Pomfret voters to decide format of future Town Meetings

POMFRET — Pomfret has scheduled a special town meeting for next week to discuss the format of future town meetings.

The special meeting is set for 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, in The Prosper Valley School multipurpose room, 1071 Pomfret Road.

Questions before voters include whether to switch to ballot voting from floor votes for the election of town officers, budget articles and public questions, as well as whether to move the date of the annual Town Meeting to the third day preceding the first Tuesday in March.

“All registered voters are strongly encouraged to attend the special town meeting in person,” Selectboard Chairman John Peters wrote in a listserv post. “This is your opportunity to decide whether future town meeting articles will be decided in person or by Australian ballot.”

The format of Town Meeting was a discussion topic in several Upper Valley communities this year. Some towns such as Bethel and Bradford, Vt., have opted for a hybrid in which officers will be elected by ballot, but floor meetings will continue for budgets and public questions.

Meanwhile, Bridgewater rejected Australian balloting entirely, while Strafford will now conduct its business entirely by Australian ballot.

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