Welcome to the Nahant Town Meeting Webpage
2020 Town Meeting |
Updated: August 21, 2020 |
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The postponed Annual Town Meeting will now take place on Saturday, September 26th at the Flash Road Park (outdoors) starting at 12:30 PM.
We will continue to update the website as details continue to develop. |
The purest form of democratic governing is practiced in a Town Meeting. In use for over 300 years and still today, it has proven to be a valuable means for many Massachusetts taxpayers to voice their opinions and directly effect change in their communities. Here in this ancient American assembly, you can make your voice heard as you and your neighbors decide the course of the government closest to you. Read more online by visiting the Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings.
William Francis Galvin
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Town Meeting is held each year
and participation
demands a commitment of time, energy, effort, imagination, a sense
of humor, intelligence, a dose of common sense, fair play, and a
deep appreciation of self-government.
The Procedures document below outlines some of the most common questions
related to Town Meeting. Please feel free to contact the Nahant
Town Clerk or Moderator for further information.
Official Annual Town Meeting Notes and Election Results are also
available in our Document Archive below in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.
Archive Of Meetings and Election Information
Annual Town Meeting September 26th 2020
The postponed Annual Town Meeting will now take place on Saturday, September 26th at the Flash Road Park (outdoors) starting at 12:30 PM.
We will continue to update the website as details continue to develop.
Report/Recommendations of the Advisory/Finance Committee
For The November 23, 2019 Special Town Meeting
Nahant Special Town Meeting | Monday September 26th 7:30 PM
September 26, 2016 | Special Town Meeting Warrant
Voter Registration | Voter registration for the Special Town Meeting is
TBA
The Town Clerk’s office will be open from 9 AM until 8 PM.
Presidential Election | Tuesday November 8th
The polls will be open from 7 AM until 8 PM.
Voter Registration | Voter registration for the General Election will be
TBA
The Town Clerk’s office will be open from 9 AM until 8 PM.
Early Voting for the November 8th Election | Starts Monday, October 24th
Nahant Special Town Meeting | Monday September 26th 7:30 PM
Voter Registration | Voter registration for the Special Town Meeting is Tuesday, September 6th. The Town Clerk’s office will be open from 9 AM until 8 PM.
Presidential Election | Tuesday November 8th
The polls will be open from 7 AM until 8 PM.
Voter Registration | Voter registration for the General Election will be Wednesday, October 18th. The Town Clerk’s office will be open from 9 AM until 8 PM.
Early Voting for the November 8th Election | Starts Monday, October 24th
The Nahant Town Moderator
David G. Conlin
Our Mission
The Town Moderator is the presiding
officer of the Annual Town Meeting, Special Town Meetings and other
meetings that he or she is requested to officiate at to ensure that
order is maintained.
The moderator regulates its proceedings, decides all questions of
order, declares the outcome of all votes, and has other power and
duties as provided for that office by Massachusetts General Laws
(see below) and Town By-laws.
The Town Moderator is an elected position with a three year term. The Town Moderator is also charged with making the following appointments:
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Board and Committee Appointments |
Capital
Committee |
Finance
and Advisory Committee |
Insurance
Committee |
Johnson
School Renovation Committee |
Memorial
Day Committee |
Open
Space Committee |
Personnel
Advisory Committee |
Recreation
Committee |
Fourth
of July Committee |
Powers and Duties of the Town Moderator
Massachusetts General Laws/Chapter 39: Moderators;
Powers and Duties.
Section 15. The moderator shall preside and regulate
the proceedings, decide all questions of order, and make public
declaration of all votes, and may administer in open meeting the
oath of office to any town officer chosen thereat. If a vote so
declared is immediately questioned by seven or more voters, he shall
verify it by polling the voters or by dividing the meeting unless
the town has by a previous order or by by-law provided another method.
If a two thirds, four fifths or nine tenths vote of a town meeting
is required by statute, the count shall be taken, and the vote shall
be recorded in the records by the clerk; provided, however, that
a town may decide by by-law or vote not to take a count and record
the vote if a two-thirds vote of a town meeting is required by statute;
and provided, further, that if the vote is unanimous, a count need
not be taken, and the clerk shall record the vote as unanimous.
A town may pass by-laws, subject to this section,
for the regulation of the proceedings at town meetings. Such by-laws
shall be approved and published in the manner prescribed by section
thirty-two of chapter forty.
In any town having a representative town meeting form
of government the town meeting members shall not use the secret
ballot when voting in the exercise of the corporate powers of said
town or on any motion unless two thirds of the town meeting members
present and voting thereon vote that a secret ballot be used.
Powers of Moderator; Preservation of Order.
Section 17. No person shall address a town meeting without
leave of the moderator, and all persons shall, at the request of
the moderator, be silent. If a person, after warning from the moderator,
persists in disorderly behavior, the moderator may order him to
withdraw from the meeting, and, if he does not withdraw, may order
a constable or any other person to remove him and confine him in
some convenient place until the meeting is adjourned.
Duties of Moderators; Reception of Votes.
Section 18. The moderator shall receive the vote of any
person whose name is on the voting list or who presents a proper
certificate from the registrars of voters.
Town Meeting Frequently Asked Questions
"Any registered voter
of the Town shall have the right to speak and vote at Town Meeting
sessions"
Charter of the Town of Nahant
Click on the question(s) below for the information. Click on "Back
To The Top" to return to this index of questions.
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1. How Do
I suggest a change in what the Town is planning to spend? |
2.
What Motions require a Majority vote in order to pass? |
3.
What Motions require a 2/3 majority? |
4.
What motions require a ballot vote? |
5.
What is the Reserve Fund? |
6.
What is Free Cash? |
7.
What is Proposition 2 1/2. What does it mean for Nahant? |
8.
How are Fees established and what are they used for? |
9.
How does the Education Reform Law affect the way we run our schools? |
10.There
is much news about cuts in Local Aid. How does this affect Nahant? |
11.
How can I best participate in Town government? |
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1. How Do I
suggest a change in what the Town is planning to spend?
- "The right to submit a proposition belongs
to all members (of Town Meeting) alike. There can be no monopoly
on motion-making"*
- By tradition in Nahant, as in most towns,
the FinCom makes the first motion on each article, in line with
the committee's recommendations which are mailed to each voter
before Town Meeting. Where the FinCom is in favor of an article,
the motion will spell out how the committee proposes to adopt
the article. If a citizen disagrees, a motion to amend the FinCom's
motion can be made.
- Where the FinCom recommends against adoption
of an article, the motion will usually be to "indefinitely
postpone action on this article." If, after any discussion,
a majority vote in favor of that motion, no other motions or actions
will be considered in connection with that article. If a citizen
disagrees, the way to overcome the FinCom's proposed indefinite
postponement is to convince a majority of the voters to vote against
the motion for indefinite postponement. After that motion is defeated,
a new motion must be made so that the Town can take the voter's
desired action on the article.
- The Moderator will be giving clear instructions
on each article. He will also respond to any point of information
you may raise.
- In general, one can speak to the motion on
the floor (rules: one may not speak more than twice or for more
than 10 minutes on any one motion. Of course, decorum is important.
State your name and address in Town, address your remarks to the
Moderator, and speaker is not to indulge in personalities*
- The form for making an amendment: "I
move the pending motion be amended by the following words__________________
"*
- For the sake of clarity, complicated proposed
amendments need to be written out.
- Most spending is contained in the Omnibus
Article. Each line will be recited. If you have any question or
disagreement with any particular line item- you should yell the
word "PASS" when that item is read.
- The Town Meeting will return to discuss all
"passed" items for discussion before the vote is taken
on the total spending. If you wish to increase spending on any
line item, you must identify the source of funds - that is what
items would be reduced in order to pay for your proposed increase.
Back To The Top
2. What Motions
require a Majority vote in order to pass?
- Most motions require a simple majority vote
to pass.
- Motions to indefinitely postpone require
a simple majority, as well as motions to amend
- The Town Moderator will explain the requirements
required to approve each motion as it is presented.
Back To The Top
3. What Motions
require a 2/3 majority?
- Generally, motions which will make substantial
changes to citizens' property rights, e.g., motions to change
the zoning bylaws, or motions which will put the Town into debt,
require a two thirds vote.
- A few motions require more than a two-thirds
vote.
- The Town Moderator will explain the requirements
required to approve each motion as it is presented.
Back To The Top
4. What motions
require a ballot vote?
- Some motions automatically require a ballot
vote, most notably a motion which would set salaries of Town employees.
Other motions can be by ballot vote if the requisite number of
voters want it
- Nahant By-Laws Article II section 9: "the
Meeting may order that the vote on any motion shall be taken by
a "yes" or "no" ballot furnished by the Town
Clerk if, on a motion so made, there shall be 25 or more votes
in the affirmative."
- The Town Moderator will explain the requirements
required to approve each motion as it is presented.
Back To The Top
5. What is the
Reserve Fund?
- This is a fund voted by the Annual Town Meeting
and controlled by the Advisory and Finance Committee for extraordinary
and unforeseen expenditures incurred by Town departments during
the year.
Back To The Top
6. What is Free
Cash?
- The amount of money left after all prior
years' uncollected taxes have been deducted from surplus revenue.
The amount may be used as available funds by vote of Town Meeting.
Back To The Top
7. What is Proposition
2 1/2. What does it mean for Nahant?
- Proposition 2 1/2 is a State law that places
a ceiling on the total amount of taxes that a Town can raise;
and it also limits the percentage by which a town's tax revenues
can increase from year to year. Proposition 2 1/2 has no relevance
as far as tax increases on individual properties are concerned;
it relates only to the total amount of taxes raised by the Town.
Your Town's taxes can rise by more than 2 1/2% through:
- Exclusions of the cost of debt
or spending for capital purposes must first be approved by
a two-thirds vote of the local legislative body before appearing
on the ballot. The idea is that such costs are outside the
regular budget for providing local services; a town may need
a new school or wish to acquire land that it could not afford
within its tax limits. Exclusions are limited to the life
of the expenditure.
- Overrides are permanent increases
in the tax limit. An override, for a specific amount, must
be approved by the municipality's legislative body and placed
on the ballot for approval by the voters. No override may
increase property taxes above the maximum rate of 2.5 percent
of full value**
Back To The Top
8. How are Fees
established and what are they used for?
- The Board of Selectmen set the fees for the
Town. Trash collection is a fee negotiated with the contracted
haulers.
- Water and Sewer fees cover assessments levied
by MWRA for Water, Lynn Water & Sewer for sewerage. Water
and Sewer fees also cover over 90% of the Department of Public
Works budget. See Omnibus Article line items 81 - 101
Back To The Top
9. How does
Education Reform Law affect the way we run our schools?
- The Education Reform Act of 1993 sets certain
standards for the components and totals of local spending on the
school system and at the same time sets standards for improved
student performance.
- No town is permitted to spend less than Net
School spending. The formula for Net School Spending is set by
the Governor's office and the Department of Education. You are
free to ask at any time whether Nahant is at or above Net School
Spending.
Back To The Top
11. How can I best participate
in Town government?
- Nahant has a long tradition of utilizing
the talents and time of its good citizens. They are often called
to share in tackling interesting assignments as members of our
many committees. Almost all will tell you, as your FinCom members
do here, that the experience is a good one.
- The Moderator has set up a talent/job bank
and would like to see as many citizens as possible enter their
names for consideration
Back To The Top
Sources:
* Town Meeting Time, A Handbook of Parliamentary Law
Johnson, Trustman, Wadsworth Third Edition 2001
** The Issues Book Public Policy Issues in Massachusetts
Compiled By Richard Manley Senior Fellow John W. McCormack Institute
of Public Affairs, University of Massachusetts Boston
Back To The Top
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A Note From The Advisory and Finance Committee
We are not the first, nor
hopefully the last, collection of souls gathering to Nahant Annual
Town Meeting, trying to reach peaceful agreement on what is best for
the place we love.
For perspective, look at the following section, borrowed from Some
Annals on Nahant.
"Speaking Right Out in Town Meetin' at
Nahant Saturday"
Click on the picture for a larger image.
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