from CIS; citizen's guide to Town Meeting

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Annual and Special Town Meetings

What’s the difference between annual and special meetings?

Each town must hold an annual Town Meeting. Additional Town Meetings are called special meetings. They may be called as many times during the year as necessary.

When are Town Meetings?

Annual Town Meetings, unless otherwise provided by special law or charter, must be held in February, March, April or May. The Board of Selectman may delay the annual meeting, but it must be completed by June 30th.

Massachusetts General Law - chapter 39:

Section 9: Annual meeting; other meetings; election of officers; times; adjournment; holidays

Section 9. Except as otherwise provided by special law or a charter adopted or revised or amended under Sections two, three, or four of Article LXXXIX of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth which may provide for a different time for the election of town officials and other matters to be determined by ballot, the annual meeting of each town shall be held in February, March, April, May or June; and other meetings may be held at such times as the selectmen may order or the charter or by-law prescribe; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the provisions of this section or of any other law, by-law, or charter to the contrary, a town, by the vote of its board of selectmen or town council may delay the annual town meeting; and provided, further, that such a delayed annual town meeting shall complete its business on or before June thirtieth. Town meetings shall be held within the geographic limits of the town unless a special law, charter or by-law provides otherwise; provided, however, that any meeting for the election by ballot of federal, state or other officers or the determination of other matters that are to be determined by ballot at an election shall be held within the geographic limits of the town. Meetings may be adjourned from time to time and meet and adjourn to any place authorized by law provided that officers shall be elected, and matters required by law to be elected or determined by ballot, shall be so elected or determined during the hours during which polls shall remain open as hereinafter provided. If the day set for a town meeting by by-law or otherwise falls on a legal holiday, such meetings shall be held on the day following. A town may by by-law designate the hour at which the annual town meeting shall be called and subject to section sixty-four of chapter fifty-four by vote or by-law designate the hours during which polls shall remain open in meetings for the election of officers and the determination of other matters that are required by law to be determined by ballot.

Insurance advisory committee make up - Massachusetts General Law:



Section 3 - in part:

Said committee shall consist of eight members as follows: seven persons to be duly elected or appointed to membership on such committee by organizations of the employees affected, and one person who shall be a retiree of a governmental unit who shall be duly appointed to membership on said committee by the appropriate public authority.

Simply put, this committee meets when the participants can get paid while meeting, apparently not wishing to "volunteer" their time and meet after hours so taxpayers, if they wish, could attend.

Town:	Templeton, MA
Board:	Insurance Advisory Committee
Time:	Wednesday February 21, 2018 10:30 AM EST
Location:	Town Hall 160 Patriots Rd., East Templeton, MA 01438 Conference Room
Agenda:	Insurance Advisory Committee Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. 160 Patriots Road, East Templeton, MA Conference Room 1.) Call to Order 2.) FY '19 Insurance Rates 3.) Options to Control Insurance Rates 4.) Vote on rates & plans for FY'19 5.) Adjourn The listing of Agenda items is those reasonably anticipated which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent it is permitted by law.

Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association officers for 2018

President: Jim Lovejoy, Mount Washington

First vice president: Paul DeRensis, Sherborn Second vice president: Ellen Allen, Norwell
Secretary; Andrew Hogeland, Williamstown District 1: John O'Rourke, Conway District 2; Vacant District 3: Vacant District 4: Alan Slavin, Wareham District 5: Mary Krumsiek, Milbury

 
District 1: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties
District 2: Essex and Middlesex counties
District 3: Bristol, Norfolk and Suffolk counties
District 4: Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket and Plymouth counties
District 5: Worcester County

Don't worry, no one reads his bog anyway.

UPDATE:

The following meeting has been updated:

Town(s): Templeton, MA;
Board: Templeton Elementary School Building Committee
Time: Tuesday February 27, 2018 7 PM EST
Location: Town Hall

Agenda:
1. Call to order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Approve minutes
4. Approve Invoices
5. OPM Update
6. New Business
7. Other

** You can manage your email notifications at

email update for this meeting was received today and now people know where to show up for this meeting.

So this meeting magically disappeared from Tuesday, February 20, 2018 and now is on February 27, 2018 as if it were never scheduled. The magic of everything electronic - poof - it is just gone, it was not cancelled, it just never was.

Templeton Meals tax; can you say Dunkin Donuts and Cumberland Farms?

Store sales

Sales of food and beverages by the stores listed above are subject to the tax if the items are sold in a way that it could be considered a meal. The following items sold in stores are taxable:

• Beverages: Poured beverages, such as a cup of coffee or a fountain soda.
• Unpackaged baked goods: Unpackaged baked goods or other snacks are generally taxable unless sold in units of 6 or more to be taken out. Baked goods in units of 6 or more include any variety of items totaling 6 or more servings. For example: 2 bagels, 3 muffins and 1 danish; or a whole pie, cake, loaf of bread, etc. However, a bakery may sell any amount of unpackaged baked goods tax-free if it sells only baked goods, or if it keeps its restaurant sales separate as required by DOR regulation.

Meals Tax:

Local option meals excise: A city or town may impose a local sales tax on restaurant meal sales that come from the city or town by a vendor. The rate is .75% of the vendor's gross receipts from restaurant meal sales. This local excise, which is imposed along with the state sales tax on meals, takes effect on the first day of the calendar quarter following 30 days after acceptance by the city or town on the first day of a later calendar quarter that the city or town may designate.


Massachusetts imposes a sales tax on meals sold by or bought from restaurants or any part of a store. The tax is 6.25% of the sales price of the meal. (Before August 1, 2009, the tax rate was 5%.)

Meal: A meal is any food and/or beverage that has been prepared for immediate human consumption and provided by a restaurant or restaurant part of a store. A meal includes food or beverages sold as "take out" or "to go," whether they're packaged or wrapped or not, and whether they're taken from the premises of the restaurant or not.

Restaurant: A restaurant is any eating or drinking establishment (stationary or mobile, temporary or permanent) that is primarily engaged in the business of selling meals for a price. These include but are not limited to:

Cafes

Cafeterias

Canteen trucks or wagons

Catering businesses

Cocktail lounges and bars

Coffee shops

Diners

Dining rooms, including hotel and motel dining rooms

Ice cream or other food product stands

Lunch counters

Private or social clubs

Salad bars

Snack bars, including theatre snack bars

Street wagons or carts

Taverns

Vending machines or "honor snack trays" that sell snacks or candy with a sales price of $3.50 or more. Honor snack trays are open trays in which employees (in an establishment that normally doesn't sell food) can pay for snacks and candy on the honor system.

Nomination papers are now available for the May 7, 2018 Annual Town Election. 

List of available seats

Thursday, March 15th is the last day to obtain blank nomination papers from the Town Clerk's Office.

Monday, March 19th is the last day to submit completed nomination papers to the Town Clerk's Office.