| Subject: Re: How does Town Meeting work? |
Author:
Dennis
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Date Posted: 05:42:23 05/28/04 Fri
In reply to:
Shawn
's message, "How does Town Meeting work?" on 04:30:23 05/28/04 Fri
[The warrant is available on the town website, but it has little information in it. I can understand some of the zoning requests.. but not much else.]
The warrant is just a general warning. The real gist is in the motions to be submitted, many of which the Selectmen discussed last meeting.
[I read through the sewer commission rules (proposed changes) but there was no reference in there as to what changed.]
It's a complete rewrite.
[I like the changes to limit some of the sick time buy-back, etc that the manager has proposed.]
Me, too.
[I thought that the town budget would be on there for next year.. maybe its one of the articles that are difficult to read.]
The budget is two inches thick, but maybe we could excerpt it? Ken?
[But if that's true.. don't we get to review the proposed budget prior to having to vote on it? Cannot we look through to see what each of the departments have done to cut back this year?]
The budget has been available for some time. Problem is, you can't really finalize it until the legislature finishes its work, which has been as late as November in recent years. (Yes, five months into the year being budgeted!) No way to run an airline!
[Is this info available at the town hall? (If so, why is it not on the website to make it easier for the citizens)]
Yes. It's too big and fluid. For example, we still don't know what our Chapter 70 will be.
[And, in regard to the meeting itself, do we have to vote "yea or nea" on each article, or can we propose to increase or decrease a specific part of the proposed budget.. (would that be "propose an amendment") or could the people put restrictions on a zoning change, etc?]
The meeting is controlled by a layered set of rules, in rough order of relevance/applicability: Robert's Rules, Town Meeting Time, Dracut's Charter, MGLs, and Dracut's By-Laws. If you don't have time to master all those by the 7th, just go online and find a Robert's Rules, and examine the "Order of Precedence for Motions" (or something like that). It will give you an indication.
Most of all, though, step one is to show up!
[I have also heard that the meeting can get a bit out of control itself (heckling from the crowd, etc). Is this true or just a rumor? Can the moderator be called upon to stop this sort of behavior?]
Only once recently, when the firefighters passed their civil service and I was the object of some or most of their abuse. (I really didn't object to civil service -- just the manner, haste and sloppiness of the submission. And I think I've been borne out by history-- there was no reason to rush. Not that you'll get the union leadership to admit that.)
Unfortunately, our elected Moderator is a firefighter himself, so he quite properly stepped aside. The Town Clerk, who took his place, was not quite ready to do so. In my opinion, and I have discussed this with her, she missed a procedural agreement, and she absolutely lost control of the meeting. People literally should have been thrown out of that meeting.
It was not democracy, it was a mob action. We all ought to be ashamed of what happened, but especially the firefighters and their supporters.
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