[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Bolton 5-7-2012 ATM by Art. 10 (Section 1.2 of the Town Bylaws). Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 1-23-1989 STM by Art. 16; 3-4-1996 STM by Art. 12; 2-7-2000 STM by Art. 1; 5-3-2021 ATM by Art. 10]
The Annual Town Meeting for the transaction of business shall be on the first Monday in May at a time to be determined by the Select Board. The election of officers shall take place on the second Monday in May and commence at 12:01 p.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. of that day.
A. 
The Annual Town Meeting shall, unless a different time or method is prescribed by law, be called by posting an attested copy of the warrant, calling the same, at the Town Hall, at the Post Office and at two other public places in the Town seven days, at least, before the day appointed for said meeting, and by mailing a copy of the warrant to each household where one or more registered voters resides.
B. 
A Special Town Meeting shall, unless a different time or method is prescribed by law, be called by posting an attested copy of the warrant, calling the same, at the Town Hall, at the Post Office and at two other public places in the Town 14 days, at least, before the day appointed for said meeting, and by mailing a copy of the warrant to each household where one or more registered voters resides.
The presence of 75 registered voters at a Town Meeting for the transaction of business shall be required to constitute a quorum, except for a motion to adjourn for which no quorum shall be required. If there is no quorum, the Town Meeting shall either wait until there is a quorum or shall motion to adjourn to another date.
When an article requiring an appropriation of money is presented in the warrant for a Town Meeting, said article must contain the request for the appropriation.
[Amended 5-5-1997 STM by Art. 3]
For all matters requiring a two-thirds vote under MGL c. 39, § 15, a count need not be taken unless the vote so declared is immediately questioned by seven or more voters.
The Moderator shall have the power to require persons who are not registered voters to identify themselves and leave the floor of the hall when he shall deem this action necessary.
Articles for the warrant shall be acted upon in the order in which they stand, except that the Moderator may, upon request and for reasons stated, entertain the motion to take up an article out of this regular order.
A. 
No motion, the effect of which would be to dissolve a Town Meeting, shall be in order until every article in the warrant has been acted upon, but this shall not preclude the postponement of action on, or consideration of, any article to an adjournment of the meeting to a stated time.
B. 
When a question is before the meeting, the following motions shall be received and shall have precedence in the following order, and the first three shall be decided without debate, namely: to adjourn; to lay on the table; for the previous question; to postpone to a stated time; to commit, recommit or refer; to amend; to postpone indefinitely.
C. 
No article in the warrant shall be again taken into consideration after having been disposed of unless ordered by a vote of 2/3 of the voters present and voting.
[Amended 10-19-1981 ATM by Art. 1]
The Moderator may decline to put motions obviously frivolous or tending to disorder. A motion shall be presented in writing if the Moderator requests. The Moderator shall be governed in his rulings by these articles.
A. 
All committees, unless otherwise specially directed by the meeting, shall be appointed by the Moderator except as otherwise provided by law, and all committees so appointed shall be directed to report within a definite time. If a committee does not report within the time stated, or at the first Annual Town Meeting thereafter, it shall be considered discharged. The Moderator shall not be a member of any committee appointed by him.
B. 
It shall be the duty of the appointing body, promptly after every Town Meeting, to notify all members of committees who shall be selected or appointed at such meeting.