[HISTORY: Derived from Chapter 41, of the prior Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 11-17-1975 STM, Art. 11; 5-16-1994 ATM, Art. 10; 4-25-2016 ATM, Art. 34]
The annual town election shall be held on the second Tuesday in May at such time and place as the Selectmen may determine.
[Amended 10-15-1973 STM, Art. 5; 11-17-1975 STM, Art. 11; 4-11-1983 ATM, Art. 23; 5-16-1994 ATM, Art. 10; 4-22-2019 ATM, Art. 35; 7-18-2020 ATM, Art. 28]
A. 
The annual town meeting shall begin on the fourth Monday in April at such place as the selectmen shall determine. The initial session of the meeting shall begin at 6:00 p.m. Upon completion of the article which is under discussion at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, the meeting shall be adjourned to 6:00 p.m. of the following day; provided, that it is not a recognized state or federal holiday; and thereafter, the meetings shall continue on beginning at 6:00 p.m. and ending upon the completion of the article which is under discussion at 10:00 p.m., until the meeting is completed in accordance with Section 1-80-170. A 2/3 vote of those present may extend that meeting beyond the normal time of adjournment.
B. 
Special Town Meetings shall be otherwise according to the provisions of MGL 39 and shall be adjourned to such place and at such time as voted by 2/3 of those present and voting; provided, however, that any session of an Annual Town Meeting or a Special Town Meeting shall be adjourned before the time otherwise provided herein if, by one hour after the time set for beginning, a quorum has not assembled or if thereafter a quorum is declared to have been lost.
[Amended 5-22-1984 ATM, Art. 16; 5-16-1988 ATM; 4-29-1997 ATM, Art. 46; 4-28-2003 ATM, Art. 24; 4-22-2013 ATM, Art. 36]
A. 
Notice of every Annual Town Meeting shall be given by posting printed, attested copies of the warrant therefor at the Town Hall, at any United State Post Office in the town, at every polling place and elsewhere in the town as designated by the Selectmen, at least 14 days before the time appointed for such Annual Town Meeting.
B. 
The warrant for the annual town election and Annual Town Meeting shall be addressed to a Constable, who shall post the same in the designated places and shall make his return attesting said posting to the Town Clerk, together with the original warrant.
C. 
The warrant for the Annual Town Meeting shall be made available at the office of the Town Clerk at least 14 days prior to the Annual Town Meeting and at said Annual Town Meeting.
D. 
The wording of articles on the Town Meeting warrant should be as descriptive as possible so that the article may be moved and considered as presented on the warrant. Further, all appropriation articles must state the exact item or services the sum is being appropriated for, and, where possible, the cost should be included. All amendments to bylaws must show the full text of the section or subsection being amended; any wording that is being proposed as deleted must be shown in strikethrough; and any proposed added wording must be underlined. Finally, any article that refers to a specific location must clearly show the street address or addresses, in addition to any required legal description, and a line map showing such location must be available for public inspection. These guidelines shall not apply to the town budget or to school budgets.
E. 
The warrant for an annual or special town meeting may specify that the meeting is to be held in a suitable auditorium or other facility in any of the contiguous towns. Town meeting may also vote to adjourn to such a facility if it deems appropriate.
[Amended 5-16-1988 ATM; 4-22-2013 ATM, Art. 36]
A. 
Notice of every Special Town Meeting shall be given by the Town Clerk by mailing to each household in the town a notice of such Special Town Meeting at least 14 days before the time appointed for such Special Town Meeting.
B. 
The warrant for a Special Town Meeting shall be available at the office of the Town Clerk at least 14 days prior to the Special Town Meeting and shall also be made available at said Special Town Meeting.
C. 
The warrant for a Special Town Meeting shall be addressed to a Constable, who shall post the same in the designated places and shall make his return attesting said posting to the Town Clerk, together with the original warrant.
D. 
For future town warrants, the exact wording of motions should appear on the warrant. Further, all appropriation articles must state the exact item or services the sum is being appropriated for, and, where possible, the cost should be included. All amendments to bylaws must show the full text of the section or subsection being amended; any wording that is being proposed as deleted must be shown in strikethrough; and any proposed added wording must be underlined. Finally, any article that refers to a specific location must clearly show the street address or addresses, in addition to any required legal description, and a line map showing such location must be available for public inspection. These guidelines shall not apply to the town budget or to school budgets.
Unless otherwise ordered by the Moderator or by a majority vote of the Meeting, no person whose name is not on the list of registered voters shall be admitted to the hall where the Meeting is being held or shall be allowed to address the Meeting. This provision shall be enforced with the use of the checklist, and the Moderator shall determine the bounds of the hall. In no event shall a person who is not a registered voter vote at a Meeting.
The Moderator shall call the Meeting to order, shall announce the number constituting the quorum and shall determine the existence of a quorum. The Moderator shall then read the return of the person who served the warrant for the Meeting and shall then read the warrant unless the Meeting votes that the reading of the articles in the warrant be dispensed with. In the absence of the Deputy Moderator, the Meeting shall be called to order by the Town Clerk, who shall preside until a Temporary Moderator is chosen. The Temporary Moderator shall act during the absence of the Moderator and Deputy Moderator.
Except as otherwise provided by law or in this Code, the conduct of the Town Meetings shall be determined by the rules and practices contained in the latest revised edition of Town Meeting Time so far as they are adapted to the conditions and powers of the town. A copy of said Town Meeting Time shall be made available by the Town Clerk for public reference at the Town Clerk’s office, in the Town Public Library and at the Town Meeting.
If the person presiding wishes to speak at the Meeting, he shall appoint the Deputy Moderator or, in his absence, a voter to act in his place while he addresses the Meeting.
[Amended 9-20-1976 STM, Art. 6]
A quorum shall consist of 100 registered voters as of the preceding January.
Unless otherwise provided by statute or this Code, all motions shall require a majority vote.
All articles in the warrant shall be taken up in their order unless otherwise ordered by a two-thirds vote of the Meeting.
A motion to indicate the sense of the Meeting as to any subject matter then under discussion shall be in order.
Every motion except a procedural motion shall be reduced to writing and signed by the person presenting it. Before receiving any motion, the Moderator shall require that it be seconded. A motion may be withdrawn by the mover if no objection is made.
After any action has been taken on an article in the warrant, that action shall not be reconsidered except upon a two-thirds vote of the Meeting.
No vote shall be reconsidered except at the same session upon a motion to that effect or at an adjourned session of the same Meeting upon a notice of such motion given at the same session of the Meeting at which the vote was originally passed or rejected. Any voter may make a motion to reconsider or give notice thereof. A vote upon a question shall not be reconsidered more than once. A decision upon a motion of reconsideration shall be final. Reconsideration of all other motions shall be as set forth in the Table of Motions located at the end of this chapter.
No final action shall be taken on any article inserted in the warrant upon the express petition of any voter or group of voters until such voter or spokesman for such group, if present, has had an opportunity to be heard on the subject matter therein mentioned.
No motion, the effect of which would be to dissolve the Meeting, shall be in order until every article in the warrant for such Meeting has been acted upon. This shall not preclude an adjournment of a session of the Meeting to some other date.
Every person, when about to speak, shall rise, address the Moderator and wait until he is recognized. In speaking, he shall refrain from personalities and confine himself to the question under consideration. When two or more persons rise to speak at the same time, the Moderator shall name the one entitled to speak.
No person, while speaking, shall be interrupted by another except for a question of privilege or a point of order or to give notice of a motion to reconsider. The Moderator may speak to points of order in preference to other voters.
A. 
No person shall speak more than once on one article until others who have not spoken shall have the opportunity to do so. No person shall speak more than five minutes at one time. The limitations shall not apply in the following situations:
(1) 
Where the person desiring to speak has obtained consent of the Meeting.
(2) 
Where the person desiring to speak seeks to correct his mistake or misstatement previously made by him.
(3) 
Where the person desiring to speak seeks to make an explanation by way of response to a question.
(4) 
Where the person desiring to speak seeks to make a motion relative to the matter.
(5) 
Where this chapter otherwise provides.
B. 
No presentation of any elected or appointed board or committee and no presentation by any group of individuals acting in concert and speaking in an order recognized in advance by the Moderator shall exceed 15 minutes in length unless consent is given by the Meeting.
A Table of Motions (their order of priority) and other rules relating thereto are set forth at the end of this chapter. Only these motions and others specifically provided for in this chapter shall be in order. Debate, when allowed as to main motions, shall be as provided in § 1-80-200. Debate when allowed as to any other motion, shall be limited to 10 minutes in the aggregate, and no person shall speak more than three minutes nor more than once.
A privileged subsidiary or incidental motion shall be in order according to rank except on an immediate repetition of the same motion or pending a verification of a vote. A privileged motion relates to the conduct of the Meeting and does not have to relate to the main question. Subsidiary and incidental motions relate to the modification or disposition of the main question and are in order when the main question to which they relate is before the Meeting.
[Amended 4-24-1972]
A motion to close debate may be made only with reference to the motion before the Meeting.
Subsequent to the presentation of any debatable motion, no action having the effect of terminating debate shall be in order until there has been ample opportunity for both affirmative and negative comments.
An amendment cannot be amended more than once, and no motion or proposition of a subject different from that under consideration shall be entertained under color of an amendment.
The procedure and conduct of Town Meetings not provided for by law, this chapter or Town Meeting Time shall be governed by the general principles of parliamentary law so far as they are adapted to Town Meetings and as outlined in the Table of Motions.
[Added 5-18-1987 ATM, Art. 37]
Any amendment to the Consolidated Personnel Bylaw presented at any Town Meeting of the Town of Northborough by the Personnel Board may be divided by a motion to that effect made from the floor of the Town Meeting.
The Chairman of every town board, commission and committee and the head of every town department shall be in attendance throughout every session of every Town Meeting; in the event of the inability of such person to so attend a Meeting for causes beyond his control, he shall designate an appropriate representative to so attend in his place.
The Selectmen shall insert in all warrants for Town Meetings an article providing for the receiving of reports from any outstanding committees.
[Amended 4-13-1982 ATM, Art. 38; 5-22-1984 ATM, Art. 16; 4-22-1996 ATM, Art. 36]
The Selectmen shall cause to be published an annual town report of the activities of the various town boards, departments, committees and officers during the year preceding and containing a detailed report of all appropriations and expenditures made during such period. They shall cause to be available at the office of the Town Clerk, at least two weeks before the Annual Town Meeting, a copy of the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting. The Selectmen shall also cause the annual town report to be available for distribution at the office of the Town Clerk not later than seven days preceding the Annual Town Meeting and at all sessions of the Annual Town Meeting.
Before a vote is taken on any motion of any board, committee or commission of the Town of Northborough (elected or appointed), all persons attending said Meeting wishing to speak on the motion shall be allowed to do so. After a reasonable time for discussion has passed, the Chairman shall then put the motion to a vote.
TABLE OF BASIC POINTS OF MOTIONS
Town of Northborough
Rank
Type
Second Required
Debatable
Amendable
Vote Required
May Reconsider
May Interrupt
Privileged Motions
1
Dissolve (adjourn sine die)
Yes
No
No
Majority
No
No
2
Adjourn to a fixed time
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
No
No
3
Point of no quorum
No
No
No
None
No
No
4
Fix the time to (or at) which to adjourn
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
Yes
No
5
Questions of privilege
No
No
No
None
No
Yes
Subsidiary Motions
6
Lay on the table
Yes
No
No
2/3
Yes
No
7
The previous question
Yes
No
No
2/3
No
No
8
Limit or extend debate
Yes
No
No
2/3
Yes
No
9
Postpone to a time certain
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
Yes
No
10
Commit or refer
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
Yes
No
11
Amend or substitute
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
Yes
No
12
Postpone indefinitely
Yes
Yes
No
Majority
Yes
No
Incidental Motions
Same rank as motion out of which they arise
Point of order
No
No
No
None
No
 
 
Appeal from ruling
Yes
Yes
No
Majority
Yes
 
 
Division of a question
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
No
 
 
Separate consideration
Yes
Yes
Yes
Majority
No
 
 
Fix the method of voting
Yes
No
Yes
Majority
No
 
 
Nominations to committees
Yes
No
No
Plurality
No
 
 
Withdraw or modify a motion
 
No
No
No
Majority
 
 
Suspension of a rule of parliamentary procedure
Yes
Yes
No
2/3
No
 
Main Motions
None
Main motion
Yes
Yes
Yes
Var.
Yes
 
*
Reconsider or rescind
Yes
*
No
2/3
No
 
None
Take from the table
Yes
No
No
Majority
No
 
None
Advance an article
Yes
Yes
Yes
2/3
Yes
 
*
Same rank and debatable to same extent as the motion being considered or rescinded.