Town Meeting:How to Prepare an Article for the Warrant

An article may be placed in the Warrant by petition. For an annual Town Meeting ten registered voters must sign the petition. For a special Town Meeting 100 registered voters must sign the petition. To compensate for possible errors, it is recommended that more than the minimum number of signatures be obtained. The wording of an article for the Warrant should be carefully written to meet legal requirements while fulfilling the intent of the petition. Advice may be obtained from TMMA members and, at the discretion of the Town Manager, from Town Counsel. The article petition must be delivered to the Selectmen's Office before the closing date for the Warrant, as specified by the Selectmen. Articles for the warrant should ideally be submitted before the deadline so Town Counsel has time to review the language and respond if necessary. For an annual Town Meeting the closing date is usually in late December. For a special Town Meeting, the closing date is about a month before the first session. If the article requires the expenditure of money, a meeting should be scheduled with the Selectmen and the Appropriation Committee (and if a capital item, with the Capital Expenditures committee) before mid-January. If the article requires a public hearing, the appropriate board should be contacted far enough in advance to allow for the hearing and the required public notice for the hearing.