COVID-19
St. 2020, c. 53, §§ 2-4 Suspends some town meeting requirements during COVID-19
Best bet
Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings, Secretary of the Commonwealth (2008)
"This booklet outlines the forms and procedures used in Massachusetts Town Meetings."
Massachusetts laws
Massachusetts Constitution, Amendment LXXXIX
Draws the distinction between cities and towns, and allows for home-rule charters
MGL c.39 Municipal government: city government and town meetings
MGL c.43A Standard Form of Representative Town Meeting Government
Rules of procedure
Most Massachusetts town meetings use one or both of the following:
Roberts Rules of Order
- Official site with ordering information as well as frequently asked questions about the rules
- 1915 edition online, Bartleby
- Print source from our law libraries
- Roberts Rules in plain English (print)
"Abbreviated essential parliamentary rules condensed from Robert's Rules of order newly revised." - Roberts Rules of Order in the courts (print) provides citations to court cases about the rules
Town Meeting Time
- Mass. Moderators Association, ordering information
- Print source from our law libraries
Web sources
- About town meeting, Lexington
- A nice explanation of how a representative town meeting works in one town
- Guide to citizens' petitions for town meetings, by James Lampke, Hull Town Counsel, 2013.
A brief guide "intended to present in layman’s terms the process for citizens to petition Town Meeting." - Town meeting overview, Andover
- An introduction to the open town meeting process in one town
Contact
Online
Reference librarians online
Chat with a law librarian
Reference librarians via email
masslawlib@gmail.com
Address
Administrative office (no law library at this location)
2 Center Plaza
9th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
9th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
Last updated: | September 17, 2020 |
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