from the pages of "A guide to financial management for town officials" published by the MA division of local services.


11.3 W H AT CAN BE DONE T O MAKE TOWN MEETING AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE ? Because town meetings convene infrequently and generally have a great deal of business and information to deliberate upon, it is important that issues be identified , data and information assembled , and analysis completed by municipal officers , committees and interested persons in advance of the meeting . Committee meetings , public hearings , cable television programs and news paper articles offer convenient forums for the dissemination of important information on municipal matters . Computer technologies may also help to develop informational reports to assist town meeting . In any event, advance preparation of relevant information and it's presentation to town meeting in a concise and meaningful manner will result in a more effective meeting.


11.4 CAN TOWN MEETING APPROPRIATE MONEY IN A SPECIAL PURPOSE ARTICLE IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT STATED IN THE ARTICLE ?
Special purpose articles often state a specific amount of money for a particular capital or non - recurring purpose (e.g. , police ca r — $20,000) . Sometimes , town meeting wishes to appropriate more money than was identified in the article (often based upon additional information available by the date of town meeting). The answer to the question depends on local practice and the wording of the article . In the case of appropriation articles , town meeting is usually afforded a broad scope of action . The purpose of a warrant article is to just give notice of the subject matter to be acted on at the meeting . Generally, if the subject involve s a matte r that requires an expenditure , the meeting may decide the amount to spend , the financing source and other details . The practice in some communities , however, is that a specific amount stated in a special purpose appropriation article cannot be exceeded unless the article also contains qualifying language such as “other sum ” o r “other amount” . Town officials should consult the moderator and town counsel about the by -laws , procedural rules or practices that apply in their particular town.


I believe at our next town meeting, it should be requested by Town meeting that all articles that require more than a simple majority be determined by a hand count.


posted by Jeff Bennett