Bylaws on Town Meeting
ARTICLE III. TOWN MEETINGS. (1)
Section 2-15. Election of town officers generally, hours polls kept open during elections.
The annual town meeting for the election of town officers shall be held on the first Monday in May of each year. The hours for the opening and the closing of such meeting shall be so designated by the board of selectmen, but in no instance shall the polls for the election of town officers remain open for a period of less than twelve consecutive hours. For all other elections, national, state or otherwise, the same hours as town elections shall prevail, unless otherwise covered by statute. (Bylaws 1960, art. 2, ss 1; 9-30-74.)
Section 2-16. Publication of warrants. (2)
Every warrant for a town meeting or special town meeting shall be served by posting an attested copy thereof in two or more public places in the town and by the publication of a copy in one or more of the newspapers published in the county, or in some other publication in the town having a general circulation in the town, at least seven days before such meeting. (Bylaws 1960, art. 2, ss 2; 6-5-72.)
Section 2-17. Reports of committees to be in writing.
All committees chosen by the town, for any purpose, and ordered to report at any designated time shall make such report in writing. (Bylaws 1960, art. 2, ss 3.)
Section 2-18. Submitting of motions.
All motions shall be submitted to the town meeting in writing when so requested by the town moderator or the town clerk. (Bylaws 1960, art. 2, ss 6.)
Section 2-19. Reconsideration of motions.
No motion shall be reconsidered by the town meeting, unless ordered by more than two-thirds of the voters present and voting thereon. (Bylaws 1960, art. 2, ss 7.)
Section 2-20. Dissolution or adjournment of meeting.
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. (Bylaws 1960, art. 2, ss 4.)
- For law of the commonwealth as to town meetings generally, see G.L., c. 39, ss 9 et seq.
- For law of the commonwealth as to warrants for town meetings, see G.L., c. 39, ss 10.
ARTICLE IV. TOWN MODERATOR. (3)
Section 2-21. Election; term; to preside at town meetings; moderator pro tem. (4)
(a) A town moderator shall be elected annually to serve for a one year term. He shall preside at all town meetings and shall continue until the next annual meeting and until a successor is qualified. (b) In the event of absence or inability of the town moderator to serve, the town clerk shall call the town meeting to order. The first business of that meeting shall be the election of a moderator pro tem, by the town meeting members present at that meeting. The moderator so elected must be a qualified legal voter of the town. (Bylaws 1960, art. 3, ss 1.)
Section 2-22. Duties generally.
The duties of the town moderator, not prescribed by statute, this Code or other bylaws of the town, shall be determined by the general rules of parliamentary law, so far as they may be adapted to town meetings. (Bylaws 1960, art. 3, ss 2.)
- For law of the commonwealth as to town moderator generally, see G.L., c. 39, ss 14, 15.
- For law of the commonwealth as to election of town moderator, see G.L., c. 39, ss 14.