Town Meeting

Guide to Acton ’ s Town Meeting “ Government by the people ” How to be an effective participant at Town Meeting Peter K. Ashton 1 Moderator Introduction If you are a registered voter in Acton, o r are a member of Town Meeting and have the opportunity to participate in the decisions that the town makes each year. But to participate, you must register to vote, so please do so. Attendance at Town Meeting must be in person. State law does not permit absentee voting at Town Meeting. We must have at least one Town Meeting each year, designated as Annual Town Meeting . It is at this Town Meeting where the voters pass the annual budgets for the town and the schools... Acton ’ s By-Law s specify that it convenes on the first Monday in April , typically at 7:00 pm . Special Town Meetings may be called by the Selectmen or by 200 or more registered voters, and typically deal with specific issues. Town Meeting acts as the legislative branch of town government and considers a wide variety of decisions including :  the type of programs and services that town government offers ,  the amount that the Town will spend annually on services including police, fire, education, and a myriad of other activities,  by-laws and other rules and regulations including state enabling legislation ,  Other items that impact the quality of life in town.