NEEDHAM 1997 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
Welcome to the Town Meeting pages of NeedhamOnLine.Com. New England Town Meetings, the legislative bodies of towns, have often been called "the purest form of democracy". In Needham we have a Representative Town Meeting in which all residents are welcome to speak but only the 200+ elected representatives and a few ex officio members may vote.
Town meetings are governed by Warrants, consisting of Articles. The Warrant is prepared in advance, distributed to all households, and posted in conspicuous places. In order to dispose of an Article, a Main Motion must be voted. The Main Motion is often worded identically to the description of the Article in the Warrant, but the only requirement on the Main Motion and its discussion is that their subject matter must fall within the four corners of the Article.
Needham's Town Meeting is run according to the rules of Town Meeting Time (reference Town Meeting Time : A Handbook of Parliamentary Law by Ralph C. Copeland; 2nd Edition; Krieger Pub Co: 1984; ISBN: 0898747546). These rules are more flexible than Roberts' Rules of Order, having fewer procedural details and giving the Moderator greater discretion.
In the warrant that follows, the text is that of the Warrant Article before discussion begins. When an article is discussed or approved, the text on the page will be changed to the text of the Main Affirmative Motion, which is usually similar. Amendments will be generally indicated below but will not necessarily be stated exactly and will not be integrated into the body of the motion.
Disclaimer: The information on these pages is not official; it is simply the reporting efforts of one Town Meeting Member.
Click here for a record of the February, 1997 Special Town Meeting.
Richard Patton Melick Foundation Awards
Awards were presented, May 12, to Stephane Kalin (post-humously), Arthur Bloom, and James Hugh Powers. Mr. Bloom and Mr. Powers spoke their thanks. Mr. Melick, visiting, also spoke briefly.
Below is a guide to the 1997 Annual Town Meeting. There was a Special Town Meeting May 14; its articles are included at the end of the list below. Click on the name of any article to view its details.
Reports and Recommendations Published With the Warrant
| The 86th Annual Report of the Finance Committee. |
| Revenue Summary: FY 1996-1998 |
| Operating Budget Summary: FY 1996-1998 |
| Operating Budget Recommendations |
| Proposed FY 1998-2002 Capital Improvement Plan -- Executive Summary and Debt Schedule |
| Report of the Planning Board |
| Report of the Public Works Department |
The following sections from the printed warrant have not been reproduced
on this site:
|
Warrant Articles of Annual Town Meeting
| ¹ Dispositions | |
|---|---|
| Aye | Approved (with vote when counted) |
| Amend | Approved as amended (with vote when counted) |
| Nay | Disapproved (with vote when counted) |
| Refer | Referred back to commitee |
| U | Unanimously approved at start of meeting |
| W | Withdrawn by unanimous consent |
| ... | Currently before the meeting |
