A nonbinding public opinion advisory question may be placed on the ballot for a regular town election by vote of the Board of Selectmen acting on its own initiative.
[HISTORY: Derived from Chapter 183, Art. I of the prior Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Any person may request that a nonbinding public opinion advisory question be placed on the ballot for a regular town election by presenting to the Board of Selectmen a petition requesting same, signed by at least 10 registered voters.
If the Board of Selectmen shall not approve said petition at least 90 days before said election, then the question may be so placed on said ballot when a petition signed by at least 10% of the registered voters of the town, requesting such action, is filed with the Board of Registrars, who shall have seven days after receipt of such a petition to certify such signatures. Upon certification of the signatures, the Town Clerk shall cause the question to be placed on the ballot at the next regular election held more than 30 days after such certification.
A.
All requests for placing nonbinding public opinion advisory questions on the ballot for a regular town election must be in writing and should be submitted to the Board of Selectmen not later than the first Monday in January of each year.
B.
The petition should include a title, the question, a summary of the subject matter on which the question is based and a very brief statement as to the effect of a yes or no vote on the question.
A majority vote of the Selectmen shall be required for placing the nonbinding public opinion advisory question on the ballot.
The Selectmen shall hold a public hearing on all referendum questions approved by the Selectmen for inclusion on the ballot.
This policy is governed by the provisions of Chapter 308 of the Acts of 1976.