Quorum is the minimum number of people needed to hold a meeting or to be able to vote.

Open Meeting Law is a Massachusetts state law that ensures public boards operate with transparency, both in their meetings and in their recordkeeping. Components of Open Meeting Law include regularly posting when meetings will happen, broadcasting and/or recording meetings for public viewing, as well as keeping and routinely posting meeting minutes. The only time a board should be discussing agenda items is during their meeting. For more about Open Meeting Law, click here.

Meeting Agenda lists all the topics that will be discussed during a board/committee meeting. Under Open Meeting Law, only topics that are on the agenda can be discussed by the board during the meeting. The agendas must be posted in advance of the meeting, typically at town hall and on the town website, and will also include the time and location of the meeting for anyone who wants to attend (or in today’s world, the zoom link!).

Robert’s Rules are the rules used by groups in and beyond town government for consistency, order, and fairness in meetings. These rules cover how to introduce, discuss, and vote on agenda items. Abiding by these rules ensures that the decisions that your board/committee makes are valid and enforceable. Read more about Robert’s Rules here.

“Recognize”/ “Through the Chair” During a meeting, the Chair calls the shots. Whether you’re on the board, an applicant before the board, or a member of the public, the chair will “recognize” you when it’s your turn to talk. Or, you can ask to be recognized, meaning you’d like to address the board. Technically, board members can’t speak directly to applicants or to the public, so you might hear someone ask a question “through the Chair.” This means that the Chair is acknowledging both parties for the question to be asked, and the answer to be given.

Make a Motion When your board is ready to vote on an agenda item or application, the Chair will ask for a motion, which is always in the positive/affirmative. For example, “I move to approve the meeting minutes from X date,” or “I move that we approve application Y.” The language of the motion is always in the affirmative – but the board can vote yes, no, or abstain.

Nomination Papers In order to get your name on the ballot for elected office, you have to first pull nomination papers from the Town Clerk’s office and get a required number of signatures from registered voters in your town. Signing someone’s nomination papers does NOT mean that you have to vote for them. It’s a familiar ritual that can be very social and a great way to meet people as you head out on the campaign trail.

Board is a group of people who have all the powers to decide and control the working of a body.

Committee (also called operating committees) are those committees that a board uses on a continual basis. They typically make recommendations to the Select Board for actions that require a broader approach.

Task Force is designed to bring people together to solve a problem. Task forces are short in duration and specific in focus.

Select Board (Board of Selectmen, Town Council) is the elected, decision-making body for the town. Their decisions can cover liquor licenses, waivers of permit fees, committee appointments, approval of departmental budgets, assessment formulas, and negotiating contracts with local unions and employees, among others.

Chair is the head of the group who is in charge of running the meeting, per Robert’s Rules and any town protocols. They will recognize the other members of their board, applicants, and members of the board when it is their respective turn to speak.

Town Staff includes the town administrator, department heads, and other municipal staff who run the town on a day-to-day basis and are paid by the town. They are responsible for carrying out decisions made at Town Meeting, and by the Select Board and other boards, as well as hiring and firing personnel.

Warrant is the compiled list of questions for voters to decide on at town meeting. The Warrant must be posted ahead of time and is available in print or digital form (or both) for the public to review before town meeting.

Warrant Article is an individual question, petition, or change to be considered by town meeting voters. Articles can be sponsored by town boards and may include multiple line-items or subsections. They can also be the product of a citizens’ petition, which requires a minimum number of registered voter signatures for inclusion in the warrant (see your Town Clerk for date/timeline and signature requirements).

Town Meeting is a yearly (or twice yearly) gathering of a town’s registered voters. A minimum number of voters (or quorum) is required to be able to hold Town Meeting and vote on the articles presented in the warrant (list of questions for the voters to decide on). Town Meeting can cover new or changing bylaws, expenditures for departmental and school budgets, staff, equipment, and facilities.

Representative Town Meeting covers the same ground as open Town Meeting, only instead of each resident attending to cast their own vote, the town is divided into districts with elected representatives who vote on behalf of their residents.

Repeat Terms: Robert’s Rules, Quorum, Motions, “Recognize,” and Open Meeting Law also apply to Town Meeting!