[Adopted as Ch. II, §§ 1 through 5, of the
1973 Bylaws]
A.
The Annual Town Meeting of the Town shall be held on the second Tuesday of the month of May and at a time as specified by the Select Board in the warrant, and all business, except the election of such officers and the determination of such matters as by law or by this chapter are required to be elected or determined by ballot, shall be considered at that meeting or at an adjournment thereof to another day. That part of the Annual Town Meeting devoted to the election of officers and the determination of such questions as by law or by this chapter are required to be elected or determined by ballot shall be held on a Tuesday in May not less than seven nor more than 15 days after the first date of said meeting, in accordance with the provisions of Article I, Bond Appropriations, of this chapter.
[Amended 4-1-1991 ATM,
approved by Attorney General 7-16-1991; 10-19-1998 STM, approved by
Attorney General 2-17-1999; 4-2-2007 ATM, approved by Attorney General 5-14-2007]
B.
The warrant for a Town Meeting, once opened, shall remain open for
at least seven calendar days. The Select Board shall have the authority
to insert any article, for the warrant of the Annual Town Meeting,
at any time before the posting of the warrant for the Annual Town
Meeting.
[Amended 4-2-1979 TM,
approved by Attorney General 5-18-1979]
A.
The balloting on all appropriations arising at a Special Town Meeting, the adoption of which is required by the provisions of Section 6 of this chapter to be by printed ballot, shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Article I, Bond Appropriations, of this chapter not less than eight nor more than 15 days after the said meeting, and the said meeting shall adjourn to such date as is determined for the purpose of balloting. The hours during which the polls shall be kept open for such balloting may be designated by the meeting. (1937: c. III, s. 3)
[Amended 3-6-1972 TM,
approved by Attorney General 5-15-1972; 4-1-1991, approved by Attorney
General 7-16--1991; 10-19-1998 STM, approved by Attorney General 2-17-1999]
B.
The Select Board shall give at least three calendar days' notice
of its intention to open a warrant for a Special Town Meeting, by
publication in a newspaper published in, or having a general circulation
in, the Town of Ipswich, unless in its judgment public interest would
suffer by such a delay.
[Amended 4-6-1981 TM,
approved by Attorney General 7-27-1981]
C.
The warrant for a special Town Meeting, once opened, shall remain
open for at least seven calendar days.
[Added 4-6-1981 TM, approved
by Attorney General 7-27-1981]
[1937: c. III, s. 2; amended 3-6-1972, approved by Attorney General 5-15-1972; 4-6-1981 TM, approved
by Attorney General 7-27-1981; 10-18-1999 TM, approved by Attorney General 1-2-2000; 5-11-2010, approved by Attorney General 6-3-2010]
A.
In all warrants for Town meetings, the Select Board or Town Manager shall indicate after each article the Town board or officer requesting it, or if the subject of the article has been requested in writing by the required number of registered voters as provided in MGL c. 39, § 10, the name of at least one of the petitioners who signed the request. (Ed. Note: Last sentence disapproved by Attorney General January 5, 2000.)
B.
All warrants for Town meetings, except notices of adjournment, shall
be served by posting attested copies thereof in the Town Hall and
in at least one public place in each precinct and by publication in
a newspaper published, or having a general circulation in, the Town
of Ipswich, at least seven days prior to the time for holding the
Annual Town Meeting and at least 14 days prior to the time for holding
any Special Town Meeting. Newspaper publication shall not be required
for warrants solely related to elections.
[Amended 3-1-1948 TM,
approved by Attorney General 5-21-1948; 5-2-1966 TM, approved by Attorney
General 10-7-1966; 3-6-1972 TM, approved by Attorney General 5-15-1972; 4-4-1988 TM, approved by Attorney General 6-10-1988]
The presence of two hundred registered voters of the Town at any Town Meeting shall be required to constitute a quorum, except for a motion to adjourn for which no quorum shall be required; provided, however, that no vote carrying the expenditure or appropriation of any sum of money shall be held to be invalid by reason of lack of the required quorum, unless it appears from the records of the Town Clerk that, before the result of such vote was declared, the question of the presence of a quorum was duly raised and that such record shows that the required quorum was lacking. This section shall not apply to those parts of meetings devoted exclusively to the election of Town officers or balloting with respect to any appropriation of money as required by Article I, Bond Appropriations, of this chapter. (1937: c. III, s. 6)
A.
Annual and Special Town Meetings shall adjourn normally at 11:00
p.m. A meeting can be extended beyond 11:00 p.m. only to complete
action on an article already under consideration. No motion to consider
a new article may be admitted after 11:00 p.m. unless the Moderator
secures a vote of the assembly to continue the meeting to a specific
time or to continue until all warrant articles are completed.
[Amended 10-15-2007 TM,
approved by Attorney General 1-23-2008]
B.
Any adjournment of an Annual or Special Town Meeting, except for
balloting by printed ballot in accordance with the provisions of this
chapter, shall be called to assemble not earlier than 7:30 p.m. (1937:
c. III, s. 7)
[Amended 3-6-1972 TM,
approved by Attorney General 5-15-1972]
