Town Meetings
Click here for the Belmont Town Meeting Member Handbook
Click here for the Belmont Representative Town Meeting Acts of 1926 As Amended
All sessions begin at 7 pm
For 2014 Annual Town Meetings at Belmont High School Auditorium
Upcoming Town Meeting Dates: May 5, 2014
If needed:
- May 7, 12, 14
- June 2, 4, 9, 11
If you're thinking of running for elected office in Belmont, please take a look at the guide for Belmont's elected government and how to to run for elected office in Belmont.
Candidates for Town Meeting Member
The elected term for Town Meeting Member is three (3) years, though should a resignation occur, there may be openings for one (1), or two (2) year periods.
Candidate for Re-Election
If you are an incumbent Town Meeting Member and your term is due to expire in April , in late December/early January of the year you will receive from the Town Clerk’s office a letter asking if you would like to be considered a candidate for re-election to Town Meeting for your precinct.
The candidate must sign and return the affirmation form to the Town Clerk’s office by January 21, 2014 at 5 pm to be considered a candidate for re-election. If the date passes without return of the form, the candidate would be considered a new candidate for Town Meeting and would be required to secure the 25 signatures on the nomination paper and the words “candidate for re-election” will not appear next to the name on the ballot.
New Candidates
To be considered a new candidate for Town Meeting Member, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter of the Town of Belmont in the precinct you wish to represent. If you are currently serving as a Town Meeting Member who was elected at caucus, not by Town ballot, you will need to submit nomination papers as a new candidate.
Candidates for Town Meeting must secure the signatures of at least 25 registered voters from the precinct they represent and return the signed nomination papers by February 11, 2014 at 5:00 pm. We recommend that more signatures are collected and submitted in the event that some signatures are invalid.
Nomination papers are available for pick-up at the Town Clerk’s office for the annual April Town election, when Town Meeting members are elected. Before collecting signatures, the candidate must sign the nomination papers and fill in the office for which he/she will be a candidate.
Articles may be placed on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant by citizen petition or by the Board of Selectmen. A citizen petition must be submitted to the Town Clerk by the time and date of warrant close.
- For the Annual Town Meeting, the petition must contain the signatures of at least 10 registered voters as certified by the Town Clerk.
- For a Special Town Meeting that has already been called by the Board of Selectmen, the petition must contain the signatures of at least 100 registered voters as certified by the Town Clerk.
- To call a new Special Town Meeting by citizen petition, the petition must contain the signatures of at least 200 registered voters as certified by the Town Clerk.
- It is always advisable to submit at least 30% more signatures than the requirement.Petitions must include the name, address and signatures of each voter, each sheet containing the exact language of the petition.
Town Meeting Members are reminded:
All main motions and proposed amendments involving the expenditure of money must be in writing. All other motions and proposed amendments must also be in writing unless they are so brief and simple as to be easily understood when stated orally.
All substantive amendments and motions to be offered under an article in the Warrant must be submitted to the Town Clerk in writing no later than the close of business on the third (3rd) business day before the commencement of the session at which the Article is considered.
Town Meeting Members should plan to arrive in sufficient time to sign in and take a seat to begin the meeting promptly.