[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Freetown as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Art. 1 of the 1956 Bylaws Compilation]
[Amended 5-3-1975 ATM; 5-9-1977 ATM; 1-28-1980 STM; 10-18-2021 STM by Art. 21; 6-6-2022 ATM by Art. 10]
Every Town Meeting shall be called by a warrant directed to a Constable, or other duly appointed person, by posting attested copies of said warrant at the Town Hall, police station, and at each post office within the Town at least 14 days before the time of holding the Annual Meeting, and at least 14 days before the time of holding any Special Town Meeting. Additionally, every warrant shall be published on the Town's official website.
[Amended 5-9-1977 ATM; 10-28-1991 STM; 10-27-2003 STM; 5-7-2007 ATM; 11-8-2010 STM; 6-15-2015 ATM]
A. 
The Annual Town Meeting for the election of officers and referendum questions shall be held on the first Monday in April and for such purpose the polls shall be open from 12:00 noon until 8:00 p.m. in each precinct of Town. The Town shall annually, when the term of office of any incumbent expires and except when other provisions are made by law, choose by ballot from the registered voters the following Town officers: a Moderator; one Selectman, who shall also serve as a member of the Personnel Board; one Board of Health member; one Assessor; a Highway Surveyor; two Library Trustees; one Cemetery Commissioner; a Tree Warden; one Water and Sewer Commissioner; one Planning Board member; and a Town Clerk. The term of office for each such office shall be three years except for the Planning Board members, whose term of office shall be five years.
[Amended 6-6-2022 ATM by Art. 21]
B. 
The Town shall elect two Finance Committee members in 1992, two Finance Committee members in 1993 and three Finance Committee members in 1994, all for three-year terms, with successive elections every three years thereafter.
C. 
Commencing with the 2012 Annual Town Election, four members from both towns shall be elected for initial terms as follows: two for three-year terms, one for a two-year term, and one for a one-year term. Commencing with the 2012 Annual Town Election, the following members shall be elected from among residents and registered voters of Lakeville: two members for three-year terms, one member for a two-year term, and one member for a one-year term; in addition, the following members shall be elected from among residents and registered voters of Freetown: one member for a three-year term, two members for a two-year term and one member for a one-year term.
D. 
To place on the ballot at the 2023 Annual Town Election the following three Board of Health positions: one for a one-year term, one for a two-year term, and one for a three-year term; and thereafter, all such positions shall be elected for three-year terms; finally, upon the election and qualification of the Board of Health as provided hereunder, the Board of Selectmen shall no longer have the authority of a board of health and all such authority, as well as any records, agreements, powers and obligations related thereto, shall transfer by operation of law to such newly elected Board of Health.
[Added 6-6-2022 ATM by Art. 21]
[Amended 3-9-1974 ATM; 5-3-1975 ATM; 3-9-1998 STM; 5-6-2000 ATM; 6-1-2009 ATM]
The Annual Business Meeting shall be held on the first Monday in June at 7:30 p.m.
[Amended 5-3-1975 ATM; 5-9-1977 ATM; 6-21-1982 ATM; 2-25-2008 STM]
Every article for insertion in the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting must be presented, in writing, to the Selectmen at least 60 days before the business portion of the Annual Town Meeting. At the same time, a copy of each article shall be filed with the Clerk of the Finance Committee. Each of the articles, unless inserted by the Selectmen, shall be signed personally by not less than 10 registered voters for the Annual Town Meeting and not less than 100 registered voters for a Special Town Meeting. The Selectmen shall call a Special Town Meeting upon request, in writing, of 200 or more registered voters, said meeting to be held not later than 45 days after receipt of such request, and shall insert in the warrant therefor all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested by said petition.
The Constable or other duly appointed person to serve the warrant for a Town Meeting shall, immediately after making service thereof, deliver to the Town Clerk the original warrant, with his return endorsed thereon, stating fully the manner in which he served the same.
[Adopted as Art. 2 of the 1956 Bylaws Compilation]
[Amended 10-18-2021 STM by Art. 25]
Each Annual Town Meeting shall be called to order by the Moderator promptly at the appointed hour or as soon thereafter as 50 registered voters are proven to be present, and each Special Town Meeting shall be called to order by the Moderator promptly at the appointed hour or as soon thereafter as 25 registered voters are proven to be present. In the absence of the Moderator, such meeting shall be called to order by the Town Clerk, who shall preside until a temporary Moderator is chosen to act during the absence of the Moderator.
Immediately after calling of the meeting to order by the Moderator, the warrant for the Town Meeting and the return by the person who served the same shall first be read by the Town Clerk, unless the meeting votes that the reading of the articles in the warrant is omitted.
No person, except registered voters of the Town, shall be admitted to any Annual or Special Town Meeting unless permission is granted by the Moderator or by a vote of the Town Meeting. If ordered by the Moderator or by vote of the meeting, the voting lists of the Town shall be used to check the names of registered voters.
[Amended 10-18-2021 STM by Art. 23]
Any voter may appeal from the decision of the Moderator and, when properly seconded by seven or more voters, no other business except a motion to adjourn or lay on the table shall be in order until the question of appeal has been decided. The question of appeal shall be decided without debate and by a counted vote, and shall be put as follows: "Shall the decision of the Moderator stand as the judgment of the meeting?" and the result shall be decided by the Moderator after a report of the count of the Clerk.
Unless otherwise provided by law or bylaws, all motions shall require only a majority vote. Every article in the warrant shall be taken up in its order upon the warrant unless otherwise voted by the meeting, and no motion or resolution, the matter of which is not set forth in some article in the warrant, shall be entertained excepting only for the purpose of obtaining the sense of the meeting; but no such motion or resolution shall be entertained if seven voters object thereto.
Every motion shall be reduced to writing and signed by the person presenting it when so requested by the Moderator, and before receiving any motion, the Moderator may require that it be seconded; a motion may be withdrawn by the mover if no objection is made.
[Amended 5-9-1977 ATM]
No article carrying an expenditure or appropriation of money, except where such expenditure is required by law, shall be acted upon at any Town Meeting until a report whereon has been made by the Finance Committee.
No vote shall be reconsidered except upon a motion to that effect or upon a notice of such motion given at the same session of the meeting. Such motion or notice shall be made only by a voter on the prevailing side when the vote is taken.
[Amended 3-2-1970 ATM; 10-27-2008 STM; 6-1-2009 STM; 10-18-2021 STM by Art. 24]
When a question is put (in case only a majority is required), the sense of the meeting shall be determined by the voices of the voters and the Moderator shall first announce the vote as it appears to him by sound. If the Moderator is unable to decide by the sound of the voices or if his announcement is then upon doubted by any two voters, one making the appeal and the other seconding it, the Moderator shall without debate determine the vote by ordering a show of hands and he may appoint tellers, who shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties by the Town Clerk, who shall make a record of such oath, to make and return the count or he may order a ballot vote.
A. 
Declaration of two-thirds vote. Whenever a two-thirds vote of Town Meeting is required by statute, such vote may be declared by the Moderator without a count and recorded as such by the Town Clerk. If a vote so declared by the Moderator is immediately challenged by seven or more voters, the Moderator shall verify the vote by calling for a hand count by the tellers.
The Town Clerk shall provide and have in readiness for use at Town meetings a sufficient supply of "Yes" and "No" ballots. Such ballots shall not be distinguished from each other in size, shape, color, paper, ink, in size and style of type, or in any other way which would make it possible to distinguish what was printed on said ballots other than by examination of the word printed thereon.
[Amended 6-21-1982 ATM]
The procedure and conduct of the annual and special business Town Meeting of the Town not provided herein shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, current edition, so far as its rules and practices are applicable and not inconsistent with the other bylaws of the Town.
[Added 10-3-2020 STM by Art. 13]
To enable adequate time for review, no article requesting that any board, committee, commission, council, or other officer(s) of the Town petition the General Court to enact special legislation shall be in order for consideration by Town Meeting unless the text of the special legislation sought is included as part of the article or as an appendix to the warrant, or is on file with the Town Clerk at least 14 days prior to the date of the Town Meeting at which it will be considered.