Bill Sponsors
Rogers, and de la Cruz
Committee
Senate Housing & Municipal Government
Summary
Select
This bill changes the rules for the annual financial town meeting in Scituate. It requires that if the town council makes its budget recommendations by the fourth Thursday in April, any citizen wanting to propose a change of $10,000 or more to those recommendations must submit a notice with at least ten signatures to the town treasurer by May 15. The bill also requires these proposed changes to be published before the June town meeting. Voters in Scituate must approve this change during the November 3, 2026, general election for it to take full effect.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Enhances democratic transparency by ensuring large proposed changes to the town budget are published in advance, allowing community members time to review and understand financial impacts on public services.
- Protects essential public services and safety nets from sudden, unannounced budget cuts during the town meeting by requiring prior notice for significant reductions.
- Mandates a public referendum, ensuring that the residents of Scituate have the final democratic say on whether to adopt these new financial rules.
Cons for Progressives
- Places additional bureaucratic hurdles, such as requiring ten signatures and a strict May 15 deadline, on residents who wish to propose amendments, which could disadvantage marginalized individuals with less political organization.
- Restricts spontaneous grassroots democracy by preventing residents from proposing significant, potentially progressive budget increases directly from the floor of the town meeting without prior notice.
- Delays the implementation of these procedural reforms until after the 2026 election, meaning any potential benefits to government transparency will not be realized for several years.
Pros for Conservatives
- Prevents unexpected, large-scale increases in government spending or taxation by requiring strict advance notice before massive budget hikes can be proposed at the town meeting.
- Adds rigid procedural requirements that limit the ability of activist groups to hijack the town meeting and spontaneously push through expensive public assistance funding.
- Defers to the local voters to approve or reject the measure through a ballot question, respecting traditional conservative principles of local control and direct voter consent.
Cons for Conservatives
- Restricts the personal freedom and free speech of individual taxpayers to spontaneously demand significant cuts to wasteful government spending directly from the floor of the town meeting.
- Mandates that even amendments to reduce the budget must go through bureaucratic red tape, including gathering signatures and meeting a strict deadline, hindering efforts to easily shrink local government.
- Requires the town to spend taxpayer resources to advertise the voting districts and publish the proposed budget changes, slightly increasing administrative government costs.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely. Regulating the procedural rules for proposing monetary amendments at a municipal financial town meeting is a standard administrative function. It operates as a reasonable time, place, and manner restriction on parliamentary procedure and does not infringe upon fundamental free speech or due process rights.
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Scituate residents
- Scituate town council
- Scituate voters
- Scituate town treasurer
- Scituate town clerk
Towns Affected
Scituate
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
Importance
Measures population affected and overall level of impact.
Freedom Impact
Level of individual freedom impacted by the bill.
Public Services
How much the bill is likely to impact one or more public services.
Regulatory
Estimated regulatory burden imposed on the subject(s) of the bill.
Clarity of Bill Language
How clear the language of the bill is. Higher ambiguity equals a lower score.
Enforcement Provisions
Measures enforcement provisions and penalties for non-compliance (if applicable).
Environmental Impact
Impact the bill will have on the environment, positive or negative.
Privacy Impact
Impact the bill is likely to have on the privacy of individuals.
Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 05/22/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Housing and Municipal Government
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Section 4 of Chapter 1321 of the Public Laws Of, 1915, entitled “An Act Fixing The Time For The Election Of Officers In The Town Of Scituate” as previously amended by Chapter 3777 of the Public Laws of 1956, and by Chapters 225 and 312 of the Public Laws of 2022, is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 4. The town meeting for the ordering and disposing of taxes and consideration of all matters relating to the finances of said town, shall be held in the calendar year 2023 on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in April at 7:00 P.M., and in the calendar year 2024 and thereafter on the first Tuesday in the month of June at 7:00 P.M., at which meeting the town moderator shall preside. The meeting shall be held in the town of Scituate at such location as the town council shall determine by resolution from time to time, unless the alternative provisions of § 45-3-4, are invoked by the town council. Provided that the appropriations recommended by the town council have been made no later than the fourth Thursday in April immediately preceding the town meeting to be held on the first Tuesday in June, no motion which increases or reduces an appropriation recommended by the town council by $10,000 or more, shall be in order at such meeting unless notice of intention to make such motion has been presented to the town treasurer with the signatures of not less than ten (10) qualified electors of the town no later than the May 15 immediately preceding said such meeting. Notice of such motion shall be included in the publication required under § 44-35-6. Provided notice of such motion has been made, then amendments made at such town meeting to such motion for any lesser amount may be considered at the town meeting.”
SECTION 2. The question of the acceptance or rejection of this act shall be submitted to the electors of the town at the general election to be held on November 3, 2026. The question shall be submitted in substantially the following form: “Shall an act, passed at the 2026 session of the General Assembly, entitled ‘AN ACT REGARDING MOTIONS AT THE TOWN OF SCITUATE ANNUAL FINANCIAL TOWN MEETING’ be approved?" and the warning for the election shall contain the question to be submitted. The Town Board of Canvassers may combine any two or more voting districts for the election and when so combined shall be treated as a voting district. If so combined, the Town Board of Canvassers shall advertise the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town. From the time the election is warned and until it is held, it shall be the duty of the Town Clerk to keep a copy of the act available at his or her office for public inspection, but the validity of the election shall not be affected by this requirement.
The town clerk of the town of Scituate shall forthwith after said town meeting certify to the secretary of state the result of this vote upon the question submitted.
SECTION 3. This section and section 2 of this act shall take effect upon passage, and the remainder of this act shall take effect upon the approval of this act by a majority of those voting on LC006497 - Page 2 of 4 the question at the election prescribed by section 2.
“Sec. 4. The town meeting for the ordering and disposing of taxes and consideration of all matters relating to the finances of said town, shall be held in the calendar year 2023 on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in April at 7:00 P.M., and in the calendar year 2024 and thereafter on the first Tuesday in the month of June at 7:00 P.M., at which meeting the town moderator shall preside. The meeting shall be held in the town of Scituate at such location as the town council shall determine by resolution from time to time, unless the alternative provisions of § 45-3-4, are invoked by the town council. Provided that the appropriations recommended by the town council have been made no later than the fourth Thursday in April immediately preceding the town meeting to be held on the first Tuesday in June, no motion which increases or reduces an appropriation recommended by the town council by $10,000 or more, shall be in order at such meeting unless notice of intention to make such motion has been presented to the town treasurer with the signatures of not less than ten (10) qualified electors of the town no later than the May 15 immediately preceding said such meeting. Notice of such motion shall be included in the publication required under § 44-35-6. Provided notice of such motion has been made, then amendments made at such town meeting to such motion for any lesser amount may be considered at the town meeting.”
SECTION 2. The question of the acceptance or rejection of this act shall be submitted to the electors of the town at the general election to be held on November 3, 2026. The question shall be submitted in substantially the following form: “Shall an act, passed at the 2026 session of the General Assembly, entitled ‘AN ACT REGARDING MOTIONS AT THE TOWN OF SCITUATE ANNUAL FINANCIAL TOWN MEETING’ be approved?" and the warning for the election shall contain the question to be submitted. The Town Board of Canvassers may combine any two or more voting districts for the election and when so combined shall be treated as a voting district. If so combined, the Town Board of Canvassers shall advertise the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town. From the time the election is warned and until it is held, it shall be the duty of the Town Clerk to keep a copy of the act available at his or her office for public inspection, but the validity of the election shall not be affected by this requirement.
The town clerk of the town of Scituate shall forthwith after said town meeting certify to the secretary of state the result of this vote upon the question submitted.
SECTION 3. This section and section 2 of this act shall take effect upon passage, and the remainder of this act shall take effect upon the approval of this act by a majority of those voting on LC006497 - Page 2 of 4 the question at the election prescribed by section 2.