Town Meeting
About the Town Meeting
The Town Meeting form of government is used to pass laws and adopt budgets. Citizens attend in-person and are able to actively participate and vote on issues. The Maine Municipal Association states, “some say that Town Meeting is the ‘purest form of democracy’ because citizens, not their representatives, participate directly in the making of laws and the raising and spending of their taxes” (The Maine Municipal Association, A Citizen’s Guide to Town Meeting, 1).
Special Town Meetings, which are the ones most associated with a quintessential ‘Town Meeting’, occur around once a year in May and are used to adopt the budget and pass laws. Special Town meetings can be held multiple times a year if needed.
To learn more about the Town Meeting process, please view the Citizen’s Guide to Town Meeting.
Below are the necessary documents for Town Meeting, including the Warrant, Exhibits and explanations about how Town Meeting operates.
Relevant Links and Documents
Town Meeting Form of Government (Provided by the Topsham Government Improvement Committee)