BALLOT QUESTION AND SUMMARY
QUESTION
Shall this town approve the new charter recommended by the charter
commission, summarized below? _____YES _____NO
SUMMARY
The select board and the school committee will continue to consist of five members each, elected by the voters, but the terms of office will be changed from two to three years. The terms of members will be staggered so that no more than two seats will be up for election in any year.
Town elections will be held annually, during the April school vacation period.
The select board will be responsible to establish policy for all town activities, except schools, including budget priorities to guide the town manager in the preparation of the annual operating budget and in the delivery of all other municipal services and it will also be responsible to see that a comprehensive master plan is developed for the town.
The select board chair will be elected directly by the voters and will serve as a sixth non-voting member of the school committee. The select board will appoint the town manager and all citizen boards.
The town manager will continue to manage the daily operation of the town. New tools to assist the town manager include allotment schedules to identify any departmental deficit spending trends, periodic tracking of anticipated revenues and revenue trends, and a five-year capital plan. The town manager will receive a yearly evaluation by the select board.
A representative town assembly to consist of twenty-seven members will replace the fifty-member representative town meeting. Twenty members will be elected for two-year overlapping terms from each of the ten precincts. Six members will be elected at large for three-year terms. The voters will elect the assembly president for a three-year term.
Citizens can petition the town assembly at any time with 10 signatures and will now be able to initiate directly to the voters. Voters will retain referendum and be able to recall any elected official. Citizens will be guaranteed the right to speak at any public meeting of any board, including two community forums per year. Citizens can compel additional public forums with 300 signatures.
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