Marching Orders

Town Meeting is a very powerful form of government. Town Meeting gives the decision making power to the people who attend Town Meeting.

Some people mistakenly believe the BOS can circumvent Town Meeting votes. That is not true. The votes taken at Town Meeting are the marching orders for the BOS to carry out over the course of the next fiscal year.

The BOS gathers and submits warrant articles for Town Meeting approval from all town departments. These warrant articles need approval from Town Meeting in order to be carried out…the marching orders. If an article is defeated at Town Meeting the BOS can NOT override that vote by Town Meeting. If an operating budget is defeated at Town Meeting, the BOS can NOT sign off on any vendor warrants for that department, because Town Meeting said so.

When the Water Commissioners assert the vote at Town Meeting for the water budget is non-binding, the commissioners are correct…up to a point. The vote is non-binding on THEM - as Commissioners. The vote at Town Meeting IS binding on the BOS. The BOS must abide by the votes taken at Town Meeting. Town Meeting defeated Article 12 :

Article 12 To see if the Town will vote the sum of One Million Four Hundred Seven Thousand Three Hundred Seventy Eight Dollars ($1,407,378.00) to operate the Water Department, which sum is to be raised from water receipts, or to take any other action relative thereto.

Submitted by the Board of Selectmen

by a vote of 141 NO to 118 YES.

The BOS have sent this LETTER to the Water Commissioners in order to try to resolve this problem. The purpose of this letter is to meet and try to come to some agreement on a water budget. That new article can beg re-submitted for the Special Town Meeting in June.

It appears the BOS is willing to come to an agreement that is in the best interest of the TOWNSPEOPLE. Can the same be said of the Water Commissioners?

My opinions…supported by FACTS ! ! !

Julie Farrell