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Basic Parliamentary Motions
Discussion and decision making at Town Meeting are based on motions, which set the assembly into action. Here are some basic motions used at Town Meeting:
The Main Motion. This motion is used to convert articles as they appear on the warning into proposals the assembly can consider, perhaps amend, and vote on. An article to, for instance, “see what sum the town will raise for highways,” needs to be changed into an active proposal. A voter recognized by the Moderator might say, “I move the town appropriate $120,000 for highways.” The main motion requires a second, and is then ready for debate.
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Proper Amendments
Remember that a Town Meeting can’t take up an issue unless it is warned. The same general principle applies to amendments. You can’t take an article to buy a truck and amend it to buy a road grader, because the amendment raises a subject that hasn’t been warned. For the same reason, you can’t convert an article to raise money by taxes to an article to borrow money to pay something.
Amendments must be germane to the motion they seek to amend: amendments must relate to the motion. An amendment cannot introduce a new and independent question or raise an issue (disguised as an amendment) previously decided by the assembly.
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The Amendment. Amendments propose to change the main motion. In our example, a voter might say, “I move to amend the main motion to read ‘$100,000 for highways.’ ” After being seconded, debate on the motion then shifts to the amendment. When debate is over and there are no further amendments pending, the Moderator will put the amendment to a vote. If it passes and there are no other motions, the main motion as amended is voted on.
Point of Order / Appeal. If you don’t understand a ruling of the Moderator, speak up, saying “Point of order, Mr. (or Ms.) Moderator.” After the Moderator recognizes you, ask your question. If you disagree with the Moderator’s ruling, you may appeal his or her decision. The Moderator is obligated to ask the assembly, “Shall the Moderator’s decision be sustained?” If a majority of voters say “no,” the ruling is overturned.
Pass Over. Sometimes it becomes clear to voters that they don’t want to vote “yes” or “no” on an article; they would prefer not to vote on the article (main motion) at all. Traditional Vermont Town Meeting practice calls this a motion to pass over; Robert’s Rules treat this as two motions. If offered before a main motion is made, it is a motion to object to consideration of the question, and it takes a two-thirds vote of those present and voting. If offered after a main motion is made it is a motion to postpone indefinitely and only a simple majority is required.
Division. Occasionally an article has more than one part. Voters may want to consider the parts separately. Take an article to “abolish the office of delinquent-tax collector and transfer those duties to the constable, who will be paid a salary for this service and the eight percent penalty will be paid to the town general fund.” A voter may move to divide the question into two parts, one on abolishing the office and having the constable collect the tax and the other on compensation. If a majority of the voters agree to the division, the moderator takes up each part separately, as though there were two articles.
Limit or Cut Off Debate. If voters feel that debate on a certain article could go on all night if some control mechanism were not in place, someone might move to limit debate, say to a total of twenty minutes. If two thirds of the voters agree, debate can be so limited. In a case where debate has gone on long enough—voters have made up their minds but some people are still repeating the basic arguments—a voter could move to cut off debate. Again if two-thirds of voters agree, debate will end and a vote will follow.
Adjourn. Voters may make a motion to adjourn at any time; a simple majority is required to pass the motion. While there’s often good reason to try to complete the agenda, sometimes it’s just too late to continue. The meeting may adjourn to another day, if the motion specifies the time of reconvening.
Excerpted from “The Meeting Will Come To Order,” distributed by the Vermont Institute for Government. (See Resources for Democracy)
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