Town of Avon, MA Town Meetings

Rules of procedure. Town Meetings shall be governed by the general rules of parliamentary procedure, except as modified by law or these bylaws and as consistent with orderly and democratic procedure.

Seating of voters. At any session of a Town Meeting held for the transaction of Town business (other than for the election of such officers as are required by law to be elected by ballot), no person whose name is not on the lists of voters or who does not hold a certificate of registration shall be admitted to the part of the hall reserved for voters. The Moderator shall determine the bounds of such reserved space.

Minutes of previous meeting. The first business in order of each adjourned meeting shall be the reading of the records of the previous session, unless reading is waived by a majority vote of the voters present and voting.

Motions to be in writing. A motion, if required by the Moderator, shall be reduced to writing before being submitted to the meeting.

Limitation on speaking. With the exception of the maker of the motion and the Chairperson of the Finance Committee and/or their designees, or upon a motion duly seconded and voted in the majority requesting a person to speak at any time, no person may speak a second time to a question as long as any member desires to speak who has not spoken to the question or may speak more than twice without first obtaining leave of the meeting except, in either case, for the brief correction of an error in or misunderstanding of his previous statement, or may speak more than 10 minutes the first time, nor more than five minutes each successive time thereafter, without approval of the meeting.

Reconsideration. No action shall be reconsidered unless public notice of the intention to move for a reconsideration has been given from the floor within one hour after the vote has been declared, said motion to be in order only at the same session of said meeting. The remaining portion, if any, of said hour may be used for debate of such a motion at the next succeeding session of said meeting if and when debate is interrupted by adjournment of the session at which the motion is made. A motion may be made by any voter to reconsider a matter previously acted upon, which shall require an affirmative vote of 2/3 of those present and voting to be reconsidered.

Voting.

(1)

All voting in a Town Meeting shall be by a showing of hands unless otherwise required by law. In the instance of the need for a two-thirds-positive vote to approve an article, the Moderator may declare that a two-thirds vote has been achieved without calling for a polling or division of the meeting; provided, however, if said vote is declared and immediately questioned by seven or more voters, he shall verify it by polling the voters or by dividing the meeting. In such instance, the Moderator shall appoint tellers to verify the vote. (2013) Upon a motion properly made and seconded and passed by the meeting, the Moderator shall call for a secret ballot on any article involving an appropriation.

(2)

Electronic voting. Subject to the availability of a system to enable electronic voting at Town Meeting using wireless handheld mobile devices, the Moderator may count the vote, or conduct a roll call vote, on any matter before the Town Meeting by the use of such an electronic vote-counting system.

Quorum. A quorum shall consist of 50 registered voters. No motion, except to adjourn to a stated time (meeting evening or end), shall be voted on at any Town Meeting, Annual or Special, adjournment thereof when at any such meeting less than a quorum is present; with the exception, however, that at a third adjournment for lack of a quorum, the Moderator may accept a motion to adjourn sine die.

Reports of committees; discharge. When a report of a committee is placed in the hands of the Moderator, it shall be deemed to be properly before the meeting for its action thereon. Unless otherwise voted, a committee is automatically discharged upon the acceptance of its final report.

Failure to report by committee; discharge. All committees shall report as directed by the Town. If no report is made within a year after appointment, unless provided otherwise at the time of the appointment, the committee shall be discharged unless granted an extension of time by the Town.

Appropriations for committees. No appropriation shall be made to any committee of the Town unless such request for appropriation is included in the warrant.

Department heads. The head of any Town department, including the Superintendent of Schools, shall be seated with their respective department and be allowed to speak or answer questions pertaining to their respective department at any Annual or Special Town Meeting.

Participation by nonvoters. Any nonvoter who desires to speak at an Annual Town Meeting or a Special Town Meeting must state his name and address to the Moderator and the topic to be discussed. The meeting may grant such person such right by a majority vote of those voting.

Annual Town Meetings shall act upon the operating budget of the Town stating the salary of elected officials and allocating expenses and wages for all Town departments first. Upon completion of the operating budget, all other articles shall be taken by a lottery draw.

Special Town Meetings shall take articles by lottery draw exclusively.

The Select Board shall be responsible for preparing the Town Meeting warrant.