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Town Meeting Documents & Information

 Annual Town Meeting takes place in the spring, and typically lasts for six evenings (typically Monday and Wednesday). Town Meeting is held on the fifth Monday of April, if any, or the first Monday in May (General Bylaws §30-105).

Town Meeting makes all of the decisions about the Town’s budgets and local Bylaws. Belmont’s government is a Representative Town Meeting, which means that only Town Meeting Members can vote at Town Meeting, unlike the Open Town Meeting form of government. That’s why it’s very important that all the Town Meeting seats are filled to have full representation of each Belmont neighborhood.

Upcoming Town Meetings

All Town Meeting Sessions begin at 7:00pm unless otherwise stated
 
 
The dates reserved for the 2024 Annual Town Meeting are below:
Segment ASegment B
Monday, April 29, 2024Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Wednesday, May 1, 2024Monday, June 3 2024
Monday, May 6, 2024Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Wednesday, May 8, 2024Monday, June 10, 2024

Documents for the Annual Town Meeting

Deadlines for submitting Amendments to Articles on the Town Meeting Warrant

The deadlines to file amendments to motions for Town Meeting sessions is the close of business on the third business day before the session of Town Meeting. Amendments must be submitted in writing, preferably in Word emailed to ecushman@belmont-ma.gov and please cc to townclerk@belmont-ma.gov. All amendments must contain the name and contact email of the Town Meeting Member proposing the amendment.

Documents & Roll Call Votes for Completed Sessions of Town Meeting:

For past documents sent to Town Meeting Members and past Roll Call Votes taken at Town Meeting, click here.

Belmont Town Meeting Procedures:

Belmont Town Meeting follows the procedures and law in Town Meeting Time: A Handbook of Parliamentary Law by Richard B. Johnson. This book can be obtained by the Massachusetts Moderators' Association, the Belmont Public Library and both retail and online booksellers.

Below is a list of resources regarding Belmont's Town Meeting:

Adding Articles to the Town Meeting Warrant:

Articles may be placed on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant by citizen petition or by the Select Board. A citizen petition must be submitted to the Town Clerk for signature certification before the time and date of the warrant's close.
  • Annual Town Meeting: The petition must contain the signatures of at least 10 registered voters.
  • Special Town Meeting (already called by the Select Board): The petition must contain the signatures of at least 100 registered voters.
  • Special Town Meeting (by citizen petition): The petition must contain the signatures of at least 200 registered voters.

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.

A downloadable Citizens' Petition form is available here.

Electronic Voting at Town Meeting

To view the report for Electronic Voting at Town Meeting, click here.

Town Meeting now uses, in addition to voice voting, an Electronic Voting system utilizing a peripheral called a Response Card. The response cards will be handed out to Town Meeting Members before the start of Town Meeting and they must be returned at the end of the night. Town Meeting members will use the Electronic Voting system at the Moderator's discretion.