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Courtesy Kristin Chalmers Photgraphy

INTRODUCTION TO TOWN GOVERNMENT

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Top 5 Ways to Stay Informed and Get Involved 

with Arlington Governance and Committees 

 

1)  Sign up for newsletters, social media pages, listservs and email lists!*

 

 

 

 

    

2)  Merge your Calendar!

 

3)  Be Watching!  

  • Current and past Town and Committee meetings are available on Arlington Community Media (ACMI) Arlington Government Channel: http://acmi.tv/govlive/


4)  Attend Meetings and Community Chats!  Below are monthly meeting schedules for several (but not all).

     Check their individual calendars for more activities and events.

 

MONDAYS

 

TUESDAYS

 

WEDNESDAYS

 

THURSDAYS

 

5)  Keep Learning!

  • Town Directory (Lists current Board & Committee representatives & when their terms end)

  • ABC’s of Town Government (Describes how our town works with a focus on the Town's management of its finances--composed by Envision's Fiscal ResourcesTask Group) 

  • Town Organizational Chart (A chart outlining who reports to whom in our town, page 59) 

  • What precinct are you in? 

  • What is a Warrant Article?

    • A Warrant Article is simply a preliminary description of a suggested new bylaw, bylaw change, home rule petition or non-binding resolution (an affirmation of belief).

    • A home rule petition is a bylaw or bylaw amendment that requires approval from the state legislature and the governor.

    • A resolution is Town Meeting’s affirmation of a certain belief. A recent example was the resolution calling on the Select Board to re-hang the Black Lives Matter banner at Town Hall. 

    • A Warrant is the advance notification to Town residents that Town Meeting is going to be convened to discuss the specific Articles included in the Warrant.

    • A motion is what actually gets voted on by Town Meeting. It is the legal form of your Article that should ideally capture its intent. It is a modified version of your Article written by the Select Board, the Finance Committee or the Redevelopment Board.

      • If you feel that the motion presented to Town Meeting does not capture the original intent of your Article, you can submit an amendment to change the motion. 

      • If the Board/Committee suggests Town Meeting take “no action” on your Article, you can submit a substitute motion to Town Meeting that restates your Article and gives you an opportunity to argue for its passage.

 

 

Top 5 Ways to Implement Change in Arlington

All Town Boards and Committees can be found here:  

 

1)  Contact your Town representatives:

 

2)  Be Heard! - Participate in Meetings during Open Forum and contact your representatives via email:  

 

3)  Apply to be on a Committee 

  • Committee Openings  -find the updated list of what committees and boards have current openings for residents to apply - there is something for everyone! 

 

4)  Submit a Warrant Article - It only takes 10 signatures!  Learn how!

 

5)  Vote & Run for Office ! - It’s not as big a commitment as you might think!

 

*Please email Arlington Fights Racism if you would like your organizations to be added to this resource list.

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