Whereas open Town Meeting is the purest form of democratic government that provides every registered voter of the community with the opportunity to debate and vote on the budget, bylaws, and other legislative actions of the Town; and whereas open Town Meeting has been in effect in the Town of Harvard since its incorporation in 1732; this Town Charter maintains an open Town Meeting legislative branch, provides for the direct election of a Town Moderator to preside over the Town Meeting, the right for registered voters to petition for a Special Town Meeting, and the right for registered voters to petition for articles to be considered on the warrant for a Town Meeting.
The legislative powers of the Town shall be exercised by a Town Meeting open to all registered voters of the Town. In order to conduct business, a quorum of 50 registered voters must be in attendance at any time. A voter may request that the Moderator count the registered voters in attendance at any time during the meeting in order to establish the existence of a quorum. If a quorum is not present and the business of the meeting has not been concluded, the Moderator shall announce the time and place at which the meeting will be continued.
The Annual Town Meeting shall be held during February through June on a date determined by the Select Board. The Annual Town Meeting shall be concerned with, but not limited to, the determination of matters involving the expenditure of Town funds and the adoption of an annual operating budget for all Town agencies.
Special Town Meetings shall be held at the call of a majority of the full Select Board in order to transact the legislative business of the Town in an orderly manner. Special Town Meetings shall also be held on the petition of the lesser of at least 200 voters or 20 percent of the total number of voters.
The Moderator, elected as provided in Section 3-4, shall preside at all sessions of Annual and Special Town Meetings. At the first session of the Town Meeting, the Moderator may appoint a voter to serve as Deputy Moderator. In the absence of the Moderator and the duly ratified Deputy Moderator at any session of a Town Meeting, the Town Clerk shall open the meeting and preside over the election of an acting Moderator. In the absence of the Moderator, the Deputy Moderator, and the Town Clerk, the presiding officer of the first session of a Town Meeting shall be determined as provided for by law. The Deputy Moderator may also temporarily serve when the Moderator has a conflict or the appearance of conflict arises, as determined by the Moderator, with regard to a particular article or matter under consideration.
The Moderator, at all Town Meetings, shall regulate the proceedings, decide all questions of order, make public declaration of all votes, and may exercise such additional powers and duties as may be authorized by law, this Charter, bylaw, or other vote of the Town Meeting.
The Select Board shall publish an Annual Town Report and make it available before Annual Town Meeting; however, failure to comply with this section shall not prevent Town Meeting from proceeding.
Every Town Meeting shall be called by a warrant issued by the Select Board, which shall state the time and place at which the meeting is to convene and, by separate articles, identify the subject matters to be acted upon. The publication of the warrant for every Town Meeting shall be in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws and bylaws governing such matters.
(a) 
Initiation. Subject to paragraph (c), the Select Board shall receive petitions addressed to it that request the submission of any matter to the Town Meeting and are filed by (1) any Town officer, or (2) any volunteer Town agency acting by a majority of its members then in office, or (3) any 10 or more registered voters for an Annual Town Meeting, or (4) any 100 registered voters for a Special Town Meeting.
(b) 
Referral. Following receipt of any petition containing a proposed warrant article, the Select Board shall deliver a copy of the proposal to the chair of the Finance Committee and shall distribute copies of the proposal as may be required by law or bylaw.
(c) 
Notice. Whenever a Town Meeting is to be called, notice shall be given by posting attested copies of the warrant in at least one public place in the Town and on the Town's website at least seven days before Annual Town Meeting and at least 14 days before a Special Town Meeting. The content, scheduling, and notice requirements for a Town Meeting shall be as provided for in Massachusetts General Laws.
No meeting of any Town agency shall be convened or be in session during a session of Town Meeting, unless that meeting is concurrent with and in the same location as the Town Meeting to allow the agency to act on matters that arise during the Town Meeting.
The Town Clerk shall serve as clerk of the Town Meeting, give public notice of all adjourned sessions of the Town Meeting, record its proceedings, and perform such additional duties in connection therewith as may be provided by the law, this Charter, bylaw, or other Town Meeting vote.
The Town Meeting may, by bylaw, establish, amend, revise, or repeal rules governing the conduct of all Town Meetings as long as they are consistent with Massachusetts General Laws.
The Town Meeting shall provide for the exercise of all of the powers of the Town and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed upon the Town for which no other provision is made by law, this Charter, or bylaw.