A Successful Town Meeting
Open Town Meetings are the purest form of Democracy, and we’re lucky to have this form of government here in Douglas. If you don’t go to Town Meetings you’re missing the ultimate opportunity - every voter is an equal. At your first town meeting you have equal say and vote as members of the Board of Selectmen. You have the right to speak your mind, ask questions, and even offer amendments to items on the agenda. Were you at the Special Town Meeting on November 7? If so, what did you think? If you didn’t go, why not? Continue reading and add your comments!
A successful Town Meeting doesn’t necessarily mean everything passes without argument. Honest debate and discussion, sometimes emotionally so, is common. And it should be. Little frustrates me more than a Town Meeting with low turnout and no opinions. Town Meeting is where the town makes nearly all important decisions. With few exceptions all big financial decisions are made at Town Meeting. All town bylaws are adopted at Town Meeting.
A “Special Town Meeting” is just any Town Meeting other then the Annual Town Meeting in May. Last week’s Special Town Meeting had ten articles. I was privileged to present the first article of the night, as Chair of the Capital Improvement Committee. Another article provided additional school funding. The town amended a bylaw on signs, approved money to buy a town-owned public information sign, and approved a special tax discount to woo new businesses into town. The full list of articles is still on the town’s web site.
The meeting had about 160 voters in attendance, which is pretty good for a Special Town Meeting. Even so, that’s only 3% of eligible voters. The Annual Town Meeting, and “hot button” Special Town Meetings, often see larger attendance.
We are opening the discussion area of the web site for your comments and thoughts on last night’s meeting, and on Town Meetings in general. Have you been to a Town Meeting, and if so, what did you think? Do you find the information mailed to voters worthwhile? Do you watch the tape of Town Meetings on cable?
Comments are “moderated” meaning they’re reviewed for foul language and so-forth before being posted. If the discussion goes well, we hope to open the floodgates of discussion on future articles.
November 19th, 2005 at 8:01 am
The Town Meeting way of Government has gone the way of the dinosaur. Noone can argue in the “old days” that it once provided an opportunity for any registered voter to stand and say their peace. However due to self imposed “time constraints”, complexity of warrant articles and their details the current age Town Meeting is not a very effective vehicle to conduct town gevernment. Today’s town meeting restrains registered voters to only 2 “questions or statements” by the moderator. Frankly, with 2 chances the average citizen who has little insight into any warrant article stands little chance of gaining much of an understanding.
As a former Chairman of the Finance Committee, I realize too often just how much the general voters do not know, nor can the conventional town meeting provide that insight for a number of reasons. Bias toward the article as well as complexity are two underlying rationales.
Most people making the motion are too biased in ensuring it’s passage (regardless of whether it is a well researched article or not) rather than simply provide substantive & full disclosure of information so those in the audience can make an informed decision.
For example; did the fuel tank really need to be dug up because it was leaking? The work was certainly done so the bill needed to be paid! Did anyone even think to ask about the potential $35k grant to offset the fuel tank article and how that would adjust the cost of what was just voted on? Did the BOS have legal authority to enter into a 7 year lease agreement (3 year is the statute) even though only 1 year was approved for a capital item at a previous ATM? The list goes on and on.
Essentially, most attendees are at a severe disadvantage - that is not what Town Meeting (as described as a “sucessfull town meeting”) is suppose to be about!
I have had the pleasure of presenting to town meeting’s that have been in excess of over 700 (even that is low) and have seen many more meetings that are more common and under 100. Since approval of many warrant articles are based on having indepth knowledge of it’s details - the general town meeting is no longer a vehicle that is capable of providing that insight. Frankly, while everyone talks about how favorable town meeting is, we don’t have a facility that could hold 10% of the voters if they showed up (which has never happened in the last 25 years) and frankly officials breath a sigh of relief that it does not happen.
The BOS need to rise to reason and not politics on this matter and form a charter commission (not a government study committee) as the time has come to change the mechanics as there are many more problems then ineffective Town Meetings within the existing form of government. The most interesting note on this, should the BOS have the courage of their convictions, is that the main opposition will be from those already entrenched in town borads, committees and existing officials.
I’d ask another question, but I have already used up my 2 chances.
November 19th, 2005 at 8:52 am
So what’s the solution if Town Meetings aren’t working as argued? Elected Town Meeting members? Move to a city government and eliminate Town Meeting completely?
The two-question limit is isn’t in the law - it’s the moderator’s method to keep the meeting from getting out of hand. One can make a motion to change the rules for a particular article (possibly the whole meeting), or petition a bylaw to set different rules in writing.
The limit isn’t really to two questions, it’s to two instances of asking questions. Each instance can include multiple questions, followed by the article promoter’s (hopefully!) answers to those questions. I’m not saying it’s the best method but it works reasonably well.
One idea I’ve had is to hold an informal meeting prior to Town Meeting, either 1-2 hours prior or some night beforehand. If beforehand it could be shown on cable. This would be a less formal forum for discussion on the articles at hand or a specific issue. I do want to see a greater number of informed voters at town meeting - maybe this would help.
We did this (don’t remember if it was videotaped) at several public info sessions prior to the successful school construction vote in late 2000. The turnout wasn’t incredible but helped deal with extended Q&A prior to Town Meeting.
November 19th, 2005 at 9:45 am
Since I have lived in towns that have had all three variations including a Mayor and a Town Manager driven government, they all have their +’s & -’s. What is a key ingredient (whether it is Town Meeting Member oriented. Town Council, or Town Manager driven) is that a “select” number of individuals who are “elected” by thier “districts” with some “district-wide” representatives will understand the underlying specifics while representing the majority of their constituients (of course the polished ones go well beyond majority). If they don’t, after 2 years, there are new faces.
Rather then try and constantly educate all voters with hopes they show up - the smaller number of “meeting members” will ensure they are (for a variety of reasons).
If we believe all these forecasts including the one from the school construction committee of 2000 and those since the community we live in will be bursting at the seams in 10 years with upward to 16 thousand residents. So why delay it any further? Better to migrate now and work on the wrinkles.
At one time, lke you, I thought if we could inform the voters which is how the Fianance Committee Voter Information Bulletin vehicle was created during my watch - we would get these turnouts. While I’d like to believe that at least, if they read it, they have some idea of the article, the turnouts are still low, sparadic and inconsistent. Even the VIB lately seems to be less informative than those in the past.
A “Town Meeting” form of government, such as we have, whether we like to believe it or not has run it’s course. When they were racing horses on main street - it was viable according to the historians. Today, we have to bring better coordination, accountability and oversight as we are just too fragmented in too many areas and a “town meeting” form of government does little to achieve this goal.