Town Meeting:How to Become Informed

Preparation is an asset to effective participation. Considerable information can be obtained by reviewing available publications of the Town, by attending some meetings, and through discussions with members of the Town Meeting. Information may also be found on the TMMA website at http://www.lexingtontmma.org/.

Most relevant published information about the Town is available in the reference section of the Cary Library and on the Town's web page at http://www.lexingtonma.gov/. Some information can be examined or is for sale at the Town office building.

The League of Women Voters' TOWN GOVERNMENT HANDBOOK, LEXINGTON, USA, is a relatively concise practical guide to how Lexington's Town government functions. It includes material culled from many sources and is an excellent starting point. It is available at the Cary Library.

The Annual Report of the Town contains information about the Town, its boards and committees, and how it is operating. It provides the missions of the boards and committees and tells what each has been doing during the past year. It also lists members, and often includes photographs. The Annual Report also summarizes the action of Town Meeting on the previous year's Warrant and provides information about Town income and expenditures. Meetings of all Town boards and committees are open to the public. Notice of meetings of Town committees, such as the School Committee, Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, and Conservation Commission are posted in the Town Office Building opposite the Town Clerk's office and are published in the Lexington Minuteman newspaper and on the town's website. Reports of the Appropriation Committee, Capital Expenditures Committee, and Planning Board, as well as the Annual Report of the Town are available at Cary Library. The Town's General Bylaws describe the structure of Town government and many basic laws and include the rules under which Town Meeting is conducted. An up to date version is on the Town web site at http://www.lexingtonma.gov/. The Selectmen's Policy and Procedures Manual may be seen at the office of the Selectmen or the Town Manager. Other laws affecting Lexington such as the zoning by-laws, plumbing and building codes established by the state, and the state statutes, are referred to at the end of that manual. The Selectmen-Town Manager Act (Chapter 753 of the Acts of 1968, amended) describes the governmental structure unique to Lexington. Chapter 215, Acts of 1929, established and defines Lexington's representative Town Meeting and referendum process.

Public hearings required by law on Warrant articles are held preceding Town Meeting. Notices for these hearings and are posted in the Town Office Building and are published in the Lexington Minuteman newspaper. During February and March, the Planning Board holds public hearings on all pertinent Warrant articles involving that board. The Town Meeting Members Association (TMMA) usually holds public Warrant Information meetings between the election and the first deliberative session of Town Meeting. At these sessions, sponsors of the articles often provide additional information. A calendar of relevant events is distributed to all Town Meeting Members well in advance and is published in the local newspaper and the Warrant. The TMMA also prepares a Warrant Information Report on the Warrant articles prior to Town Meeting. The TMMA usually sponsors a bus tour, generally on the Sunday before the first deliberative session, to visit sites and obtain additional information relevant to articles on the Warrant. The Tour also provides an opportunity to meet informally with other members of Town Meeting. The TMMA maintains an email list for the discussion of Warrant articles and other issues affecting the Town. All Town Meeting Members, member of Town Committees and Town staff may join the list and post to it. The general public may read all of the posts on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lex-tmma/