Here is what the Brattleboro Town Charter Article III, titled “Powers of the People”, section 2 says regarding petitioned articles.
> advisory articles (also called resolutions)
pre-2012
a. If the date of the next town or town school district meeting falls within sixty (60) days after receipt of the petition, and if the petition is presented within sufficient time to be legally warned for the meeting, it shall be included as an article on the warning for that meeting. Otherwise, a special town or town school district meeting shall be called within sixty (60) days after receipt of the petition.
and as of 2012, as revised by the representative town meeting (RTM)
1. The selectboard or the school directors, upon receipt of such petition, requesting an article to reflect public sentiment to be voted upon by all the voters of the town, shall place the article on the warning for the next general town meeting; otherwise the selectboard or the school directors shall place it on the warning for the next annual representative town meeting. Neither body shall deny the petition or refuse to place it on the warning on grounds that the body considers the matters raised in the petition frivolous or not to be the business of the town.
> binding articles (also called ordinances, and laws)
Pre 2012
b. The selectboard or school directors, upon receipt of such petition, shall place the article on the Warning
for the next Town or Town School District Meeting.
and as of 2012, as revised by RTM
1. The selectboard or school directors, upon receipt of such petition, shall place the article on the warning
for the next representative town or town school district meeting.
2. If the date of the next representative town or town school district meeting falls within sixty (60) days after receipt of the petition, and if the petition is presented within sufficient time to be legally warned for the meeting, it shall be included as an article on the warning for that meeting. Otherwise, a special representative town or town school district meeting shall be called within sixty (60) days after receipt of the petition.
3. A binding initiative article passed by the representative town meeting shall be acted upon by all voters of the town by Australian ballot, no later than the next town-wide election or via a called special general town or town school district meeting within sixty (60) days following passage of the binding initiative, whichever comes first.
The RTM has taken away these traditional powers of the people. In the case of the advisory articles, placing the article on the ballot for general town meeting means once a year – not any time of year — , and the ballot for the annual representative town meeting means the people don’t get to vote on it. In the case of binding articles, the people can vote on it only it is first passed by the RTM. Anyway, this is more like “More Powers of the RTM” than “Powers of the People”, under which it is listed.
Hearings on amendments to restore peoples’ initiatives will be held Jan 20 and 29 at 6:15. Contact BrattleboroCommonSense@gmail.com.
