Petition Text

Here's the "Special Petition" text we used in 2024 to place a question on the 2024 Lancaster Annual Town Meeting warrant.   We made a presentation and Town Meeting approved the article.   

We request a 2024 Annual Town Meeting Article with the title:
BEGIN PROCESS OF EXPANDING LANCASTER SELECT BOARD TO FIVE MEMBERS

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to file a petition with the General Court to enact legislation which would provide that notwithstanding any other general law or special law to the contrary, that at the next annual town election after passage of such legislation, but not earlier than the 2024 Annual Town Election, the Lancaster Select Board shall consist of five (5) members, and which would provide, without limitation, a process for an election to fill the two (2) new positions, for no change to the term of office of then currently serving members, and for staggered terms of the five (5) members of the Select Board; provided that the General Court may reasonably vary the form and substance of the requested legislation within the scope of the general public objectives of the petition; and to act on anything relating thereto.   The requested legislation is as follows:

AN ACT increasing the membership of the Select Board of the Town of Lancaster

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 any provision of any general or special law to the contrary, the number of members of the Select Board of the Town of Lancaster shall be increased from three (3) to five (5). The Select Board shall annually elect a chairperson from among its members.

SECTION 2.
At the first Annual Town Election following acceptance of this act by the voters of the Town, but in no event prior to the 2026 Annual Town Election, three (3) Select Board members shall be elected.  The candidate receiving the highest number of votes in that election shall serve a three (3) year term, the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes shall serve a two (2) year term, and the candidate receiving the third highest number of votes shall serve a one (1) year term. Thereafter, as the terms of Select Board members expire, successors shall be elected for terms of three (3) years.

The terms of those members currently serving as Select Board members at the time of adoption of this act shall be unchanged by the adoption of this act.

SECTION 3.       
This act shall be submitted for acceptance to the voters of the Town of Lancaster at the next Annual or Special Town Election following its passage, in the form of the following question which shall be placed on the official ballot:

“Shall an act passed by the General Court entitled, ‘An Act increasing the membership of the Select Board of the Town of Lancaster’ be accepted?”   If a majority of the votes cast in answer to the question is in the affirmative, sections 1 and 2 of this act shall thereupon take effect, but not otherwise.

SECTION 4.    
Section 3 of this act shall take effect upon its passage.