What Does Town Meeting Do Again?
Plus, learn about the candidates for this important job
Town Meeting is scheduled to begin this evening, September 23, 2024, at 7:00 PM. An hour ahead of that, there will be a caucus for precincts 1, 3, and 7, to select one new member each to fill seats that have been recently vacated. And an hour ahead of that, there will be a supper for Town Meeting Members at Grand View Farm.
But what is Town Meeting, and how do the actions of these 126 citizens affect your life on a daily basis?
Broadly, the charge of Town Meeting is to manage the town’s finances and bylaws. As the town’s legislative body, Town Meeting approves changes, additions, and deletions to the town’s general and zoning bylaws, and they also have to approve every aspect of the town’s operational and capital budget.
Should the town pay for a new Fox Hill Building? Can it transfer money to fund the compensation plan for town employees? Town Meeting votes to answer questions like these.
Should the town change the zoning bylaws to allow for an electronic sign on the Town Common, or change the general bylaws to allow Town Meeting Members to attend remotely under certain conditions? Town Meeting is responsible for deciding these kinds of things, too.
Many consequential decisions come out of Town Meeting, and the 126 representatives who are elected to represent our 7 precincts fit all that work into three (sometimes multi-night) Town Meetings each year, plus committee meetings if they’re on one. The time commitment isn’t as intense as some other Boards and Commissions in town, which is often used as a selling point to encourage candidates to run.
Learn more about the Warrant for the September 2024 Town Meeting, and if you're interested in running for the open spot in Precincts 1, 3, or 7, don't forget to reach out to the Town Clerk's office and your precinct representatives (found on the Town Meeting page of the town website) and show up at 6:00 tonight, September 23, at the BHS auditorium.
The Buzz will be updating our Warrant Summary as the meeting progresses; don't forget to sign up for the Daily Buzz newsletter to learn first thing in the morning how the evening went.
