Town Meeting to Vote on Transparency, Accessibility

Before Town Meeting in September will be two questions that will look familiar to frequent participants and observers.

The first is a home rule petition to provide accessibility to Town Meeting Members via hybrid meetings. Originally brought in September of 2023, the article failed, with Town Meeting members expressing concern about people not showing up in person and about the difficulty of having discussion in a hybrid format. The General Bylaw Review Committee has changed the article to require an in-person quorum and 48 hours' notice in advance of each Town Meeting, but would not require a reason. Currently, Town Meeting allows for Members who need to be remote per the Americans with Disabilities Act to attend remotely but does not allow for cases such as those who need to be home for caregiving, out of town for work, etc.

Town Meeting will also hear again an article, originally brought in January 2024, to establish a committee to look into electronic voting for Town Meeting. This article came up at the end of a single-night Town Meeting, after 11:00 PM, when operations needed to be closed down for the evening. The article didn't get the full discussion it deserved, said General Bylaw Review Committee member, Michelle Huntoon, and the GBRC is bringing it back to better explain what the article would do.

The creation of a committee won't cost the town money and its purpose would be to look into the pros and cons of using an electronic voting system as well as the cost of such systems. Proponents look forward to the transparency that would be provided by an electronic voting system, while opponents say such effort isn't necessary unless a vote is close, in which case a roll call vote is utilized.

What do you think? Voice your choice now using Burlington's TownVote, powered by VoteLight.