ARTICLE 2
Town Meetings and the Procedure Thereat
Section 1(a).
The Annual Meeting for the election of Town Officers and all other matters to be determined by ballot shall be held on the first Tuesday in May each year. The polls shall be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and it shall be so stated in the warrant calling the meeting. All other business of the Annual Meeting shall be considered at the adjournment thereof as follows.
The Annual Town Meeting for the consideration of all business, other than the election of Town Officers or other matters to be determined by ballot, shall be held during the week designated by the Selectmen as "Town Meeting Week", commencing at 1:00 p.m. on the second Saturday following the Election of Officers. The meeting shall ordinarily be adjourned to the following Monday night at 7:00 p.m. and then to each succeeding night at 7:00 p.m. until completion of the warrant, but the meeting may adopt a different schedule after the initial meeting if approved by majority vote. In the event that all articles in the warrant have not been acted on by the end of the Thursday night session during “Town Meeting Week”, the meeting shall stand adjourned to a time and date agreeable to the
meeting by a majority vote
Section 1(b).
A special meeting for the consideration of such business as the Selectmen may place upon the warrant shall ordinarily be held on the third Monday in October commencing at 7:00 p.m. In the event of a secular or other holiday the Selectmen may determine an alternative date in October for the commencement of the meeting. In the event that all articles in the warrant have not been acted upon by the end of the first session, the meeting shall stand adjourned to a time and date agreeable to the meeting as established by majority vote.
Section 2.
Warrants for Town Meeting shall be served by posting attested copies of the same in at least two public places, ten days at least before the day appointed for said meetings.
Section 3.
At the discretion of the Moderator, a portion of the hall may be reserved for visitors and open to the public, and a portion of the hall may be reserved for the working press; the area at the front of the hall and the stage may be occupied under the direction of the Moderator. Activities and signs in the vicinity of the meeting room (e.g. entrance area and lobby of the High School) which voters would normally encounter in the process of coming to or leaving the meeting require the permission of both the Moderator and the organization ordinarily responsible for the space (e.g. School Department).
(ATM91 & 96)
Section 3(a).
No Town Meeting shall take any action, except to adjourn, unless there are 100 voters present, and the Moderator shall announce whether or not a quorum is present immediately after the meeting is called to order. (ATM94)
Section 4.
The moderator may entertain motions without being seconded whenever in his judgment such procedure is consistent with good order and proper transaction of business.
Section 5.
All motions shall be in writing if so directed by the Moderator.
Section 6.
The Moderator may decline to put motions obviously frivolous or tending to disorder.
Section 7.
The Moderator may appoint a voter to perform the duties of the Moderator while he addresses the meeting, or in case he is called away from the meeting.
Section 8.
The Moderator in propounding questions involving different sums shall put the largest sum first, and in questions involving time, the longest time first.
Section 9.
When a question is before the meeting, the following set of motions shall be used as a guide, and shall ordinarily have precedence in their numerical order:
1. To adjourn.
2. Take a recess.
3. Rise to a question of privilege.
4. Call for the order of the day.
5. Lay on or take from the table.
6. Call for the previous question.
7. Limit or extend limits of debate.
8. Postpone to a certain time.
9. Commit, refer or recommit to a committee.
10. Pass over.
11. Amend.
12. Main motion.
But the treatment, and order of receipt, of these and all other motions made in a Town Meeting shall be left to the final decision of the Moderator.
Section 10.
Once final action has been taken on an article, and the meeting has taken up the next order of business or has adjourned, the matter may not again be taken under consideration at that town meeting unless, in the best judgment of the Moderator, a significant error or omission occurred in the language or the process of the original action on the article, or a significant change of circumstances has occurred, such that there is a clear likelihood that the outcome could change upon reconsideration or that reconsideration would be in the Town’s best interest.
Such errors, omissions or changes of circumstance shall be brought to the Moderator’s attention as soon as they are known, and the Moderator shall determine if and when the matter will be taken up. The Moderator shall announce this decision to the town meeting. If the Moderator determines that the matter may be taken up pursuant to this section, a three-quarters vote shall be necessary in order to proceed with reconsideration. (ATM05)
Section 11.
No person shall address the meeting without first being recognized by the Moderator. When two or more persons rise to speak at the same time, the Moderator shall name the one entitled to speak.
Section 12.
No person shall speak more than twice upon any question, except to answer an inquiry, or to give information requested, without first obtaining leave of the meeting, and then not until others, who have not spoken upon the question, shall have spoken if they desire.
Section 13.
At any Town Meeting held for the transaction of Town business, no person whose name is not upon the list of voters shall be admitted to the floor of the hall or allowed to speak, unless a letter of request in a form satisfactory to the Moderator has been presented by or on behalf of the non_voter, and the meeting has by majority vote granted the request. Town employees who are non_voters shall not be required to submit such a letter, but shall be admitted to the floor of the hall if requested to attend by the board or town official to whom they report; they may address the meeting. This Section 13 shall not apply to the annual State and Town elections while the voters are casting their ballots and pending the declaration of the same.
Section 14.
Articles in the Warrant shall be acted upon in the order in which they stand, except that the Moderator shall, upon request and for reasons stated, entertain a motion to take up an article out of its regular order. Such motion shall be adopted openly on a two-thirds vote.
Section 15.
No motion, the effect of which would be to dissolve a Town 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 action on, or consideration of, any article to an adjournment of the meeting to a stated time.
Section 16.
All committees shall be appointed by the Moderator unless otherwise specifically directed by the meeting, and all committees so appointed shall be directed to report within a definite time. If a committee does not report within the time stated, it shall be considered discharged unless in the meantime the Town shall have granted an extension of time.
Section 17.
{DELETED ATM 2005}
Section 18.
When a question is put, the sense of the meeting shall be determined by a show of hands of the Town Meeting members and the Moderator shall declare the vote as it appears to him. If the Moderator is unable to decide the vote by the show of hands, or if his decision is immediately questioned, he shall determine the vote by a standing vote and he may appoint tellers to make and return the count.
On matters requiring a two-thirds vote by statute, the procedure shall be the same, and a standing vote need not be taken unless the Moderator is unable to decide the vote by the show of hands, or if his decision is immediately questioned. (ATM97)
Section 19.
Still and motion photography, televising, and videography shall be permitted only under the following circumstances:
1. Cameras are to be utilized only in a location or locations agreed upon by the Moderator and the Permanent Cable Supervisory Committee, and shall be placed and operated so that there is no active interference with the orderly conduct of Town Meeting.
2. All recording activities shall be conducted in an orderly, non-intimidating and non-intrusive manner. Existing lighting shall be used, i.e. no additional external illumination shall be utilized for the purpose of photographing or videotaping.
3. The official record of the meeting is kept exclusively by the Town Clerk, and no recording of whatever kind may be substituted therefore.
4. Any questions concerning these activities during Town Meeting shall be decided in accordance with this Section 19 at the sole discretion of the Moderator, or to take any other action thereon.
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