218:
and an annual moderator in the Town of
Brookline." Newport, Rhode Island, influenced by Chandler, had adopted a form or representative town meeting in 1906. Representative or "Limited" Town Meeting consists of Town Meeting members elected from election districts or precincts and Members-at-Large. Representative Town Meetings may be chosen by a town through a special act of the state legislature, by petitioning the
25:
217:
Alfred
Chandler of Brookline introduced the idea of limited or representative town government as early as 1897, but it was not adopted until 1915, when Brookline accepted an act of the Massachusetts legislature providing for "precinct voting, limited town meeting, town meeting members, a referendum,
240:
The representative town meeting follows the procedures of a regular town meeting, and has the authority to address all matters that can be legally addressed at the annual or a special town meeting. Matters that the law or charter states must be placed on the official ballot of the town, cannot be
204:
re-incorporated as a city and eliminated its representative town meetings, no Maine cities or towns operate under a representative town meeting form of government. Open town meeting remains the most common form of local government, dominating in the 431 towns and 34 plantations, while the
192:, with a representative town meeting and a Select Board, is the largest town in Connecticut (61,171 population as of 2010 census) with a town meeting / Select Board style of government.
184:, specifically allows for a valid meeting to take place with no less than half the body present, that the meeting must be open to the public, and that senior town officials such as the
152:, except that not all registered voters can participate or vote. The townspeople instead elect town meeting members by precinct to represent them and to vote on the issues for them.
504:
Local Self-government: Elective Town
Meetings for Large Towns, with a General Legislative Bill Therefor, and the Recent Charter of the City of Newport, Rhode Island, Based Thereon
237:
form of government, which acts under a charter and is the legislative and governing board of the town, but has different requirements for their respective charters.
42:
387:
233:
provides for representative town meeting, though no town has adopted this form of government. The representative town meeting is similar to that of the
422:
544:
485:
452:
241:
decided by the representative meeting. To have a representative town meeting, the town must approve a charter that includes the following:
89:
61:
108:
68:
373:
75:
46:
275:
specific procedures for the preparation, presentation, public hearing, and adoption of annual budgets and designation of a
57:
295:
219:
206:
35:
177:
391:
168:
has non-partisan RTMs, where while a member may belong to a party, it may not be advertised as such, and the
502:
222:
to enact special legislation which applies solely to that town, or by using the Home Rule
Charter process.
189:
82:
272:
or eligibility requirements of up to one year in the town or district and continued domicile during term
165:
188:
or
Superintendent of Schools have all the same rights as members except for voting or raising motions.
160:
Representative town meetings (RTMs) vary from town to town, and can vary widely in terms of rules and
181:
173:
16:
Form of municipal legislature used in Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Connecticut and Vermont
411:
325:
125:, also called "limited town meeting", is a form of municipal legislature particularly common in
282:
230:
549:
448:
149:
444:
388:"Minority Representation Rules | Town of Wethersfield, Connecticut ~ Official Web Site"
329:
169:
180:, however, requires "minority representation" so that no one party can control the RTM.
469:
269:
201:
538:
437:
142:
130:
357:
518:
319:
315:
260:
234:
287:
bonding of certain town officials and employees where not required by general law
276:
126:
24:
474:. State Library of Massachusetts. Boston : Secretary of the Commonwealth.
303:
256:
185:
246:
138:
291:
161:
306:, and chairman of the town budget committee, are members-at-large.
134:
412:
http://www.town.groton.ct.us/town_gov/EntireCharterRevised.pdf
18:
343:
Real
Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How It Works
148:
Representative town meetings function largely the same as
302:
Elected town officials, such as the board of selectmen,
350:
Town
Meeting: Practicing Democracy in Rural New England
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
436:
322:: Representative legislature for a town or city
281:an annual municipal election date pursuant to
172:may veto any legislation passed excepting for
471:Acts and resolves passed by the General Court
8:
352:(University of Massachusetts Press, 2011)
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
365:
435:Hardwicke, Greer; Reed, Roger (1998).
290:requirements for periodic independent
265:requirements for attendance and quorum
423:"Sanford Becomes Maine's Newest City"
7:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
294:of all town financial matters by a
519:"Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings"
507:. Riverside Press: C.A.W. Spencer.
355:Massachusetts Secretary of State,
14:
501:Chandler, Alfred Dupont (1908).
358:Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings
23:
545:Local government in New England
521:. Secretary of the Commonwealth
252:the manner of filling vacancies
34:needs additional citations for
443:. Arcadia Publishing. p.
1:
345:(University of Chicago Press)
58:"Representative town meeting"
209:dominates in the 23 cities.
200:As of January 1, 2013, when
487:Massachusetts Law Quarterly
296:certified public accountant
123:representative town meeting
566:
425:, KJ Online, Jan. 2, 2013.
328:: Executive council of a
178:Wethersfield, Connecticut
490:. The Association. 1918.
468:Massachusetts (1663).
190:Greenwich, Connecticut
166:Westport, Connecticut
348:Donald L. Robinson,
207:council–manager form
43:improve this article
259:, appointment, and
182:Groton, Connecticut
133:, and permitted in
374:"Municode Library"
326:Board of selectmen
231:NH RSA 49-D-3 III.
150:open town meetings
454:978-0-7385-4974-3
119:
118:
111:
93:
557:
530:
529:
527:
526:
515:
509:
508:
498:
492:
491:
482:
476:
475:
465:
459:
458:
442:
432:
426:
420:
414:
409:
403:
402:
400:
399:
390:. Archived from
384:
378:
377:
370:
341:Frank M. Bryan,
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
565:
564:
560:
559:
558:
556:
555:
554:
535:
534:
533:
524:
522:
517:
516:
512:
500:
499:
495:
484:
483:
479:
467:
466:
462:
455:
434:
433:
429:
421:
417:
410:
406:
397:
395:
386:
385:
381:
372:
371:
367:
338:
312:
228:
215:
198:
170:First Selectman
158:
115:
104:
98:
95:
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
563:
561:
553:
552:
547:
537:
536:
532:
531:
510:
493:
477:
460:
453:
427:
415:
404:
379:
364:
363:
362:
353:
346:
337:
334:
333:
332:
323:
311:
308:
300:
299:
288:
285:
279:
273:
266:
263:
253:
250:
249:representation
245:the manner of
227:
224:
214:
211:
197:
194:
174:appropriations
164:. The town of
157:
154:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
562:
551:
548:
546:
543:
542:
540:
520:
514:
511:
506:
505:
497:
494:
489:
488:
481:
478:
473:
472:
464:
461:
456:
450:
446:
441:
440:
431:
428:
424:
419:
416:
413:
408:
405:
394:on 2011-07-18
393:
389:
383:
380:
375:
369:
366:
360:
359:
354:
351:
347:
344:
340:
339:
335:
331:
327:
324:
321:
317:
314:
313:
309:
307:
305:
297:
293:
289:
286:
284:
280:
278:
274:
271:
267:
264:
262:
258:
254:
251:
248:
244:
243:
242:
238:
236:
232:
226:New Hampshire
225:
223:
221:
220:General Court
213:Massachusetts
212:
210:
208:
203:
195:
193:
191:
187:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
163:
155:
153:
151:
146:
144:
143:New Hampshire
140:
136:
132:
131:Massachusetts
128:
124:
113:
110:
102:
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
523:. Retrieved
513:
503:
496:
486:
480:
470:
463:
438:
430:
418:
407:
396:. Retrieved
392:the original
382:
368:
356:
349:
342:
320:city council
301:
261:confirmation
239:
235:town council
229:
216:
199:
159:
147:
122:
120:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
277:fiscal year
156:Connecticut
127:Connecticut
539:Categories
525:2012-05-21
398:2011-07-27
336:References
304:town clerk
257:nomination
255:powers of
186:town clerk
69:newspapers
439:Brookline
283:RSA 669:1
99:July 2011
550:Meetings
310:See also
270:domicile
247:district
202:Sanford
139:Vermont
83:scholar
451:
361:(2012)
292:audits
162:bylaws
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
196:Maine
135:Maine
90:JSTOR
76:books
449:ISBN
330:town
316:Town
268:any
141:and
129:and
62:news
318:or
45:by
541::
447:.
445:61
176:.
145:.
137:,
121:A
528:.
457:.
401:.
376:.
298:.
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.