Request an Article by Petition

Action may be taken at Town Meeting only on items (articles) appearing in the Warrant (agenda) for the meeting. Citizens who want to bring something before Town Meeting are encouraged to speak with the Town Manager and the Select Board well in advance of Town Meeting or Special Town Meeting. By doing so, they may be able to avoid the need for formal petitions.

If a resident wishes to file a Citizens' Petition, consultation with the Town Manager is strongly recommended for form and procedure. Such consultation should take place early in the calendar year for the Annual Town Meeting. 

Guide

To assist Weston voters interested in petitioning the Select Board to place an article on the warrant for Town Meeting, please refer to the following guide for helpful explanations and procedures, as well as the appropriate paperwork to submit.

Procedure

The Select Board officially opens the Warrant to receive petitions for Annual Town Meeting and for the fall Special Town Meeting for a specified time period that is announced through Town communication channels; however, the paperwork may be obtained from the Office of the Town Manager at any time of the year.

Citizens who wish to include a warrant article that has not received prior approval from the Select Board, should read the guidelines and follow procedure, which includes:
  • Petitioned articles must contain the wording that will appear on the Warrant
  • To include an article on the Warrant for Annual Town Meeting, signatures of 50 or more registered voters of Weston are required
  • To include an article on the Warrant for a Special Town Meeting, signatures of 100 or more registered voters of Weston are required
  • It is strongly recommended that more than the minimum number of signatures be obtained, to allow for the fact that some signers may turn out not to be registered voters in Weston
  • Submit the petitioned article and signatures by the posted deadline to the Office of the Town Manager
To petition the Select Board to call a Special Town Meeting not already scheduled, signatures of 200 or more registered voters of Weston, or 20 percent of registered voters, whichever is less, is required. The meeting must be held not more than 45 days after the Select Board receive the petition. 

The warrant, issuance, and content are outlined in M.G.L. Chapter 39, Section 10.

Papers

The required Citizens' Petition paperwork may be obtained at any time of the year from the Office of the Town Manager and Select Board and is also included at the end of the guidelines online.