Financial Town Meeting Scituate Charter Commission

Oldest form of Democracy in the USA and before the USA Primarily in New England Region

In many parts of New England, makes laws as well as finances Scituate has a Financial Town Meeting This meeting approves the town budget, and the Voters approve the taxes that are necessary to support the Town Budget

Financial Town Meeting is run by the elected moderator. Budget can be amended up or down (with some exceptions) from the floor and a vote of the electorate. The tax rate is approved by the electorate

Attendance varies (my memory from 90 to 600) As communities have grown, FTM have been eliminated or modified

Scituate’s Population is 10, 400 according to RI State Planning will only grow to 10685 by 2040

Much of what we do at the local level these days is directed and dictated by state and federal officials, agencies and laws. Yet local government is still the most efficient In the towns where the people rule, we make the best decisions. And when government is this close to us, and accountable to us, it’s tough for graft and corruption to take root. Town meeting is a very conservative concept, initiated to defeat the centralization of power. And when we are the government, we don’t fear the government. That may be the most valuable benefit of town meetings.