SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2918        FILED ON: 1/4/2022

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2611

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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January 4, 2022

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,

Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 8, Paragraph 1, Clause (2) of the Amendments to the Constitution, as appearing in Article LXXXIX of said Amendments, I am filing for your consideration the attached legislation entitled “An Act Relative to the 2022 Annual Town Meeting for the Town of Tisbury.”

I am filing this special legislation at the request of the Tisbury Select Board.

The legislation authorizes the Town to hold its 2022 Annual Town Meeting outside the geographic limits of Tisbury if the Select Board determines that there is no suitable location within Town limits that will safely and comfortably accommodate all interested participants. The Town has requested this special allowance because the school gymnasium that is currently the only suitable public facility in which to hold Town Meeting will be unavailable for use in Spring 2022 due to a major renovation project.

The Town is seeking to confirm the location for its upcoming Town Meeting shortly so that it can communicate these special arrangements to residents well in advance. I therefore urge your prompt consideration of this bill.

Respectfully submitted

Charles D. Baker,

Governor

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2611

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to the 2022 annual town meeting for the town of Tisbury.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 1. Notwithstanding section 9 of chapter 39 of the general laws, or any other general or special law, charter provision, regulation, or by-law of the town of Tisbury to the contrary, the select board of the town of Tisbury may vote to hold the 2022 annual town meeting outside the geographic limits of the town, if the select board determines that it is not possible to adequately conduct said annual town meeting at or about the calendar time designated for said meeting in the town’s bylaws at a location within the geographic limits of the town that is suitable for conducting the meeting and ensures the opportunity for the town’s residents to participate in the meeting in a manner that protects their health and safety; provided, however, that a meeting for the election of officers that are to be determined by ballot at a municipal election shall be held within the geographic limits of the town.

Section 2. The select board shall publicly post notice of the location of the town meeting on the municipal website and in the warrant, and may circulate notice of the location of the town meeting in any other ways as may be reasonably calculated to achieve the goal of public notice of the location of town meeting outside the geographic limits of the town.

Section 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage.