at least five (5) business days prior to the Financial
Town Meeting.
