Annual Update for 2018 Town Report

Warm greetings from your Town Moderator, Paul Cimino. I am pleased to have been newly elected in 2017, and look forward to continuing my service to our Town in this role.

The Town Moderator serves Town Meeting directly, and acts independently of the other components of our Town government. The Moderator is elected during the Annual Town election each year, for a term of one year.

The Southborough Town Moderator performs two essential functions on behalf of Town Meeting. First, as the title implies, the Moderator presides over the proceedings at the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) in April each year, as well as any Special Town Meeting (STM) that may be called at another time throughout the year. Second, on behalf of Town Meeting the Moderator is responsible to appoint members to our Town's Advisory Committee, Personnel Board, and Public Works Planning Board.

Annual Town Meeting

The Annual Town Meeting is a staple of our New England tradition for maintaining local control through direct involvement in governance of the Town. Town Meeting is the "legislature" of our Town, and acts on all new or amended Town By-Laws, as well as debate and approval of all components of the annual Town budget. Our Annual Town Meeting is what is known as an "open" Town Meeting (as opposed to a "representative" Town Meeting), which is the purest and most democratic form of self-government. It means that any individual registered voter may attend, speak and be heard, and vote on any matter taken up at Town Meeting. Thus an open Town Meeting offers voters a direct voice regarding the operation of our Town. The Town Moderator presides over the meeting, maintaining decorum and flow.

Currently the quorum necessary to convene Town Meeting is 100 registered voters. The business of Town Meeting is guided by the Warrant, which is issued in advance by the Board of Selectman and contains the various Articles that Town Meeting will consider. Town Meeting must conclude at 11 pm, unless the body collectively agrees to continue past that time. If all of the business in the Warrant has not been disposed of on the first day, Town Meeting shall be continued to another session, normally the next evening. Note that any Town Meeting must be formally concluded after consideration of all of the business contained in the Warrant, before any action of the meeting becomes official.

Town Meeting is formally governed by Massachusetts General Law, chapter 39 and Southborough Town Code, chapter 41. For purposes of rules of order and procedure, our Town Meeting has adopted "Town Meeting Time: A Handbook of Parliamentary Law" as published by the Massachusetts Moderators Association. It is available in the Southborough Public Library.

Appointments

On behalf of Town Meeting, the Moderator is charged with appointing members to the Advisory Committee, Personnel Board, and Public Works Planning Board. These bodies act independently and publish separate reports elsewhere in this Annual Town Report.

Since my election in 2017 I have appointed or re-appointed the following current members through the term indicated. My sincere thanks to these volunteers!

To the Advisory Committee:

  • Ravinda N Mynampaty (2019)
  • Judith K. Budz (2020)
  • Francis Mainville (2020)
  • Bradford M. Morse (2020)

To the Personnel Board:

  • Jason M. Dietz (2019)
  • Elizabeth Henry-Veeneman (2020)
  • Beth A. Rosenbloom (2020)

To the Public Works Planning Board:

  • Mark S Bertonazzi (2020)

Once again, I am pleased to act as your Moderator.  I can be reached at any time.

With warm regards,
Paul M. Cimino
Town Moderator