Town Meeting is "Democracy Being Practiced in its Purest Form."
Town Meeting Day is when all legal voters of a town have an opportunity to gather, voice opinions and concerns, vote on town and school budgets, and elect town officials. Vermont law dictates that Town Meeting must be held on the first Tuesday in March (or any of the three preceding days if voters so decide.) There are a number of items required by Vermont state statute that a town must vote on at Town Meeting, including: electing municipal officers, approving the budget, authorizing long-term capital borrowing, collecting taxes, and deciding whether or not the town will operate on a fiscal or a calendar year. In order to vote on an issue at Town Meeting, the articles must be properly “warned” prior to the meeting. In Barnard, these warnings are typically posted at the Town Office, the Post Office, the Barnard General Store, and the East Barnard Community Hall. A town can choose to vote on some issues by Australian ballot (pre-printed, paper ballots), rather than from the floor of Town Meeting. Each year, the town shall elect a moderator, whose job it is to “decide questions of order and shall make public declaration of votes taken, except in elections using the Australian ballot system.” For many years, Paul Doton has served as Town Moderator. At town meeting, the moderator follows the Roberts Rules of Order, a formal procedure that is required by state law. At Barnard Town Meeting, while electing town officers you will hear reference to the “Magic Motion.” When there is a single candidate for an office, voters can ask the Town Clerk, through the “Magic Motion,” to cast a single ballot for the candidate. This saves time at the meeting. To learn more about how Town Meeting works in Vermont, and here in Barnard, see the Citizen’s Guide to Town Meeting.