I. Council Action Requested.
Title
To receive public comment on the following proposed referendum questions for a Special Town Meeting to be called and held on November 3, 2026.
QUESTION 1:
Shall the Town approve charter amendment summarized below, to be effective January 1, 2027?
To amend Article V (Budget) and Article VIII (The Town Meeting) of the Town Charter to:
Change the method of Town Meeting’s voting on the annual budget from an open town meeting to a secret ballot referendum;
Provide for a special open Town Meeting to be held to consider portions of the annual budget rejected at the secret ballot referendum;
Authorize the Town Council to choose how to present the budget to voters for approval; and
Adjust the timeline for the Town Manager to prepare and submit the proposed annual budget to the Town Council for review, to accommodate use of the secret ballot referendum process.
QUESTION 2.
Shall the Town approve charter amendment reprinted below, to be effective immediately upon adoption?
Article VIII of the Town Charter, entitled, “The Town Meeting,” Section 2 entitled, “When action by Town Meeting required” is hereby amended as follows (additions are underlined, deletions are struck through):
Section 2. When action by Town Meeting required.
The annual budget, as provided in Article V and in accordance with Section 5 of this Article; any appropriation of 500,000 or more in addition to or supplementary to the annual budget appropriation; the issuance of bonds or notes, except notes in anticipation of taxes to be paid within the fiscal year in which issued; shall become effective only after adoption at a Town Meeting by a majority vote of those present and voting. The Town Meeting shall not increase the amount of any appropriation recommended by the Council and shall not increase the amount of any bond issue above the amount recommended by the Council.
QUESTION 3:
To see if the Town will vote to, 1.) authorize the issuance of general obligati...
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