(a) 
Date of Election. The Town shall conduct an election annually on the first Tuesday of April for the purposes of electing officers and determining all matters to be decided by the Voters by ballot.
(b) 
Ballot Procedures. The regular town election shall be taken on official ballots. The names of candidates for each elected position, that is enumerated in section 3-1, paragraph (a) and (b), as well as the position of Town Meeting Member and including candidates for re-election to any such position, shall be arranged alphabetically according to their surnames beneath the name of the office, incumbents first. The address of each candidate shall be printed next to the name of the same. If a candidate is running for re-election, then the words "candidate for re-election" additionally shall be printed next to the name of the same. No ballot shall list the party or political designation or affiliation of any candidate.
This Charter may be replaced, revised or amended in accordance with any procedures that are available under the Constitution of the Commonwealth and any statutes that are enacted to implement the same.
The provisions of this Charter are severable. If any provision of this Charter is held to be invalid the other provisions of this Charter shall not be affected thereby. If the application of this Charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid, the application of this Charter and its provisions to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
(a) 
Number and gender. Words importing the singular number may extend and be applied to several persons or things; words importing person shall include all genders.
(b) 
Computation of time. If the Charter calls for any particular action to occur in less than seven days the computation of such time period shall not include Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays. If the Charter calls for seven or more days, every day shall be counted.
(c) 
Specific provision to prevail. To the extent that any specific provision of this Charter shall conflict with any provision that is expressed in general terms, the specific provisions shall prevail.
A copy of all rules and regulations that are adopted by any Town Agency shall be filed in the office of the Town Clerk before any such rule or regulation shall become effective, and copies thereof shall be made available for review by any person who so requests. No rule or regulation that is adopted by any Town Agency shall become effective until ten days have elapsed since the date it has been so filed in the office of the Town Clerk. Attested copies of all such filed rules and regulations shall also be kept and made available in the Public Library.
Every person who is elected, including by Town Meeting vote, or appointed to an office of the Town shall receive a certificate of such election or appointment from the Town Clerk.
Except as otherwise provided by law, before performing any act under an appointment or election all such persons shall take and subscribe to an oath of office and be sworn to the faithful performance of their duties.
(a) 
Charter review. At least once in every ten years, beginning in 2010, and thereafter in each year ending in a zero, a special committee shall be established for the purpose of reviewing this Charter and making a report, to the Town Meeting concerning any proposed amendments that said committee may determine to be necessary or desirable. The committee shall consist of nine members who shall be chosen as follows: the Select Board, the Finance Committee and the School Committee shall each appoint two persons, the Planning Board shall appoint one person, and the Town Moderator shall appoint two persons. Such persons may, but need not, be members of the Town Agency making the appointment. The committee shall meet to organize forthwith following the final adjournment of the Annual Town Meeting.
(b) 
By-law review. In each year that ends in a five, or a zero, the Select Board shall cause to be prepared by a By-Law Review committee that has been appointed for that purpose, a proposed revision or recodification of all General By-Laws of the Town. Said proposal shall be presented to the Town Meeting for approval at the Annual Town Meeting in the year following the year in which the said committee is appointed. The By-Law review committee shall consist of the Town Clerk who shall serve by virtue of office, two Town Meeting members appointed by the Town Moderator and two persons appointed by the Select Board. The said committee in its final, or in an interim report, shall include recommendations for such substantive change in Town By-Laws as it deems necessary or advisable.
The review of Town By-Laws shall be in conjunction with the Town Counsel. Subsequent to enactment by the Town Meeting, copies of the revised By-Laws shall be forwarded to the Attorney General of the Commonwealth for approval, and they shall be otherwise published, all as required by the General Laws or any Special Law. Copies of the revised By-Laws shall be made available for distribution to the public at a charge not to exceed the actual cost, per copy, of reproduction.
(a) 
Meetings. All Multiple Member Bodies shall meet regularly at such times and places within the Town as they may by their own rules prescribe, and may meet at additional times as necessary. All such meetings shall be noticed and held in accordance with the Open Meeting Law. Furthermore, except in cases of emergency, as defined by the Open Meeting Law, notice of such additional meetings of any Multiple Member Body shall be delivered to each member at least forty-eight hours in advance of the time set for the meeting.
(b) 
Rules - Each Multiple Member Body shall determine its own rules and order of business unless otherwise provided by this Charter or by the General Laws or any Special law and. These rules and shall be public records, and certified copies shall be kept available in the office of the Town Clerk.
(c) 
Filling of vacancies on Appointed Multiple Member Bodies. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the membership of an appointed Multiple Member Body the remaining members shall forthwith give written notice of such vacancy to its. Appointing Authority. If, at the expiration of sixty days following the delivery of such notice to the Appointing Authority said authority has not appointed some person to fill the vacancy the remaining members of the Multiple Member Body shall fill such vacancy for the remainder of any unexpired term by Majority Vote of the remaining members.
(d) 
Composition of Multiple Member Bodies When they are established, Multiple Member Bodies shall be composed of an odd number of members. Whenever the terms of office of a Multiple Member Body are for more than one year such terms of office shall be so arranged that as nearly an equal number of terms as is possible will expire each year.
Regardless of the length of the appointment any appointed Town Official, member of a Multiple Member Body or employee of the Town that is not subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth Civil Service Law, or covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement that provides a different method, may, for good cause, be suspended or removed from office, without compensation, by the relevant Appointing Authority. The term "good cause" shall include, but not be limited to the following: incapacity other than temporary illness, inefficiency, insubordination and conduct unbecoming the office. The Appointing Authority shall suspend an appointed Town Official, member of a Multiple Member Body or employee of the Town only if such action is deemed by said Appointing Authority to be necessary to protect the interests of the Town. No appeal may be made from any suspension that is made pursuant to this Section. However, no suspension shall be for more than 15 days. Suspension may be contemporaneous with removal and shall not interfere with the rights of the Town Official, member of a Multiple Member Body or Town employee under the removal procedure that is provided below. The Appointing Authority when removing any such Town Official, member of a Multiple Member Body or employee of the Town shall act in accordance with the procedure that follows:
(a) 
A written notice of removal and a statement of the cause or causes therefor shall be delivered in hand, or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the last known address of the person whose removal is sought.
(b) 
Such removal shall be final unless within five days following delivery of such notice the Town Official, member of a Multiple Member Body or employee of the Town may request a public hearing before the Appointing Authority or a hearing officer that is designated by the same, at which such person may be represented by counsel, shall be entitled to present evidence, call witnesses and to question any witness appearing at the hearing. Any such designated hearing officer shall make findings of fact and rulings on admissibility of evidence, but the ultimate decision of removal shall remain with the appointing authority.
(c) 
Within ten days after the public hearing is adjourned, the Appointing Authority shall either confirm the removal of the official, member of a Multiple Member Body or employee of the Town or notify such person that the notice is rescinded, effective the date of the removal notice. Failure of the Appointing Authority to take any action within that time period shall be deemed to be a rescission of the removal, effective the date of the removal notice. Nothing in this Section shall be construed as granting a right to such a hearing when a person who has been appointed for a fixed term is not reappointed when that term expires, and any such failure to reappoint shall not be construed as a removal.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in any Town Office, position or employment, or whenever by reason of a pending retirement or expiration of a fixed term a vacancy can be anticipated, the Appointing Authority shall forthwith cause public notice of such vacancy to be posted on the Town Bulletin Board or Town Website for not less than ten days. Such notice shall contain a description of the duties of the office, position or employment and a listing of the necessary or desirable qualifications of any candidate for that office, position or employment. No permanent appointment to fill such office, position or employment shall be effective until fourteen days following the date such notice was posted, in order to permit reasonable consideration of all applicants. This Section shall not apply to positions that are covered by the Civil Service Law and the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, or with respect to positions for which it would be in conflict with the provisions of any collective bargaining agreement. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require that every vacancy that occurs must be filled.