Town Council To Assist With Citizens' Petitions

WESTON, MA - Town Counsel will be there to assist residents with drafting a citizens’ petition for the annual town meeting.

If you would like to request an article, stop by Town Hall on Feb. 3 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. The Board of Selectmen will be closing the Annual Town Meeting Warrant to Citizens’ Petitions on February 29.

“It is strongly recommended that petitioners meet with the board or committee that has jurisdiction over the subject matter in order to seek feedback, advice, and support. The board or committee may agree that the issue needs to be addressed and may decide to undertake the process of proposing and supporting it. This outcome will make a petition unnecessary,” the town of Weston’s petitioning guide stated.

Here are some guidelines on placing an article on the warrant for Town Meeting courtesy of the town of Weston:

• Petitions must contain the wording that will appear on the Warrant
• To include an article on the Warrant for Annual Town Meeting, signatures of 10 or more registered voters of Weston are required
• To include an article on the Warrant for a Special Town Meeting, signatures of 100 or more registered voters of Weston
• It is strongly recommended that more than the minimum number of signatures be obtained, to allow for the fact that some signers may turn out not to be registered voters in Weston

“To petition the Selectmen to call a Special Town Meeting not already scheduled, signatures of 200 or more registered voters of Weston, or 20 percent of registered voters, whichever is less, is required. The meeting must be held not more than 45 days after the Board of Selectmen receive the petition,” the town stated.

To see a full guide on petitioning for town meetings click HERE.