TOWN OF EAST LONGMEADOW
PROCEDURE FOR ARTICLE TO BE
INSERTED IN A TOWN MEETING WARRANT

Submission of Article

1. SELECTMEN: Any Selectman may submit any warrant article to the Executive Secretary. The article shall be forwarded by the Executive Secretary to the other Selectmen within three (3) business days of filing and shall be inserted in the next warrant without any further approval by the Board unless any Selectman requests the article be placed on an agenda for discussion. Said request must be made at least seven days before the deadline for signing the warrant.

2. OTHER BOARDS OF AUTHORITY: Any article submitted by an elected Board or Committee, if said article deals with a matter with the jurisdiction of said Board or Committee, shall be placed on the warrant by the Executive Secretary. No article shall be accepted for any department or committee without the written approval of its appointing authority. If the article does not deal with a matter within the jurisdiction of the Board or Committee it must comply with the requirements for a petitioned article.

3. OWNERS OF LAND: Any owner of land may request an article seeking to change the zone of his property be placed on a town meeting warrant pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 5.

4. PETITIONED ARTICLE: Any warrant article submitted containing the appropriate number of verified signatures pursuant to the requirements of G.L. c. 39, § 10 shall be included in the warrant. (The annual town meeting requires ten signatures and a special town meeting requires one hundred signatures.)

5. ALL OTHER ARTICLES: Any articles submitted other than as set forth herein will not be included in the warrant without a vote of the Board of Selectmen.
Articles submitted by a Board or Committee shall contain or have the following clause added to it "and pass any vote or take any other action relative thereto.'' unless said Board or Committee indicates in writing at the time of filing with the Board of Selectmen that the clause is not to be added.

All petitioned articles shall be inserted in the warrant as submitted without alteration.

All articles involving financial matters shall be filed simultaneously with both the Board of Selectmen and the chairperson of the Appropriations Committee by the person submitting the article. The Executive Secretary shall also file a copy of any such article with the chairperson of the Appropriations Committee within three working days of receipt by the Office of the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen shall include the Appropriation Committee's position on each such article in the warrant, provided it is received in writing prior to the date set for signing of the warrant by the Selectmen.