Special Town Meeting

Event Date: 
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 - 5:00pm

Address

Vinalhaven Town Office
19 Washington School Rd
Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles

Article 1. To elect a moderator to preside at said meeting and to fix compensation.

 Article 2. Shall an ordinance entitled “Emergency Management Ordinance of the Town of Vinalhaven” be enacted?

Explanation: This ordinance revision reformats and amends the existing Emergency Management Ordinance.

 Article 3. Shall an ordinance entitled “Vinalhaven Quarry Preservation Ordinance” be enacted?

 Explanation: This ordinance revision amends the existing Quarry Preservation Ordinance.

About Special Town Meetings

Town’s with a town meeting form of government have an annual town meeting to vote on a number of articles, most notably the annual budget.  For Vinalhaven, this happens in the late spring and in addition to the budget-related articles, we also ask the town to vote on things like the Select Board’s ability to apply for and receive grants, allow the Board to enter into lease agreements of no more than 10 years, grant the Board the authority to determine the roads that may be closed to winter maintenance, and usually another dozen items. 

In the past, the Town may have considered new or revised ordinances at the annual meeting, but depending on the timing or need to implement the ordinance or in the event that a financial need arises that would not be covered by the annually approved town meeting, the Board can call for a “Special” town meeting. By calling the meeting ‘Special’, it suggests that it is to take up a matter that cannot be postponed until the annual town meeting.  Other reasons for calling the ‘Special’ town meeting may also simply acknowledge the desire to limit the length of the regularly called Annual Town Meeting.

There should be no concern over whether there is an intention to ‘slip something by’, rather, the Special Town Meeting is advertised and conducted in the same manner as the Annual Town Meeting with public notices, an acknowledgement of registered voters in attendance, and the results and minutes of said meeting are catalogued for the Town’s permanent records.