Town Meeting-Selectmen Form of Government
The town meeting form of government has been called by some the "purest form" of democracy. It is the most common form of government in Maine with 209 municipalities currently using it.
Town Meeting serves as the legislative arm of the government and usually convenes once a year in March or April.
At that time the Legislative Body passes any laws (ordinances) needed for the orderly governance of the town, and it raises and appropriates money for good and services to be paid for through taxation. Town officers are elected at this time. These officers are called the Board of Selectmen and they form the executive arm of the government, administering, enforcing, and carrying out the decisions made by the Town Meeting. State laws grant the Board some legislative powers in order to regulate vehicles, public ways, and public property.
Many towns that find the part-time nature of the Board of Selectmen is not enough and a full-time manager is too much, hire an Administrative Assistant to support the selectmen and to ensure continuity in the daily operations of municipal government. Currently 52 towns have done so, including Limerick, Maine.
Now that you have an overview of the form of government we use in Limerick, Maine, take a moment to visit our Elected and Appointed Official pages and familiarize yourself with the person and the position he or she now holds.
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