Moderators Role at the Deliberative Session of Town Meeting

Join Legal Services Counsel Stephen Buckley and Staff Attorney Margaret Byrnes to explore and discuss the role of the moderator at the town meeting deliberative session. We will discuss election of the moderator, vacancy and appointment, assistant moderators, moderator pro tem, the authority of the moderator to set rules of procedure, authority of the town meeting to overrule the moderator, secret balloting, recounts, and the authority of the moderator to control disorder at the meeting. Attention will be paid to the difference between a traditional town meeting deliberative session and an SB2 town meeting deliberative session. Specific examples will be offered on types of motions and amendments that can be made affecting warrant articles, and problems and circumstances that must be avoided to prevent disallowance of adopted warrant articles by the Department of Revenue Administration.