[Amended 6-6-2016 ATM
by Art. 9]
The Annual Town Meeting shall be held on the first Monday of
April of each year. The election of such officers as are required
by law to be elected by ballot and determination of such matters as
are required by law to be determined by ballot shall be considered
part of the Annual Town Meeting and shall be held on the last Saturday
in April of each year. This section shall not otherwise alter the
existing statutory authority of the Board of Selectmen to delay the
date of Town Meeting pursuant to M.G.L. c. 39, § 9.
[Amended 4-2-2012 ATM
by Art. 15L]
A. Posting. A copy of the warrant for every Annual and Special Town
Meeting shall be posted at the post offices and two or more other
public places in Town in accordance with the requirements of MGL c.
39, § 10.
B. Availability of warrants and notice thereof. Forthwith following
execution of the warrant, the Town shall post a printable version
of the warrant on the Town's website, make copies available at
the Town Offices and Public Library, and, to the extent feasible,
at two additional publicly accessible locations in Town.
C. Notice. No later than one week prior to the date of Town Meeting,
a notice shall be delivered to the post office for mailing to each
residence of one or more registered voters in the Town setting forth,
at a minimum, the date, time and place of the Town Meeting, as well
as language similar to the following:
[Amended 10-29-2012 STM
by Art. 6]
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The warrant and Finance Committee recommendations may be viewed
at the Town Clerk's office at 500 Gliniewicz Way or on the Town's
website at www.abingtonma.gov. Contact the Town Clerk at (781) 982-2112
to request a paper copy of the warrant.
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D. Validity of meeting. While it is the intent of this bylaw that every effort shall be made to file, post, and comply with the mailing and copying requirements set forth in §
152-2B and
C, failure to do so shall not invalidate the action of the meeting.
At all Town Meetings, the Board of Selectmen
shall be directed to use a checklist of registered voters for admission
of all persons to said meeting.
The quorum of any Annual or Special Town Meeting
shall be 150 registered voters of the Town.
In conducting Town Meeting, on the proposed
amendments involving sums of money the larger of the largest amount
shall be put to the question first, and an affirmative vote thereon
shall be a negative vote on any smaller amount.
In conducting Town Meeting, when a motion for
reconsideration is decided, that decision shall not be reconsidered
and no question shall twice be reconsidered. No motion to reconsider
a vote shall be in order after the meeting has been adjourned for
any period of time subsequent to the passing of the vote which is
sought to be reconsidered.
Articles for the Annual Town Meeting Warrant,
except for Articles I (wage classification) and II (budgets), shall
be inserted in the Warrant in the order in which said articles are
received by the Board of Selectmen. Articles for any Special Town
Meeting Warrant shall be inserted in the Warrant in the order in which
said articles are received by the Board of Selectmen. All petition
articles, when received by the Board of Selectmen, shall be referred
to the Town Clerk and Registrars of Voters for checking as to the
correctness of signatures.
In conducting Town Meeting, articles shall be
considered in numerical order unless voted otherwise by a four-fifths
majority of the voters present and voting at the meeting, or unless
two or more articles are related in the opinion of the Moderator,
in which event, the articles may be considered together.
All proposed salary and wage increases for Town
employees and officials other than employees of the School Department
and increases previously approved shall be presented in a special
article in the Town Warrant. Such salaries shall be itemized by department
and job classification. On a motion duly seconded, a majority of voters
present and voting at Town Meeting may require the Moderator to order
a separate secret ballot on any position or classification included
in a special article for proposed salary increases.
[Added 4-2-2012 ATM by Art. 15C]
When the Board of Selectmen determines by separate vote that
it is necessary or appropriate, the Town may hold its annual or special
Town meetings outside the geographic boundaries of the Town. Reasons
for holding a Town meeting outside of the Town shall include, but
not be limited to: anticipated voter turnout; emergencies relating
to commonly used Town Meeting locations, or handicapped accessibility.