Town Meeting History

Town Meeting is the legislative branch of town government, used to enact local laws, pass budgets and authorize spending of town money. The Town Meeting form of local government is only used in New England.

The Town of Boxborough is currently governed by Open Town Meeting. In an Open Town Meeting, any voter registered in the town may attend, speak on the articles, and vote for or against them. For each Town Meeting, a Warrant is published, listing the date and time of the meeting as well as the articles that will be discussed and voted upon. An Archive of past Town Meeting Minutes is here.

Responsibilities

Read the Massachusetts Guide to Town Meeting

Read the Boxborough Guide to Town Meeting

The responsibilities of Town Meeting are to:

Appropriate funds for operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1 to June 30);

Approve all General and Zoning By-Laws.

Accept certain “local option” statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Process and Procedures

Town Meeting convenes for a series of meetings in the Spring (and other times when necessary). A Warrant is made available online, at the Town Hall and by mail to all residents before the Town Meeting, giving information on all the articles to be voted on.

All matters of Town Meeting business are included in the Warrant. Each item of business is called a Warrant article, and Town Meeting can vote only on articles contained in the Warrant. The Select Board determines the content and order of articles in the Warrant, and sets the deadline for closing the warrant. Citizens are afforded the opportunity of submitting warrant articles by acquiring the signatures of 10 or more registered voters.

The Town Moderator, who is elected by the voters each year for a one-year term, presides over the business and conduct of Town Meeting. Operating procedures and rules are dictated by statute, by-laws, tradition, and the rulings of the moderator as guided by “Town Meeting Time: A Handbook of Parliamentary Law” published by the Massachusetts Moderators’ Association.