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Concept
Town meeting
Summary
Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with town hall meetings held by state and national politicians to answer questions from their constituents, which have no decision-making power.
Town meeting has been used in portions of the United States, principally in New England, since the 17th century. The format has been characterized as an example of deliberative democracy, and served as a prominent case study in democratic theory.
Town meetings have been practiced in the U.S. region of New England since colonial times and in some western states since at least the late 19th century. Typically conducted by New England towns, town meeting can also refer to meetings of other governmental bodies, such as school districts or water districts. While the uses and laws vary from state to state, the general form is for residents of the town or school district to gather once a year and act as a legislative body, voting on operating budgets, laws, and other matters for the community's operation over the following 12 months.
Town records of early New England are scarce, leading to debate about the origin of town meeting. The most common interpretation is that it was adapted from local vestry meetings held in 17th century England, which were responsible for financial decisions of the parish church. The English settlers created parish-based governments modeled after their experience with these local meetings, with town Selectmen analogous to vestry churchwardens. In colonial New England there was very little separation between church and town governance, but town meeting continued to play a secular role after the disestablishment of the state churches and form the core of government for New England Towns today.
Since the turn of the nineteenth century, political scientists have characterized New England's town meetings as notable examples of direct and deliberative democracy.
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