The purest form of democratic governing is practiced in a Town Meeting. In use for over 300 years and still today, it has proven to be a valuable means for many Massachusetts taxpayers to voice their opinions and directly effect change in their communities. (from Citizen’s Guide to Town Meetings, published by William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth)
Williamstown has an “open” town meeting, which means that all registered Williamstown voters are eligible to participate. Some towns in Massachusetts have a “representative” town meeting and elect their Town Meeting members.
Attending Town Meeting gives you the opportunity to vote on all key decisions, including local expenditures for schools, roads, police, water/sewer, etc. You can also decide how to regulate your town through bylaws. You get to know your elected and appointed officials and town employees, and they get to know you through your participation.
Resources
- The How’s and Why’s of Town Meeting with Town Moderator Elisabeth Goodman on Willinet.
- Electronic Voting with Town Clerk Nicole Beverly on Willinet.
- Citizen’s Guide to Town Meetings
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Town Meeting?
Williamstown holds their Annual Town Meeting in May of each year. It is typically held on the third Tuesday of May. For current schedule and location, please find the latest Election Calendar (usually published in January of each year) on the Town Clerk’s page.
Who can attend Town Meeting? Who can Vote? Who Can Speak?
Town Meeting is the business meeting of the town and Town Meeting members are the legislative branch of the town government. Only registered voters of the town are allowed to vote.
Other interested persons may attend – residents who have not registered to vote, town employees, and business owners, for example. When they arrive, they will check and be required to sit in a separate area where votes will not be counted. The Moderator and Town Clerk will determine the location of the appropriate area based on the space needs of voters.
Only Town Meeting members, i.e. voters, can speak at Town Meeting. On occasion, someone else would like to bring some information to light or would like to share their opinion. In that case, it is preferable for the person to make themselves known in advance to the Town Clerk or Moderator. In any case, when the person steps to the microphone and is otherwise not eligible to speak, the Moderator can ask Town Meeting if they want to grant permission for the person to speak. If there is no objection from the voters, the Moderator will recognize the speaker.
Who are the “legislators”?
In the government structure of Williamstown, registered voters attending Town Meeting are the “legislators.” Town Meeting participants are vested with the traditional powers of the legislative branch of any level of government: the power to make laws (in this case, called “bylaws”) and the power to approve the expenditure of money. No money can be expended by the Town without the approval of Town Meeting. No general or zoning laws can be enacted by Williamstown without the approval of Town Meeting.
Who runs town meeting?
Town Meeting is convened at a time and place designated by the Select Board, usually at 7pm on the third Tuesday in May, for consideration of all articles in the Warrant. The Town Moderator calls Town Meeting to order and presides over Town Meeting. The Moderator regulates the proceedings, resolves all questions of order, and declares the results of all votes.
How do I vote at Town Meeting?
Voters in open Town Meeting vote by various methods. The moderator determines which method is used for each vote.
- Voice vote: Many Town Meeting votes are by voice. The moderator asks that all in favor (everyone voting “yes”) say, “Aye” (which is pronounced “eye”). Then the moderator asks that all opposed (everyone voting “no”) say, “No.” The moderator listens and decides which side prevails. Voters who are unfamiliar with the difference between “yea” and “nay” may find this reminder useful: “Yea” and “yes” both start with “y.” “Nay” and “no” both start with “n.”
- Show of hands: The moderator asks that all in favor raise their hands. Then the moderator asks that all opposed raise their hands. The moderator looks at the number of hands in general and decides which side prevailed. Or hands are counted.
- Electronic Voting: When you arrive to Town Meeting and check in, you will be given an electronic voting clicker. This method of voting is often used because it allows for anonymity, greater count accuracy, and efficiency. Learn more with this Willinet video with Town Clerk Nicole Beverly.
What are the warrant and articles?
The warrant generally states the things to be voted on. Articles are items on the warrant. In Town Meeting, voters will have the chance to vote on each article. The Select Board prepares the warrant. Some boards and committees, such as the Planning Board, may hold hearings and conduct public discussions of proposed warrant articles. The Select Board makes recommendations on articles, by vote, during its regular meetings in the weeks prior to Town Meeting.
The wording of the warrant does not have to be the exact wording of the motion at Town Meeting, but it must contain a sufficient description of what is proposed so that voters are aware of the subject matter.
Sometimes a motion is made at Town Meeting that is different from what is published in the warrant. That is because the warrant has to be finalized to be sent to the printer more than one month before Town Meeting. In the intervening month, motions are fine-tuned for proper wording and dollar amounts are made most accurate, based on up-to-the-minute data in some cases.
What is a Citizens Petition?
Voters may “insert” articles in the warrant before the Select Board “closes” the warrant. To insert an article in the warrant for the annual Town Meeting, at least 10 registered voters of the town must sign a written request. This is called a Citizen’s Petition. If you’d like assistance or want to check the legality of a petition, please contact the Town Manager. The petition then gets submitted to the Town Clerk for certification of the signatures obtained. Learn about when petitions are due on the Election Calendar at the Town Clerk’s page.
How do I speak or present at Town Meeting?
Speaking in public is not something that comes naturally to most of us, so before you get to the mic, take a few moments to think through the point you want to make or the question you want to ask. If someone else has already made the same point you wanted to make, it is fine for you to say, “I agree with the previous speaker and I support the passage of this motion.” Please do not go over what has been already stated.
To help make sure both sides are heard, there is usually one line for people speaking in favor of a motion, and a second line for people speaking against a motion. The Moderator will limit the amount of time each speaker can speak at the mic.
Town Meeting is not a debate so there is no back-and-forth conversation allowed between you and another speaker or presenter. You can make your point or ask your question. The Moderator will not permit a debate.
Please also keep in mind the guidelines for civil discourse that are recommended for Town Meeting. In short, they are:
- Recognize a person’s right to advocate ideas that are different from your own.
- Show respect for others -discuss policies and ideas, not people.
- Speak as you would like to be spoken to.
- Speak for yourself, not for others.