[Amended 5-13-1986 ATM by Art. 29; 5-13-1989 ATM by Art. 7]
The Annual Town Meeting for appropriations shall
be held on the second Monday in May of each year. The Annual Town
Meeting for the election of officers shall be held on the third Monday
in May of each year.
[Amended 5-11-1998 ATM by Art. 13; 5-13-2002 ATM by Art. 15; 5-13-2019 ATM
by Art. 24]
Notice of every Town Meeting and Election shall be given by
posting an attested copy of the warrant calling the same on the Town's
website and the second floor bulletin board in Lawrence Memorial Hall
not less than seven days before the day appointed for an Annual Town
Meeting, Election or Primary, not less than 14 days before the day
appointed for a Special Town Meeting, and the return of the officer,
stating the manner of notice, shall be endorsed on the warrant.
[Amended 5-13-1986 ATM by Art. 28]
A. At all town meetings, except such parts of meetings
as are devoted exclusively to the election of town officers, 75 legal
voters shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.
B. If the Moderator, or the meeting by vote, so orders,
the vote on any question before the meeting shall be taken by the
use of the checklist.
C. The Moderator may take all votes requiring a two-thirds
majority in the same manner in which he/she or she conducts the taking
of a vote when a majority vote is required.
[Added 5-12-1997 ATM by Art. 16]
All the articles in the warrant shall be acted
upon in the order of their arrangement, unless the meeting by vote
otherwise determines.
All reports, motions and resolutions submitted
for the consideration of the meeting involving the expenditure of
money shall be in writing. Any report, resolution or motion shall
be reduced to writing if the Moderator so directs.
No person shall address the meeting unless recognized
by the Moderator, nor speak more than once on the same subject to
the exclusion of any other who may desire to speak.
In case of motions to amend or to fill in blanks,
the one expressing the largest sum or the longest time shall be put
first, and an affirmative vote thereon shall be a negative vote on
any smaller sum or shorter time.
When a report of a committee is placed in the
hands of the Moderator, it shall be deemed to be properly before the
meeting for action thereon, and a vote to accept the same shall discharge
the committee. For the adoption of the recommendations of the committee,
however, a specific vote shall be required. No appropriation shall
be made under the report of any committee of the town until the matter
has been considered and reported upon by the Finance Committee.
No motion, the effect of which would be to dissolve
the meeting, shall be in order until every article in the warrant
has been duly considered and acted upon, but this shall not preclude
the postponement of the consideration of any article to an adjournment
of the meeting at a stated time.
The Moderator shall conduct all town meetings,
not specifically provided by law or these bylaws, in accordance with
the rules of practice contained in Robert's Rules of Order, as most
recently amended.
[Added 5-12-1998 ATM by Art. 33]
Town Meetings may be held outside the geographic
limits of the town; provided, however, that any meeting for the election
by ballot of federal, state or other officers or the determination
of other matters that are to be determined by ballot at an election
shall be held within the geographic limits of the town.
[Added 5-10-1999 ATM by Art. 23]
A. After any article in the warrant has been acted upon
and disposed of or passed over and so disposed of, such article shall
not be reconsidered at the same session of an Annual or Special Town
Meeting except by a vote of 2/3 of the registered voters present and
voting on a motion to reconsider.
B. A motion to reconsider may be made by either the prevailing
or losing side but may not be entertained by the Moderator unless
made not later than the same session of the meeting at which all action
is completed on the article under which the vote to be reconsidered
has taken place.
C. No vote may be reconsidered twice unless such vote
has been materially amended during its first reconsideration.