Town meeting

Common card · No. 325823

The town meeting, also known as an open town meeting, is a form of local government in which eligible town residents may directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike a representative town meeting, where only elected representatives can participate in the governing assembly, any town voter may participate in an open town meeting. This form is distinct from town hall meetings,s which are held by elected officials to communicate with their constituents, and have no decision-making power. At a town meeting, attendees determine the ordinances or rules of the town, its boards and commissions, elected and appointed positions, capital investments, expenditures, budgets, and local taxation, as well as the manner and frequency of future town meetings. Because towns self-govern and maintain their autonomy, the town meeting varies from state to state, as well as from town to town. Since town residents directly participate in their own governance and represent...

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